The Parliament Paradox: Rwanda as a Case Against Composite Gender Indices

The purpose of this study is to use Rwanda as a case study to support the argument that composite gender indices should be set aside in favor of examining a wide range of individual gender-related indicators. It will begin by examining some of the problems with the six major composite gender indices. Then, it will use these identified problems to inform a critique of composite indices as a whole, even those not related to gender. Finally, it will examine Rwanda, the country with the highest representation of women in parliament in the world, in order to prove that individual gender-related indicators facilitate a more comprehensive and precise understanding of gender equality in a given country. It will conclude that composite gender indices have too many disadvantages to be an asset in studying gender equality. Observers would thus do better to analyze countries' progress at reducing gender bias on the basis of careful examination of a host of individual indicators.