Tamale: The Network for Women's Rights in Ghana (NETRIGHT) has conducted a two-day training workshop aimed at raising awareness and enhancing the capacity of women's rights organizations on issues related to unpaid care work and time poverty.
According to Ghana News Agency, the workshop, held in collaboration with Alinea International, was part of the United for Care-Sensitive Approaches to Rights and Empowerment (UCARE) project, funded by Global Affairs Canada. This five-year initiative is being implemented in 10 districts across the Northern, North East, and Savannah Regions, coupled with national-level advocacy to support care-sensitive policy reforms.
The event, themed 'Unpaid, Underprivileged: Time Poverty and Gender Roles', aimed to highlight the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work borne by women and girls, impeding their participation in economic, political, and social life. Representatives from various women's rights organizations attended, with the expectation of leveraging the training to influence programming and policy advocacy within their communities.
Madam Patricia Blankson Akakpo, Executive Director of NETRIGHT, noted that the project aligns with global and regional initiatives, including the United Nations Beijing Platform for Action and the Economic Commission for Africa's recommendations. The goal is to make women's unpaid care work visible through data, time-use surveys, and effective policy mechanisms.
She stated: "By placing unpaid care work at the centre of gender-responsive macroeconomic policymaking, UCARE aims to influence policies that recognise unpaid care work, reduce the burden of care on women and girls, and promote equitable redistribution of care responsibilities to enhance their social and economic empowerment." She further explained that entrenched gender stereotypes and narrow economic measurements often leave unpaid care work unrecognized in macroeconomic policymaking.
Dr Faustina Obeng Adomaa, a researcher and facilitator, covered various topics with participants, including the policy landscape of unpaid care work and the gendered division of labour. She referenced a 2023 report by the World Economic Forum indicating that women globally perform about 76% of unpaid care work, contributing significantly to gender inequality.
Mrs Sahara Tanko, a Budget Analyst at the Kumbungu District Assembly, discussed Ghana's local governance structures and highlighted how unpaid care work often leads to school dropouts among girls, limiting women's empowerment and participation in community development. She advocated for incentives and support systems to keep girls in school, especially in rural and underprivileged areas.
Hajia Lamnatu Adam, Executive Director of Songtaba, recommended using time-use diaries and community-led time-tracking mechanisms to better understand the impact of unpaid care work on community and national development.
