Gender perspectives have been used in human security research and policy making for some time. But there has been a tendency not to address their practical applications. How should research tools incorporate gender ideologies so as to offer an effective guide to policy making?
This article for African Security Review, written by a member of the African Women’s Anti-War Coalition, explains why gender perspectives on violence matter. Old-fashioned views that equate men with war and women with peace building, which define men as aggressors and women as victims, are deconstructed. It is argued instead that both genders occupy complex positions during war and peace, with violence as a constant fact of life. Failure to acknowledge this, and to examine how gender ideology is manipulated in support of violence can result in doomed peace efforts. Gender-aware research should facilitate successful post- war reconstruction by analysing the complexity of gender issues in conflict zones, and offering practical proposals on how women can participate in peace building.
Women and men are affected differently by war, although often not in ways dictated by traditional gender perceptions. Examples show how analysing these differences can provide useful information for policy making:
- Women often acquire ‘non-traditional’ skills during war, but afterwards their newfound potential to contribute to the economy is ignored. Women’s capabilities should be recognised, while taking care not to incite resentment.
- The widespread use of firearms underpins violence against women in conflict zones, but it should not be assumed that women are simply ‘victims’. In fact, their role is to support the arms culture, and they may even use firearms too.
- Women who participate in armed combat are often regarded as ‘unnatural’, and therefore overlooked during demobilisation. Their needs must be addressed if gender inequality is to be overcome.
- Women can be protected through opportunities to participate in post-war reconstruction. They should be included at all stages, and promoted as leaders.
Gender-aware research offers a tool to examine the many roles women can occupy before, during and after war. Findings should be used in constructing post-conflict policies that fully include women, thereby increasing the chance of successful peace building. Policy pointers are that:
- Women have a complex relationship with war that is not restricted to common perceptions of them as victims and peace-builders.
- Their role as economic actors, and sometimes combatants, must be addressed.
- They should be permitted and encouraged to participate in all post-war political procedures, with the aim of transforming current social structures that perpetuate violence.
