Source: The New Times
Rwanda is Africa's best-performer in efforts to close the gender gap and seventh out of 142 countries on the global index, a new report shows.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap report 2014, released Monday, looked at how nations distribute political participation, economic resources and opportunities, access to healthcare and education, between women and men.

Rwanda is the only country from the sub-Saharan region to be ranked in the top 10.

The areas where Rwanda topped were political empowerment performance and economic participation and opportunity.

While the report acknowledged that, globally, the gender gap is narrowing, there were areas that were lagging behind.

The gap for political empowerment remains wider, at 21 per cent. But Rwanda excelled in the sector.

There have been other surveys that have ranked Rwanda among the top countries that have placed women at the forefront of national development.

But how did Rwanda work its way to the top?

According to Solange Mukasonga, the mayor of Nyarugenge, one of the reasons that inspired Rwanda's performance was the country's leadership that advocates for legal frameworks that give women more opportunity.

"The record progress made by Rwanda can be attributed to many factors, including the political will to empower women," Mukasonga said.

Among the legal instruments in place is the 2003 Constitution that provides for 30 per cent automatic representation of women in decision-making organs.

The quota has since been surpassed within various organs, notably Parliament that constitutes double the provision, with 64 per cent of the seats occupied by women.

In the Executive, women constitute 36 per cent.

Mayor Mukasonga said there is more for women than what the legal provisions provide.

"Besides what is stipulated in the laws, it should be noted that every public entity must have a gender-sensitive budget that details plans of women empowerment. Today, we have women who are senior engineers and pilots," she said.

Dr Alvera Mukabaramba, the minister of state for social affairs, described the report as evidence that the efforts to empower women are paying off.

"The Global Gender Gap report is proof that Rwanda abides by its laws. However, we do not stop there; we believe we have the ability to do more, especially if we focus on rural women empowerment," she said.

"Rwanda's performance is not just numbers, it is backed by determination and will to deliver when they occupy these posts," Mukabaramba, who is one of the longest serving women politicians in the country and once vied for presidency, added.

Senator Jeanne d'Arc Mukakalisa shared similar views with the state minister, but added that being ranked seventh worldwide is not enough and that Rwandan women can take advantage of the opportunities in place to do better.

"What we have achieved as women is worth celebrating, but we still have to do more. We have already proved that we can achieve what we set our minds on and top the ranking."

In economic participation and opportunities, Rwanda was ranked 25th globally.

The section looks at labour force, wage equality for similar work for both men and women, estimated earned income, legislators, senior officials and managers, professional and technical workers, labour force participation, enrolment in primary education, sex ratio at birth and women in parliament.

             
                                                      Mukabaranga says the report proves efforts of empowerment are paying off.

The gender gap for economic participation and opportunity now stands at 60 per cent worldwide, having closed by 4 per cent from 56 per cent in 2006 when WEF first started measuring it.

Annie Kairaba, the Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development director, said some achievements recorded in the report can be related to the productivity and participation of women at the grassroots.

"Rwanda is the only African country that has given women equal rights as men on land inheritance," Kairaba said, adding that Rwanda tops the land policy framework on the continent.

Saadia Zahidi, WEF head of gender parity programme and lead author of the report, said a lot of the progress on gender equality over the last 10 years has come from more women joining politics and the workforce.

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