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Rwanda misses out on global gender equality report

By Rwanda News Agency
October 29, 2009

Kigali: Only two African states -- South Africa and Lesotho – appear among top 10 ranking of countries where women face the least discrimination, but Rwanda with 56 percent women parliamentarians is not featured in the World Economic Forum study, RNA reports.

Rwanda has a constitutional requirement that all administrative levels must have at least 30 percent women representation. The newly registered political party PS Imberakuri was initially refused because it did not have the stipulated female numbers.

However, Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo do not appear in the latest World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Index which measured economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment, health and survival of women in 134 countries.

A detailed review of the 205-page report gives some details on Rwanda. The study shows that among employed people of age group of 35-44 years, there are more Rwandan women than men. Rwanda is also among seven countries including UK and China where married women work more than single females.

The gap between woman and men participation in the labour force is smallest globally only in Rwanda, and largest in Arab countries, according to the report. Women less than 25 years in Rwanda, China, Kenya and Palestine are said to have a higher chance of leaving school compared to males.

Since 2003, Rwanda has been at the top of countries with the highest female parliamentarians, which peaked after last year’s elections that brought the figure to 56.5 percent – topping globally.

President Paul Kagame is not a stranger at this high profile global platform for business and political leaders. He attended the 2009 World Economic Forum at its usual home in Davos, Switzerland in January. He was also invited to another WEF on Africa in Cape Town, South Africa in June.

However, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania – which are members of the five-block East African Community, are in the large report. Uganda ranks 40, while Tanzania comes at 73 - losing 35 places compared to last year, “mainly due to the latest data revealing a worsening gap on economic participation”, the WEF said.

Kenya (98) loses 10 places in the rankings this year “due several changes, but primarily the result of lower participation of women in the labour force, among other factors”.

"The latest data reveal that South Africa makes significant improvements in female labour force participation in addition to gains for women in parliament and in ministerial positions in the new government," said the WEF.

Lesotho also climbed into the top 10 "driven by large gains in the labour force participation of women and narrowing wage gaps", it added.

At the other end of the scale was Yemen, while Chad and Pakistan were ranked second and third worst in terms of equal opportunities for women.

Overall, Nordic countries continue to offer women the most equal treatment compared to men, with Iceland ranking number one, followed by Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Related Materials:
The Global Gender Gap Report 2009

Inside Rwanda's Gender Revolution

Explaining how men shortage has led to women's prominence and parity in Rwanda's governance

RWANDA: Credit for Women's Development

posted by Mamadou Kouyate @ 9:50 PM