Significance of the Affirmative Action Bill

NEWS COMMENTARY ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION BILL BY PARLIAMENT.

Both men and women are created equal and are expected to play complementary roles in the   promotion of fairness, equity, justice, mutual respect, progress and development for their common good and the good of humanity. This means, none of them is expected to compete with the other. If things are carried out in this way, there will be fairness and  justice to both. Over the years, however, various forms of discrimination and unfair practices have been meted out to women, thereby suppressing them in various fields. In some countries, women are even treated as second-rate citizens and discriminated against in various ways. Women deserve to be allowed to occupy leadership positions, so that they can contribute their quota for the overall development of the places they find themselves. This is what has led to the fight for the passage of the Affirmative Action Bill.

The Bill’s goal is to effectively address the country’s social, cultural, economic and political gender imbalances, which stem from historical, cultural and traditional discrimination against women and the persistence of patriarchal socio-cultural systems and norms. The Bill also aims to promote gender equity in both the public and private sectors. The Affirmative Action Bill is good and that is why sections of the Ghanaian public have embraced it, seeking and hoping it will encourage women to aspire and reach their full potential.

Ghana passed the Affirmative Action Act in 1960, allowing ten women to represent the country’s regions in the legislature. The law acknowledged, that women’s political participation was an essential component of democratic dialogue and social cohesion and for development. Indeed, women’s representation in all policy- decision making positions in Ghana is less than the United Nations (UN) threshold of 30 percent. Women’s representation in Ghana’s Parliament currently stands at 14.5 percent, while it is less than five per cent in the District Assembly System.  The situation is identical in terms of Ministerial, Ambassadorial and Board appointments made by the government.  Women’s effective contributions to Ghana’s development are nearly impossible because of their persistent underrepresentation in these key decision-making spaces. Despite Ghana’s signing on to various international protocols and conventions, pledging 30 to 40 percent representation of women, these have still not been achieved.

After the passage of the bill, we need to start vigorous sensitisation and education of both sexes, to understand and appreciate the implications or otherwise of what the bill stands for. The bill is not meant to create any enmity between men and women, but rather to encourage them  to show mutual respect to each other and to ensure a common alliance of support to promote national progress and development. Therefore, everyone in the country is expected to play his or her part to bring about positive development on this matter. Women groups in the country are particularly happy about the passage of the bill, but while this is understandable, there is the need to continuously engage both men and women on the issue, so they  can fully understand and appreciate what the entire bill is all about. The public also needs to be educated on cultural practices that work against women, for which reason change in behaviour of both men and women ought to be for society to move on and  thrive. Here, the common good should be to serve the interest of both men and women through the creation of  opportunities that allows women to play meaningful roles in decision making processes. While encouraging women to strive to attain decision-making positions and build social status, they must also be willing to understudy or to be trained in areas, that are perceived to be difficult or male dominated. Women must be encouraged to go into studies and training in supposed male fields, to be equipped with skills that will enable them to take up perceived challenging positions in leadership and other sectors of the economy. This is definitely not going to be easy, but  with the right support and encouragement to women by all Ghanaians, it is achievable .After all women in Ghana are our mothers, sisters, children and aunties and their ultimate goal or achievements are more important for our own common interest and development.

WRITTEN BY: DR. KOFI AMPONSAH BEDIAKO, DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION ANALYST. 

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