In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, 2019, the theme of this year’s campaign calls for us to “#BalanceforBetter” and work together to forge a gender-balanced world. As Golden Star recognizes the critical link between advancing the status of women and reducing the poverty burden, we aim to create equal opportunity for every member of our team.
A 2018 United Nations study (https://www.cigionline.org/articles/advancing-gender-equality-through-trade) estimated that women in developing countries could increase their farm yields by approximately 30% if they are provided with the same resources as men. This would help increase total agriculture outputs and decrease the number of people affected by hunger by 12 to 17 percent.
At Golden Star we are confident that the same resulting benefits from increased resources for women in farming can be achieved in a number of other employment sectors. In support of this, we are focused on the empowerment of women within the organization and in our third party contractors. By providing our female team members with the same resources as their male counterparts Golden Star aims to achieve a working environment where every person has the same opportunity to succeed and live a well-balanced life.
BALANCE FOR A BETTER GSR
For this year’s International Women’s Day we wanted to highlight women who are both directly employed by Golden Star and working as third party contractors in fields such as security, catering and gardening services. According to statistics, over 50% of Primus (GSR Catering Service Provider) workers are women with 100% of those women being from our host communities.
Golden Star encourages everyone to take responsibility in shaping a gender-balanced world through collective action and strives to ensure safe, equal and gainful employment for all members of our team.
Gifty Asante (Primus Service Limited)
I’m a mother of three and I also work for Primus. As a mother I have to make sure I’m well organized because it can be challenging to balance my time between work and home. As a woman it can be tough sometimes, but the fact that we are able to overcome it shows why women need to be included in every workplace. Gender balance is important for a better organization.
I was happy when I got a message from a friend wishing me a happy International Women’s Day this morning. I’m celebrating this day with love and pride as a single mother of three. Now I can boast of my achievements as a mother. Being a mother goes beyond giving birth, it includes the love and affection that you show toward your family. I didn’t find it easy to give up time with my family to work at first, but when I considered the benefit for myself and my family, it is worth the sacrifice. In many ways this job has raised my self-esteem as a woman as people see me as a mentor and find inspiration in my accomplishments.
Management is key when you want to balance your time as a mother and a career woman. When leaving home I make sure that I manage my time by sticking to my schedule for my routine at home. I don’t regret being a career woman and a mother because this job is helping me to provide for my family. As a career woman you earn the respect of your family and your community and I support the idea of a gender-balanced organization. In my field of work there are women who have higher positions than some of the men. I advise women stay hopeful as they strive to earn a living for their family.
It’s good to have a gender-balanced organization regardless of its type as it allows people to explore their different strengths while supporting each other. As a single woman, I am happy to be working as I am not in a rush to get married. I would love to continue working and use my job as a way to take care of my family. As a woman, I am able to use my story to inspire others, especially teenage girls. Though I wasn’t able to go far in my education, that didn’t stop me from working. For me, I’m happy to be a career woman.
There is a saying that “if you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a family”. This saying comes from a Ghanaian scholar Dr. James Emmanuel Kwegyir-Aggrey. I am so excited to be an educated woman. As a career woman and a mother, balancing my time at work and home is not very flexible. Though my mother has offered to take care of my child, I want to fulfill my role as a wife and mother on my own. Competing with men in the workforce is quite challenging but when teamwork prevails, a lot is achieved. I wouldn’t dream of staying home, I want to continue to work to help support my family.
I am a mother of three, a widower and a career woman. Having kids and working as a single mother is not an easy task. I used to be a seamstress when my husband was alive but after his loss, the sewing couldn’t cater for the family so l had to look for other means to keep the family moving. Then I got this job and I have been with this company for seven years. With hard work I have been able to help my kids at the tertiary level. Having women in the workforce is important and it allows us to contribute even more to our families. I support the idea of every woman having a career if that is what they want.
If you'd like to find out more about Golden Star and its approach to CSR, please visit www.gsr.com/responsibility.
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