Twenty female parliamentary candidates in the December election on Thursday appealed to the media to assist them to break societal norms that hinder women's participation in politics. The candidates said at a seminar on gender consciousness and electoral campaign techniques that social perceptions have demarcated the "backyard" as the territory of women.

The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Ghana sponsored the seminar in Accra in collaboration with DANIDA. The women identified social, cultural and religious practices as some of the factors that inhibit the political progress of Ghanaian women.

The media could help change the negative gender perception through education, promotion and motivation of the few women who have defied the odds to compete for the opportunity to improve the lot of the home and society, they said.

The candidates are contesting on the tickets of the National Democratic Congress, New Patriotic Party, Convention People's Party, People's National Convention, National Reform Party and United Ghana Movement.

Mrs Ernestina Hagan, Vice President of FIDA, said as candidates, the women deem it as a duty to help break down the traditional and cultural barriers to their participation in politics and public life.

She said in most communities women are supposed to be seen not heard in public, adding however that more and more women, like the aspiring parliamentarians, are now breaking the chains and making their voices heard even in the rural areas.