in sierra leone the level rose from percent in to percent in ipu un women more women than men vote in botswana cabo verde lesotho south africa and senegal although overall rates for men seem to be about per cent higher in all countries surveyed by afrobarometer tripp the increased presence of women in politics is contributing towards addressing deeply historical inequalities in the political systems of the continent womens political participation and representation in governance have long been taken as key indicators of the general level of democracy in a country