Gender equality is about equal rights

Editor, RE: “Unlock full potential of men, boys to end gender inequality” (The New Times, July 31). In the past two decades we have seen tremendous efforts and achievements made in Rwanda to ensure women participate in decision-making at all levels of the government. What our government is doing is to safeguard equal rights and equal participation in socio-political decisions for all Rwandans as a foundation for equal rights and opportunities at the individual household level. However, is this good example from government trickling down to the bedrooms, kitchens, sitting rooms and neighborhoods of Rwandans? I am hesitant to refer to current efforts and achievements as examples of gender equality in Rwanda. Gender equality is a concept that is either misunderstood or overtly overemphasised and regrettably transformed into a distorted academic concept irrelevant to society. Women have always been key players in the history of our society. The broadminded decisions made by our mothers and benefiting the entire household and communities have often been attributed to the dominant male, hence allowing the overarching patriarchal system to stifle their achievements into oblivion. The pivotal role women play to maintain capitalism through a consistent supply of future workers cannot be overemphasised. I am an advocate of equality at all levels of society and hold a strong conviction that one cannot achieve gender equality if there are no equal rights for all. If men (males) believe that they are unequal among their social group of men they cannot grant equal rights to the other group called women (female), and vice versa. The concept of equal rights should be at the forefront of gender equality campaigns in our society, as we cannot separate the two. Today most campaigns lack objectivity, are shallow, donor-driven and just a simple show of modernity. In my opinion, gender equality is not about numbers, e.g. the ratio of women to men in a given activity or context. Gender equality is about human rights, non-discrimination, and equal access to resources, fighting prejudice and changing mentalities. If Rwandans strengthen their understanding of equal rights they may gradually begin talking about real gender equality; we need to put more emphasis on the qualitative indicators of gender equality. Basically, gender equality campaigns should begin from our bedrooms and communities. Our mindsets should change towards understanding that: humans are equal, gender roles are historical attributes of a dominant patriarchal society, biological roles of men and women should not be used as a basis for discrimination. If these concepts are grasped by Rwandans, we shall not hear about: mother of 3 children was the best student at university, Rwanda has the highest percentage of women in parliament, Rwanda’s first female pilot, Rwanda’s first female aeronautic engineer, the success story of single mothers…because giving unnecessary attention to women’s achievements indirectly highlights an anomaly. Daoud

Opinions

Gender equality is about equal rights