bet you didn't know...

[the_watchmaker]

Countries with the greatest percentage of women elected to national government (as of November 2004)

49.0 Rwanda
45.3 Sweden
42.0 South Africa
42.0 Namibia
38.0 Denmark

Comments

[holden_wake]

any guess as to why that is? is there less of a patrartical leadership aspect to african decision making?

[the_watchmaker]

traditionally speaking? it depends on the nation. at least one african nation had total gender equality, with men and women sharing responsibilities to the family and at war equally (i forget which it was, but it's often cited in response to the claim that patriarchal rule is 'natural'). and others, like the Dogon, wouldn't allow their women to speak to men outside their family and husband because speech itself was adulterous and could impregnate her.

could it be that demcratic reform in the african nations above is so recent that gender equality was made a requirement? most older democracies are very reticent to change their rules and attitudes - but if a revolution was recent, gender might have been accounted for.

[mean_spiders]

I'll wager you didn't know that 'lezzies' like to get down. and dirty. mon frere.