Sarah Cleto Rial, governor of Western Bahr El Ghazal State. (Photo: Courtesy).

As the world celebrated International Women’s Day this week, South Sudan remains defined by deeply-rooted gender inequality, shaped by cultural norms, according to reports.

Harmful gender norms resulting from patriarchal culture have left many women in South Sudan marginalized and even excluded from participating in any level of decision-making or political activity.

The theme for this year’s international women’s day focuses on DigitAll: Innovation and Technology for a Gender-equal World.

The global annual event celebrates the achievements and contributions in social, economic, cultural, and political achievements and contributions of women.

Eye Radio has profiled some accomplished women leaders as well as women from all walks of life to tell their stories, achievements, and struggles.

Sara Cleto is the governor of Western Bar el Ghazal state and the only female governor appointed in the unity government mandated the 2018 peace deal.

The governor said her rise to a top leadership position couldn’t have been possible without her supportive family who acknowledges the importance of education.

From a young age, Mrs. Cleto showed leadership passion in school and church and worked with various women groups as a team leader.

Following an active community service in the US, she received recognition from Hillary Clinton, the former US Secretary of State and wife to former president Bill Clinton, who was defeated by Donald Trump in the 2016 elections.

Speaking to Eye Radio on the eve of the women’s day, she encouraged young girls and women to acquire good education for them to be competent.

“I believe education is the foundation. This is what I tell girls in Western Bar el Ghazal education is their mother and their father.”

“But, I also add to girls that education is their husband not forgetting the roles of everyone, their parents and husband at home. It’s important to have a supportive husband who supports you in the public offices and all the other institutions.”

According to Girlsglobe, women in underdeveloped regions face cultural barriers hindering them from participating in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields.

More women enroll in arts and social sciences programs than they do in science programs.

The disparity in enrollment is largely due to the social structures that push women away from these fields, the organization has found.

Female participation in scientific occupations is also negatively affected by societal beliefs about the appropriate roles of women and the expectation that women will live a traditional, domestic lifestyle.

To break the barriers that continue to discourage women and girls from being involved in technology and innovation, women and girls have started enrolling in ICT-related work.

“This year we have to encourage ourselves and go beyond our limits, like they say the sky is the limit,” Cleto said.

“We are encouraging women in Wau, there are a number of programs in terms of training, like computer training, and technology training for young women and girls in school.”

“Even if you are a nurse, businesswoman, or student in school, you have to take charge to be technologically serving because the world is changing and now the world is becoming all connected.”

“We need to have some background to be able to use technology. We have to be innovative and we in the states are going to take it seriously and encourage young women.”

South Sudan women were allocated a 35% representation in the government, through the affirmative action in the revitalized agreement.

Such affirmative action is meant to increase women’s participation in governance and make them part of a major decision-making with key attention on women’s issues.

However, despite the provision, civil society groups say women are underrepresented in the unity government and still lag behind in political decision making.

Josephine Napwon is the national Minister of Environment.

Born and raised during the decades-long Sudanese civil war, Napwon was mentored to leadership by the catholic church.

Speaking to Eye Radio during the International Women’s Conference in Juba on February 2023, she outlined some of the challenges facing women leaders while discharging their duties.

“To be there as a woman leader is always a great challenge and a threat to our fellow men. They also think men can do more than women but now we are also showing them that we can do it,” Napwon said.

“As women, we need to have one agenda and our agenda is always to look at the issues of the welfare of women in anything that we do.”

Napwon went ahead to point out some of the issues that are to blame for gender inequality in the community like early and forced marriages.

She called on the youth to work together for the betterment of themselves.

“Illiteracy is taking its toll on our communities. Most of the communities are still backward. We know our young girls are dying in silence, when you go to the community that I come from, there is too much child marriage.”

“I think as young people have to come together as they are the future generation of this country. You are the pillars and bear in mind that you are the majority.”

“In any decision-making, make sure that our young girls must be there. The youth must put in all decision-making either in government, a community, or the private sector.”

According to a survey by the Ministry of gender, Child and Social Welfare and Japan International Corporation Agency, South Sudan’s economy relies heavily on subsistence farming for food security and economic development, most of which is small in scale, private, and predominantly family-based.

Women, perform 80% of all subsistence farming in the country, but their crucial role and contribution to food security often goes unrecognized.

These gender gaps are hindering factors for women’s empowerment in the economy.

To bridge the gap, women are being encouraged to join businesses to boost their economic participation.

Last year the World Bank approved a 70 million U.S. dollar International Development Association (IDA) grant to boost women’s social and economic empowerment in South Sudan.

The project aimed at helping women to grow their businesses and improve their livelihood by providing grants, training, and technical assistance.

Yar Manoa Majok, a businesswoman, believes that women are the backbone of the economy in the country.

Speaking to Eye Radio, she encourages young women aspiring to do business to write down and sell a good business plan.

“Business idea itself is money, write down your business idea and plan. Write how you want to do it, how you want to market it, and where you want to do, write it in detail.”

“Start bit by bit then go to the commercial banks. Don’t leave anyone who can help behind either government, NGOs, private sector, or commercial tell them your business idea.”

The main limiting factors for women’s economic empowerment include high levels of illiteracy, lack of access to productive and economic assets such as land, finance, credit facilities, agricultural inputs, and extension services, and low business skills and management capacity.

Norah Zangabaeo is a mental health expert, at the South Sudan Women Bloc.

She spoke to Eye Radio on the status of women’s mental health in the country.

“We discovered that many women are traumatized, are full of depression, why? Because they were heated by different phenomena, conflict, war, killing, atrocities, displacements, and most importantly, poverty.”

“You know there is a new phenomenon in our country now that most women are widows, which was not there before. And then also the issue of wife inheritance is becoming very very difficult. The man that is married and has children, for you to inherit by another man who has a family becomes difficult.”