Former Electoral Commissioner for Ghana, Madam Charlotte Osei has described
the subjugation of women in Ghana as a pandemic worse than Covid-19 and has attributed it to restrictions imposed on women by societal norms and values.
The business compass host explained that most married women stay committed even in abusive marriages as a result of the need to conform to societal norms and values and their not being financially independent.
” Our society passes judgement on women based on their marital status.
This thing about women and subjugation is the worst pandemic. It is worse than Covid 19. It is generations of subjugation. We’ve all been socialized in a certain mindset that we must stay ( in abusive marriages). And so marriage is no longer something to be enjoyed but to be endured.”
Speaking on Joy FM, the former EC boss revealed that submissive wives are born when husbands show love to them. With biblical reference, she explained.
” When a husband is supportive of his wife, (wives) summiting is not a problem.
That is why the Bible verse says ‘husbands love your wives as Christ loves the church. The loving your wife as Christ loves the church comes before the wife submits to the husband. Because God made us, He knows that when you show us that kind of love, we will submit”.
She advised women to focus on building their self worth by having a vision, a skill and increasing their capacity as marriage is ‘ not a ticket to heaven.
“Society imposes all these restrictions on women. And women have to wake up and know that those are control mechanisms. On the issue of marriage, women also need to understand that marriage is good but is not a ticket to heaven. At some point, you need to put your own self-worth above all other things”.
By Belinda Baaba Baidoo