Staff Awareness About Gender Mainstreaming and Its Implementation in Hodan District, Mogadishu, Somalia

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to examine how staff awareness influences gender mainstreaming in Hodan District, Mogadishu, Somalia, The study objectives were to investigate staff awareness about gender mainstreaming, explore how staff implements gender mainstreaming, examine the effects of staff awareness on gender mainstreaming implementation and to examine challenges faced in implementing gender mainstreaming. The study employed a descriptive research design based on mixed approaches of quantitative and qualitative research approaches. Quantitatively the study used questionnaires that were administered to 78 district staff. Qualitatively the researcher collected the data from 20 key informant interviews who were gender activities and community elders. The results indicate that a simple majority of the respondents admitted that they were aware about gender mainstreaming 53.8 %. The staff implements gender mainstreaming, gender equality policy had 34.6% followed by equal opportunities guidelines then 29.5%. followed by gender evaluation then 16.7% and equity Committees 12.8%. On how to staff implement mainstreaming. 53% contend that staff awareness affect gender mainstreaming. awareness facilitate provision of knowledge to other people. staff awareness creates the provision of policy to the people in a better form. On challenges of gender mainstreaming implementation, 74.4% respondents contend that lack of funding from both government and limited funding from the gender activists and organizations. the cultural of Somali that favour men at the extent of the girls has limited gender implementation, lack of policy and a gender department and ignorance of people limited gender mainstreaming implementation. The key informant interview further show that staff awareness did not have much effect on gender mainstreaming implementation, there were also cultural, religious, capacity and funding challenges to gender mainstreaming implementation. The study conclude that there was low staff awareness was affiliated to lack of a policy and staff to implement the awareness. The study concludes that implementation was through policy, workshops, training and sensitization was low. The lack of implementers for gender mainstreaming and policy fails implementation. The study on the third objective conclude that low awareness of staff on gender contributed to low implementation of gender mainstreaming in the district. The final objective concludes that lack of finance. low training. lack of policy at district hinders gender mainstreaming. The study recommends that there is need to improve awareness for gender implementation, those in the policy and budgetary chain should be educated to ensure gender sensitivity and finally, the government should strengthen collaborations between gender mechanisms and those responsible for implementation of gender policies