WASHINGTON — The United States dropped to 28th place on an annual ranking of the world’s most equal countries for men and women, falling behind Rwanda, an East African country ravaged by genocide in 1994.

Rwandan women beat U.S. women in labor force participation and government representation, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report. Eighty-eight percent of women in Rwanda have jobs, compared to 66 percent of U.S. women. And 64 percent of the African nation’s politicians are women, compared to our 19 percent.

In Rwanda, 64 percent of the politicians are women, compared to 19 percent in the U.S., and the wage gap is smaller in the African nation. The Associated Press

Rwanda also appears to have a smaller gender wage gap. The report found that women there earn 88 percent of what men make for similar work, while U.S. women take home 64 percent. (Seventy-three other countries beat the U.S. in pay parity.)

Rwanda, sixth on the gender-gap list, also boasts more gender equality than France (15th), Spain (25th), Germany (11th), Switzerland (8th) and Denmark (14th). Each country was graded on labor participation, health, political empowerment and educational attainment.

After the Rwandan genocide, during which Hutu extremists raped an estimated 500,000 females, women banded together and demanded power. They changed the country’s constitution to require that women hold at least 30 percent of top political roles and pushed other reforms.

The U.S. plunged eight slots on the gender equality ranking this year. The wage gap and fewer women in senior government positions appear to have propelled the drop. Economists say both issues are exacerbated by America’s lack of family-friendly policies and the soaring cost of child care.

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