Gender and Politics in Somalia: Women's Access and Influence in a Post-Conflict State, 2016

The GENSOM project has examined the current dynamics of women's political agency in Somalia by assessing women's access to and influence in leadership roles in society. It has achieved this through in-depth life histories with a wide range of Somali women with leadership roles. Post-independence politics in Somalia has largely been defined by instability, inter-ethnic conflict and state-failure. During the regime of President Siad Barre (1969-1991), women gained greater societal freedom and were encouraged to take on leadership roles, amidst an otherwise increasingly repressive dictatorship. What impact have two decades of conflict had on women's engagement in formal politics and civil society? What access do women have to public office and informal arenas of civil-political engagement? What political influence and decision-making power do women in public office and outside formal governance structures have in Somalia?
The GENSOM project consisted of three sub-projects, which studied 1) the history of women in public office and a range of other leadership positions, 2) the level of access women have to formal and informal arenas of power, 3) the influence that women have in Somali politics, particularly in relation to a women's agenda. Women's ability to pursue a women's agenda is affected by the degree of influence they hold, the loyalties they maintain but also by their own perceptions on what a women's agenda encompasses and how it is to be achieved. Looking beyond formal politics, the project studied the many ways in which women are or aim to be leaders, mentors, decision-makers and/or transformative actors. In the course of a little over two years, the project team collected 35 in-depth life histories, 46 interviews and 10 focus group discussions. Interviews were collected in Mogadishu, Garowe, Hargeisa (representing South-central Somalia, Puntland and Somaliland), as well as in Nairobi, Doha, Colombus (Ohio), Toronto, London and Oslo.
The project's aim was to contribute new knowledge to a growing body of academic literature of gender studies in the Global South with particular relevance for post-conflict and Islamic states. The research was conducted by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) in close collaboration with the Heritage Institute for Policy Studies (HIPS) in Mogadishu, and was set up to contribute to strengthening research capacity in Somalia. A secondary aim was to inform national and donor policies supporting women's political empowerment in Somalia by examining international 'empowerment' approaches within their local context and study how these approaches relate to women's lived experiences in Somalia today.

For further information about "Gender and Politics in Somalia: Women's Access and Influence in a Post-Conflict State, 2016", please contact the principal investigator.