The General Secretary of the Socialist Movement Ghana (SMG), Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has said that discussions around gender equality must form the crux of conversations in the lead-up to the 2024 elections.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, Kwesi Pratt noted that the SMG will compel candidates of the various parties to include in their manifestoes policies and initiatives that advance the socio-economic development of women.

An aspect of women's lives where the managing editor of the Insight newspaper wants the flagbearers of the political parties to show significant interest and commitment is the period for maternal leave.

Kwesi Pratt decried the existing three-month period and described it as harmful, woefully inadequate, and dangerous to society.

The veteran journalist said that SMG will engage the parties to commit to extending the period to six months and also make provisions for fathers to have some time for their pregnant partners.

“I’m sure all of us here know what it is to have a six-week-old baby. A six-week-old baby cannot fend for itself. It is fragile, and yet we have a system of maternity leave which gives women six weeks before birth and six weeks after birth.

“That is woefully inadequate. It is a danger to the mother and the baby and constitutes a danger to society itself. It is in this vein that we propose that rather than having a three-month maternity leave, women who fall pregnant are given six months of maternity leave,” he said.

Kwesi Pratt charged Ghanaians to team up with the SMG in the fulfillment of this initiative, appealing to the general public to reject any political party that fails to agree to this demand.

“It is a matter we intend to campaign on vigorously, and we will be assessing all the candidates on it. We think that all citizens must read the manifestoes of the political parties, and any party which does not promise to extend maternity leave for women will not be working in the interest of women and must be rejected by Ghanaians,” he said.