By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, March 8, GNA – The Aya Institute for Women, on the occasion of International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration, has called on political parties to ensure women’s inclusion as election 2024 approaches.
According to the Institute, a good and functional democracy considers women’s inclusion as a key investment a nation could make, saying, “inclusion, therefore, makes democratic sense and our nation must strive towards it.”
In a release issued to the Ghana News Agency, on Friday, in Accra, it said Ghanaian women of all spheres had come far and that IWD provided that opportunity to celebrate their gains, reflect on their journeys as women and call for a better gender-responsive system that actually recognized, included, and celebrated Ghanaian women.
It said according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), as of March 2022, only 26.1 per cent of all national parliamentarians globally were women which still represented a low increase compared to the UN benchmarks set at 30 per cent female representation in decision-making positions.
It said Ghana’s situation was no different, as after the 2016 general elections, Ghana’s Parliament recorded 35 female Members of Parliament (MP’s), out of the 275 MP’s, representing 13 per cent, while the 2020 general elections recorded 40 female MPs, representing 14.5 per cent.
According to gender research experts, with the current rate of progress, gender parity in national legislative bodies will not be achieved before 2063.
“In the just-ended parliamentary primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), some female MPs lost their bid to their male competitors. Despite ushered into modern democracy after three decades, we are yet to make bold and intentional national laws of political inclusion by employing a gender quota system in key sectors, recognizing two the historic imbalances against women and that participation in key sectors by women was both their democratic and employment rights.”
This, according to the release, was the surest way to recognize and utilize women’s talents to the development of the country.
It stated that this year’s theme of inclusion was quite significant especially as the country geared up for rigorous campaign activities, saying, “true women’s
empowerment through the labour force participation of women and education was an enhancing effect of women’s empowerment on democracy. Breaking down stereotypes surrounding women’s leadership and achievements will also foster the inclusion of women in Ghana.”
It appealed to all political parties, ahead of the writing of their manifestos to make specific commitments on gender policy, and urged women voters to recognize their power enbloc and consider their interest by accessing the collective social policies of political parties.
“Women’s vote and women’s political mobilization are the key drivers for success for political parties and those contributions must be politically negotiated and rewarded.”
The release also entreated the Ghanaian media to be “gender responsive as the country goes to the polls by producing content and panels that recognise women as integral part of society and Ghana’s politics.”
“We must avoid gender stereotyping and occasional gender spotlighting in our news reportage. Gender must be normalised, and we must make a conscious effort during this electioneering period to gender audit programmes, panels and issues.
The masculinised terrain and adversarial politicking and mediation must be shunned for consensus and decency.”
GNA