Did you know that now Catherine Samba-Panza has taken office in Central African Republic, Africa has three female heads of state?
According to activists things are looking up, although women leaders remain the exception in African politics.
Looks like women are breaking into the “boys club” of the African presidency.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, or “Ma Ellen as she is affectionally know was the first in 2005 as the country emerged from 13 years of brutal civil war.
Joyce Banda stepped up in Malawi in 2012 after the sudden death of the president. Banda previously was the vice president.
And now there’s President Catherine Samba-Panza in the Central African Republic, a country torn apart by rebellion and sectarian violence.
It seems as though bad times have pried open the doors as each of these women has taken office amid crisis and transition. Countries like Mali have seen their first female presidential candidates.
Executive Director for the NGO Women Africa Solidarity, Oley Dibba-Wadda says that girls and young women are getting much-needed role models.
As African women break political “glass ceilings” at all levels of government, some are criticized for not doing enough for other women.
Discrimination remains, but the pool of qualified women is growing as more girls get to stay in school.
At least 16 African countries have passed parity laws. Countries like Rwanda reserve a percentage of parliamentary seats for women, while others like Senegal have set quotas for women on candidate lists.
The percentage of women in Senegal’s legislature doubled in 2012 thanks to the law.
A survey also found that a record number of women are serving as members of parliament worldwide.
The IPU (Inter Parliamentary Union) report has found that more women last year were targets of political violence. It says electoral violence – which includes intimidation, threats, physical assault and other aggression – acts as a deterrent to keep women out of politics.
Is Africa finally raising strong woman leaders and do you think women make better presidents than men?