Rwanda has an innovative system of women’s councils that reach from the grassroots to the national level, creating a pipeline for women to participate in government.
This pyramid system has successfully filled many of the 30% of seats set aside for women in government and has tremendous organizing potential. When it is operational, this system brings women into the political process and provides a ladder by which women can rise.

The quota system alone will not ensure advances for women in government or society as a whole.
The 30% of leadership positions set aside for women will not automatically create gender equity for women. In addition to filling those quotas, elected women need training that builds governing skills and personal confidence. As their leadership skills expand, women parliamentarians will gain the influence needed to ensure advancement and social protection for women.

Women have shown a commitment to work together across all sectors of society.
Rwandese women have made the effort to work collaboratively whether they are government employees, elected officials or members of non-governmental organizations. This accounts for many of the recent gains in gender equality.

Women parliamentarians should work to improve communication with ordinary women.
Rural and uneducated women assert that they are not informed and that those who have risen to political leadership do not consult with them. Only 48% of Rwandese women are literate. Rural women are especially isolated and place a high value on hearing directly from their representatives. Parliamentarians need to maintain links to these women and resources need to be developed to allow more convening and consultation at the local level. It is crucial that the “gulf” between women representatives at the national tier and those at the grassroots is swiftly bridged.

Until recently, women had no access to the fundamentals of economic independence.
By law, women couldn’t belong to profit-making organizations. Until 1992, women needed their husband’s authorization to open a bank account. Now urban and rural women engage in microcredit programs that support small business ventures. The Women’s District Fund is one initiative, established in 1998, to boost women’s economic capacities through micro credit lending. A Women’s Guarantee Fund that helps women who have no collateral for their loans accompanies it. These funds have direct positive benefits and are also an incentive for women to become members of the local structures.

There have been significant advances in the legal status of women, spurred on by the process of writing the new constitution for the Republic of Rwanda (2003).
Formerly, when a man died, his widow and children had no right to inherit his property, which was transferred to the man’s male relatives. Women now have the right to inheritance, polygamy is illegal and family law is under scrutiny and reform.

Women head both the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice.
In a system that has just recently granted fundamental legal rights to women, it is remarkable that individual women have risen to such prominence in the administration of the law. Women in positions of authority have the power to lead by example, create confidence and inspire other women to break barriers.

Enforcement of the law is uneven and attitudinal changes need to match legal advances.
Women are hesitant to claim their rights, particularly with regard to family violence and abuse. For example, although rape is now an offense punishable by death, abuses are not reported out of concern for the family’s reputation. Rights-based education is needed for both women and men.

Economic development programs need to meet the different needs of urban and rural women.
Women in urban areas see minimal barriers to engaging in micro-enterprise, and are eager to apply for credit. In order to succeed, they need assistance in the selection of appropriate business ventures, education on the regulations and credit counseling. However, nearly 95% of Rwandans live in rural areas and require services geared to their needs. Generally, rural women need more training, encouragement, the support of family and group business ventures based on successful communal effort.

Rural women live in extreme poverty and the division of labor according to gender is inflexible and limits the advancement of women.
In rural areas “women’s work” is physically punishing and unrelenting. Women do all of the domestic chores including fetching food and water, cooking, laundry and childcare. Women who attend community meetings or engage in commerce are routinely accused of shirking their duties or are labeled as bad wives and mothers. Women need support for challenging gender norms as much as they need legal rights.

Men must become partners in the advancement of women.
Persuasive economic arguments should be made clear—if women can generate income, the entire family benefits. Education programs, including media campaigns, are needed to promote the benefits of entrepreneurship and expanded roles for women. Personal meetings are arranged to persuade reticent husbands, but programs are needed to directly address ignorance and opposition. More men must be encouraged to come forward to signal support for women’s development. Women risk losing the progress they have gained if men are not brought on board.

Creative policies, incentives and oversight are needed to further lift the status of women.
The Rwandan government should be encouraged to further utilize innovative management tools such as “gender budgeting” that quantify the impact policies have on women. At the grassroots level, innovative incentives include the “grant” of cooking oil for women who continue to send their girls to school or bicycles donated to women who are community organizers. The Rwandan constitution calls for an independent Gender Monitoring Office, but it has not yet begun to operate.