However, average female representation was still below 15 per cent in Northern Africa (10 per cent), Eastern and Western Asia (14 and 9 per cent, respectively) and Oceania7 (3 per cent). The highest proportion in the world was registered by Rwanda in its 2008 elections. The first country ever to have achieved a gender balance in national parliament, Rwanda’s achievement (56 per cent) is a marked increase over the 17 per cent representation of women in 1995,10 and can be attributed partly to focused and coordinated efforts to address the issue of gender balance during post-conflict reconstruction, and might also be associated with the fact that the majority of survivors of the preceding conflict were women. In fact, a number of post-conflict countries rank high with regard to women’s participation in both lower and upper chambers of legislative bodies (see Statistical Annex). This development stems from the country's shift towards merit and political competency from an association with tribal ties and expediency. That all four hold PhDs, have a formidable reputation for professionalism and now represent 54% of eligible voters points to a radical shift in opinion across Kuwait's society.