Green Publication,+journal+editor,+559 Article+Text 1027 1 2 20180411

International Journal For Research In Social Science And Humanities ISSN: 2208-2107
EFFECT OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN SOMALIA
A CASE STUDY OF MOGADISHU
FADUMO HASSAN ASIR
[email protected]
Jomo kenyata university of agriculture and Technology
&
Dr. Stanley Kavale
0725735069
[email protected]
Lecturer, School of business and economics, Moi University - Kenya.
ABSTRACT
Women empowerment and economic development are closely related in one direction
development alone can play a major role in driving down inequality between men and women, in
the other direction, empowering women may benefit development. The study determined the
effect of women empowerment on economic growth of Somalia. The study was guided by the
following specific objectives, the first objective was to find out the effect of women’s access to
education on economic growth of Somalia, second objective was to establish the effects of
women’s participation in economic activity on economic growth of Somalia, and the final
objective was to investigate the effect of women’s political participation on economic growth of
Somalia. This study was guided by women empowerment theory, economic modernity theory,
cultural modernity theory, historical legacies theory and the institutional design perspective.
Descriptive research design was used for this study. The target population size was 78 employees
and beneficiaries but 73 respondents were available in the data collection field. The study used
structured questionnaires and data analysis was done using SPSS version 20. Multiple linear
regression, correlation and ANOVA were generated. Data was presented using tables. Results
from the study indicated that majority of the respondents agreed that Women receive limited
access in education in Somalia as represented by a mean response value of 3.95. The study
findings revealed that women participation in economic activities have an effect on economic
growth as evidenced by a mean response value of 3.94. Survey findings indicated that a large
number of respondents agreed to the statement that women have limited seats in public
institutions in Somalia. This is witnessed by a mean response value of 3.96.Basing on the survey
findings it can be concluded that women empowerment and economic growth have relation. The
regression analysis revealed that there is a significant relation between education as an
empowerment strategy and standard of living as an economic growth indicator. The study
recommended Women Economic Empowerment is very important for a country's development
right from the smallest unit of the community which is the family. Having empowered women in
a country means great reduction in dependence rates, reduction in violence against women,
Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 184

increased household income leading to increased household purchasing power resulting into an
improved standard of living adding on the taxes that the government in each country collects
which is then invested back into better services to the tax payers women inclusive.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study

Economic growth is the sustained increase in welfare of an economy nation, region, city together
with the ongoing changes in that economy’s industrial structure; public health, literacy, and
demography; and distribution of income. In the long run, as this economic transformation
evolves so do social, political, and cultural norms. Societies change profoundly and multi-
dimensionally, as economic performance improves. To measure economic growth is to quantify
this increase in welfare and to endow with numerical precision these large-scale economic and
social changes. Given the breadth of possibilities, it is impossible to undertake this measurement
exercise without guidance of what can be pared away, what is essential from some view on the
causes of growth (see, e.g., Economic Growth: Theory). This article sets down some key
(measurement) facts concerning economic growth, and documents how they have evolved, if at
all, over time. In doing this, the article attempts also to illustrate the historical interplay between
two lines of research, measurement of and theories about economic growth, each influencing the
other (Publication, USI, 2012).
National Income: The panorama above of profound social and economic changes can be
simplified dramatically by concentrating on just a single key economic variable, income per
capita. (We will return in Sect. 8 below to issues of broader structural transformations). Income
per capita is the per head measure of the total value of all goods and services produced in an
economy. Taking national income measured by either gross national product (GNP) or gross
domestic product (GDP), or its regional counterpart and dividing it by population in the
appropriate nation or region gives a convenient first measure on the state of economic well-
being. Since total income is the same as total output, this measure might sometimes be usefully
replaced by output per worker, or labor productivity, where the denominator is then the size of
the labor force; or, even output per worker hour, where the measure then takes into account the

time spent working by the labor force. In some detailed analyses, these alternatives can provide
different useful insights into economic performance different countries, at different times, have
had their labor force markedly different from their population, or have had workers and make
different choices on the length of their workday (Publication, USI, 2012).
According to (World Bank, August 2017) Somalia’s economy is projected to grow at a steady,
nominal annual rate of 5% to 7% over the medium-term, according to the second Somalia
Economic Update to be published by the World Bank Group. "Mobilizing Domestic Revenue to
rebuild" assesses the prospects for domestic revenue mobilization to support crucial public
services and expand economic opportunity. “Sustainable and reliable domestic revenue is critical
for Somalia’s delivery of the National Development Plan,” says Hugh Riddell, World Bank
Country Representative for Somalia. “The new government is already working to establish legal
and technical capacities for revenue generation.”To support sustainable development spending
and reduce Somalia’s reliance on external funding, “the government and the business community
need to work together to find ways to increase domestic revenue without undermining a vibrant
private sector, which has been an engine for Somalia’s development over the past two and half
decades.”
The report shows that Somalia’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth continues to be urban-
based, consumption-driven, and fueled by remittances and donor support. Over 70% of GDP is
generated in urban areas. Nominal GDP is estimated to have grown by 5% in 2015 and by 6% in
2016, but data constraints make it difficult to comprehensively assess the macroeconomic
situation, especially the rural sector and non-marketed output, such as water, fodder, and food
grown for household consumption. Growth in 2017 will decelerate to 2.5% in real terms,
although it is expected to pick up in subsequent years, and grow steadily over the medium-term.
“This growth is driven by aggregate demand, fueled by the private sector, remittances, lower oil
prices, and improved security,” explains John Randa, Senior Economist at the Bank’s
Macroeconomic and Fiscal Global Practice, and Lead Author of the report. “Reconstruction
efforts are likely to continue to underpin growth as the new government consolidates peace and
security (World Bank, August 2017).

Women empowerment and economic development are closely related: in one direction,
development alone can play a major role in driving down inequality between men and women; in
the other direction, empowering women may benefit development (Duflo, 2012).
According to (UNDP, 2012) Somalia is changing - the political, economic, social and security
contexts of the country are shifting every day for the better. Women’s participation and roles are
also improving, as can be seen by recent appointments in the new government and the increased
focus of attention on women’s rights and other related issues. UNDP is working to respond to
these changes in a structured and effective way. The UNDP Somalia Country Programme
Document (CPD) for 2011 to 2015 provides a strong foundation through which to mainstream
gender across all programmes, and also includes a specific outcome on gender. A Country Office
wide Gender Equality Strategy is aligned with the programming of the office, and describes the
system through which gender equality and women’s empowerment will be implemented into its
policies, operations and programming, which also contributes towards meeting the outcomes
defined in the broader UN institutional
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Gender inequality is a pervasive feature in many developing countries. The gaps between male
and female outcomes and opportunities are present in several dimensions: education, earnings,
occupation, access to formal employment, access to managerial positions, and access to
productive inputs, political representation, or bargaining power inside the house hold. These gaps
are particularly dramatic in developing countries. Dollar and Gatti estimate the following
education gap in schooling in the poorest quartile of countries in 1990, only 5% of adult women
had any secondary education, one-half of the level for men. In the richest quartile, on the other
hand, 51% of adult women had at least some secondary education, 88% of the level for men. On
the other hand, the gaps in employment and pay are closing much faster in developing countries
than they did in industrialized ones, but the prevalence of gender inequality is still sizable,
especially in South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa (David & Baque, 2011).
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, (Daniello,
2011)
Due to continuation of gender inequality in Somalia, many organizations have carried out a
number of strategies to empower women in order to reduce gender inequality in the country.
Despite the increased efforts by the different organizations to empower women, discrimination
against women is still persistent in Somalia and it is affecting the economic growth of Somalia.
Therefore, the study aimed at investigating the effect of women empowerment in economic
growth in Mogadishu Somalia. So that findings can help in guiding policy formulation to
incorporate gender empowerment plans.
1.3 Objective of the Study
1.3.1 General Objective

The overall objective was to investigate the effect women empowerment on economic growth of
Somalia.
1.3.2 Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of the study were
1. To find out the effect of women’s access to education on economic growth of Somalia
2. To establish the effects of women’s participation in economic activity on economic
growth of Somalia
3. To investigate the effect of women’s political participation on economic growth of
Somalia
1.4 Research Question

1. What was the effect of women’s education on economic growth of Somalia?
2. What was the effect of women’s participation in economic activity on economic growth
of Somalia?
3. What was the effect of women’s participation in politics on economic growth of
Somalia?

1.5 Scope
Geographical scope of the study was Mogadishu; it was selected for the accessibility, time and
economic factors. The study was administered to the Non-governmental organization working
for gender equality and women empowerment in Mogadishu Somalia. In terms of content scope,
the study focused effect of women empowerment on economic growth of Somalia. The study
generated various perceptions regarding how gender equality and women empowerment
contribute to the economic growth of Somalia. The study was conducted between October 2017
and March 2018.
1.6 Justification of the Study

One of the most critical factors in economic growth is that women are discriminated and are
excluded from the different aspect of life. Although there are UN Agencies and International
Organization doing projects to gender equality and women empowerment, at same time
discrimination is still persistent in Somalia. However, the researcher acknowledged that there is
need to conduct study on the importance of women’s empowerment in economic growth.
The study is reference for policy makers, researchers, students, NGOs and even other people
who have close interest on effect of Gender Equality on social Development especially the study
is useful for the following people, Somali Federal Government (SFG), especially Ministry of
Women and Human Right, Ministry of National Planning and Ministry of Justice to take positive
actions to empower women’s equal participation in all aspects of life. Non-Governmental
Organizations (NGOs), both National and International Researchers
1.7 limitation of the study

The study was carried out on two organizations’ employees and beneficiaries in Mogadishu
Somalia. During the data collection the researcher faced challenges as road blocks made by the
Federal Government for security checking and this resulted delay to the work for hours
sometimes.

CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
This chapter provides a general literature and research related to the effect of women
empowerment in economic growth. This literature review precise a various range of views about
women empowerment. The chapter was however structured into theoretical, conceptual and
empirical review. The study also presents the knowledge gap the chapter seeks to fulfill.
2.2 Theoretical Review

The study correlated Women Empowerment and Economic Growth.
2.2.1 Women Empowerment Theory

Women empowerment and economic development are closely related: in one direction,
development alone can play a major role in driving down inequality between men and women; in
the other direction, empowering women may benefit development (Duflo, 2012).The rise of
gender sensitivity is one of the distinguishing features of our times. It has taken hold human
imagination like never before. For all practical purposes, the concern of gender equity has
graduated to the level of a policy objectives. Two perspectives have emerged in the
contemporary discourse on the modalities of gender equity; women’s development and women’s
empowerment (Rahman, 2013).
2.2.2 Economic Modernity theory: The Classical Development Perspective.

Focusing on economic development, the classical modernization perspective considers increases
in democracy and human choice as a direct outcome of economic development. In relation to
gender equality, this approach holds that economic development is central to increasing the pool
of women eligible for positions of social power. These scholars establish that increased
economic development associates with a more broad based distribution of educational and
occupational resources. Greater access to educational and occupational resources increases
women’s chances of professional development, creating a larger pool of women eligible for
power positions such as political office (Alexander & Wezel, 2007).

Others note that higher levels of economic development bring more social services to societies.
Through their alleviation of the costs in labor and time of everyday responsibilities associated
with care giving (e.g., child-rearing, domestic work), increases in these services free up time for
social pursuits in women’s lives. Several studies confirm these hypotheses, demonstrating that
developmental measures such as countries’ levels of non-agricultural development, per capita
gross domestic product, women in the workforce and women college graduates positively
influence the percentage of women in their parliaments (Alexander & Wezel, 2007).
2.2.3 Cultural Modernity theory: The Human Development Perspective.
A more recent theory emphasizes the conversion of economic development into a cultural
process of human development that gives rise to an emancipative worldview, reflected in self-
expression values that emphasize human choice and autonomy, including the choices and
autonomy of women. This rise in emancipative orientations develops mass expectations targeted
at making elites responsive and inclusive. In this way, rising emancipative values lead to
increases in women’s empowerment throughout society and in parliament. At its core, the human
development perspective links social modernization to emancipative values through changes in
existential constraints. The theory highlights changes in modern societies particularly conducive
to women’s empowerment and therefore establishes a link between cultural modernity and
publics that value greater equality between genders. Ultimately, ties the modern human resources
crucial to the human development sequence to economic development. But in this view the effect
of economic development is more indirect.
Inglehart & Norris find that cultural modernity holds real, positive consequences for women.
When controlling for alternative hypotheses, their measure of attitudes toward gender equality is
the sole predictor of the proportion of women in parliament. In later work, Inglehart & Welzel
modify these findings. It is not so much gender-egalitarian attitudes in particular but the broad
emancipative implications of self-expression values in general that positively predict gender
empowerment.

In summary, modernization comes in many forms. While all the measures reviewed here relate in
some fashion to women’s empowerment, the strongest, most consistent findings show that gains
in gender equality are most dramatic in countries with high levels of development and strong
emancipative values.
2.2.4. Historical Legacies theory

The human development perspective and the classical modernization perspective offer theories
to explain why modern societies are more conducive to gains in gender equality. This section on
cultural and institutional path dependency presents historical legacies potentially capable of
affecting the improvement modernization brings to women’s social and political status. 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. Researchers
note that the emergence of institutions, whether cultural or the result of policy, sometimes
consists of types of social organization that have a continuing and somewhat determinant
influence on phenomena relevant to those institutions far into the future. This influence can take
the form of an inertial tendency where institutions affect relevant phenomena that would have
otherwise changed due to other social forces, like modernization. We consider four measures of
path dependent processes highlighted in the literature as those capable of affecting gender
equality: Protestant religious traditions, a long tradition of female suffrage, a state tradition of
investing into welfares rather than coercive forces, and a tradition of leftist dominance in
government formation (Alexander & Wezel, 2007).
Depending on the nature of their traditions, religions vary in opportunity for women’s
emancipation. For instance, relative to other religious heritages, scholars find that a Protestant
religious heritage improves the status of women in a country. With its tradition of sectarianism
and volunteerism, Protestantism holds a tradition particularly hospitable to democratic values,
such as respect for individualism, reciprocity and popular sovereignty. Researchers also
approach the impact of religious legacy on women’s empowerment through measures of publics’
levels of secularization. As societies secularize there is greater deference to rationality and
expertise, and this typically gives rise to the modern state and widespread social services.

2.2.5 The Institutional Design Perspective

While theories of modernization emphasize the impact of economic resources and values on
women’s empowerment in society and historical legacies emphasize the impact of cultural and
political traditions, researchers typically stress other factors to explain the representation of
women in government. These researchers highlight the relevancy of the characteristics of
political institutions as causal factors (Alexander & Wezel, 2007). This literature holds that
variation in institutional characteristics mediates mass support for women’s empowerment and
the pool of women eligible for political office in ways that either enable or constrain women’s
attainment of political leadership. Three aspects of the political system find support in this
literature: the strength of democracy, the electoral system, and gender electoral quota systems.
In comparison to autocracy, it is not surprising that scholarship on explanations of women’s

social and political empowerment highlight the role of democratic institutions. The argument is
rather straightforward. The oppressive, unequal treatment of women clashes with the democratic
idea of human equality As societal foundations that preserve and socialize free and equal
citizenship, democratic institutions supply women with more rights and more channels for
making their voices heard. Research indeed shows that the strength of countries’ democratic
traditions empowers their women.
Researchers have also considered the impact of institutional variation within democracies on
women’s political representation. Most prominent among the arrangements considered is the
influence of electoral systems. Electoral systems affect women’s paths to parliament by
structuring party elites’ incentive or disincentive to run women candidates. In this line of
research, the most persistent finding is the consistent, positive impact of proportional
representation systems (PR) on the percentage of women in parliament; Darcy et al. Paxton
Studies hypothesize that PR systems positively affect the percentage of women in parliament
because these electoral systems have a higher number of seats per district and offer parties a
greater chance of winning more than one seat per district. This results in greater turnover of
officeholders and reduces the costs of increasing women’s elite status by sacrificing the seat of
an incumbent male the result is parties that are more likely to concern themselves with a ticket
balanced according to gender.

According to (Sunday, 2015) Theory is a model or framework for observation and

understanding, which shapes both what we see and how we see it. Theory allows the researcher
to make links between the abstract and the concrete; the theoretical and the empirical; thought
statements and observational statements etc. Four theories were stated in the literature review
namely economic modernization theory, cultural modernization theory, Historical Legacies
theory and The Institutional Design Perspective. These theories made emphasize the impact of
economic resources and values on women’s empowerment in society and historical legacies
emphasize the impact of cultural and political traditions, researchers typically stress other factors
to explain the representation of women in government. Researchers also highlight the relevancy
of the characteristics of political institutions as causal factors. In summary, women
empowerment theories discuss the importance of women emancipation in political sphere and
therefore they tie that the modern human resources crucial to the human development sequence
to economic development.
2.3 Conceptual Framework

Conceptual Framework is system of concepts, assumptions, expectations, beliefs, and theories
that support and inform your research explains either graphically or in narrative form the main
things to be studied the key factors, concepts or variable and the presumed relationships between
them. The occurrence or change of independent variables will result in change in the dependent
variable. The conceptual framework model in the study hypothesizes that, women empowerment
is important function of women and social development and women’s participation in politic and
decision making level. These variables and their relationship are illustrated in the following
conceptual framework.

Women’s Access to Education
 Increased educated women in private

and public sector
 Better child health
 Increased ability of women in
earning capacity Economic Growth
 Income Level
 Economic
Women’s participation in economic development
activity  Infrastructure
Growth
 Pool of business women  Living Standard
 Presence of women in the
development stage of the country
 Increased ability of women in
productivity
Women’s participation in politics

Dependent Variables
 Increased women in local and
national decision making sessions
 Pool of women eligible for power
positions
 Active and effective women lobbing
rights of women
 nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn
Independent Variables
Figure 2.1: Conceptual framework
2.4 Review of Critical Literature

A critical review is the summarization and evaluation of the ideas and information in an article.
It expresses the writer’s (your) point of view in the light of what you already know on the subject
and what is acquired from related texts. Reviewing critically means thinking carefully and
clearly and taking into consideration both the strengths and weaknesses in the material under
review.

2.4.1 Women‘s Access to Education

Considering gender inequality in education, the most popular argument is that gender equality
would increase the economic growth, this is to say, girls' education can produce the highest
possible return on investment in the developing world so as to enhance development and reduce
poverty. There are three mechanisms for female education to influence economic growth. The
first one is human capital, whose meaning is that if more girls are allowed to go to school, high-
quality girls will replace low-quality boys, leading to the overall improvement of human capital
and positive impacts on economic growth. “Hindering girl’s education means passing up high-
return investments in human capital, with a significant effect on growth Dollar and Gatti. The
second refers to the externalities of female education. The main idea of this path is that
increasing female education may reduce the fertility rate and promote education for the next
generation (Xu, 2015).
According to (Xu, 2015) educated women have fewer children; provide better nutrition, health
and education for their families; experience significantly lower child mortality Coleman. Both
effects are obviously beneficial to economic growth. With respect to the education of the next
generation, Coleman stated that mothers with education contribute more to children’s schooling
than their fathers with equivalent education. As a result, promoting women’s education ensures
earlier and longer schooling for the next generation.
The last mechanism of female education on economic development is an income effect.

Receiving more education means generating more income. There is even a tendency that
educated women, especially young girls, earn higher income than educated men. As for family
household income, a family gains more returns if the mother instead of the father handles the
cash. From researches in nations as varied as Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, and the
United Kingdom, it is found that women generally spend more of the household income on
education, health, and nutrition, and less on alcohol and cigarettes. Considering female’s
consuming behavior, this income pattern improves national economy. Many scholars have
studied this relation between female education and economic growth in details, using evidence

from one country or one region. According to different situations, the authors choose different
methods. Many of these studies match the general conclusion we mentioned before. Economic
growth benefits from the development of female education. Grabowski examined female
education’s effects on the development of Japan. They divided Japan’s history in three parts: the
pre-war years, the five decades following the war and the after-war rapid rise years. Using the
vector auto-regression analysis, authors demonstrate that economic growth benefits from female
secondary and tertiary education in modern times. As for Pakistan and Sri Lanka, Fatima
introduced the role of education on growth on the basis of gender aspects. The author applied the
generalized Method of Moment in order to reveal that gender equality in education is beneficial
to economic growth in these two countries. Hassan and Cooray utilize another method called
extreme bounds analysis to analyze, choosing a panel of Asian countries. They drew a similar
conclusion that Asia can improve their economies by promoting female education (Xu, 2015).
Sometimes the general conclusion may not apply to a single country. For example, Dauda
focused on Nigeria, an African country. The author did research on whether female education
has a positive impact on economic performance. Opposite to expectations, the results showed
that female education does not stimulate economic growth. Some problems appeared in low-
income countries, “investing in primary education tends to pay off more than investing at
secondary and higher educational levels, and girls are concentrated at lower levels of the
education system than boys.” Colemen, Families tend to choose boys to receive higher level of
education if they have limited financial resources. In practice, it is evident that regions which
narrows gender gap in education successfully has achieved the most in economic and social
aspects, including eastern Asia, south-eastern Asia and Latin America. In contract, regions such
as southern Asia, the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa where the economic growth is low are
also suffering a lagged investment in girl’s education. As a result, at present, southern Asia is
experiencing the highest illiteracy rate among women adults which is 55 percent, while in the
Arab World it is 51% and Sub-Saharan it is 45% (Xu, 2015).

2.4.2 Women‘s Participation in Economic Activities
With regard to female labour participation, similarly, gender equality will increase the overall
ability of workforce, therefore may foster economic growth. An inspiring idea is that high female
labour participation may give women more power in family. This “bargaining” power can in
some way enhance economic growth, since women have higher saving behaviours and more
efficient way of using credit. At the regional level, Tsani and four other authors studied the
relationship between female labour participation and economic growth in the Mediterranean
countries. They used a two-step econometric approach and employed general equilibrium
modeling. The conclusion they obtained is that higher female labour force participation
contributes to economic growth, which matches the global phenomenon (Xu, 2015)
Adding the factors of industrialization, urbanization and economic development, there is a two-
stage influence of female education and labour participation on women’s political participation:
First, industrialization brings women into the paid workforce and dramatically reduces fertility
rates. During this stage, women make substantial gains in educational opportunities and literacy.
Women are enfranchised and begin to participate in representative government, but they still
have far less power than men. The second, post-industrial phase brings a shift toward greater
gender equality, as women move into higher-status economic roles and gain greater political
influence within elected and appointed bodies. Thus, with Asian countries industrializing, more
and more women gain the chance to go to school and became educated, resulting in a higher
proportion of female labour participation. Subsequently, as larger amount of women attending
tertiary education (where researches show women perform better than men), increasing number
of eligible female candidates appear in the election and ultimately reducing gender gap in
parliaments (Xu, 2015).
2.4.3 Women‘s Participation in Politics

With a view to the role of women in politics, plenty researches have proved that “women are
critical to economic development, active civil society, and good governance, especially in
developing countries.” As Nobel Prize winning economist Amartya Sen claimed, the economic,
political, and social participation of women is the most important force for development today.
Women, who have long been treated as passive recipients of aid, are now generally seen as
active agents of change who can help the whole community. And a variety of researches suggest

that accordingly the benefits to women are the greatest, when aids focused on improving their
education, their control over resources, and their political voice (Xu, 2015).
One of the advantages of female politics is that women are less corrupt than men. Female’s
behavior is always different from male according to practical experiments. Rivas argues that
women can be more careful for the relationship and have higher standards of ethics, implying
that women are more willing to sacrifice private benefits for the public. Besides, women are
more risk averse than men, leading them less corrupt since corruption can be regarded as risky
activity. Just as previous research said, ‘Women attach great importance to the quality of contact
between people and bare less individualistic than men. (ENE,)’ Focusing on Asia, Panday
mentioned that women’s participation in parliament certainly has a positive impact on the
character of Asian parliaments and make public policies create ‘a more peaceful, productive and
less corrupt societies’. Another advantage which is widely proved is that the presence of more
women in parliament brings better governance. Achieving gender equality is seen as essential to
reducing poverty and improving governance (Xu, 2015).
Women’s participation in politics can facilitate democracy, not only because it improves their civil
rights and helps them speak out their interests, but also because powerful women tend to make
different policy choices from their male counterparts, which are beneficial to the local distribution of
public resources and the development. When a woman is in charge, they invest more in infrastructure
which matches the needs of women in order to cover the imbalance of women resulting from the past
ignorance of women (Coleman. The 56th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference points out that
the political culture can be changed by more women participation in the decision making and women
represent change and creation. On the microeconomic aspect, Khandker proved that female
microeconomic borrowing are much more efficient than male’s borrowing, showing that women
are better microeconomic operators. This efficiency may also have an impact when women are in
the office. Moreover, microfinance endows greatest long-term interests on the social status of
women. Studies show that women with microfinance can obtain more decision-making power in
family, a growing number of political and legal awareness, and more participation in public
affairs than other women. Microfinance can also reduce wife abuse because women start to
generate income of their own and need not only depend on male to survive (Coleman,).

Other interesting findings about the role of female parliamentarians are how they are able to
promote female representation in parliament. Intuitively, senior women officers in national
managerial system tends to increase the amount of women representatives by putting forward a
lot of female-supportive policies, for example, they can facilitate gender equality when the
parties make a decision of the candidates submitted to voters (Kunovich and Paxton,). Moreover,
active women political activities have undoubtedly succeeded in creating a more open political
environment for women Chappell, And Reindgold stated that female legislators are much more
likely to make laws beneficial to female’s interest (Xu, 2015).
The fact that women’s career and promotion are facilitated with each other is widely noticed too.
Mansbrige argues that social groups (including women) tend to elect individuals who have
similar backgrounds to them even if the candidate may have some different perspectives and
interests from them. It is believed that women in the office are supposed to create and increase
opportunities for the career of other women (Cornfield,). A study in law organizations proved
this facilitation too. The findings of Ely shows that female associates in law firm gain more help
if there are female partners exist. There is evidence that women leaders often benefit
considerably from the network of women and conversely makes their organization more female-
friendly (Xu, 2015).
2.4.4 Economic Growth

According (OECD, 2016) Africa has achieved impressive economic growth over the past 15
years. Average growth of real gross domestic product (GDP) more than doubled from just above
2% during the 1980s and 1990s to above 5% between 2001 and 2014. In the past two years,
growth has been more moderate with Africa’s economies affected by headwinds from the global
economy. Average growth of African economies weakened slightly in 2015 to 3.6% (down from
3.7% in 2014), about one percentage point lower than expected in the AEO 2015. Excluding
Libya, where oil production remained volatile, and Africa’s overall growth reached 3.7% in
2015, down from 4.2% in 2014. The AEO macroeconomic outlook for Africa’s economy
assumes a gradual strengthening of the world economy and a slow recovery of commodity
prices. Against this international backdrop Africa’s average economic growth is expected to
remain moderate in 2016 (3.7%), but strengthen in 2017 (to 4.5%) (Figure1.1). However, the

given the fragile state of the global economic recovery and the high volatility of commodity
prices this forecast in uncertain.
The main reasons for the slowdown in growth in 2015 were weaker global demand and lower
international commodity prices, which adversely affected Africa’s resource-rich countries.
Growth of global real GDP and world trade volumes was more than one percentage point lower
than assumed in the AEO 2015. The AEO forecast for 2015 was also based on the assumption
that international oil prices would remain on average around 40% lower than in 2014, however
prices were almost 50% lower. Metal prices, notably the price of copper and export prices for
some agricultural products, such as cotton, were also lower than assumed. Africa’s growth
remained higher than world growth despite strong headwinds from the international economy.
Growth was also much higher than in the Latin America and the Caribbean region, where GDP
declined slightly due mainly to deep recessions in Brazil and Venezuela. Despite its slowdown,
the African continent remained the second fastest-growing economy in the world. Several
African countries (Cote d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia Mozambique, Rwanda and Tanzania) were
among the fastest-growing countries in the world with growth between 6% and around 10%.
In emerging and developing Asia – the fastest-growing region in the world – growth declined
from 6.8% in 2014 to 6.5% in 2015. In the People’s Republic of China, the largest economy in
the region, growth continued to decline to below 7% from 7.7% in 2013 and 7.3% in 2014.
China’s weaker growth and its transition from investment and exports of industrial goods
towards consumption and services is an important factor in the recent drop in commodity prices,
which suggests that the “commodity super cycle” of the past decade has come to an end. While
lower commodity prices are providing significant headwinds to Africa’s commodity exporters,
the rebalancing of China’s economy towards more consumption may provide backwinds to
Africa’s economies in the coming years. African countries best placed to export consumer goods
to China, including agricultural products, are those that will benefit most from China’s switch to
more consumption-based growth. China’s rising wages may also erode its competitiveness in
low-end manufactures and could further increase FDI inflows to Africa (OECD, 2016)

2.5 Critique of Existing Literature

According to (Buckley, 2000), Some proponents of empowerment argue that while the threat of
cooption is always present, empowerment is indeed a worthwhile goal to pursue these advocates
.However, remain skeptical of the possibilities of empowerment within the mainstream and argue
that empowerment is fundamentally a bottom-up process and not something that can be imposed
from outside either by aid organizations or governments. NailaKabeer has argued that
empowerment must come from "power-within" and that "such power cannot be given it has to be
self-generated".
Empowerment is not something that can be bestowed upon a group by an external agent. Rather,
it is a process which must be defined, and fought for. Oxfam has echoed this sentiment, stating
that "Empowerment is a dynamic process, not a transferable commodity" . It is not something
that can be done 'to' someone or 'for' someone (Lather. in Ristock and Pennell. Empowerment, as
a process, then, must come from and be directed from within a group. It is in this sense that
Kabeer argues that empowerment must come from below from the grassroots rather than from
international NGOs and development agencies (Buckley, 2000).
If empowerment cannot be given, the possibilities for international projects to empower
individuals and groups are limited. In fact, some see empowerment as fundamentally in
contradiction to project planning and the project cycle used by development agencies. As
empowerment is a process to be determined by the project beneficiaries themselves. "... it cannot
be defined in terms of specific activities or end results because it involves a process whereby
women can freely analyze develop and voice their needs and interests without them being pre-
defined or imposed from above by planners or other social actors" (Rowlands).
2.6 Empirical Review of Women Empowerment

According to (Arnoff, 2011) Conceptual thinkers on this topics is Nalia Kabeer, a DFID Senior
Research Fellow who works on developing frameworks and methodologies for integrating
gender concerns into policy and planning. Kabeer defines power as the ability to make choices.
Therefore, those who are disempowered are either denied or are limited in their choices.
Empowerment is a process that gives power to the disempowered and increases their ability to

make strategic choices. People who are able to make strategic life choices, but who were never
disempowered, are merely powerful, not empowered.
Kabeer’s definition is parallel to the World Bank’s understanding that empowerment enhances
an “individual’s or group’s capacity to make choices and transform those choices into desired
actions and outcomes.” Mason refers to this ability as making effective choices. Empowerment is
a process that occurs over time, making women agents who formulate choices, control resources,
and make strategic life choices (Arnoff, 2011). A literature Review on the Conceptualization of
Women’s Empowerment Thus, existence of viable choices to achieve desired outcomes is central
to the concept of empowerment. In order for choice to exist, there must be a possibility of
alternatives. One must perceive and be able to choose alternative options. Kabeer explains that
some choices have greater significance in terms of consequences than other choices and makes a
distinction between first‐ and second‐order choices. First order choices are strategic life choices
that are critical to how we want our lives, such as the choice of livelihood, who/if to marry,
whether to have children, etc. Second‐order choices are often framed by first‐order choices and
are less consequential. They are important for life quality, but do not define life’s parameters.
Kabeer also explains that exercising strategic choices should not limit one’s ability to make
future decisions.
Kabeer outlines three dimensions of empowerment, explaining these are the pathways through
which empowerment occurs. The first of these three dimensions is resources, which can be
understood as the conditions of choice, meaning one perceives and is able to choose alternative
options, or as this referred to in Kabeer’s diagram, pre‐conditions. The second dimension is
agency, which is a process by which one distinguishes between strategic life choices and
second‐order choices and makes choices in either arena. Resources and agency are thought of as
catalysts for empowerment. In some of the other literature, these terms are often referred to as
control, awareness, or power. And lastly, the third dimension is achievements, which refers to
the consequences of the choices made.
2.7 Research gaps

In Somalia, there were women empowerment and gender equality projects conducted by
different local and international organizations to reduce gender discrimination and increase
ability of women to access the constituents of development in particular health, education,

earning opportunities, rights, and political participation. However, there was no any study
showing the effect of women empowerment in economic growth hence, there was an area for
further research on this matter. Findings of this study will help to understand the correlation
between women empowerment and economic growth and it will contribute in guiding policy
formulation towards gender inequality.
2.8 Summary
This chapter discusses literature review, literature review helps researcher create a sense of
rapport with his audience or readers so they can trust that he/she has done his homework. It
related to role of women on economic development, and particularly it focuses on impact of
women’s political participation on economic development, impact of gender equality on
economic development and the impact of increased women accessibility to education on
economic development. Each of the literature was reviewed to express relevant information of
the study to enable the research to have adequate information to the topic under investigation

CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1. Introduction
This chapter presents the methodology which researcher will use to carry out the study. It
described the type and source of data, the target population, sampling methods and techniques
that were used. The data was collected and analyzed.
3.2. The research design

A research design is a plan and structure of investigation used to obtain answers to research
questions (Kerlinger,). Research design enables researchers to answer research questions as
validly, objectively, accurately and economically as possible (Ditsa, 2017). This study used
descriptive research design. It is best suited because it explains and describes phenomenon.
3.3. The target population

Target Population refers to the total number of subjects or the total environment of interest to the
research. Sometimes the population is too large or too scattered that a sample cannot be drawn
from the whole of it. In such a case, a researcher may describe an accessible population. This is
part of the target population which the researcher can actually reach (Oso & Onen, 2008). In this
study the population was non-governmental organization working on gender in Mogadishu
Somalia. The population was chosen according to their field expertise in terms of gender
equality and gender empowerment. The target population was 98 employees and beneficiaries.
3.4 Sampling Frame

Sampling frame is a list, directory or index of cases from which a sample can be selected.
Subjects or cases selected from the sampling frame form the units of observation in a study.
Examples of sampling frames include a national census list, list of professionals in a particular
field, students’ register, list of income tax payers, and list of car owners from the registrar of
motor vehicle (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2008). The sampling frame here consisted of 98
employees and beneficiaries from non-governmental organizations which act women and gender
empowerment.

3.5 Sampling and sample Size

According to (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2008)Sampling is process of selecting a number of
individuals for a study in such a way that the individuals selected represent the large group from
which they were selected. Sample size is one element of research design that investigators need
to consider as they plan their study. Reasons to accurately calculate the required sample size
include achieving both a clinically and statistically significant result and ensuring research
resources are used efficiently and ethically (Aitken, Leanne, Burmeister, & Elizabeth, 2012).In
this study sample size was78 which was selected from the target population through the use of
Sloven Formula. The formula was used to select the respondents of the study as follow
Sample formula
N
n=
1 +N (0.05) 2
Where
n= sample size
N= Population size
0.05= level of significance for this study
n = 98 / 1+98(0.05) 2 = 78Participants
Table 3.1 Target Population and sample size
Organization Target Population Sample Size
HINNA 45 36
SOCWE 53 42
Total 98 78

3.6 Data collection

A research needs to develop instruments with which to collect the necessary information. In
social science research the most commonly used instruments are: questionnaires, interview
schedule, observational forms and standardized tests (Mugenda & Mugenda, 2008).The study
employed questionnaires to collect the primary data. According to Karim Abawi Questionnaires
are data collection instrument consistent of a series of questions and other prompts for the
purpose of gathering information from respondents (Abawi, Karim, 2013).The questionnaires
was divided in two parts one which dealt with general information about the respondents and the
second which focused on objectives of the study as, women’s Access to education, Women’s
participation in politics and Women’s participation in economic activity
3.6.1 Primary Data

According to (Oso & Onen, 2008) primary data is direct description of an occurrence by an
individual who actually experienced or witnessed the incident. Primary data dealt with general
information about the respondents and focused on data generated from the target population
which was converted into information and is the ultimate report relating effect of women
empowerment on economic growth of Somalia. Primary data was collected by use of structure
questionnaires.
3.6.2 Secondary Data

These refer to publications in which author describe the work of others. They are publications
written by author who were not direct observers or participants in the events described, but are
merely reporting on the work that someone else did. In a textbook on educational management
for example, an author may describe several studies that have been done on education as a way
of illustrating ideas and concepts (Oso & Onen, 2008). The researcher searched different
information from Google regarding women and education women participation in politics and
women in economic activity.

3.7 Pilot Testing

The major challenge in questionnaire design is to make it clear to all respondents. In-order to
identify and solve the confusing points; we need to pre-test the questionnaire. During the pilot
trial the participants were randomly selected from the study population (Abawi, Karim, 2013).
The pilot test was conducted using questionnaires on 5 people from one organization
3.7.1 Validity
According to (Drost, 2011) Validity is concerned with the meaningfulness of research
components. When researchers measure behaviors, they are concerned with whether they are
measuring what they intended to measure. Does the IQ test measure intelligence? Does the GRE
actually predict successful completion of a graduate study program? These are questions of
validity and even though they can never be answered with complete certainty, researchers can
develop strong support for the validity of their measures (Bollen, 1989). This study used Cron
Batch alpha tool to test reliability.
3.7.2 Reliability
According to (Drost, 2011) Reliability is a major concern when a psychological test is used to
measure some attribute or behavior (Rosenthal and Rosnow,). For instance, to understand the
functioning of a test, it is important that the test which is used consistently discriminates
individuals at one time or over a course of time. In other words, reliability is the extent to which
measurements are repeatable –when different persons perform the measurements, on different
occasions, under different conditions, with supposedly alternative instruments which measure the
same thing. To check the reliability of the questionnaires, the researcher employed the per test
post test method to check the reliability of the questionnaires. A per test was carried out 5 people
from an-organization and post test after 1 week to the same organization with same
questionnaires and the response was identical and reliable.
3.8 Data analysis and Presentation

Data analysis entails separation of data in to constituent parts or elements or an examination of
data, to distinguish its component part or elements separately and in relation to the whole. The
researcher should describe how he or she will reduce the field (or body) of information (data) to

a usable size. The sub-section presumes that the researcher is knowledgeable on the variety of
the qualitative and quantitative techniques that may be used for the analysis of a specified data.
There are two broad techniques for analyzing quantitative research data: descriptive and
inferential (Oso & Onen, 2008). Data was analysed using both quantitatively and qualitatively.
Multiple linear regresion, correlation, model summary and ANOVA were generted. Data was
presentedin tables.
3.8.1 Regression model

The study adopted the method of regression for the analysis of data .According to (Wan, 2017)
Regression analysis is a statistical technique used to describe relationships among variables. The
simplest case to examine is one in which a variable Y, referred to as the dependent or target
variable, may be related to one variable X, called an independent or explanatory variable, or
simply a regresses. The researcher employed multiple regression analysis to show the effect of
the explanatory variables on the dependent variable. The equation one bellow, illustrated the
relationship between the independent variables, dependent variable, the coefficients and the
constant as follows;
Y=β0+ β1X1 + β2X2 + β3X3 + ε……………....................……………………………………… (i)
Y = Economic Growth.
β0= Autonomous variable (constant) such as Women Empowerment
β1, β2, β3, = Partial regression coefficients.
X1 = Women’s Access to Education
X2= Women’s Participation in Economic Activity
X3= Women’s Participation in Politics,
ε = disturbance/ error/ stochastic term
The multiple linear regression equation above was used to determine the relative sensitivity of
each independent variable in affecting the determinant of Economic Growth.

CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
4.1 Introduction
This chapter describes the findings of the study. The findings of the study were used to answer
the research questions and make conclusion about the objectives of the study
4.2 Response rate

The researcher administered 78 questionnaires and 73 were returned having been full filled. The
respondents were presented with the questionnaires by the researcher and were filled by the
respondents spot on under the guidance of the researcher while some were given the
questionnaire and returned them later. This represented a response rate of 94 percent which is
within Mugenda and Mugenda’s (2003) prescribed significant response rate for statistical
analysis which they established at a minimal value of 50 percent.
Table 4.1: Response rate
Response Frequency percentage
Filled questionnaires 73 94
Un filled questionnaires 5 6
Total 78 100
4.3 Reliability and Validity

Reliability refers to the extent to which a measuring instrument contains variable error that
appear inconsistent from the observation during any one measurement attempt or that vary each
time a given unit is measured by the same instrument. Cronbach`s alpha which is greater than 0.6
implies that the items in the instrument were sufficiently reliable for the measurement.
Table 4.2: Reliability and Validity Analysis
Cronbach's Alpha N of Items Decision

Women education .846 6 Accept
Economic Participation .821 6 Accept
Political Participation .872 6 Accept
Economic Growth .741 6 Accept

4.4 Demographic Characteristics of respondents

This represents the demographic features or characteristics that try to explain the respondents
4.4.1Gender of the Respondents
Results from the study indicated that 69 percent of the respondents were female and 31 percent
of the respondents were male.
Table 4.3 Gender of Respondents

Gender Frequency Percent
Female 50 69.0
Male 23 31.0
Total 73 100.0
4.4.2 Education Level of the Respondents

The survey findings revealed that 14 percent of the respondents had Primary education, 16
percent had secondary education and 70 percent of the respondents had University level of
education. Somalia is a country with complex political, security, and development environment,
and much of its recent past has been marked by poverty, famine, and recurring violence. The
country has existed in a state of armed conflict of one form or another since 1988 and without a
functional central government since 1991.
However due to the current realization of peace in Somalia, a large of people of have embraced
education as one of the ways to fight poverty and this is the reason why there is a large
percentage of population having University education. University education is more than the
next level in the learning process; it is a critical component of human development worldwide. It
provides not only the high-level skills necessary for every labor market but also the training
essential for teachers, doctors, nurses, civil servants, engineers, humanists, entrepreneurs,
scientists, social scientists, and a myriad of other personnel. It is these trained individuals who
develop the capacity and analytical skills that drive local economies, support civil society, teach
children, lead effective governments, and make important decisions which affect entire societies

Table 4.4: Education Level of the Respondents
Education Level Frequency Percent

Primary 10 14
Secondary 12 16
University 51 70
Total 73 100.0
4.4.3 Age of the Respondents

The findings of the study indicated that 48 percent of the respondents were between the ages 21-
26, while 26 percent were in the age bracket of 27-35, 19 percent in the age bracket of 36-49 and
7 percent of the respondents were greater than 50 years. This indicates that a large percentage of
the respondents who participated in the study were below the age of 50.
Table 4.5 Age of the Respondents

Age Group Frequency Percent
21-26 35 48
27-35 19 26
36-49 14 19
>50 5 7
Total 73 100.0
4.5 Descriptive Analysis
4.5.1 Effect of Women’s Access to Education on Economic Growth of Somalia

Results from the study indicated that majority of the respondents agreed to the statement that
Women receive limited access to education than Men in Somalia as represented by a mean
response value of 3.95 in the table below. Today more girls than ever go to school in Somalia.
However, despite progress, women and girls continue to face multiple barriers based on gender
and its intersections with other factors, such as age, ethnicity, poverty, and disability, in the equal
enjoyment of the right to quality education. When girls gain access to education they acquire
important knowledge that gives them greater potential to get a job and an income when they are
adults.

Table 4.6: Effect of Women`s Access to Education on Economic growth
N Mean Std. Deviation
Women receive Limited Access to

73 3.95 1.129
Education
If Women Are Un-Educated they are

73 3.75 .741
Less Valued
Educated Women Can Contribute To

73 3.90 .759
Economic Growth
Educated Women Can reduce Violence

73 3.99 .984
Against Girls & Women
Women's Education Can Be Increased

73 3.84 .842
Through Increasing Girls' Education.
Educated Women And Girls Can

73 3.88 .644
Participate Economic Growth Decisions
Valid N (listwise) 73
Study findings revealed that majority of the respondents agreed to the statement that if women
are uneducated it causes them to be less valued in the society; this is shown by a mean response
value of 3.75 in the table below. Girls with little or no education are far more likely to be married
as children, suffer domestic violence, live in poverty, and lack a say over household spending or
their own health care than better-educated peers, which harms them, their children, and
communities
The persistent constraints and deprivations that prevent many of the women from achieving their
potential have huge consequences for individuals, families, communities, and nation of Somalia.
Expanding women's ability to make decisions and take advantage of opportunities is critical to
improving their lives as well as the country. If Somalia is going to end extreme poverty and
ensure that prosperity is shared by all, we have to have the full and equal participation of women
and men, girls and boys, around the country. In many countries, better educated women tend to

marry later and have fewer children. The ability of women to make decisions and act on them is
a key reason why children of better educated women are less likely to be stunted
The survey findings indicated that educated women can contribute to Economic growth as
represented by a mean response value of 3.90 in the table below. The yields from investing in
girls’ education are substantial. An educated girl is likely to increase her personal earning
potential, as well as reduce poverty in her community. According to the World Bank, the return
on one year of secondary education for a girl correlates with as high as a 25% increase in wages
later in life. The effects carry from one generation to the next, educated girls have fewer,
healthier and better educated children (Global Partnership for Education, 2014).
4.5.2 Effect of women’s participation in Economic Activities on Economic Growth

The study findings revealed that women participation in economic activities have an effect on
economic growth as evidenced by a mean response value of 3.84 in the table below. Women
make up a little over half the world’s population, but their contribution to measured economic
activity, growth, and well-being is far below its potential, with serious economic consequences.
Better opportunities for women to earn and control income could contribute to broader economic
development in developing economies, for instance through higher levels of school enrollment
for girls. Women are more likely than men to invest a large proportion of their household income
in the education of their children.
Study findings indicated that a large number of respondents agreed to the statement that women
can participate in economic activities if they have capital. This is represented by a mean response
value of 3.84 in the table below. Women are more than half of the world population. They are
the mothers of the other half. As mothers and careers, as producers and farmers, the work of
women supports their families and communities. Yet, throughout the world, the poorest people
are predominantly women and their dependent children.
The integration of women in to our labor force has meant less dependent on men, because that
these women can take over jobs, there is less dependence. In most low income developing
countries, women have a triple role. Women’s role includes reproductive work that is required to
guarantee the maintenance and production of the labor force, productive role and community
managing work.

Table 4.7: Effect of Women’s Participation in Economic Activities on Economic Growth
Women In Economic Activities Have An

73 3.84 .553
Effect On Economic Growth
Women Can Participate Economic
73 3.84 .770
Activity If They have capital
Women have Barriers In Economic
73 3.89 .567
Activities
Women in Economic Activities Perform
73 4.08 .547
Their needs
Women with incomes Improve The Status
73 3.75 .596
Of Their Families
Women In Economic Activities Need To
73 3.90 .476
Have A Common Vision.
Results from the survey revealed that majority of respondents agreed to the statement that the
women have barrier in Economic Activity. This is indicated by a mean response value of 3.89 in
table 4.6. In the 21st century, women enjoy more freedom and power than ever before. However,
they are still disadvantaged when compared to men in virtually all aspects of life. Women are
deprived of equal access to education, health care, capital, and decision making powers in the
political, social, and business sectors.
Results from the survey indicated that majority of respondents agreed to the statement that
women with incomes improve the status of their families. This is evidenced by a mean response
value of 4.05 in the table below. With their own businesses, women have been able to contribute
to their family incomes in Somalia and become productive members of the local economy.
Around the Somalia, girls and women continue to suffer from a lack of economic opportunity,
inadequate health care and education, early marriage, sexual violence, and discrimination. The
good news is that empowering girls and women yields undeniable returns for everyone in the
community. When women work, they invest 90 percent of their income back into their families,
compared with 35 percent for men (Clinton Global Initiative, 2009). By focusing on girls and

women, innovative businesses and organizations can spur economic progress, expand markets,
and improve health and education outcomes for everyone
4.5.3 Effect of Women’s Participation in politics on Economic Growth

Results from the study indicated that majority of the respondents disagreed to the statement that
women know their rights to participate in politics. This evidenced by a mean response value of
1.93 in the table below. In Somalia, it is estimated that women and girls constitute 70% of the
population. So if women are not part of the decision making process, then who will speak for
their needs or their rights? They have to be part of the political administration; they have to be on
that decision making table so that they can voice the needs women, the needs of girls, and
everything about women (AMISOM, 2016). Women’s political participation has been
recognized internationally as an important measure of the status of women in any particular
country. Hence, in recent years, women’s participation in politics and decision making has
received significant attention across the world. However, women remain seriously
underrepresented in decision-making positions.
Table 4.8 Effect of Women Participation in Politics on Economic Growth

Women Know Their Rights In Politics 73 1.93 1.503
Women Have Limited Seats In Public
73 3.96 .351
Institutions
30% Quota For Women is not in the
73 3.60 .909
Constitution
If The 30% of Quota Is In The
Constitution Women will have more 73 4.01 .263
seats.
Women Are Not Organized In Having
73 4.10 .340
Their Quota
Women's Activity Participation In
Politics Can Contribute Economic 73 4.14 .419
Growth Gender Equality.

Survey findings indicated that a large number of respondents agreed to the statement that women
have limited seats in public institutions in Somalia. This is witnessed by a mean response value
of 3.96 in the table below. The majority of research participants discussed the ways in which the
introduction of the 30%parliamentary gender quota in Somalia marked a significant and
important step towards women’s equal political representation. However, women in the political
and civil society space were also emphatic that gender quotas will not necessarily translate into
meaningful influence and impact for women, emphasizing that they must be seen as a starting
point rather than an end goal. Results from the survey indicated that majority of respondents
agreed to the statement that the 30% quota principal for women is not in the constitution of
Somalia. This is shown by a mean response value of 3.60. The federal government of Somalia
was established in August 2012, after the mandate of the country's transitional government, in
place since 2004, expired. Article 3 of the constitution specifies the importance of women's
political participation, saying that "women must be included, in an effective way, in all national
institutions, in particular all elected and appointed positions across the three branches of
government. The framework set up for the new federal government guaranteed that 30 percent of
parliament's seats would go to women - but this was not included in the constitution, and women
ultimately make up around 14 percent.
There has been increased participation of women in formal politics in Somalia. For example, in
Puntland, women have limited representation at regional and federal level, but have secured 17%
representation within local councils and have formed the Puntland Women Councilors Network
(Koshin, 2016).
Strengthening structural and institutional reforms should help grow more enabling and inclusive
institutions. This could involve merit-based recruitment and promotion which, along with greater
incentives, would encourage the inclusion of women in positions of legitimate influence across
different levels of government.
The study findings indicated that majority of respondents agreed to the statement that Women's
Active Participation in Politics Can Contribute to Economic Growth, and Gender Equality. This
is shown by a mean response value of 4.14
One of the advantages of female politics is that women are less corrupt than men. Female’s
behavior is always different from male according to practical experiments. Rivas (2013) argues
that women can be more careful for the relationship and have higher standards of ethics,
implying that women are more willing to sacrifice private benefits for the public. Besides,
women are more risk averse than men, leading them less corrupt since corruption can be
regarded as risky activity (Rivas, 2013).

4.5.4 Economic growth

Table 4.8 shows the mean and standard deviation of dependent variable; economic growth. The
result shows that the respondents agreed to the positive statements posed. They agreed that
economic growth Is Important For Human Being (m=4.18, SD=.420) and it facilitates economic
development (M=4.10, SD=.340)
Table 4.9 Economic growth
N Mean SD
Economic Growth Is Important For Human Being 73 4.18 .420
Economic Growth Facilitates Economic Development 73 4.10 .340
Economic Growth Depends On Infrastructure Improvement 73 4.14 .419
Economic Growth Enables Employment And Increase Income For Poor 73 4.89 .315
people
Economic Growth Brings Increases In Living Standards 73 4.89 .315
Good Living Standard Contributes Peace And Stability 73 4.10 .340
73
Findings from the survey indicated that majority of respondents agreed to the statement that
economic growth is important for human beings. This was shown by a mean response value of
4.18. Economic growth means a rise in real GDP; effectively this means a rise in national
income, national output and total expenditure which translates into reduced poverty.
4.6 Correlation Analysis

The study variables were correlated to determine the relationship between variables. The result in
table 4.8 indicate that independent variable are all positively correlated with the dependent
variable; economic growth. Generally implying that at high participation of educated women in
economic and political activities, the growth of the country is more likely to take place. It worthy
to note that the strongest correlation is political participation of women and growth of the Somali
economy at r=.808, p<.001. This is followed by the correlation between economic participation
and growth (r=.565, p<.001) and least is the correlation between education and Growth (r=.296,
p=.011). This result implying that focusing strongly on women participation in public affairs
which are of economic and political concern, is more beneficial in terms of economic growth as
opposed to only emphasizing on women education.

Table4.10 Correlation Result
Economic Access to Political Economic

Growth Education Participation Activity
Growth Pearson 1 .297* .311** .565**
Correlation
Sig. (2- .011 .007 .000
tailed)
Access to Pearson .297* 1 .210 .296*
Education Correlation
Sig. (2- .011 .075 .011
tailed)
Political Pearson .311** .210 1 .808**
Participation Correlation
Sig. (2- .007 .075 .000
tailed)
Economic Pearson .565** .296* .808** 1
Activity Correlation
Sig. (2- .000 .011 .000
tailed)
4. 7 Regression Analysis
This section presents a discussion of the results of inferential statistics. A multiple regression
analysis was conducted so as to predict the effect of women empowerment on economic growth
of Somalia. In the regression analysis the study aimed at determining the effect of the three
independent variables on the dependent variable. The coefficient of determination (R squared) in
table 4.11 indicates the extent of variation in the dependent variable that is explained by the
independent variables. In this case, it indicates that the education level, women participation both
in economic and political activities explain the variation in the growth of Somalia by about 76
percent.
Table 4.11 Model Summary

Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Std. Error of the
Estimate
1 .615 .378 .600 .674
a. Predictors: (Constant), education, economic participation, political participation

4.6.2 ANOVA
ANOVA is used to test the associative hypothesis between the dependent and independent
variables. From ANOVA test the study findings indicated that the model predictors predict the
dependent variable; growth (F=6.5, p=.001)
Table 4.12 ANOVA

Model Sum of Squares Df Mean Square F Sig.
Regression 4.792 3 1.597 13.961 .000b
1 Residual 7.893 69 .114
Total 12.685 72
a. Dependent Variable: Economic Growth
b. Predictors: (Constant), Women education, Women Participation In Politics, women
political participation
4.6.3 Regression coefficients

According to the regression analysis results, the model shows that there is a significant relation
between women empowerment and economic growth indicating that we can predict the
dependent variable (economic growth) using women empowerment. The results revealed that
there is a significant relation between education as an empowerment strategy and standard of
living as an economic growth indicator. This is shown by a p value of 0.002 in the table below
which is lower than the 0.05 significant level. Majority of responds agreed that education of
women contributes to women empowerment and later this improves on the standard of living of
the whole country. Therefore at a 5% level of significance it can be concluded that women
empowerment through education contributes to economic growth.
The study also revealed that there is a significant relationship between women participation in
economic activities as an empowerment strategy and economic growth. This is witnessed by p
value of 0.040 in the table 4.9 which is lower than 0.05. women‘s roles in the economy has often
been under estimated and their work in the different sectors has long been invisible but majority
of the respondents agreed that the participation of women in economic activities contributes to
the wellbeing of the society. Therefore at a 5% level of significance it can be concluded that

women empowerment through participation in economic activities contributes to economic

growth.
The regression analysis results also revealed that there is a significant relationship between
women participation in politics as an empowerment strategy and economic growth. This is
shown by 0.000 p value which is lower than 0.05. Women’s political participation has been
recognized internationally as an important measure of the status of women in any particular
country. Facilitating conditions conductive to the speeding of equality between men and women
so that women can participate in political, social and economic life of their country on equal
terms with men and ensuring that their right to own property as well as their other human rights
are respected is a major strategy to achieve economic growth and poverty reduction in
developing countries. Basing on the regression analysis results it can therefore be concluded that
at a 5% level of significance it can be concluded that women empowerment through women
political participation contributes to economic growth. It is therefore a responsibility of the
society to facilitate the necessary conditions especially for rural women to have access to basic
social services and to ways and means of empowerment.
Table 4.13 Regression Coefficients
Model Un-standardized Coefficients Standardized Coefficients t Sig.
B Std. Error Beta

(Constant) 3.103 .562 5.522 .000
Education .144 .060 1.38 2.40 .002
1
Economic Activity .169 .081 .223 2.094 .040
Political Participation .404 .108 .403 3.733 .000
a. Dependent Variable: Economic Growth
From the regression analysis, the substitution of the regression values into the study model is;
From the model, if education and participation of women is set at zero, economic growth will
only record 3.103 units.
The coefficient of education is .144, indicating that a unit increase in education of women in
Somalia will lead to 0.144 increases in growth. The contribution of education to growth is
significant at 0.05 level since the p value is less than 0.05.

In regard to women economic participation, the regression coefficient is .169 implying that if all
other variables in the model are set at a constant, a unit increase in women participation in
economic activities results in 0.169 unit increase in economic growth. Finally, the regression
coefficient of political participation is .404, meaning that a unit increase in women political
participation by one unit, the economic growth increases by .404 units. The overall picture is that
political participation has the highest contribution to economic growth per unit increase,
followed by economic participation and least is women education. The findings are in line with
the correlation results obtained earlier in this study. Therefore political participation of women
is the highest predictor of economic growth in Somalia.

CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Introduction
This chapter provided the summary of the findings, the conclusion and recommendations and
suggestions for further research. This is based on the results of 73 respondents out of 78
respondents targeted.
The objectives of the study included to find out the effect of women’s education on economic
growth of Somalia, to establish the effects of women’s participation in economic activity on
economic growth of Somalia, to investigate the effect of women’s political participation on
economic growth of Somalia.
5.2 Summary
This section discusses the research findings presented in the previous sections based on the
objectives of the study. The general objective of the study was to investigate the effect of
Women Empowerment on Somalia. The three objectives and the nine variables under study were
Women’s Access to Education, Women’s participation in Economic Activity, Women’s
Participation in Politics Economic. Basing on the survey findings it can be concluded that
women empowerment and economic growth have relation. The regression analysis revealed that
there is a significant relation between education as an empowerment strategy and standard of
living as an economic growth indicator. The study also revealed that there is a significant
relationship between women participation in economic activities as an empowerment strategy
and economic growth. This is witnessed by 0.040 level of significance which is lower than 0.05.

5.2.1 Effect of Women’s Access to Education on Economic Growth of Somalia

Results from the study indicated that majority of the respondents agreed to the statement that
Women receive limited access to education in Somalia as represented by a mean response value
of 3.95. Study findings revealed that majority of the respondents agreed to the statement that if
women are uneducated they less valued in the society; this is shown by a mean response value of
3.75.
5.2.2 Effect of women’s participation in economic activities on economic growth

The study findings revealed that women participation in economic activities have an effect on
economic growth as evidenced by a mean response value of 3.84. Women make up a little over
half the world’s population, but their contribution to measured economic activity, growth, and
well-being is far below its potential, with serious economic consequences.
5.2.3 Effect of women’s participation in politics on economic growth

Results from the study indicated that majority of the respondents disagreed to the statement that
women know their rights to participate in politics. This evidenced by a mean response value of
1.93 in the table below. Results from the survey indicated that majority of respondents agreed to
the statement that the 30% quota principal for women is not indicated in the constitution of
Somalia.
5.3 Conclusions
Basing on the survey findings it can be concluded that women’s access to education has a
significant effect on economic growth. The regression analysis revealed that there is a significant
relation between women’s access to education as an empowerment strategy and economic
growth. It was concluded that
1. This study concludes that women access to education positively affects economic growth
in Somalia.
2. The results indicated that Women’s participation in economic activity positively affects
economic growth
3. The study showed that Women’s participation in Politics have good relation with
economic growth

5.4 Recommendations
Basing on the survey findings it can be concluded that women empowerment and economic
growth have relation and the following recommendations were made.
5.4.1 Recommendation for women’s access to education

1. Government should incorporate gender knowledge in the curriculum of Somalia
2. The government should Increasing girls’ access to education and invest free education
for girls and women
3. Provide sanitary facilities to the girls in schools to encourage them maintain the learning
5.4.2 Recommendation for Women’s participation in Economic Activity

1. The government should create better conditions to increase women participation in
economic opportunities.
2. Government should provide small loans to women groups to help them startup businesses
to support their families
3. Provide women and girls business management knowledge and skills
5.4.3 Recommendation for Women’s participation in Economic Activity

1. The government should make sure that the Quota of women is in the constitution
2. Train women and girls on their rights in political participation
3. Support and encourage women to participate local and national elections
4. Gender policy should be implemented
5.5 Further suggestion

The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between women
empowerment and economic growth in Somalia. The study recommends further study to be
carried out on women empowerment and gender equality and their effect of social and economic
development.

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International Journal For Research In Social Science And Humanities ISSN: 2208-2107

EFFECT OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT ON ECONOMIC GROWTH IN SOMALIA

A CASE STUDY OF MOGADISHU

FADUMO HASSAN ASIR

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 184

1.1 Background of the Study

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 185

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 186

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 187

1.3 Objective of the Study

1.3.1 General Objective

1.3.2 Specific Objectives

1.4 Research Question

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 188

1.6 Justification of the Study

1.7 limitation of the study

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 189

2.2 Theoretical Review

2.2.1 Women Empowerment Theory

2.2.2 Economic Modernity theory: The Classical Development Perspective.

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 190

2.2.3 Cultural Modernity theory: The Human Development Perspective.

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 191

2.2.4. Historical Legacies theory

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 192

2.2.5 The Institutional Design Perspective

In comparison to autocracy, it is not surprising that scholarship on explanations of women’s

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 193

According to (Sunday, 2015) Theory is a model or framework for observation and

2.3 Conceptual Framework

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 194

Women’s Access to Education

 Increased educated women in private

Women’s participation in politics

2.4 Review of Critical Literature

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 195

2.4.1 Women‘s Access to Education

The last mechanism of female education on economic development is an income effect.

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 196

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 197

2.4.2 Women‘s Participation in Economic Activities

2.4.3 Women‘s Participation in Politics

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 198

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 199

2.4.4 Economic Growth

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 200

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 201

2.5 Critique of Existing Literature

2.6 Empirical Review of Women Empowerment

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 202

2.7 Research gaps

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 203

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 204

3.2. The research design

3.3. The target population

3.4 Sampling Frame

Volume-4 | Issue-4 | April,2018 205

3.5 Sampling and sample Size

0.05= level of significance for this study

Table 3.1 Target Population and sample size

Organization Target Population Sample Size

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