Focus on women in government

In a rare expression of optimism, Burundian women leaders have said they are satisfied with the progress they are making and are looking forward to obtaining more leadership positions in the country's institutions. Their vocabulary has radically changed since the formation of the transitional institutions last November. Before that happened, they were talking about injustice and gender-based discrimination. Now, they discuss the need to persuade men to hand over more leadership posts to women. To convince men of women's ability to occupy such positions, a women's umbrella group - the Coalition of Women's Organisations and NGOs (CAFOB) - has listed the skills of Burundian women. "This is to counter men's pretext that Burundian women are uneducated and therefore cannot occupy important government posts," said CAFOB's deputy chairwoman, Solange Habonimana. AGGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN DURING ARUSHA TALKS During the Arusha talks leading to the formation of the transitional government, women mounted an aggressive diplomatic campaign to convince Burundian politicians that not only should there be a balance between political groupings, but also that the gender angle be taken into account. In this respect, the women enlisted the support of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni who is the chairman of the Burundi peace initiative, and former South African President Nelson Mandela who is the mediator in the Burundi conflict. As a result, the Arusha agreement allocated 30 percent of cabinet posts to women. There are now four women ministers in the transitional government. "I am satisfied with this initial step," said Concilie Burengengwa, a senior official in the planning ministry. "Now one can see women in important positions. Previously, women were being appointed to ministries such as social affairs - a ministry traditionally headed by women. It is no longer the case now. For example the planning ministry, where I work is headed by a woman who was chosen for her abilities." However, Senator Juliette Kavabuha Icoyitungiye said the ambitions of Burundian women remained largely unfulfilled. "If you look at the Senate, to which I belong, you can easily see that the number of women is still low. We are satisfied with only the first step, and we would like to get more posts," she said. "They decided to give us 30 percent. It would not be a bad idea if they increased the proportion to 50 or 60 percent." EDUCATION TO BRIDGE GENDER GAP Burundian women believe the only way to bridge the gender gap is through education. They say that, traditionally, parents favoured boys when it came to education, but now "things have changed". "For example, [examination] pass marks for girls are no longer lower than those of boys as it used to be. They are equal today," said Burengengwa. Burundian politicians complain that women do not join political parties, when leadership posts are shared out among parties. Burengengwa gives the reasons. "Burundi political parties have no programmes," she said. "This is the problem... People are more concerned about good jobs rather than building the nation. Political parties are a means for the achievement of individual political ambitions, not for the reconstruction of the country. That is why Burundian women have no interest in political parties." And even when they were party members, "they are not given leadership posts", said Jacqueline Kankindi, a project coordinator in the Ministry of Social Action and Women Affairs. "For example, if a political party has four senior positions, one should at least be set aside for a woman." But despite having made progress, women are still face hurdles in their quest for more institutional representation. "Some of those stereotypes opposed to women are still in place," said Burengengwa. "When a woman gets a senior post, people start asking themselves how she got it," Kankindi added. "They cannot understand that she was qualified for the job. They start thinking about other things, they give it a negative connotation, that she had to do this and that. They do not recognise women's skills." Women now also recognise the need to stick to their guns when they are criticised by men. "When a woman is criticised by men for doing something, all the other women get discouraged and stop doing things their own way," said Eurarie Nibizi, who heads a teachers' trade union. "To counter this, women should ignore criticisms and push ahead."