The Illusion of Gender Equality and Participation of Women in Post-Conflict Somalia (2012-2022)

This study reveals the gap between constitutional guarantees of gender equality and the systemic exclusion of women in practice in post-conflict Somalia (2012-2022). Employing a critical feminist lens, this study deconstructs the hegemony of hybrid governance systems that weaponize legal ambiguity to sustain patriarchal exclusion. Through an intersectional analysis of clan-based political economies, this study examined how informal power structures subvert formal gender quotas and constitutional guarantees. Theoretically, the findings criticises the assumption of “liberal peace-building” (e.g., quotas = progress). It argues that Somalia exemplifies “patriarchal hybridity”, where formal/informal systems merge to exclude women. Methodologically, it synthesizes electoral ethnography using policy archaeology to trace the necropolitics of quota systems devoid of enforcement. The findings reveal not merely a gap between rhetoric and practice, but also a deliberate reconfiguration of exclusion through performative compliance. This study also established variable parliamentary representation (14% in 2012, 24% in 2016, and 20% in 2021), reflecting the precarious nature of quota systems without institutional safeguards. The study concludes with recommendations for transforming symbolic representation into genuine political influence through legal reforms, accountability mechanisms, and cultural transformation.