An evaluation of the laws and institutions of African countries presents a concerning picture. Of the 52 countries in the report, more than half score below the halfway point in the report‘s ratings (a scale from 0 to 100, with 100 representing a perfect score). Even the best scoring countries in Africa have room for improvement. Mauritius, which scores highest in Africa, has a score of 69.1. Eight countries score below 20. These cultural, institutional and at times legal disadvantages are reflected in an overall lag in women‘s participation in decision-making structures and positions of power.42 The Ghana CRR comments: ‗Few women hold key decision-making positions in the economic, political and social life of Ghana, and they encounter serious problems in and hindrances to their involvement in politics and in public political life‘.43 However, encouraging signs are emerging throughout the Continent. Quotas for women representation in decision making structures are noted with approval in a number of CRRs. Parliamentary seats have been reserved for women in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda (and also in South Africa, although this is an initiative of the dominant political party). 44 While much remains to be done, therefore, there is clear evidence of widespread commitment to change the situation in a large number of African countries. One important factor that complicates formulating responses to gender issues is a lack of reliable data. A recent study on gender and the APRM makes the point that without gender-disaggregated data, conducting solid analyses, developing appropriate policies and evaluation of those policies are rendered difficult. Good, disaggregated data is ―integral to understanding how policies, laws and programmes have been designed and their differential impact on men and women, with a view to understanding their gender implications and proposing measures targeted at achieving gender equality‖.45 Survey results: Respondents to the online survey conducted for this study tended to be satisfied with constitutional and legal measures for women‘s inclusion, with nearly two thirds judging them to be ‗good‘ or ‗very good‘, while fewer than 10% regarding them as ‗poor‘ or ‗very poor‘. The practical impact of these laws to improve the role of women in society is regarded significantly less favourably. Just over a third judge this to be ‗adequate‘, while another third view it as ‗poor‘ or ‗very poor‘. Figure 2: Dealing with gender inclusion 45% 42.1% 40% 35.7% 35% 32.1% 30% 25.4% 25% 21.4% 23.7% 20% 15% 5% 8.0% 7.9% 10% 0.9% 2.7% 0% Very Poor Poor Adequate Constitution and laws Good Very good In practice Source: Survey of key African governance stakeholders, November 2016 42 43 44 45 Burkina Faso CRR, p. 378; Benin CRR, pp. 294, 312; Kenya CRR, p. 235. Ghana CRR, p. 23. Rwanda CRR, p. 47; Uganda CRR, pp. 63, 99; Tanzania CRR, pp. 100, 207-209. United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Gender Equality and the African Peer Review Mechanism (Addis Ababa 2016), p. 82. 19