Despite the government’s efforts to scale up gender equality in Rwanda, some gaps have persisted to fully achieve the establishment of equal chances and opportunities between men and women, activists say. To address these gaps, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations and the general population must step up their participation in the battle. This was one of the outcomes of a two-day consultative seminar that took a place from August 19 to 20. Organised by Health Development Initiative (HDI) and partners, the summit brought together various civil society organisation representatives, activists, gender champions and religious leaders to discuss issues surrounding the fight for gender equality. The theme of the seminar was, “Changing the mindsets that affect gender equality in Rwanda”. Among the topics discussed, participants examined the implementation of laws and policies that promote gender equality, how to fight against gender-based violence and the role of men at the gender promotion table. The meeting concluded by observing the main gaps that persist to achieve equal opportunities in the gender empowerment journey. Mindset change It was observed during the discussions that there is still a mindset that hinders equality between men and women. Many Rwandans believe that men have innate characteristics that make them powerful, income-earning leaders, who become prominent figures in their communities. This is starkly different from the expectations placed on women to become good wives and homemakers, who are responsible for caring for their children. This, according to the discussions, causes women to feel inferior to men. Women often think they must marry at an early age, so that they will have a man they can rely on. On the other hand, men are pushed to assume family responsibilities, which can sometimes cause them to feel a false sense of superiority over the women in their lives. Even though women are now in positions of power and have financial means, men are still expected to be providers and women are expected to submit to the man’s authority. Even today, the man is often referred to as “Umutware w’urugo”, though the law states they are all heads of the household. Celestin Shema, a lawyer, explained that this is an issue that is rooted in the family. “Mindsets should change beginning at the family level, since these mindsets start in childhood, he said, noting as well that the issue is simpler to address at the family level because gender and family promotion activities are often combined. A daily routine in a Rwandan family will see the man and woman going to cultivate together, but upon returning home the woman is expected to put a hot meal on the table. Boys stay in the living room with their father discussing political issues and girls help their mother in the kitchen. This later enforces who is the boss and who has to follow. This contributes to gender inequality. Religious beliefs In the dialogue, faith-based institutions have also been noted as areas where gender inequality is still prevalent. It has been noted that in some churches, religions or denominations, women are considered inferior to men, and are unable to accomplish some tasks. For example, in some denominations, women cannot preach in a crowd where men are seated. In others, women are not permitted to become priests or pastors. The development often arises from different interpretations of the bible, Shema explains. “Different religions interpret their religious texts differently. However, we should try to understand these issues of gender equality in the same way irrespective of religion,” he expressed. Cultural background Some cultural norms have been mentioned as barriers to gender equality. During the discussion, participants highlighted some proverbs, which they say reinforces the stereotypes about men and power. For example, they said, when a child performs well he or she is often told, “Uri uwa so” (you belong to your dad) or “uri umugabo” (you are a man). More people have also begun to interpret dowry giving (inkwano) as a bride price, which makes women look like property in their own homes, because dowry is negotiated and given by men to women before wedding ceremonies. Most of these aspects, gender activists in the discussion say, should be addressed through education beginning in the family. The role of men Participants in the meeting have observed that men have low participation in the battle for gender equality. Family planning programs, for instance, have long been considered as an act that only concerns women, rarely men can be found supporting women to do so. Instead, some think that their women’s bodies belong to them which sometimes leads to forced sex. Feminists, then, advocate for raising the voice of men in the battle to end the stereotypes and men dominance. Legal rights Annonciata Mukayitete, Human Rights Program Officer at HDI explained that there are some policies that are not being enforced and others that have been revoked suddenly without clear information on the results of the policies. “In previous years, national exam grading marks were lowered for female candidates to allow more of them to enter high schools,” she recounts. “But the policy was later revoked without any detailed research on whether the policy had shown an improvement in the way girls can compete academically with boys in high school.”. That is why you find that the number of girls who start primary school is nearly equal to the number of boys, but as the girls move up in grade level, their numbers decrease. This, in turn, affects gender equality, because when women do not have equal access to education as men, they are not able to participate in all sectors of life as they are held back by their lack of academic qualifications, she continued. According to Mukayitete, to address these gaps, awareness-raising is needed in all sectors of life, not only led by the government, but also stakeholders such as civil society organisations and non-governmental organizations among others.
