Gender
equality is often pinpointed as a key issue
in economic development of emerging economies. The World Economic
Forum releases an annual Global Gender Gap Index to rank countries on their
progress with regard to achieving gender parity in health, education, political
engagement, and economic empowerment. The following are 12 African countries
that rank highest for gender equality in the 2014 Global Gender Gap Index.
Numbers
reflect countries’ gender equality score. The highest possible score is
1.00 (equality) and the lowest possible score is 0.00 (inequality). Countries’
worldwide rankings out of 142 countries studied, are also listed in
parentheses.
12. Botswana – 0.7129 (No 51 worldwide)
In recent years, Botswana has made strides in gender equality. It has
ratified and become a supporting member of a number of treaties, including the
Beijing Declaration platform for action, Convention on the Elimination of all
forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), and more. Botswana has seen women elevated to positions previously
unobtainable, such as the head of the country’s legislature, the head of the
Central Bank, attorney general, and ombudsman.
11. Cape Verde – 0.7133 (No. 50 worldwide)
Cape Verde passed the Gender-Based Violence Law in 2011 to increase the
opportunities for redress for victims, and has improved the capacity of law
enforcement officials to respond sensitively and promptly to gender violence.
The country is also considered proactive in establishing development programs
targeted at empowering rural and enterprising women, and enjoys strong
participation of women in government at all levels.
10. Tanzania – 0.7182 (No 47 worldwide)
In the past decade, Tanzania has made vast strides in gender equality. For
instance, girls’ primary school attendance increased from 60 percent in
2000-2001 to over 83 percent in 2010-2011. Women occupy more than a
third of Parliamentary seats, and 47 percent of non-agricultural
household enterprises are owned by operated by women. Women still struggle
to achieve wages on par with men in the workforce. Articles 12 and 13 of the
Tanzanian Constitution guarantee “equality between men and women and
supports their full participation in social, economic and political life.”
9. Madagascar – 0.7214 (No. 41 worldwide)
While Madagascar struggles to achieve gender parity in many regards,
particularly in education, the country has received aid from international
organizations such as UNICEF. The children’s fund aid organization created
the Fast Track Initiative to ensure Madagascar’s education system continued to
function during political turmoil by providing payment to teachers and securing
other technical assistance resources. Additionally, UNESCO launched a program
to begin teaching gender equality in Madagascar universities, including teacher
training courses and workshops for local women on preventing gender-based
violence and increasing political participation.
8. Namibia – 0.7219 (No. 40 worldwide)
Namibia’s work on promoting gender equality has been progressing each year,
and the country claims to have reached three of its seven targets — gender
parity for secondary education, literacy rates for 15 to 24 year olds, and
pre-primary education. Namibia is still working to establish parity for
wage employment in the non-agricultural sector, primary education, tertiary
education, and seats in Parliament. The Namibian Constitution explicitly
forbids discrimination based on sex, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and
Child Welfare has been active in its efforts since it was established.
7. Lesotho – 0.7255 (No. 38 worldwide)
The Millennium Challenge Account-Lesotho (MCA-Lesotho) has been extremely
active in the country to initiate programs that promote gender equality. This
includes building awareness of the Legal Capacity of Married Person’s Act of
2006 — a law that gives women more rights than before in business. But even
more influential has been the impact of men from Lesotho historically seeking
work in bordering South African mines, leaving women to step up in a variety of
roles. Although the majority of men have returned, the country remains
more female-focused. One in five government ministers are female and
there’s a strong culture of learning for women. Literacy rates among women
actually exceed those of men – 95 percent compared to 83 percent.
6. Kenya – 0.7258 (No. 37 worldwide)
The new Kenyan Constitution, passed in 2010, gave many new
opportunities to women, increasing access to education, land ownership,
and employment. The Constitution has been lauded for its strides in the areas
of women’s access to institutions, justice, and the ability to control and use
property. Laws have been well implemented since their passage. Organizations
such as the Kenya Association of Women Business Owners and the Africa
Businesswomen’s Network have been hard at work educating women about their
new rights. Traditional or customary laws that contradict the new legislation
have historically been held responsible for cementing gender inequality in
Kenya. These are now considered invalid.
5. Malawi – 0.7281 (No. 34 worldwide)
Kamuzu Banda, the first president of Malawi following its independence,
wanted education for all, and has been well embedded into Malawi’s
society. The National Gender Policy has been quite successful in raising
awareness of food and nutrition matters, women’s legal rights, and economic
empowerment opportunities. Malawi has also worked to provide easy access to
reproductive health services and family planning for all, especially those in
rural areas.
4. Mozambique – 0.7370 (No. 27 worldwide)
Mozambique’s favorable position on the Gender Gap Index comes from its
progress in women’s economic participation and political empowerment. There’s a
large percentage of women in parliament — 39 percent in 2014, according to
World Bank. However, Mozambique falls short in the areas of health and
education, with a larger gap in education gender equity than many of
its neighbors (including some ranked lower on this list, such as Botswana,
Lesotho, and Namibia). Mozambique also lacks the infrastructure for
accessible health services for all.
3. South Africa – 0.7527 (No. 18 worldwide)
South Africa’s constitution is one of the most progressive in the world, and
contains strong guarantees for equality and full rights for all its citizens.
Some feel that the country’s position as a powerhouse in sub-Saharan Africa
means it should be doing more to ensure gender parity. In fact South Africa has
passed some of the strongest legislation on the continent, including the
Employment Equity Act, the Domestic Violence Act, the Sexual Offences Act, and
legislation on marriage and women’s health issues. South Africa also ranks
eighth worldwide for gender equality in political engagement. Nearly half
the seats in Parliament (42 percent to 45 percent) have been held by women
since 2009.
2. Burundi – 0.7565 (No. 17 worldwide)
Post-conflict Burundi has been making strides in gender equality, and
is named on many international treaties that uphold equal rights for
men and women. The country’s constitution requires at least
30-percent representation of women in parliament and government.
Burundi initiated a Poverty Reduction Strategy in 2012 to ensure women
received the bulk of resources allocated. The constitution is clear on its
position on gender discrimination, stating, “All citizens are equal before the
law which ensures their equal protection. Nobody may be discriminated against
because of their origin, race, ethnicity, sex, color, language, social status,
religious, philosophical or political beliefs or due to a physical or mental
disability, infection with HIV/AIDS or any incurable disease.”
1. Rwanda – 0.7854 (No. 7 worldwide)
In 2014, Rwanda was included for the first time on the World Economic
Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index. It had been previously left off the list. Much
of this has to do with the country’s response to the 1994 genocide in
1994 that resulted in a much more powerful position for women in
politics. Following the genocide, the constitution was changed to mandate that
at least 30 percent of governmental senior positions were held by
women. Today, 64 percent of the Rwandan parliament is female.
Usta Kaitesi, a teacher of gender and law at Rwanda University’s Faculty of
Law, said, “Many women were left as widows because of the genocide. Others had
to work hard in the place of their jailed husbands for allegedly taking part in
the genocide. So even young girls got that mentality to perform genuinely to
access good jobs, and good jobs mean going to school first.” The high
proportion of women in government means pro-women legislation is consistently
a priority. Rwanda has seen a reduction in poverty in recent years, which
President Paul Kagame largely credits to women’s empowerment initiatives
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