‘If your husband is blocking your progress, leave the marriage’ – Linda Boamah Asante

• Linda Boamah Asante says women should not remain in marriages where their husbands constantly block their progress.

• She encourages women to involve trusted relatives, pastors or respected people when facing such challenges.

• She says men should help with cooking, cleaning and childcare, and boys should be raised to contribute at home.

Chief Inspector and Director of Inspections, Monitoring and HSE at the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Linda Boamah Asante, has advised women to reconsider marriages where their husbands deliberately prevent them from pursuing career growth and personal development.

According to her, a woman should not remain in a marriage where her partner consistently stands in the way of her progress.

In an interview with Berla Mundi on the Today's Woman show, she said women in such situations could first seek the intervention of trusted family members, pastors or respected individuals, but should not allow their ambitions to be permanently suppressed.

“You just have to quit. Quit the marriage because you can't stay in the marriage and then your husband is blocking you from progression,” she said.

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Ms Boamah Asante contrasted her experience with situations where husbands feel threatened by their wives' achievements.

She said her husband has been supportive of her career and encouraged her to pursue opportunities that contributed to her growth.

“In my case, my husband was very positive. Yes, go for it. Go for it and you say you are doing well, it's good,” she said.

She also acknowledged the role of family support in helping women balance their professional responsibilities with responsibilities at home.

According to her, her sister has been supportive, particularly when she travels outside the country, by helping to ensure that things at home are taken care of.

Ms Boamah Asante said a woman's career and personal development should not be treated as a threat to her marriage.

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She encouraged women whose husbands attempt to restrict their progress to seek help from trusted people who can speak to the situation.

“Maybe you should report him to a respected person. Maybe to your pastor… or a close relative of theirs to talk to him. He can't prevent you,” she said.

She added that women should be able to pursue the opportunities and abilities they believe are part of their purpose.

Mrs Linda Boamah Asante also addressed expectations around household responsibilities, arguing that men should be willing to participate in domestic chores rather than leaving such responsibilities entirely to women.

She said helping with cooking, cleaning, laundry and caring for children does not diminish a man's role.

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She also linked these attitudes to how boys and girls are raised in many Ghanaian homes.

According to her, girls are often introduced to household chores from a young age, while boys may be given more freedom from such responsibilities.

She described this approach as the wrong way to raise children.

Mrs Boamah Asante said she has deliberately ensured that her son is able to perform household tasks, including cooking and cleaning.

She believes boys should grow up understanding that contributing to household responsibilities is part of family life.

“You get the boy to know that in the home you're supposed to help in the chores,” she said.

She further urged fathers to play an active role in teaching boys that supporting their wives and children is part of their responsibilities.

For Ms Boamah Asante, creating supportive homes requires both partners to recognise each other's ambitions while sharing responsibilities at home, rather than limiting a woman's opportunities because of traditional expectations.