article · Cogent Social Sciences
Between 2010 and 2025, women in Mogadishu, Somalia, faced persistent barriers to formal political participation despite the presence of formal quotas. An investigation into cultural norms, clan structures, and religious views reveals that patriarchal standards routinely treat leadership as inherently male. Clan gatekeepers turn these beliefs into direct control over electoral nominations, negotiations, and political appointments. At the same time, fear of social stigma and damage to personal reputations causes some women to restrict their own political activity. Religious rhetoric plays a mixed role: conservative views are used to justify female exclusion, whereas principles focused on justice and mutual consultation offer moral backing for female leaders. The interplay of these forces clarifies why gender quotas may boost headcounts without translating into genuine influence, suggesting that practical reforms require engaging clan and religious authorities directly.
Understanding the complex forces limiting women's political participation is essential for establishing truly representative governance. Numerical representation through quotas often fails to deliver real power when entrenched clan gatekeeping and social stigmas persist. By recognising the influence of cultural and religious institutions, policy designers can develop more realistic programmes that help women secure substantive leadership roles rather than mere symbolic inclusion.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway, as it focuses entirely on socio-political governance, qualitative political analysis, and institutional reform.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
Women’s political participation is essential to inclusive governance and democratic consolidation, yet women remain markedly underrepresented in Somalia’s formal political institutions. This study examines how cultural norms, clan-based systems, and religious interpretations shaped women’s political participation in Mogadishu between 2010 and 2025. Using an interpretivist qualitative design with a phenomenologically informed orientation, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with 23 purposively selected key informants, including female politicians and former candidates, women’s rights advocates, civil society leaders, clan elders, religious leaders, and governance and electoral actors. Thematic analysis, supported by NVivo, indicates that patriarchal gender norms define leadership as male, while clan gatekeeping converts those norms into practical control over nomination, negotiation, and access to office. Social stigma and anticipated reputational costs also lead some women to limit their own political engagement. Religious discourse has a dual effect: restrictive interpretations can legitimize exclusion, whereas interpretations grounded in justice, consultation, and accountability can provide moral support for women’s leadership. The study argues that these mechanisms interact, helping to explain why formal quotas may increase numerical representation without producing substantive political influence. Context-sensitive reform should therefore combine transparent quota implementation with direct engagement of clan institutions, community networks, and religious authorities.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1080/23311886.2026.2725973
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
