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"Women's contribution to Ghana's
progress has been immense
Bolgatanga, April 5, GNA - Mrs Paulina Abayage, Upper East
Regional Director of the Department of Women, said on
Thursday that poverty reduction efforts in the country would
be hampered and the cycle of poverty would be passed from
one generation to the next if women were dis-empowered and
marginalized.
"To maximise the impact of gender equality on poverty
reduction and sustainable development, women must be
involved in decision-making in the household, the workplace
and in the political sphere", the Director said in an
interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Bolgatanga.
She was speaking on the contribution of women to national
development during the past 50 years of Ghana's
independence.
Mrs Abayage stated that over the years, women had
contributed their quota as primary caregivers in the family,
shaping especially the lives of children.
She observed that more women in the Region were bringing
more income into their families now than their male
counterparts and that policy makers were increasingly coming
to terms with the important role women in the rural
communities especially, played in addressing the poverty
situation in their families.
Mrs Abayage said at both the regional and national levels
women had come together to challenge discriminatory
attitudes against them and that this had significantly led
to the decline of negative practices including forced
marriages, female genital mutilation and widowhood rites.
"Despite the ingrained gender inequality in traditional
Ghanaian society, the status of women in the country has
improved in the last three decades. The awareness about
discriminatory practices including physical and sexual
violence, and female illiteracy has led to widespread
demands for change."
Mrs Abayage pointed out that through the promotion of legal
and social reforms such as the passing of the Domestic
Violence Bill and the gains made against negative cultural
practices, women as well as other advocates of gender
equality had taken the vital step towards the reshaping of
Ghana's social and political landscape.
"Enrolment figures for girls in primary schools have soared,
the educational gap between boys and girls has narrowed and
although in minimal proportions, women's political
representation is on the increase," she said.
She declared that compared to the situation 50 years ago,
women and children in the Region today had access to
opportunities that were previously restricted or even
non-existent.
GNA
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