WOMEN AND POST-CONFLICT SETTINGS

This chapter explores what is known about the effects of including or excluding women from post-conflict decision making. Given the profound effect of war on women and those whom women care for, it may seem obvious that women should not be sidelined during negotiations to bring the conflict to an end. The greatest threats in the post-conflict period include violence, disease, and famine. An understanding of the dynamics of the post-conflict period must start with the realization that in terms of gender-based violence, while men may perceive a discontinuity between peacetime and wartime, women perceive a continuum. A number of studies show a linkage between the security of women and the security of states. An examination of the situation and agency of women in post-conflict situations includes both practical and strategic considerations. The chapter suggests that efforts to involve women in peace processes, both in civil peace-building associations and in formal negotiations improve peace duration and governance.