Photos: A look at Ghanaâ??s Influential Single Women

In our part of the world where marriage is reverenced and treated almost as the ultimate for a woman, being single at a particular age can really be frustrating. Marriage is a very important rite in our culture, as they say it is a joy of every parent to see their children grow and get married, especially their daughters. It is no coincidence that many parents start giving pressure to their daughters when they turn 25; an age that is gradually becoming the ‘deadline age’ for a woman to be married, by the Ghanaian standard. An evolving theory, contestable though, states that “women have expiring dates and it’s almost impossible for them to marry after the age of 30.” What then happens to a woman who is over 30 years and single? Has she become a failure? Must a woman just marry because her parents and society are giving her pressure to do so? But the likes of Matilda Asante Asiedu, former Joy FM news anchor, now Head of Corporate Affairs at Access Bank, and Mawuena Trebarh of GIPC all got married after 30 years. Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams’ controversial sermon on women and marriage – “It’s a privilege to be married. It’s a privilege in the time we live in when it’s seven women to one man. My sister, when you get married, you must be thankful and stop misbehaving because it’s seven to one. It doesn’t matter how pretty and beautiful and intelligent you are; until a man proposes to you, you are going to stay beautiful, pretty, intelligent, nice and whatever, and rotten” – has since ruffled feathers. It seems as though women must marry by all means even if it’s not to the man of their dreams.It is the belief of many that the Archbishop’s statement has the tendency to enslave some women in abusive relationships because a woman in an abusive relationship will now consider herself privileged to have gotten a man to marry her, such that even if he uses her as a punching bag, she must still stay with him. And indeed, some women will rather stay in such relationships than to be seen as failures because they are divorced. The media, both in and out of Ghana, have adversely contributed to the situation. Whenever the media talk about single women—especially famous ones—it's typically to psychoanalyse why they haven't settled down, or to present a laundry list of their past failed relationships. It's rarely a celebration of their accomplishments or a consideration that they might have chosen to stay single. They say that behind every powerful man is a powerful woman, but behind many a powerful woman is nothing but her own rear end. While the term "spinsterhood" is arguably one of the ugliest words in the dictionary, some fearless females have redefined it as a fabulous concept. Today, the Weekend Finder brings you a number of such fearless, famous women achievers in the Ghanaian society who despite all the pressure from the society have kept their heads above the water to impact the society and make a mark. Rev Joyce Aryee, Chief Executive of Salt and Light Ministry, is a highly disciplined and self-motivated woman. Rev Aryee has lived exceptionally and given every woman hope of getting to the top with or without a man. For years she has become the iconic role model for women and has been the source of motivation to many women in Ghana. Rev Aryee has championed women’s empowerment, and strongly believes that women are as important as men and must be given the fullest opportunity to be a part of the development process at all levels. Aside serving on many boards and as the Chief Executive of the Ghana Chamber of Mines for about 10 years, Madam Aryee is also a public relations executive, a counsellor, and an environmental consultant. In her private life, she has married twice, and when all the marriages broke down, she once said marrying again was not on her radar, and had since been a single woman. Miss Elizabeth Ohene is a prolific writer whose work saw her rise from being a Reporter, Staff Writer, Columnist, and Acting Editor of the Daily Graphic and Mirror. She also had the opportunity to serve as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Graphic Communications Group Limited. In 1986, she solely founded the Talking Drum Publications, and until 1986, she was the Publisher/Editor of the publications, a weekly news magazine on West African Affairs. She also worked for BBC World Service, London, UK. The former Minister had worked with the BBC as a Producer of Radio Programmes, then successively became a Presenter, Senior Producer on World Service and British Domestic Radio, Researcher and Columnist on the Focus on African Magazine and Deputy Editor in the African Service for English Daily Programmes, and in charge of the operational budget. Miss Elizabeth Ohene also edited the award winning of Focus on Africa Programme. She also reported regularly for the BBC from various parts of Africa and was the resident correspondent in South Africa from 1993 to 1994 during the transition from apartheid to the first democratic elections. For years she fought for the rights of journalists and was often referred to as an iron lady because she worked in a male-dominated area at the time. She also became a Minister of State under the John Agyekum Kufuor administration. Gifty Anti, ace broadcaster and host of The Standpoint, told the Weekend Finder that all the criticisms about her single status and the fact that she delved into marriage issues on her show did not bother her at all. “You see we are so hypocritical in this country, we sit in Ghana and watch Oprah, Ellen, who is a lesbian, and Tyra; we are excited when we watch their shows and we admire them, yet when one of our own is doing a programme and she is not married then that becomes a problem.” She said as a Christian she believes when we go to heaven someday God would not be asking if she was married and how many kids she gave birth to, but what she did with the gifts that he deposited in her. She indicted that marriage should not be used as a measuring stick in examining the achievement of a woman, adding that there was nothing wrong with staying single, provided one was happy and fulfilled with whatever gift God has blessed one with. She advised women to stand side by side. To the young ladies, she said: “Life is not a race; we all have our destinies and so it is important that you don’t compete with anyone but live your dreams.” Nana Aba Anamoah, the bubbly broadcaster at TV3, is a single mother above 30 years and still not married to any man. She is touted as one of the hottest television personalities to grace the Ghanaian screen and has arguably been the face of TV3 for years. Nana Aba has won many awards in her line of duty, all with no ring on her finger. Singlehandedly, she has raised her son to the admiration of many and lives her life to the fullest. She once dedicated an award to her son for making her strong and making her fight on. She has also come out to say she’s not looking to getting married. She is okay with her first love (her son). Nana Aba is a mentor to so many females who are looking forward to being broadcasters someday. Doreen Andoh, “the queen of the airwaves,” is over 30 years but looks chic and evergreen! Listening to her voice resonate through the speakers of a radio set when tuned in to Joy 99.7 FM every mid-morning can make your day, and that’s the magic voice of Doreen Andoh. Over the years, many have grown to like Doreen just for two things: her soothing voice, which is very hard for anyone not to like, and the tunes that she dishes out daily to the hundreds of listeners of her show: The Cosmopolitan Mix. Doreen has risen to become the reference point of mid-morning radio and an icon to many; her achievements in the country’s radio industry have inspired a lot of today’s young female radio presenters. For 19 years she has graced the airwaves; for 19 years she has inspired young girls; and for 19 years many have looked forward to her show. All these she has done without having to become a ‘Mrs’ first, even with the difficult pressure from society. Joselyn Canfor Dumas, born on August 31, 1980, is a Ghanaian TV presenter and actress. Today, she is the epitome of TV hosting, acting and event hosting; she has won many awards these past few years she’s been active. She also has a daughter, and from what we know, Joselyn spent a few years in the USA, she decided to move to Ghana to pursue her dreams and so far she is successful enough even with a child and today, many men will kill to have her. In 2012 she was picked as the 2012 face of the Range Rover Evoque in Ghana. She has won multiple awards, including 2010/2011 TV Personality of the Year and was judged the hottest Ghanaian celebrity in 2012 by 4syte TV. Jessica Saforo is one of the hottest radio and television personalities in the country; the Traffic Avenue host has lots of awards to her credit. For the better part of her working career, she hosted ‘Brunch in the Citi,’ a programme that gave her lots of popularity. Jessica has lived above criticisms of being called a lesbian and had stayed focused to achieve everything she has, all without a man by her side. Confidence Haugen is the CEO and Owner of one of Ghana's hottest night clubs in Accra, Aphrodisiac Night Club. Confidence Haugen, aged 37, though a mother, is still single. She is a socialite and businesswoman who has singlehandedly built her business to what it is today. Other single but successful women in Ghana include Deloris Frimpong Manso, Samia Nkrumah, Lydia Forson, and Akusika Acquaye. Being single in Ghana and in our part of the world is not an easy task, taking into consideration the stares from judging eyes and the pressure from society. The Weekend Finder says ayeeko to them for not succumbing to the pressure of society.