Gender and War

The document examines the women's empowerment agenda in Somalia, contrasting the global Women, Peace and Security (WPS) framework with local historical and social contexts. It highlights the 'state feminism' of the Siyad Barre era (1969-1991), the disruptions caused by the civil war, and the influence of the Somali diaspora. The authors argue that international efforts focusing primarily on political quotas may overlook the substantive civic and informal leadership roles Somali women hold, potentially delegitimizing the agenda by appearing incompatible with local norms.

• The global Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda, based on UNSCR 1325, focuses on female political participation as a tool for reconstruction, but the authors suggest this approach may be counter-productive in Somalia if it ignores local understandings of equality.
• During the rule of Siyad Barre (1969-1991), the government promoted a form of 'state feminism' based on scientific socialism, which provided women with significant opportunities in education, the military, and professional roles.
• The 1975 Family Law, which granted women equal rights in marriage, divorce, and inheritance, caused a severe backlash from the religious community and ultimately undermined the women's movement.
• International support for women's empowerment in Somalia is sometimes viewed as an attempt to impose foreign values, which can delegitimize the agenda.
• The Somali diaspora contributes to changing gender roles by bringing back 'open-minded ideas' and emphasizing the importance of education for both genders.
• A focus on formal political representation (such as quotas) may fail to achieve genuine empowerment if women in political parties do not represent other women or if the focus ignores informal leadership roles in education, art, and activism.

APA

Horst, C., Doeland, E. M., Mohamud, M., & Hammond, L. (2016). Gender and War. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/28da3348-0613-4c0d-a1a4-42bcbdee8edf/Horst Doeland - Introducing a Womens Empowerment Agenda PRIO Policy Brief 13-2016.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Horst, Cindy, Elin M. Doeland, Maimuna Mohamud, and Laura Hammond. Gender and War. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2016. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/28da3348-0613-4c0d-a1a4-42bcbdee8edf/Horst Doeland - Introducing a Womens Empowerment Agenda PRIO Policy Brief 13-2016.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Horst |first1=Cindy |last2=Doeland |first2=Elin M. |last3=Mohamud |first3=Maimuna |last4=Hammond |first4=Laura |title=Gender and War |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2016 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/28da3348-0613-4c0d-a1a4-42bcbdee8edf/Horst Doeland - Introducing a Womens Empowerment Agenda PRIO Policy Brief 13-2016.pdf?inline=true |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{horst2016gender, author = {Horst, Cindy and Doeland, Elin M. and Mohamud, Maimuna and Hammond, Laura}, title = {{Gender and War}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2016}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/28da3348-0613-4c0d-a1a4-42bcbdee8edf/Horst Doeland - Introducing a Womens Empowerment Agenda PRIO Policy Brief 13-2016.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }