Ensuring participation of more women in governance

Out of the 18,938 candidates who contested in 6,135 electoral areas in last Tuesday’s district-level elections (DLEs), only 1,182 were women.

Despite this disproportional ratio of participation, far fewer women won in the various electoral areas, even though we are yet to be informed of the actual number of women who won.

Although increased women’s participation has been trumpeted on several platforms, it appears that it has all been talk and just talk, while on the ground all attempts are made to sideline women when it comes to issues of leadership and governance.

While we do not dispute the fact that there has been some attempt at improving the fortunes of women when it comes to participation in governance issues, it only remains a very insignificant attempt to afford women the platform to get involved.

When the New Patriotic Party (NPP) made an attempt at affirmative action, so that its women parliamentarians would not be contested by men during the party’s recently held parliamentary primaries, a large section of the party booted against the idea, saying the women should compete against the men.

We are not asking minnows to be encouraged into leadership positions, but our traditional set up, which is largely patriarchal, makes any competition between men and women a non-starter.

Women have voted against their own kind whenever men have also been involved because of the widely held belief that men make better leaders. There are, however, many examples of women who have excelled in governance positions when they have been offered the positions.

Although according to current statistics women constitute about 51 per cent of Ghana’s population, the legislature has only 29 female parliamentarians.

Out of the 133 women who contested 102 parliamentary seats in the 2012 parliamentary election, only 21.8 per cent were sworn in as parliamentarians.

The Daily Graphic believes that it is time for a deliberate attempt at making the terrain friendly for women’s participation when it comes to leadership and governance slots.

As a country, Ghana has made a good attempt at encouraging very hardworking and intelligent women to take up positions of trust and authority, such as those of the Chief Justice and the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission (EC).

That is, however, only a drop in the ocean and we urge all people in authority to disabuse their minds that women are not competent when it comes to certain positions.

The various political parties must draw up programmes to educate their followers on the need to have balanced representation of both sexes vying and, indeed, occupying political positions.

We need to shed off the traditional roles we have created for the women, such as positions of treasurer and secretary that have always been contested by them.

Women can fit in anywhere, provided they have received the same orientation and support as their male counterparts and offered equal opportunities and a level playing field.