An Assessment of the Application of Gender Equality Policy in the Haut Lomami Local Government, Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract

In this study, opportunities, issues and challenges related to gender equality in Haut Lomami province, DRC were discussed. 60% of respondents said ineffective implementation of gender equality policies are key political factors affecting political leadership inequalities. Followed by weak implementation of equal representation laws with 23%. Whereas 17% said marginalization and discrimination of women leaders. The purpose of this study purpose was to explore and to evaluate whether the gender equality policy is wholly implemented in Haut-Lomami local government and to see if women politicians leaders have been empowered through the law of the parity between men and women as an empowering factor for them to avoid women leadership disparities in public institutions and to take up leadership and decision making at the local government level, although they can be allowed to participate in several activities in politics and public administration, also to assess if women leaders have support from public policymakers and institutions dealing with gender equality concerns. The study looked at the factors that push women leaders not to participate in empowerment processes and how the Central government of DRC can rectify this at the local government levels. The liberal Feminist Theory informed this study and was based on the assumption that in order for women to achieve equal status, all stereotyped social roles for men and women had to be abolished. We agree with the many scholars when they said that the abolishment of gender exclusion of professional roles was necessary for the achievement of women’s equality informed this study and they help the researcher to come up with research questions that address the problem. As a result, the objectives of the research were achieved. The research were carried out under qualitative research because in order to know the perception of women and men about women’s political participation in leadership positions in the new province of Haut-Lomami, DRC and the appropriate research design for the current research was empirical. The sample size process is sixty (60) citizens. The sample was selected using quota sampling as technique because the researcher identified the informants. Primary data sources for this study were included personal documents which were obtained from informants and council files. These documents were provided insights on the organisation of local government and provincial government levels, their objectives and structure in Haut-Lomami province, DRC. Other relevant documents were sought. Primary sources involved the use of interviews in the form questionnaires. The concern of the research was to investigate the extent to what citizens participate in local governance in Haut-Lomami province, DRC and from what has been contributed by the respondents, the research has made number of reaffirmations. Firstly, the research confirmed the lack of the political will by ruling party and legislators or policymakers to allow women to access to the decision-making bodies and the researcher has therefore concluded that the effective or full implementation of gender equality or parity as it is mentioned in the 2006 DRC’s Constitution is an only way to fight against women’s discrimination, exclusion and marginalization in public institutions in the Haut-Lomami local government, Democratic Republic of the Congo.