The Africa Gender Index tracks the current state of women’s rights in African countries | DW News

Averaging-out all of Africa's diverse nations is something of a blunt tool but it does provide a picture — and the Africa Gender Index did the math. A score of 100 percent would mean full equality with men. African women are a long way from that.

In 2023, African women scored just over 50 percent — so only halfway to complete gender equality across economic, social, and public leadership areas. It is a sobering statistic that shows only a slight improvement from 48.6 percent in 2019.

But there is some light in the darkness: Namibia, the highest-ranking country in the continent, scores 88 percent. The report calls it 'the African champion of gender equality'. Tiny Lesotho, a gender equality giant, scores 82 percent. Its constitution guarantees equal pay for women and men. And Rwanda scores almost 80 percent — The report says it has a 'strong political will for gender equality'. That might have something to do with the fact that 61 percent of Rwanda's elected representatives are women.

But elsewhere, the landscape is less promising. In regard to the extent to which men and women participate equally in decision-making in politics, government and business, things have improved slightly but that rate is so slow, it would take until 2063 for African women to achieve full equality.

From: DW News Africa with Michael Okwu, 6 March 2025

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