Source: VibeGhana
Ms Dorcas Coker-Appiah, gender advocate, has expressed disappointment over the strikingly missing women leadership role persistent in the Ghanaian society in spite of numerous policies and actions to bridge the gap.

She said the role of women is clearly missing in professional associations in mixed groups, parliament, assemblies, and schools and in the appointment to the executive arm of government, due to social and cultural barriers.

Ms Coker-Appiah who is also the Executive Director of Gender and Human Rights Documentation Centre (Gender Centre) told the Ghana News Agency at the close of a 4 day leadership training workshop for women the situation ought to be corrected through deliberate effective partnership.

Participants said most women are often shouted down when they stand up to contribute during assembly meeting putting fear and panic in them.

Ms Evelyn Nuvor, Programme Manager of the Gender Centre said Women are viewed as less qualified in most leadership roles while discrimination limits their opportunities to leadership roles.

"Cultural stereotypes can make it seem that women do not have what it takes for important leadership roles, thereby adding to the barriers that women encounter in attaining roles that yield substantial power and authority," she said.

Ms Evelyn Nuvor observed that low representation and participation of women in decision-making process relegated women issues such as access to credit, poor sanitation in market places and water for domestic use, to the background.

The Training workshop forms part of the Gender Centre's initiative to build the capacities of women to acquire relevant skills to take up leadership positions and a step to bridge the women leadership gap in the country.

About 51 per cent of Ghana's population is women but they still face widespread discrimination in political, economic and social lives.

Few women are appointed to political leadership positions, such as Regional Ministers, Municipal and District Chief Executives and Board of Directors.

Affirmative action, in the form of quota systems, has led to an increase in women's participation in politics in many African countries, but this is yet to happen in Ghana.

About 56.3 per cent of Rwandan Members of Parliament are women; South Africa has 44.5 per cent, Mozambique 39.2 per cent; Uganda; 34.9 per cent, Burkina Faso; 15.3 per cent and Niger 13.3 per cent.

Sadly, Ghana has only 8.3 per cent.

Ms Nuvor noted that that it is disheartening the percentage of women in decision making positions of any kind is just little, but even with that, the few with leader cup roles are being seen doing immensely well.

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