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Rwanda

1. Historical and cultural context for women and their participation

Civil War and Genocide, 1990-1994

Rwanda gained independence from Belgium in 1962. There was a civil war from 1990-1994 that culminated in the Rwandan Genocide. It is estimated that 1 million people (primarily Tutsis) were killed.

Women’s agency shifted during and after the genocide. Due to a “deeply entrenched patriarchal system”, some Rwandan women were desensitized, militarized, and mobilized “to commit acts of violence” on behalf of the state. This was because Hutu women were loyal to their Hutu identity over their shared identity of being women with Tutsis. On the other hand, some women acted under great risk to protect others and served as “rescuers”. Rwandan women have been hypersexualized, underestimated, and not considered decision-makers; yet, they maintain a unique agency and have lots of local knowledge that makes them powerful agents of change. Rwandan women manipulated their circumstances during the war and identified moments where sexism benefited them. They avoided recruitment because the home was exempt from military recruitment and acted as a physical hiding place, gender bias blinded men of women’s agency, and they were able to avoid indoctrination from their ethnic paramilitaries.

Post-genocide recovery

After the civil war, the proportion of the population remaining in Rwanda was estimated to be 60-70% female. This partially forced/allowed women into labor industry roles left abandoned by their displaced counterparts during the years of struggle. As opposed to the short-lived WWII “Rosie the Riveter” movement in the United States as a result of millions of returning male soldiers, Rwanda’s strides toward labor equality continued to rise and were even solidified through the 2003 Constitution, which required 30% of parliamentary seats be held by women through an affirmative action clause. Despite the actual number landing at 40% after elections, this public power women gained was not experienced in the private or social sectors. This has reduced women’s power in legislative positions to merely an extension of the home – a less worthwhile pursuit of their energy than initially intended. Today in 2023, women represent a little less than 51% of the Rwandan population. In 2003, a new Constitution was signed. By 2009, Rwanda passed their first NAP on Women, Peace, and Security.

Women’s status today, 2024

Rwanda is the most densely populated country in Africa, with a rich cultural makeup between 3 primary ethnic groups: the Hutus, Tutsis, and the Twa. Rwanda has a strong sense of community and traditionally has a monthly day of unspoken but obligated community activities, service, and volunteering that sees high community participation, especially from women. The 2022 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report ranked Rwanda as the sixth most gender equal country in the world. Rwanda ranked 1st in the Sub-saharan region, which also scored higher than the regions of Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa, and ranked 5th overall for global regions.

Women make up about 51% of the total population, and there are distinct gender roles in Rwanda. Marriage acts as the most prominent social institution and tradition plays a large role in determining women’s liberties in Rwanda. Because marriage and having children is a social imperative and increases a couple’s social wealth, it is one of the major ways women can contribute to society. Women are largely excluded from owning land or herding cattle, as well as contributing economically, as a result of the traditional patriarchal nature of Rwandan society. In this way, women have created space in civil society to form female coalitions to advocate for women’s expanded rights and economic opportunities.

For more information about the traditional and cultural makeup of Rwanda:

2. UNSCR1325, National Action Plans and legislation

UN 1352:
Rwanda signed UN Resolution 1325 in 2000, and created its first NAP in 2009 for the period 2009-2012.

NAPs
The 2017 National Action Plan was based on the pillars of “promoting the equal participation of women and men in all peace initiatives at all levels” and “integrating gender perspectives into peace and security efforts” and was revised in 2018 to include “prevention of violence against women and involvement in conflict prevention:, “protection from violence”, “equal access to means of relief, economic recovery, and rehabilitation”, and “women’s promotion and gender mainstreaming in Rwanda’s foreign service and international and regional cooperation”. As of 2020, there have been 1,400 Rwandan women in security officer positions on UN peacekeeping missions.

Rwanda passed its second NAP for the period 2015-2018. Rwanda’s most recent NAP is for the period of 2018-2022. Due to the dynamicity of the year 2023, it is interesting to see how Rwanda did not prioritize a WPS agenda. Currently, Rwanda’s NAP agenda for WPS is out of its implementation period and there is no information on its renewal or plans to establish new WPS commitments.

Legislation:
Rwanda has a constitution with affirmative action that calls for women to hold at least 30% of seats in parliament.

For more information about the NAPs in Rwanda:

3. Political context and women in leadership roles

“In 2016, Rwanda was the number one country for women in politics holding the largest (64%) share of any country,”  and in the same year, the U.S. was only at 19%. Yet, within Rwanda, feminism is considered a taboo American ideal, so Rwandan women have had to be creative actually acting on these “liberties” so as not to disturb the anti-Western social order that developed after the Civil War ended in 1994. Women acting or speaking about feminism are considered as being too “liberated”, “selfish”, and “aggressive”, and are ultimately putting themselves over Rwanda as a whole. For schoolgirls under 12th grade, this is seen as blatantly as not being able to serve as heads of school clubs. For young women through 35, this means not holding leadership roles at their jobs. For older women 40 plus, this means not running for office because their household duties are too time-consuming. Political roles come with high social status & community respect in Rwanda, though for the most part, women’s participation in political life is stifled due to cultural norms.

Many Rwandans feel empowered by their government for giving them an opportunity to participate in decision-making on relevant problems to their community. A 2008 study revealed that women hold “positions of responsibility” in 91% of civil society organizations, with only 13% of the organizations being exclusively female, which demonstrates the success of gender mainstreaming as a national policy post-genocide even at the local levels. Yet, women only represented 48% of civil society membership in urban areas in 2008, and a majority of female survey respondents claimed that women were underrepresented or not equitably represented.

Since 2014, Rwanda has placed consistently in the top ten of the WEP Global Gender Gap Index. Additionally, women hold less than 40% of managerial positions and even fewer positions at local and ministerial levels. However, there are more self-employed women than men because women are excluded from economic leadership positions, which is holding Rwanda back from major economic growth and infrastructure strengthening. Global statistics of Rwandan feminism are demonstrated inconsistently on the ground. Pervading social norms consider outspoken women ‘anti-Rwandan’. In 2022, Rwanda’s percentage of women in Parliament dropped to 61% in 2022. Cross-comparing their gender gap with their GDP, Rwanda ranks highly in the sector of “high parity, low income”. They scored extremely low for having same wages for the same work, and ranked 63rd globally for proportion of female heads of state in the last 50 years. Additionally, no unemployed women receive unemployment benefits.

For more information on Rwandan government and women’s participation:

4. Women’s rights and civil society

Rwanda also has an impressive civil society with numerous women-led NGOs. Rwandan civil society was transformed after the genocide, and women played a critical, quite significant role in strengthening civil society during the reconstruction and recovery period. The emergence of women’s groups and associations boosted civil society in a profound way through Rwandan women’s lobbying efforts for assistance for widows, orphans, and other vulnerable groups and credit for women’s associations to engage and stimulate the economy. Women in civil society organizations played a significant role in lobbying for gender inclusive policies to be included in the constitution and have played a direct role in its implementation after it passed in 2003.

Women’s Civil Society Organizations:

5. Gender-based violence (GBV) and security

Despite all of the positive strides made to improve women’s lives in Rwanda and their extensive role in rebuilding after the genocide, a 2024 GBZ study revealed that “56% of Rwandan women have experience violence in their life”. This is due to the pervasive harm of traditional roles and norms. In 2020, there were almost 13,000 investigated cases of GBV. According to CARE, 1 in 3 married women have reported experiencing physical partner violence and 46% of married women have experienced physical, sexual, or emotional violence. Further, 23.5% of women aged 15-49 with partners have experienced sexual violence within the last year and 10% of women aged 18-29 have experienced sexual violence by age 18. 21% of women are suspected victims of human trafficking and only 1% of mothers.

For more information on Rwandan GBV and gender security:

6. Lessons and Key Takeaways

  • International indexes and gender quotas in government rank Rwanda highly, yet harmful social norms that promote patriarchal values pervade society and hold Rwandan women back from meaningful leadership roles.
  • Rwandan women have been hypersexualized, underestimated, and not considered decision-makers; yet, they maintain a unique agency and have lots of local knowledge that makes them powerful agents of change.
  • Rwanda has passed two NAPs on WPS, but they are both currently out of date.
  • Rwandan civil society was transformed after the genocide, and women played a critical, quite significant role in strengthening civil society during the reconstruction and recovery period.
  • Over 50% of Rwandan women will experience some form of violence in their lifetime.

Additional Resources on Rwanda and Gender Equality:

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