A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Women's Political Participation in South Sudan, 2021–2026

This mixed-methods study investigates the persistent barriers to women's substantive political participation in South Sudan during the 2021–2026 transitional period. It addresses the critical problem of why, despite constitutional guarantees and a 35% affirmative action quota, women's meaningful engagement in governance remains severely limited. Employing an explanatory sequential design, the research first quantified participation levels and perceived obstacles via a survey of 350 women across three states (2023). Subsequent in-depth qualitative interviews (2024–2025) with 45 female politicians, activists, and community leaders explored the nuanced lived experiences behind the quantitative data. The analysis reveals a stark disparity between *de jure* inclusion and *de facto* influence. Findings demonstrate that patriarchal norms, economic dependency, gendered security threats, and the co-option of quotas by political patronage systems systematically undermine women's autonomous political agency. The study contends that these entrenched structural and cultural impediments fundamentally compromise South Sudan's peacebuilding and state-building prospects. Its significance lies in contributing to African feminist political thought by demonstrating the insufficiency of formal mechanisms alone. The research concludes that integrated interventions—targeting grassroots mobilisation, economic empowerment, and the demilitarisation of political space—are imperative for fostering genuine gender-inclusive governance in South Sudan and analogous post-conflict African states.