ROLE OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF SOMALIA. A CASE STUDY OF MOGADISHU-BANADIR REGION SOMALIA
Abstract
Modernization impacts on women in an unfavorable manner, and the solution is better integration of women into the economic system. This demand coincided with the rise of American liberal feminist movement aimed at minimizing the disadvantages of women in the productive sector. Across the world, women are treated unequally and less value is placed on their lives because of their gender. Women’s differential access to power and control of resources is central to this discrimination in all institutional spheres that is the household, community, market, and state. Discrimination against women has resulted in violence and brutality on many women. In recent years, numerous occurrences demonstrate the outrageous implications resulting from gender inequality. A bias held by women as well as men – and of the traditional belief that women should not take elective posts reserved for men” was stated as the major reason for women’s hesitancy to enter politics. (UNWOMEN report, A district comprehensive assessment of Gibley district, March 2012.) In Somali, women are systematically discriminated against and subordinated. They face limited inclusion in decision making structures and leadership roles, limited access to reproductive health, higher rates of stigmatization from HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, denial of due process rights, abuse of women's rights in divorce cases, denial of custody of children and denial of women's rights of property ownership and inheritance under customary law. The study therefore aimed at identifying role of Women Empowerment in the Economic Development of Somalia. The study looked at the role of Women Political Participation in the Economic Development of Somalia, women accessibility to Education on Economic development of Somalia and the role of reduced adolescent fertility rate in the economic Development of Somalia. The study had a sample size of 52 respondents but only 49 returned the questionnaire. SPSS V23 was used for data analysis. The findings confirmed that there was a moderate positive correlation between the variables and performance only with 69.6% of the economic development changes depending on the changes in the independent variables.
Key terms: Development, Gender Mainstreaming, Emancipation, fertility rate, Gender, Empowerment, Gender subordination
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The classical modernization perspective considers increases in democracy and human choice as a direct outcome of economic development (Lipset 1959; Rostow 1960; Deutsch 1964; Bell 1999 Inkeles & Smith 1974)
Rising emancipative values lead to increases in women’s empowerment throughout society (Inglehart & Norris 2003; Inglehart & Welzel 2005)
The developmental trends of social modernization may face legacies of path dependent cultural and institutional organization that affect societies’ abilities to improve women’s lives (Krasner 1984; Skocpol 1992).
The oppressive, unequal treatment of women clashes with the democratic idea of human equality (McDonagh 2002; Welzel 2003).
positive impact of proportional representation systems (PR) on the percentage of women in parliament (Castles 1981; Darcy et al. 1994; Duverger 1955; Kenworthy & Malami 1999; Lakeman 1994; Norris 1985; Paxton 1997; Rule 1994, 1987, 1981).
parties are more likely to choose candidates down the party list, who are typically women (Matland 1993; Rule 1994).
women candidates are likely to have greater difficulties in becoming eligible and aspiring political candidates (Darcy, Welch & Clark 1994; Kenworthy & Malami 1999; Norris & Inglehart 2003)
This right argues that since women know their situation best, they should participate equally with men to have their perspective effectively incorporated at all levels of decision-making, from the private to the public spheres of their lives, from the local to the global (Miranda, 2005)
why improved access to water is a need of women and girls only (De Mel, 2009).
The most influential evidence on the importance of women to economic development has come from research used to support the World Bank’s ‘Gender Mainstreaming Strategy’ launched in 2001 (Dollar and Gatti 1999; Klasen 1999).
Most surprisingly, however, only three of the studies (Winter 1994; Kishor 1992; Tzannatos 1999) use data from more than one point in time to assess empowerment, whereas this scope of data and analysis is entirely missing from almost all of the other studies.
Judith Gardner (2007) Women’s gender roles have been stretched beyond traditional limits to meet the new domestic, s
women’s hesitancy to enter politics. (UNWOMEN report, A district comprehensive assessment of Gibley district, March 2012.)
UNDP Somalia, Human Development Report (2012)
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v5i2.723
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