Affirmative Action must yield results

Ghana joined the global community to celebrate International Women’s Day last Tuesday to highlight the achievements of women and the challenges militating against their growth and development.

In Ghana, women rights groups, gender organisations and individuals described the theme for this year’s celebration as a call to action in the women empowerment agenda.

This is because working together to realise gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls especially will play a crucial role towards achieving targets set out in the new global development paradigm — the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 that relates to ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls everywhere, eliminating all forms of violence against all women and girls and promoting the attainment of gender equality.

Although Ghana continues to make strides towards women’s empowerment, certain intractable traditional and socio-cultural norms and perceptions about women’s place in society continue to reinforce gender stereotypes of feminity and masculinity, thereby thwarting gender equality efforts.

Indeed, as the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) truly asserted in a statement to the media to mark the event, the world in general and Ghana for that matter cannot develop to an appreciable level if opportunities are not created for both women and men to participate in the development process

The optimism expressed by the commission that the development of a National Gender Policy and the formulation of the Affirmative Action Law currently awaiting Cabinet’s approval would address some of the shortfalls and mainstream gender equality into the national development agenda to ensure equal participation of both women and men in every facet of life is quite valid.

The Daily Graphic also agrees with appeals to implement gender-based policies that are geared towards attaining food security and sustainable development in the country.

We reiterate that it is extremely important to make the effort to allow women and girls equal access to quality education, economic resources and political participation, and that women’s full and equal participation in the political and economic arena is fundamental to democracy and justice.

The Daily Graphic also adds its voice to calls on all stakeholders, as well as government and non-governmental organisations, to make significant investments to close the gender gap, as well as take concrete steps to quicken global efforts in achieving gender equality.

It also urges stakeholders to work together to eliminate discrimination against women and girls, as well as other barriers which impede gender equality.

Although we have not achieved much by way of concerted efforts by the government to narrow the gender gap, we think all the political parties must step up their efforts to get more women into Parliament.

When it comes to appointments in the public service, more should be extended to women who are qualified to hold those positions, as the development process will lag behind without the participation of females.

To mark this memorable event, we say Ayekoo to all women and wish them all the best to continue to work hard to make strides in all fields of national endeavour.