Tuesday 30 April 2002
A survey of people's views on the effectiveness of their political leaders, men and women, in improving the lives of ordinary women
"Women leaders are better than men because they go the field more and because they are mothers, they know what the communities need. Men only like to drink beer."
James N A Mukupa, Headman of Mungu village, Kafue, Zambia
"We want women at the top but should not genetically engineer them … we want women with footprints … people who have history."
Cecilia Ogwal, MP, Uganda
These are some of the views collected by the British Council in East and Central Africa when we set out to find out what people think of the effectiveness of their political leaders, men and women.
Interviewees, ranging from farmers to Ministers, told the eight women researchers that they think:
- the quality of leadership in their country is generally poor
- women leaders are less corrupt than men and care more about basic community needs
- women political leaders generally perform just as well or better than men, but some women leaders, especially those who get into power through affirmative action, such as quotas, lack accountability to the electorate and cling on to power too long. Many people think that affirmative action in this region has proved counterproductive
- Religious organisations and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) do most to improve the lives of ordinary women. Some governments are thought to lack political will to improve women's lives and enhance women's leadership.
A report, Effective Leaders? Views from East and Central Africa, and photo exhibition capture the results from Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ethiopia and Eritrea. They present a snapshot of views from over 800 people in the region. The research was carried out by eight women researchers, all from East and Central Africa, who each visited one country, not their own, to canvas views, in September 2001.
This research is really significant because, for the first time, we have asked ordinary people in eight African countries what they think about their leaders. But it is also important because we are moving away from questions of simply how to increase the numbers of women in politics, to look at women leaders' capacity to change things once they achieve power.
Helena Kennedy QC, Chair, The British Council
The British Council tested the results with a questionnaire survey at the report launch in four countries. The samples were small and not representative but the respondents were very much in agreement with the findings of the report. See survey statistics available separately.