There were four by-elections in four districts this week and all of them elected female mayors. The results are very significant for one single reason; they were not a result of affirmative action that is entrenched in our constitution. For many years Rwandan women had no place in society, in fact, they had no rights at all. They could not inherit property and once they were married off, they were considered properties of the in-laws; ties were all but severed with their families. Women could not even open bank accounts without the consent of their husbands. So to break that dreadlock needed drastic measures in order to convince the male-dominated Rwandan society, New laws had to be enacted to bring women at per with their male counterparts and that was just the easy part. Convincing rural men that their wives and daughters shared equal rights with males in the family was one high hurdle to climb. The rest, as they say, is history. The first was to ensure womens participation in decision making by guaranteeing them a minimum of 30 per cent in all leadership positions that propelled them to the first position worldwide of female representation in Parliament. One would argue that it was a result of affirmative action- the 30 per cent automatic women’s seats, but even if those seats were scrapped women would go head-head with men in parliament. That is exactly what the Mayoral elections prove, that even without affirmative action, the women have well and truly arrived and there is no turning back. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
