Guinea’s Path to Inclusive Democracy: Empowering Women in Public Life
As Guinea prepares for a constitutional referendum on September 21, 2025, the country is poised to take a significant step towards restoring constitutional order and normalizing political life. However, this transition also presents a critical opportunity to address the long-standing marginalization of women in public affairs. Despite comprising 52% of the population, women have historically been underrepresented in state decision-making bodies, with their presence remaining marginal under both civilian and military regimes.
The current transition charter provides a glimmer of hope, with a 30% minimum representation of women in the National Transitional Council (NTC), the country’s temporary Parliament. Women now make up 30.86% of the NTC’s members, a notable increase from the 14.9% of parliamentarians before the coup. Nevertheless, the government of Prime Minister Amadou Bah Oury has only six women among its 29 ministers, a decline of 10% from the previous administration.
This disparity highlights the failure of successive governments to turn legal frameworks into tangible progress. The quota of 30% women on electoral registers, introduced in 2010, has never been met, and the 2019 law establishing gender parity in electoral lists and public institutions remains unenacted. Afrobarometer attributes the limited impact of these initiatives to a lack of political will, shortcomings in application, deep-rooted patriarchal traditions, and women’s low literacy rate of 22%.
Despite these challenges, most Guineans believe that women should have equal access to political office, according to Afrobarometer. The underrepresentation of women in public affairs is rooted in social and cultural considerations that perpetuate patriarchal and unequal systems. Women are often excluded from politics, leading them to perceive it as a field reserved for men, despite their significant contributions to Guinea’s contemporary history.
The return to constitutional order offers a chance to pass laws and mobilize against the marginalization of women in the public sphere. The 2022 inter-Guinean dialogue, led exclusively by women, demonstrated their ability to make concrete proposals for improved participation. Several recommendations from the dialogue have been integrated into the new draft constitution and proposed institutional laws. The NTC’s adoption of the draft constitution on April 9, 2025, establishes gender parity as a fundamental principle, marking a significant improvement over the transition charter.
To strengthen women’s participation in public life, civil society supports reforms such as developing electoral lists that alternate between male and female candidates and allowing independent candidates in all elections. A women’s rights observatory, composed of women’s organizations, could monitor the progress of draft laws and ensure their effective implementation. However, these initiatives require greater political will from current and future transitional authorities, strong institutional support, and sufficient resources to implement laws and policies rigorously.
As Guinea’s head of state, General Mamady Doumbouya, acknowledged the contributions of pioneering women during Independence Day celebrations in October 2024, it is clear that symbolic actions alone are insufficient. Addressing the marginalization of women in the public sphere demands more than just increasing their numbers in political positions; it requires improving the quality of their participation in nation-building. Otherwise, Guinea’s transition risks perpetuating the structural inequalities that have kept women on the margins of political life and development.
