“It’s not necessary for every woman to be a wife” – NSMQ boss Prof. Elsie Effah Kaufmann

Professor Elsie Effah Kaufmann has a message for women dealing with pressure to get married: marriage should not be treated as a compulsory part of every woman’s life.

The National Science & Maths Quiz host said women should be free to decide whether marriage is right for them without allowing societal expectations to make the decision.

“It’s not necessary for every woman to be a wife. Society will always breathe down your neck even when you choose to be a wife or not,” she said while talking to Berla Mundi on TV3.

For Professor Kaufmann, the bigger issue is not whether a woman gets married, but whether she is living with choices she can genuinely accept.

“At the end of the day, what is most important is to reflect on your own life as a woman and decide that you have made the choices that you’re comfortable with,” she said.
She urged women to make decisions that represent who they are instead of choosing a particular path simply to please family, friends or society.

“You have to make choices that represent you and put your best that you’ve made and owning those choices, not because you were forced or trying to please,” she added.

She also noted that there will always be people who disagree with personal decisions, regardless of the choice a person makes.

“Regardless of what you do, there are people who are not going to be happy, so you might as well be at peace with yourself so that you can contribute your most,” Professor Kaufmann said.