Gender is not always about women – Ms Darkey

Ms Melody M. Darkey, the National Programmes Coordinator of Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF) has debunked the assertion that the term gender is always conversation about womenShe said the term referred to the socially constructed perceptions of what it meant to be a man, and a woman based on which roles were ascribed.'Is not anti-male, neither is it a war between the sexes but it affects all sexes and so, we all have a stake in the struggle for gender equality,' she noted.Ms Darkey said these in a presentation on Gender Reporting at a four-day training programme, The Post COVID-19 Skills Development and Productivity Enhancement Project (PSDPEP) for senior editors, editors, chief reports and stringers from the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Sogakope.The training, a Government of Ghana initiative funded by the African Development Bank through the Social Investment Fund is being implemented by the Institute for Digital Marketing and Communication (IDMC) Ghana.The Gender Expert explained the only reason issues of women seemingly featured prominently in gender discussions was because some cultural beliefs, practices and stereotypes had disadvantaged women in the past hence the need to empower women to reduce the inequality between them and men saying, 'but gender should concern both sexes.She said, 'existing gender and social norms perpetuate gender inequality. For example, unpaid work (like house chores, caring for children) is considered the sole responsibility of women while men are supposed to be the breadwinners. But a woman who is working and getting paid should be able to support the spouse financially while the man can also give a helping hand at home.'A woman who decides to go strictly by the social training, even though she may be working and earning more than her spouse, will keep her money and expect the man to do all the spending, giving unnecessary pressure to the man which can lead to his sudden death. This is what gender equality simply seeks to address.'The training covered areas such as advocacy in health communication, micro, small and medium enterprises promotion, and climate change issues with the aim to enhance the capacity of GNA journalists for a more informed and resilient society.Source: Ghana News Agency