Former Vice President of Commonwealth Pharmacists Association, Prof. Frances Thelma Owusu-Daaku is calling for a conscious effort to change misconceptions about female empowerment with focus on gender stereotyping.
Speaking at a colloquium to mark International Year of the Periodic Table in Kumasi, Prof. Frances Thelma Owusu-Daaku said, several interventions over the years have made little impact.
“If you want to empower females then you should look at your own preconceptions and misconceptions first and this goes also for the females too,†she said.
Prof. Owusu-Daaku added, “I’ve heard many say, women are their own enemies and I don’t believe in that. It’s something which has been put in our heads by society and we have to get rid of that.â€She dispelled the notion empowering women will lead to a disadvantaged male.
“Female empowerment does not mean competition but it is possible to have both empowered males and females,†she noted.
The colloquium was organised by the Women in Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics Ghana (WISTEM GH).
It was in collaboration with the Chemistry Department at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The participants of the events were selected from Basic and Second-cycle schools in Kumasi, the Ashanti Region capital.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) designated 1869 as the year of discovery of the Periodic System by Russian scientist, Dmitri Mendeleev.
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This year’s event also commemorates the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements.It recognises the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements as one of the most important and influential achievements in modern science.
Experts reflected on the essence of chemistry as well as physics, biology and other basic sciences disciplines.
Aspects of the periodic table, including history, the role of women in research and global trends for sustainable development.Other areas of focus are perspectives on science as well as the socio-economic impact of the field.
Credit:joynews