The Ghanaian culture: Effects on women and marriage

Communication and Development Specialist, Rhoda Doku, has talked about the effects of some aspects of our Ghanaian culture on women and their marital lives.

Talking to Eunice Tornyi in an interview on eTV Ghana’s African Women’s Voices show, she explained that some of our cultures do not allow women to express themselves and this in turn kills their self-confidence and self-esteem.

“Sometimes, women are not even given the opportunity to speak. Sometimes, a woman would give birth and they would ask if she gave birth to a human or an animal. If it’s a boy, he’s seen as a human but if the baby is a girl, then she’s seen as an animal and that perception alone has eaten into the minds of these young men who have grown up, causing them to abuse women.

Even in terms of education, fathers will tell you that they will not waste their money on women because her place is the kitchen and at the end of the day, someone’s son will come and marry her. Because of this, the woman from childhood has lost her self-esteem so she rises and goes into marriage without any self-confidence or purpose”, she said.

Rhoda observed that most women who are treated like this right from childhood, grow up and go into marriage without a good foundation, good educational background, career or purpose and with their self-confidence and self-esteem broken, they are unable to complain when abused in the marital home.

She mentioned that “If a woman is abused and she comes out to say, she will be tagged as a woman who doesn’t respect her husband and this gives the men who do that the privilege in their wrong doing” however, this is not the right way to go and she advised per this that these aspects of our culture that infuriate women should be trashed.