‘Reduce load of unpaid care work on women’

The Chairperson for the Network for Young Women Empowerment (NYWE), an NGO in the Upper West Region, Ms Ida Nakkar, has called for a reduction in the load of unpaid care work on women to make them more economically productive.

The chairperson defined unpaid care work as domestic responsibilities that accounted for the emotional, and physical wellbeing of the family on which women spent quality time without receiving any economic reward.

“These include cooking, taking care of babies, fetching water and fire wood for the house and maintaining the home,” she enumerated.

Ms Nakaar, who stated this on the sidelines of a programme by her outfit to celebrate women at Wa on Saturday, said dedicating too much to unpaid care work had made most women less productive economically as compared to their male counterparts.

“We are asking that females be given equal time to compete in the classroom, at home and at the work place by removing the barriers that militated against their achievements,” she said.

She explained that various studies had shown that women in northern Ghana did more unpaid care work than women in the southern part of the country, and said this was attributable to unfavourable traditions and cultural beliefs against women.

“But I am very confident that we are getting somewhere with our advocacy and the men are buying into our messages because these days we see many women at meetings with men and are given the opportunity to express themselves as well,” she said.

Ms Nakaar condemned the trend where some employers preferred to hire men instead of women due to their biological make up and reproductive responsibilities, and said it was uncalled for.

“Women struggle a lot to be able to make it to the top due to the many impediments in their way; so we need parents to begin to share the chores at home and not allow only females clean up after the boys so that they can compete favourably in other spheres of life,” she said.

For his part, the Speaker of the Upper West Youth Parliament, Mr James Baba Anabiga, reiterated that it was necessary for men to support the progress of women in the job environment, especially when they were given leadership roles.

“Women are not difficult, they are only careful to ensure that the right thing is done and that is why they are tagged as difficult when they are in leadership positions,” he added.

The programme was preceded by a march through the principal streets of Wa by participants holding placards with inscriptions that encouraged stakeholders to expand opportunities and privileges for females to thrive.

FROM LYDIA DARLINGTON FORDJOUR, WA