The Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the National Youth Authority (NYA), Akosua Manu, has condemned the double standards women are held to by society.

According to her, there are different definitions of what is considered acceptable conduct for women and for men especially in the public space.

She made these remarks at an event organised in connection with this year's International Women’s Day, on Tuesday, March 8, 2021.

In her submission, she stressed on the need for society to consciously understand that gender stereotypes are damaging to women and disproportionately deny women of opportunities.

She used the opportunity to further admonish all policy makers, legislators and persons in authority to tackle issues affecting women in society by fostering equal rights to economic resources, promoting empowerment of women through education and adopting policies that would strengthen and enforce legislation for gender equality.

Akosua Manu is an equal opportunity rights advocate and a social advocate for women and youth.

In a related development, Member of Parliament for the Krachi West Constituency, Helen Ntoso, has called for an increase in the representation of women in all spheres of leadership in the country.

Speaking on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, the NDC lawmaker bemoaned the low rate of women occupying positions in the country.

According to her, compared to men, women excel more at the helm of affairs; adding that the country’s fortunes would have been better if a woman was the Finance Minister.

“As a nation, the 30% that the UN has asked nations to appoint women as representatives in leadership, Mr. Speaker, Ghana we are down. So there’s the need for Ghana to do something about the 30% women representation in leadership.

In Africa, Mr. Speaker, you have countries like Rwanda – 61.3%, Burundi -38.2%, Senegal – 43%, Cameroon – 33.9%, Ethiopia -38.8%, Namibia – 44.2%, Tanzania – 36.7%, Uganda – 34.9%, Zimbabwe -31.9%, South Africa – 45.8%, in Ghana, we’re only 14%.

Mr. Speaker we’ve got to do something about this. Mr. Speaker, I dare to say that when women are in positions, I dare to say that they do better than men. Mr. Speaker I also dare to say, if the Finance Minister was a woman, we’ll not find ourselves in this situation that we find ourselves in”, the MP said.

This call, which has become a global concern, underpins the celebration of the International Women’s Day, which falls on the 8th of March, every year. The annual commemoration seeks to rehash the need for women to be empowered, with more focus on the challenges that undermine their progress and plague their wellbeing.

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is: “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”.

According to the UN Women, “The year 2022 is pivotal for achieving gender equality in the context of climate change, and environmental and disaster risk reduction, which are some of the greatest global challenges of the twenty-first century. Without gender equality today, a sustainable future, and an equal future, remains beyond our reach.

This year’s IWD observance is in recognition and celebration of the women and girls who are leading the charge on climate change adaptation and response, and to honour their leadership and contribution towards a sustainable future”.