Lessons from the South

FROM A EUROPEAN point of view, the headline is surprising: Rwanda is the country with the highest proportion of female Members of the Parliament in the world. But surprises continue as one goes down the list: the second position is for Bolivia and the third for Cuba, according to data from the Inter-Parliamentarian Union (IPU) corresponding to September 1st. In fact, there are only two Western countries among the top ten: Sweden (5th) and Finland (10th). Spain is 14th together with Iceland, both with 41% female MP’s.

WHY IS RWANDA a world champion in this issue? After the genocide in 1994, 70% of its population were women. They decided to take the lead and rebuild their country. The constitution of Rwanda approved in 2003 establishes a quota system for female presence in the government. Besides, the country’s laws on equality are among the most advanced in the world.

RWANDA IS NOT ALONE. According to the IPU itself, many nations that have gone through civil conflicts are now an example in equality issues. “Some of the most impressive changes have occurred in countries where existing political arrangements have been challenged, creating (…) crucial windows of opportunity to move women’s representation onto the political agenda”, reads its Women in Parliament, 20 years review report. “This has occurred, for example, in many post-conflict countries. The end of genocide and civil war provided an opportunity in many countries to write new constitutions and establish new electoral systems”.

TAKING ANOTHER LOOK at the ranking, high in the list one can find names like South Africa, still suffering the consequences of apartheid; Nicaragua, that went through a civil war; or Angola, torn asunder by decades of fratricidal fight. All of them are well above so-called developed countries such as Germany, Austria, Italy, United Kingdom or France.