The Nation That Elects The Most Women Is ...
As Rwanda began to rebuild itself from the ashes of the 1994 genocide, something unexpected happened: women began playing a much more influential role on many fronts, including politics.
Traditions that had limited women previously were cast aside and President Paul Kagame also actively pushed for women to be in more prominent positions.
Today, women make up 64 percent of the country's lower house of parliament, a far higher percentage than any other nation, according to figures compiled by the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
"They were the backbone of reconstruction of our country but at the same time also there was a political will to empower women," said Rwanda's ambasassdor to the U.S., Mathilde Mukantabana.
Women are active in all levels of government, from local village councils to parliament, where they have far surpassed the official 30 percent quota for women, she noted.
In the world rankings, tiny Andorra is second with 50 percent women in the lower house. Cuba is third with 49 percent, while Sweden and South Africa round out the top five with 45 percent each.
The U.S. is listed as No. 84, with female legislators accounting for 18 percent of the House and 20 percent of the Senate. But the list does not recognize ties among countries, so there are actually 98 countries with a higher percentage of female legislators than the U.S.
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