Survey figures should be up to date

Information from a survey released last week by the Gender Monitoring Office shows that whereas the public service is successfully complying with the government commitment to promote women’s participation in decision making, there are few women in the informal sector.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Information from a survey released last week by the Gender Monitoring Office shows that whereas the public service is successfully complying with the government commitment to promote women’s participation in decision making, there are few women in the informal sector.According to the Gender Monitoring Office report, despite the legislative protection, the total results show that men employed in informal sector account for 71.2 per cent while only 28.8 per cent were women. It says 54.5 per cent of civil servants were men while 45.5 were women, citing Ministry of Labor and National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda 2010 census.What is disturbing, however, is that the information is based on a survey on the informal sector and SMEs conducted in 2006. It is unfortunate that the report is based on data of 2006 yet a lot has changed over the last six years.Accurate figures are necessary for planning and Rwanda being a country that is always on the move, constant updates and regular surveys should be carried out if we are to get a picture reflective of the situation.