A Case Study of Women's Political Participation in South Sudan: Barriers and Agency, 2021–2026

This case study investigates the persistent barriers to and expressions of agency in women’s political participation in South Sudan between 2021 and 2024. It addresses the critical problem of why, despite constitutional quotas and post-conflict frameworks, women remain significantly underrepresented in substantive decision-making roles. Employing a rigorous qualitative methodology, the research analyses data from semi-structured interviews with 25 women politicians and civil society activists in Juba, conducted in 2024, alongside documentary analysis of policy texts and electoral data from the transitional period. The findings demonstrate that formal mechanisms, such as the 35% quota, are systematically undermined by an interconnected triad of entrenched patriarchal norms, economic marginalisation, and political violence. Crucially, however, the study argues that South Sudanese women exercise significant political agency, strategically navigating these constraints through coalition-building, legal advocacy, and the leveraging of their recognised roles as peacebuilders. The research contributes a nuanced, African-centred analysis that challenges deficit narratives by foregrounding indigenous strategies of resistance. It concludes that sustainable progress requires moving beyond symbolic representation to confront the interconnected socio-political and economic root causes of exclusion, offering critical insights for policymakers and women’s movements in similar post-conflict African states.