Les femmes rwandaises et la campagne électorale - Inter ...

Les femmes rwandaises et la campagne électorale • 30 - 31 juillet 2003
Above all, democracy, to be recognised as true democracy, must be based on the rule of law, always ensuring
equity and fairness.
The democratisation process entails the building of a democratic culture, which ensures that collective decisions
are binding to all (Linder 1998:16). Each member of the population has a right to freedom of speech and choice.
Also essential is the existence of a democratic space protected by law where gender concerns can be addressed
in an equal and fair manner.
Gender concerns and opportunities for addressing them in Rwanda
Gender concerns arise when "gender blind" decisions are based on inclusion rather than equity and fairness.
Gender imbalance is critical as highlighted by the 2002 population census reflected by the data below:
• 53.5% of Rwanda's population are females (2002 population census).
Women's Employment by Activity (1996 survey)
− Agriculture - 56% of those engaged are women
− Industry - 16% are women
− Services - 22% are women
− Informal sector - majority are women
Women and decision-making
− 22% of MPs are women
− 7.2% of Ministers and Minister of State are women
− 28% of Secretary Generals are women
− 0.8% of Provincial governors (Prefects) are women
− 0.7% of District Mayors are women
− 5.0% of Managers of public enterprises are women
Women's Literacy (1996 survey)
− 48% of the population aged 15 and above are women
− 50% of primary school children are girls
− 49% of secondary school children are girls
− 26.9% of students in higher education are women
In addition to the above imbalances, the following issues also need to be addressed:
• Poverty levels, especially those based on the patriarchal arrangement in the ownership of resources;
• Very high numbers of unskilled, often earning the least per unit of labour;
• Social, cultural values that perpetuate resistance to gender equality;
• Low representation of women in decision making which declines as we move up the ladder of
governance institutions;
• Inadequate capacity levels (in terms of skills, knowledge, and resources), and the resulting insensitivity
to integrate gender in planning and budgeting.
Opportunities to be exploited
The achievement of good governance in Rwanda requires the exploitation of various opportunities:
• Political will and the politics of accommodation;
• Decentralisation, which opens opportunities to:
− Gender sensitisation
− Promotion of women's role in governance and as role models
− Poverty reduction programs that are gender sensitive
− Sector policies that bring closer resource competition (for example, education development funds).
Finally, human capital development for all Rwandese must be strengthened.
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