Women’s empowerment promotes gender equality

Ms. Melody M. Darkey, the?National Programmes Coordinator of Women in Law and Development in Africa (WILDAF)?Ghana,?has urged society to empower women to promote gender equality in the?society.Ms. Darkey stated that there were gender differentials in many areas, such as access to and control over resources such as productive assets, information, and finances.Speaking to Ghana News Agency (GNA) journalists at the Post COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP) on the advocacy on health, gender, and MSMEs training, she emphasised that gender roles were categorised into productive, reproductive, and community roles of which both men and women could be involved.According to her, decision-making was also associated with gender differentials; therefore, women's participation in the representation of decision-making structures, systems, and processes is lower than that of men.Ms. Darkey enumerated that women's empowerment could aid in bringing women to the level where they can effectively participate in those structures and processes to promote gender equality.She stated that there was no equality in the division of labour issues because of the differences expected of men and women depending rather than on their capabilities.'Empowering women can provide better outcomes in decision-making participation and representation,' she stated.She further stressed that women had a lot to offer through their contributions when given the opportunity in society.She noted that women contributed a lot in different ways, stating that, for instance, at home, they added up to the family's resources for the provision of livelihood and maintenance and do the house chores.Ms. Darkey added that women also take on community management roles such as the provision of water, healthcare, and education on a voluntary basis, doing it without being paid.Source: Ghana News Agency