Linking cultural beliefs and legal frameworks to women’s political participation in Somalia

Introduction The political representation of Somali women remains low despite constitutional protections and a 30% mandatory of gender quota. This research investigates the impact of cultural beliefs along with legal frameworks on political involvement through the intermediate factors of political awareness and self-efficacy. Methods The study uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze both direct and indirect pathways that affect political engagement based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, Institutional Theory, and Social Role Theory. The study gathered data from 105 educated women in Mogadishu through a validated survey, which measured five constructs: cultural beliefs, legal frameworks, political awareness, self-efficacy, and political participation. Results The empirical results demonstrate that legal frameworks boost participation directly and indirectly through their effects on awareness and self-efficacy. Cultural beliefs affect participation only when they influence awareness and self-efficacy simultaneously. The results underscored that self-efficacy is the most significant direct factor influencing participation because knowledge alone does not lead to action without personal belief in one’s capabilities. Discussion The research establishes a three-stage mediation model demonstrated that institutional changes need to be combined with psychological empowerment to achieve better results. The policy recommendations focus on improving quota enforcement, civic education, and leadership training while working with traditional leaders to decrease cultural resistance. The research provides a complete framework to enhance women’s political participation in societies that have experienced conflict and maintain patriarchal systems.