A Toast to Rwandan Women

In the last parliament, Rwanda had the highest percentage of women in parliament in the world. It is correct that this should be so. Women are an important symbol of moderation and are trusted with the challenging tasks of reconciliation and reconstruction in part because they have not been implicated in the violence that has marked the country's murky past to the same extent as men.

Indeed, Rwandan women bore the brunt of genocide and therefore truly deserve a significant and official role in the nation's current socio-economic transformation.

According to President Paul Kagame, increased participation of women in politics is necessary for improving the social, economic and political conditions of their families and the entire country.

It is argued that women's representation in national parliaments across sub Saharan Africa equals the world average of about 15 per cent, but it is higher than in many wealthier nations, according to UNIFEM's 2002 report.

In the recent parliamentary elections in Rwanda, women got 56.25 per cent of the seats, up from 48 per cent in the previous parliament. However, only four of the women who were in the last parliament made it back.

Since women constitute about 55 per cent of the country's population and are indeed the main users of key services, it is logical that they should take their place in democratic decision-making structures including the legislature.

Through this, they will significantly influence the allocation of scarce resources to benefit men and women.

While the socio-economic conditions in the country are far from the 1994 period, the conditions of men and women continue to differ, consequently women must have the opportunity to defend and promote their interests and bring their hitherto neglected perspective to the level of decision making.

Ultimately, Rwanda's democratisation process shall be strengthened and legitimised as more women achieve equal access to decision-making processes at both local and national levels.