The participation of women in political and public affairs of South Sudan is a fairly recent phenomenon. This is partly due to the fact that, women involvement in politics was/is not seen as a woman’s prerogative. Recent studies in this field as well as my experience growing up in South Sudan reveal that women and men occupy different and unequal positions and power relations both within the family and society at large. For example, while women are usually relegated to their stereotypical roles of nurturing and caring, men assume political positions, conduct business, serve in the military and perform other roles deemed male’s. Such gender configurations and/or different positions of women and men are shaped and reinforced by societal cultural norms and practices, religion, customs, perceptions, socialization process, and colonial patriarchal practices and policies.
However, since the second half of the twentieth century, women in South Sudan have been able to venture into the political arena, business, and other occupations that were previously considered solely reserved for men. Women’s visibility in politics, however, though limited was evident in the Southern Sudan Regional Government established after the signing of the Addis Ababa Agreement in 1972. For instance, some women from South Sudan joint the Women Socialist Union created during the Nimieri’s regime (1969-1985).
Read the whole analysis at Sudan Tribune, published 7. September
The participation of women in political and public affairs of South Sudan is a fairly recent phenomenon. This is partly due to the fact that, women involvement in politics was/is not seen as a woman’s prerogative. Recent studies in this field as well as my experience growing up in South Sudan reveal that women and men occupy different and unequal positions and power relations both within the family and society at large. For example, while women are usually relegated to their stereotypical roles of nurturing and caring, men assume political positions, conduct business, serve in the military and perform other roles deemed male’s. Such gender configurations and/or different positions of women and men are shaped and reinforced by societal cultural norms and practices, religion, customs, perceptions, socialization process, and colonial patriarchal practices and policies.
However, since the second half of the twentieth century, women in South Sudan have been able to venture into the political arena, business, and other occupations that were previously considered solely reserved for men. Women’s visibility in politics, however, though limited was evident in the Southern Sudan Regional Government established after the signing of the Addis Ababa Agreement in 1972. For instance, some women from South Sudan joint the Women Socialist Union created during the Nimieri’s regime (1969-1985).
Read the whole analysis at Sudan Tribune, published 7. September