The New Patriotic Party's Promise on Women Matters

(A  GNA feature by Ms Badu Agyei)   Accra, Nov. 26, GNA -  In less than two weeks time, all eyes would be on Ghana as the electorate go to the polls for the sixth time since 1992, and as usual the campaign activities involving rallies, health walks and radio and television adverts have reached their peak but women are not being left out.   At most of the rallies and health walks, women outnumber the men; they sing loud and make the most noise at such party activities to send their messages across. Yet when any party comes to power, women are the least to be appointed to public office and other influential positions despite their academic qualifications and competencies.   Even at the various party levels, it is hard to see a women occupying a chairman or general secretary position until recently when the Convention People’s Party (CPP) showed the way by electing Ms Samia Yabba Nkrumah as its chairperson. That feat has even been attributed to the fact that she is the daughter of the Founder of the party, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and therefore it would have been difficult for any other woman to have gained that position.   Subsequently, the benchmark was  raised higher by the Progressive People's Party (PPP), CPP and the People's National Convention (CPP) when the flagbearers of both parties chose women as their running mates   The positions of women’s organizers and treasurers’ have become a traditional position since time immemorial for women not only at the party levels but in organizations and associations where women are involved. This has gingered the fight for gender equality because the traditional roles assigned to women have been perceived to be one of the obstacles on their way to occupy high office.   In the face of the socio-cultural challenges that face women, some strides have been made and presently there are many career women who are combining natural roles such as caring for their babies and homes with the demands of a working life. The most difficult periods in the life of career women are when they have to leave their babies behind and go to work, whiles others send theirs to school to enable them go to work. Other working women who leave their babies in the care of nannies, mothers or grannies often  have to shuttle between the home and the office during  working hours to check on how their babies are faring.   Many work places in Ghana have no child care facilities where mothers could leave their babies within their work places and go about their official duties happily to reduce the stress of going up and down and the divided attention at work due to the concern for their babies.   Promise:   The New Patriotic Party (NPP) in its manifesto is promising to provide childcare facilities for mothers at work places, markets and community centres in cities and towns where working mothers can leave their babies whiles they work till the close of day.   The manifesto continues that the NPP would work with traditional authorities to free women from such oppressive and discriminatory cultural  practices as ostracization of so called witches in special camps, and widowhood rites.   This writer believes that the provision of such facilities would be a relief to many working mothers and would also enable women to compete with their male counterparts for promotions and positions on equal basis without the excuses of having to close early, or leave the workplace at certain times during the day to go home and breastfeed their babies.   Some of the excuses that have been used against women whent it comes to appointments to higher positions have been that lactating mothers close early; women always go for excuse duty to send their babies or children to hospital, among other issues.   It is a fact that such natural roles have been obstacles in the way of many women in achieving higher positions in society. Working and having a little baby around you where you can check on him/her occasionally without having to stop your job as in the case of going home is an intervention that would undoubtedly advance the cause of women.   The manifesto also has it that it would ensure the abolition of oppressive and discriminatory practices such as widowhood rites and witches camps. Ostracization and labeling women as witches is one of the highest levels of discrimination against women which has always portrayed the woman as sub-human and of sub-standard to their male counterparts, and must therefore be addressed with all the zeal and commitment that it needs.   The provision of childcare facilities at work places is feasible and only need the commitment of a leader who is wholeheartedly devoted to the welfare of women and who recognizes that women and gender issues have a huge impact on the socio-economic development of the nation.   The NPP has a record of appointing a cabinet minister in charge of women and children’s affairs, passing the Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Acts to protect women and children, appointing women to head key public service institutions and providing free medical care for all pregnant women under former President Kufour's administration. People have argued that manifestoes are blueprints and not promises, but in any case they are ideals by which the nation can be  transformed by a political party that has the political will.... Read Full Story