By Josephine Amoako

As if having to toil endlessly through school to earn a decent degree isn’t enough, now one has to worry about the battleground which is the job market and play the reality show called the survival of the fittest. Just as one’s fingers are not equal, it is unrealistic to expect that we all start out on the same level. Influential parents, family friends and relatives help put some ahead of others. Some are noticed for their hard work and earn a place, and some are placed behind a desk as a favor to some friend or church member. The ‘whom you know’ versus ‘who knows you’ paradigm continues to shape job placement trends in Ghana’s corporate world today.

And for those of us who barely know anyone in high places, we are left at the mercy of unscrupulous bosses who prey on our vulnerability and despair.. There are countless stories of female job seekers who are required to sleep with the boss before being given the job, regardless of her qualifications. They know people are desperate and most applicants would succumb to the pressure. How shameful.

This unfortunate turn of events is slowly becoming an uncomfortable norm. Some ladies agree to it, thinking there is nothing to lose with doing it just once. But they realize with shock that the business between the sheets is not going to be a one-time transaction; it’s an ongoing arrangement to sustain their employment status. As long as one agrees to the terms, one continues to keep her job until she finally says ‘enough’ and quits. These men strip ladies of their dignity and get to keep their privileged positions while the women lose a job they needed and are forced to try another employer, hoping not to meet the same fate.

These unassuming-looking bosses definitely have wives and daughters who expect that they will be respected in their workplaces, women who expect their bosses to demand their skills and not their bodies. So why do some bosses demand sex from other women young enough to be their sisters and daughters? It’s pure evil.

How can women be truly empowered to achieve their fullest potential if they are made to lose a part of themselves with each climb up the ladder? No wonder successful women are sometimes accused of bribing their way up in ‘kind’ to achieve what they have. The growth of every society depends on the holistic health of its women. If you, as a man, would be disgusted by the thought of your wife, sister or daughter having to sleep with someone to get and keep a job; then have a good enough conscience not to ask of it from someone else’s. It definitely won’t end well for you.

And to my fellow ladies under pressure to give in to get a job, please don’t give in. If you do and get the job, you still lose something more valuable than the money earned. Your self-worth doesn’t carry a price tag. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise. Hold on to your integrity; God will come through for you.

Bribery and corruption exists in high places and we mostly think of it as embezzlement of funds; but even worse is receiving bribes in the form of sexual favors. And please remember, it’s not everyone in a skirt and blouse that you sleep with. Enough said.