Nana Baffour Nyantakyi Tutu Boateng, the Krontihene of the New Juaben Traditional area, has called on people to refrain from using the scriptures to sideline women in society.
He said that God in his own infinite wisdom created man and woman in his own image with distinctive and specific roles to perpetuate the human race and therefore it was an affront to God for “a woman who was his own creation to be seen as an inferior being”.
Nana Tutu Boateng was speaking as the chairman at a Regional Dialogue on Women’s Empowerment on the theme “Empowering the rural woman, focus on addressing unpaid work” in Koforidua to mark the International women’s day celebration.
The Krontihene noted that while the biological roles of both men and women cannot be changed and any attempt to do so was to challenge God, it was important for all to appreciate that the gender roles were not biological but assigned by society within their context.
He said women had been disadvantaged with these stereotypes but must not adopt the belligerent attitude in the quest for gender equality but rather approach it with tact.
Participants at the dialogue called for concerted effort from all stakeholders to tackle the aspect of the unpaid care work that has rendered many women poor and heavily dependent on their spouses.
They argued that if the care work including taking care of homes, caring for children and other family members by women were calculated and paid, they would have the financial empowerment to be able to be part of decision making.
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