Some disconnect between political will and grassroots on gender?

It is almost ten years now since Rwanda hit the headlines as the global leader in women’s representation in Parliament, with just over 49 per cent after the 2003 General Elections. It currently holds the record with just over 56 per cent. The closest country is Andorra, a tiny landlocked state in Southwestern Europe, with 50 per cent women representation.Rwanda also impresses with women’s representation in the judicial sector, including the higher echelons of government including ministerial posts and permanent secretaries, with the 30 per cent threshold of women representation as enshrined in the constitution.The Gender Monitoring Office has well kept tabs on the gender situation in the country since its inception in 2008.Its various studies have been candid and illuminating, and are in the public domain. One of its interesting observations is how women are represented in positions of governance at the provincial and lowers levels.A particularly notable example is the representation of Deputy Mayors across the country. Each district has a Mayor and two Deputy Mayors, one for Economic Affairs and the other for Social Affairs. Of the 30 Deputy Mayors for Economic Affairs across the country, 25 were men, making it about 83 per cent male representation as of 2011.A similar 83 per cent of Deputy Mayors for Social Affairs are women. The coincidence in the similarity of the percentages of representation is quite telling. It does not, for instance, take much to understand that men are disproportionately represented in Economic Affairs because “that is where the money is.” By the same token, women are over represented in “Social Affairs” in the perception that they are better suited for such “domestic” matters.This leads to a familiar conclusion. Traditional social and gender attitudes towards women continue to be an entrenched.With the under- and disproportionate-representation below national level, it has raised some concern that the existing political will may not have adequately trickled down to the districts and communities.As pundits point out, however, if the strides Rwanda has made are anything to go by, the persistent paternal attitudes in the villages do not detract from the existing high political will towards gender equality; it only points to a reality on the ground that has to be recognized and firmly dealt with. Even, for instance, in public institutions and the private sector where women continue to be chronically under-represented in the Boards of Directors.The recognition is also that traditional social attitudes are only symptomatic of a pervasive problem, as also witnessed in the cases of sexual and gender-based violence across the country, many of which go unreported to the Police largely because of the “culture of silence due to stigma”.With the GMO keeping a close eye, the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion and the Civil Society are on top of the problem with the many activities to promote and raise awareness on human and women’s rights. It is notable that a significant proportion of activities in the communities have been riding on promotion and raising awareness on gender based violence. As pundits in the development sector have also pointed out, sensitization and raising public awareness on SGBV serves as a vehicle to discuss other gender related issues and to rally support and pass messages. This may be specific to Rwanda, but it cannot be gainsaid.Twitter: @gituram