Story: Rahamatu-Lahi Zakaria || Sanatu Zambang Newsroom
The struggle to get women in politics is on the rise. There are a lot of campaigns from civil societies and women themselves to be heard.
Though there are still challenges in the process, quite a number of women are coming out while others are also shunning away from the task due to the fact that, they are shy or afraid of being teased as incapable.
Madam Hamidatu Abdul Rahman, NDC communicator in the Northern Region has also added her voice to have more women in politics and decision making positions in the country.
Speaking on Sanatu Zambang Studios, Talking Politics and Policies, Madam Hamida asked for women to come out and struggle before they can be heard to be part of the system.
The political communicator in her submission noted that it is what women want, their determination, and perseverance that will make them succeed and uses herself as an example in her journey in politics.
” I have three kids. All my kids are political babies. My firstborn, when I gave birth to him, was not up to two weeks when they appointed me to the regional elections directorate so the median meeting I attended, I could not carry him, I was holding him. After that meeting, two weeks later, we were going to Sunyani. He was still like that. I still went to Sunyani with him like that. The second-born the same thing. The last one when I gave birth to her, I was contesting for regional elections, she was not up to 20 days and I was moving her around to campaign”.
Though she believes chauvinism plays a role in denying women certain roles she acknowledges the thing that helps this chauvinism to exist
”That chauvinism must come to an end. But you know why that chauvinism plays so well is because we ourselves do not believe in ourselves. Before anyone will bring you down it is your own colleagues who will. Before we break the myth it is us who must support one another.”
Another issue she raised was with women letting their spouses decide for them. She encourages women to take their life back and control it themselves.
”Women you have heads, use them to make your own independent decision. Deciding for you is not part of the marriage. You did not marry him to use his head. Use your own head and make your own decision. Whatever you want to decide please decide. If they are stubborn you are also stubborn”.
Still, on domestic life and how it affects the participation of women in politics in the country, Madam Hamida ties are down to the way spouses behave in the house.
”You see you are bringing children up and they see how you behave. You are about to share an idea and the spouse shut you up. The child grows and thinks, this is a woman and she is not supposed to talk”.

She also mentions the way kids are raised in the house, assigning gender roles as a contributing factor, and calls for everyone to address it at the basic level.
“For me, I have always said that our problems with regards to our position in the society are because of how we were brought up and I have been hoping that these things will change in our homes, families before we come out. some of us have started. If you come to my house, my son sweeps the compound, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it”.
“I have made him understood that you need to do all that. There is nothing that is for a girl and there is nothing that is for a boy. Everything is for everybody”