The thought process for writing engaging and thought-provoking blog posts for my readers can be pensive. I sometimes have to research and let the ideas sink in before deciding to go ahead with a particular subject matter. Today’s research focused on why women are sometimes left out of the economic planning agenda, even though they have been part of it culturally since infancy. I have been reading various articles from UNFPA and Plan International, and I must confess that the data and information discovered are staggering. Let us delve straight into someof these limitations on women and girls while suggesting ways of mitigating those challenges.

Body Autonomy

Human rights related to bodily autonomy and integrity in the context of sexuality and reproduction ensure that women and girls are empowered to make decisions about their reproductive and sexual lives, a UNFPA report has revealed. Personally sex education was introduced to me from Primary school and resources like American Pie movie and Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul books were very instrumental to my growth. Consequently, when we police the bodies of women and girls, they are not able to fully blossom into successful individuals.

Child Marriage

During my research, I found that marriage involving young girls under the age of 18 has intensified over the past two decades. For instance, more than three-quarters of girls in Niger are married while they are still children, a UNFPA Niger report stipulated. What this means for such girls is that they need to halt their lives and care for their homes. However, at best, some of them start small businesses or learn a vocation to fend for themselves, limiting them in the tax bracket.

Maternal Mortality

A recent report has indicated that maternal deaths surged as Ghana recorded 965 deaths in 2025. This record exceeded the WHO maternal mortality index, posing a major threat to the healthcare delivery system in the country. After being lured into early marriage following an unplanned adolescent pregnancy, most young girls tend to lose their lives due to illiteracy about sexual and reproductive health rights. Adversely, women with health risks are been pressured by families to have a normal delivery due to the high cost of surgery. We need a wake-up call and to tackle the matter head-on without playing the blame game.

Cultural context

In Ghana, women have been at the forefront of affairs since time immemorial. Unfortunately, some schools of thought try to rule out the immense contributions of women just to suit their agenda and that should be rectified. No matter what we do, gendered roles or not, women still play a significant role in the economy through trade, education, healthcare, science and technology, as well as humanitarian aid. We need to join forces to fund the sexual and reproductive health of underprivileged women and girls so that they can be able to uphold their rights to decent work and economic stability. Additionally, when we educate and fund them, they will be able to break the glass ceiling in the boardrooms and in politics just as Ghana’s current female vice president has done.