One of Rwanda’s achievements over the past decades is that the ruling party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), has placed women in high-level decision-making roles in government. Some 61.3% of parliamentary seats and 55% of ministerial positions are held by women.
These impressive numbers are an indication of Rwanda’s commitment to gender equality, the empowerment of women and promoting the rights of women. The presence of so many women in public life also has a symbolic value, which has contributed towards increasing respect for women and giving them a more powerful voice in the family and community.
As a result, women in Rwanda have broken gender stereotypes and taken on work that used to be considered as only for men, such as carpentry, truck driving, masonry and so on. And for the first time in the country’s history, we have women pilots, international football referees, surgeons and CEOs.
