By Brandy Bailey

The African nation of Rwanda is known for many things poverty, instability, and conflict; just to name a few.  Sadly the nation is likely most known for the100 days from April to July 1994 when Hutu extremists murdered 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.  Rwanda is not typically thought of as a place at the forefront of women’s political leadership.  But fifteen years after the genocide in Rwanda that is exactly what is happening; women are leading the country in political positions of power and helping the country heal and move forward.                            

In September 2008 Rwanda’s parliamentary election saw women win 45 of the 80 seats:  of those, nearly half were elected to women-only seats while the rest won on open ballots. This means that 56 percent of Rwanda’s members of parliament are women.  This makes Rwanda the first country in the world where women outnumber men in parliament. But this is not the first time Rwanda has held this distinction; the outgoing parliament also had a record number of women at 48 percent.  In the United States only 17 percent of the members of congress are female.  In addition, Rwandan women hold a third of all cabinet positions including foreign minister, education minister, Supreme Court chief, and police commissioner general.  Part of the success can be attributed to Rwanda’s post-genocide constitution which requires a 30 percent quota of female members of parliament. 

When the genocide ended in July 1994 Rwanda faced a significant demographic imbalance; as thousands of men had been murdered and thousands more were in jail for the crimes they committed during those 100 days women and girls made up 70 percent of the population.  Given this demographic imbalance, women immediately assumed multiple roles as heads of household, community leaders, and financial providers in order to meet the needs of their families and the broader community.  They were the ones who picked up the pieces of their devastated society and began the process of rebuilding.  They buried the dead, built shelters, and found homes for nearly 500,000 orphans.  Currently, women are still the majority representing 54 percent of the the population and they head 35 percent of all households in Rwanda.  Furthermore they are the majority of the adult working population and in this largely rural nation they produce the majority of all agricultural output.  All of these things combined helped to change the cultural perception of women.

When the new constitution was being drafted women had a large role in the shaping and creation of the document.  Women of all social, economic, and ethnic backgrounds attended the national convention in 2002 to discuss what issues should be included.  Issues that were introduced at the convention ranged from issues that affect primarily women such as the inheritance law or women’s educational opportunties, to broader social, economic, and political concerns. 

When the constitution was finally complete and formally adopted by referendum it included among its fundamental principles, eradicating ethnic and regional divisions and promoting national unity as well as respecting the equality of all Rwandans and between Rwandan women and men.

The new constitution made gender issues and women’s leadership in government a crucial piece of the nation’s democratization plans.  As a result, women have come forward to lead in unprecedented numbers and have had a significant impact in shaping governance and the law.  Previously, the crime of rape was considered a minor offense on the level of looting that carried only a light prison sentence or community service.  The new female leadership made rape a category one crime which is the highest level crime that carries the harshest penalty.  Inheritance laws have also been changed and women can now inherit property.  After the genocide many women were left destitute because their inheritance went back to their in-laws because by law they were not allowed to own property.  The new legislature has also passed bills directed at ending child abuse and domestic violence.  In addition, a committee has been formed to comb through legal code and eliminate discriminatory laws. 

Though much progress has been made, there is still a great deal of healing and reconciliation to be done in Rwanda.  But hopefully with these women at the helm, this previously war torn country can heal itself and continue to move peacefully forward.