Ghanaian women are traditionally stereotyped and socially assigned the roles of primary caregivers, mothers, wives, and homemakers.

These stereotypes and gender roles are nurtured in our school systems, where girls are elected or appointed as office girls and cleaners of classrooms and school compounds. These duties are extensions of the household chores expected of girls.

These gender roles are further reinforced in all areas of social life where women are regarded as subordinate to men. These restrictive prescriptions of gender roles limit the potentials of women who form more than half of the population. The consequence is that our human capital is being eroded, which otherwise will help to create more jobs to drive the country’s economic growth.

In spite of these historical and cultural limitations placed on women in our male dominated society, many women have worked hard to get to the apex of their professions. Many more young girls are excelling in their studies. It is worth mentioning Afua Ansah, the 14-year-old girl who made Ghana proud in the 2016 edition of the Scripps International Spelling Bee competition held in the United States of America as an example.

It is therefore, unfortunate for the Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, to make comments suggesting Dr. Charlotte Osei traded sexual favours for her position as the chair person of the Electoral Commission of Ghana.

The comments made by the MP is a manifestation of hatred, envy, and how some people (men and women) feel intimated by women who have worked against many structural and systemic challenges in a patriarchal society like Ghana to become successful in their chosen fields of endeavour.

The MP’s comment is not only distasteful and injurious to the person of Dr. Charlotte Osei, but also risk eroding the gains achieved by the girl-child education programme and other gender promotional activities in the country. 

Women in powerful positions in Ghana experience attitudes that are hateful. Insults, threats, name-calling are but a few of the negative barrage heaped on our hardworking women by men and some women (unfortunately). It is time to nip these classless comments against women in the bud. It is time for all who matter to speak out because we risk maintaining the status quo if we fail to speak and condemn derogatory comments against women in leadership positions.

Threatening, misogynistic, or hateful comments must not be allowed to go without response and condemnation from bodies such as the political parties, professional bodies such as the Ghana Journalists Association, gender activists, and students’ leadership, religious and traditional leaders.

Women are not objects. Women are more than just wives, mothers, caregivers, and homemakers. There are countless successful women in all parts of the country doing extraordinary things to improve the quality of people’s lives. We need to celebrate successful Ghanaian women because they are not afraid of competition and are positive role models for young girls.

I laud the efforts of the various organisations in promoting girl-friendly programmes in Ghana. However, the media, civil society organisations, schools, and corporate organisations can do more by fashioning out innovative programmes to motivate and inspire the girls of today and women of tomorrow. This will lead to the attainment of the fifth Sustainable Development Goal which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls by 2030.

I think that it is fair and ethical to create equitable opportunities for both Ghanaian men and women for social justice and rapid economic growth. As a country, we need to strive to achieve gender equality by removing the social, cultural and structural limitations against girls and women to harness the different talents, perspectives, skills and acumen of both men and women to fast-track our national developmental agenda.

I am of the view that the gender equality advocacy should starts in our homes, schools and workplaces starting from the way we treat our mothers, aunties, sisters, daughters, female students, and female co-workers. More investment is needed in the education of girls and women. Girls and women must be encouraged to excel in whatever field they find themselves.

I conclude by reiterating the words of Kofi Annan that study after study has taught us that there is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls and the empowerment of women.