b-sama:

When people think of Africa, they don’t associate it with gender equality.

That was one of the key findings in recent ComRes polling of 2,000 UK adults for See Africa Differently: just 5% say that gender equality is something they’d associate with Africa.

Yet 16 African countries now have a higher proportion of women in Parliament than the UK. This is up from 12 since we last reported to you which African countries were doing better than us – a sign of the rapid progress being made on the continent (and partly perhaps – it has to be said – better counting all round, too!)

This compares to 18 European countries who have a higher proportion of women in Parliament than the UK.

Rwanda has the highest proportion of women in Parliament in the world and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was this month re-elected in Liberia – meaning that she stays firmly in the list of 20 women world leaders currently in power.

The last time the UK had a female Prime Minister was in 1990 – so long ago now, that The Iron Lady – starring Meryl Streep as Maggie Thatcher – is making it seem nostalgic.

Country % of women in Parliament
Rwanda 56%
Seychelles 45%
South Africa 45%
Mozambique 39%
Angola 39%
Tanzania 36%
Uganda 35%
Burundi 32%
Ethiopia 28%
South Sudan 27%
Sudan 25%
Namibia 24%
Lesotho 24%
Senegal 23%
Mauritania 22%
Eritrea 22%
UK 22%