The Executive Director of the Ghana Data Protection Commission, Patricia Adusei-Poku, has pointed out that the timing of marriage and childbearing can make or break a woman’s career.

Madam Adusei, who dropped out of the university at age 21, got married at age 22.

With her experience, she stated that although marriage and childbearing have their pros and cons, it is better, especially for women, to get them done as early as possible.

She explained to Prime Morning’s Roselyn Felli how early marriage and family creation have helped in the establishment of her career.

According to her, the timing is better because it affords women the chance to pursue their careers without much distraction.

"So by the end of 21, I was married, and by 22, I had my first child. I raised this because it’s for women. There are pros and cons to marrying early, having your children, getting it out of the way, and focusing on your career. It has been a big plus for me… those decisions in the early days of my life, I believe, have shaped the success of my career now."

"By 26, I had my two older girls, and I could now focus on what I really wanted to do, and for women, that is really important. The timing of your marriage, the timing of developing a family, having children, can really make or break your career," she said.

Marrying and creating a family later in life, according to Madam Adusei-Poku, can become a hindrance, especially for women who find themselves putting their dreams on hold for their families.

However, the Executive Director encouraged women to continue pursuing their careers even after giving birth and catering for the children up to a certain stage.

According to her, it is never too late for women to chase their dreams, as adult education and career opportunities are available if only they are determined and willing to achieve them.

"I’m saying this to encourage my fellow women, especially those who have felt like they’ve been at home, family life they can’t do it. Please, adult education can help your career… So sometimes you need to push yourself and discipline yourself."

"So I’m saying to women now, wherever or whatever stage in your life that you are now, if you want to achieve something, tell yourself you can do it… If you can’t tell yourself you can do it, I can’t tell it for you," she said.

She further revealed that she almost quit her career after giving birth to her third child at age 26 due to some challenges she faced.

But what keeps her going? She disclosed that it was the advice she had from her father growing up. "My father will tell you to try, try again until you get what you want," she said.

Madam Patricia Adusei-Poku is a mother of three and currently the Executive Director of the Ghana Data Protection Commission, as well as a seasoned privacy practitioner in the public, private, and non-profit sectors around the world.

She has a Master of Business Administration (MBA-Project Management & Consultancy), a BSc (Hons) in Computing Science, is a Certified Information Privacy Manager from the globally recognized International Association of Privacy Professionals, and is a Certified Practitioner in the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR).