Group calls for gender parity on International Women’s Day

The Dynamic Youth Movement of Ghana (DYMOG) has joined calls for improved gender parity in society as the world marks International Women’s Day.

“Regardless of the progress made, we still face a daunting task in bridging the gender gap. It, therefore, doesn’t come as a surprise as the theme for this year is indicative of such; Balance For Better,” the group said in a statement.

The group also called for a debate on the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law in this regard.

“To solve the gender parity challenge in the public sector, we at DYMOG are in total support of the debate calling for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law. We take inspiration from the Rt. Hon Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Aaron Oquaye when he bemoaned the low representation of women in Parliament, calling for an affirmative action law to ensure equality after Ghana’s abysmal performance in the 2016 Inter-Parliamentary Union report.”

Aside from the state, it urged  “private Organizations to institute internal gender parity policies to bridge the gap.”

“We urge all Ghanaian women to stand firm and continue the campaign for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law and give meaning to the likes of Clara Zetkin who fought and gave birth to this day,” the group added in the statement.

Find below the full statement

STATEMENT OF THE DYNAMIC YOUTH MOVEMENT OF GHANA (DYMOG), ON THE OCCASION OF INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

Today, we celebrate International Women’s day to commemorate the many remarkable contributions made by women in governance, private sector, civil service, civil society and other sectors.

Regardless of the progress made, we still face a daunting task in bridging the gender gap. It, therefore, doesn’t come as a surprise as the theme for this year is indicative of such; Balance For Better.

The theme offers us an opportunity to delve deeper into the deficit and proffer solutions in bridging the gender equality gap.

In the Public sector space, women are still lagging behind in political participation and key decision making processes. This is evident in the 2018 World Economic Forum Report on gender parity, as Ghana was ranked 89th in the World.

Currently in the legislature, out of 275 seats women occupy a paltry 37 seats with an additional seat this year after the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election making it 38 seats. This represents 12.70% of the entire Parliament according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report in 2017.

To solve the gender parity challenge in the public sector, we at DYMOG are in total support of the debate calling for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law. We take inspiration from the Rt. Hon Speaker of Parliament, Prof Mike Aaron Oquaye when he bemoaned the low representation of women in Parliament, calling for an affirmative action law to ensure equality after Ghana’s abysmal performance in the 2016 Inter- Parliamentary Union report.

The passage of the bill into law is so crucial to the future of the female youth. We believe, the law will further encourage young ladies to strive harder since we will be assured of spaces to occupy in future.

We recognize the role of our political parties in this campaign but urge them to do more starting with the upcoming parliamentary primaries, our political parties especially the NPP and the NDC by demonstrating same by reserving some seats for women only.

In the private sector also, women continue to face daunting challenges at workplaces, encounter significant obstacles in taking managerial/Senior official roles as according to the World Economic report on gender parity 2018, only 34% of global managers are women. Women continue to face challenges like sexual harassment in pursuit for jobs and promotions, stringent terms of employment among others. These barriers also affect the gender equality gap.

We therefore call on private Organizations to institute internal gender parity policies to bridge the gap.

We urge all Ghanaian women to stand firm and continue the campaign for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill into law and give meaning to the likes of Clara Zetkin who fought and gave birth to this day.

DYMOG wishes all women in Ghana, a happy International Women’s Day.

Issued By:

The Feminine Affairs Desk

Thursday, 7th March 2019

Accra.

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By: citinewsroom.com | Ghana

 

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