Countries holding elections must make it a priority to put equal numbers of women and men in top positions, the head of U.N. Women said, as she revealed an ambitious drive to more than double the number of gender equal cabinets over the next year.
A former deputy president of South Africa, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said balanced cabinets made better decisions not just for women, but for broader society and economies, and provided role models for the next generation of both girls and boys.
Currently only 11 countries have gender equal cabinets but Mlambo-Ngcuka said she hoped to see 25 by September 2020 – and believed African countries could lead the charge.
Creating 50:50 cabinets would also help boys understand “that diversity is (a) more normal way of life than exclusion”.
Canada was the first country to introduce a gender equal cabinet in 2015. Others include Ethiopia, Seychelles, South Africa and Rwanda.
Women make up 61 percent of parliament in Rwanda, 46 percent in Namibia and 42 percent in South Africa and Senegal.
