Opinions & Insights

New America conducted an extensive study in which they found a lack of gender perspective among policymakers in national security, though it did not arise out of a lack of interest. Rather, the individuals they surveyed lacked the knowledge and confidence necessary to tackle gender – an issue that c...

Our Notes From The Field series has been designed to highlight the opinions and advice of Women, Peace and Security experts around the world. In this series, we hope to bring attention not only to the tireless work they’ve been doing, but also to their plans for the future.

For anyone who has ever wanted to feel more connected to WPS, the (free!) Women, Peace and Security app from PeaceWomen is a fantastic resource. It offers something for everyone, at every level of personal and professional involvement.

Traditionally, men are assumed to be experts, the voice of authority, and the leader, while women with equal, and, frequently, greater competence and actual authority, are “second-guessed and (deemed) untrustworthy.

There is also a growing body of work on the participation of women in peacekeeping forces for improved intelligence gathering, a critical component to a successful peacekeeping operation.

Opportunities for women to participate in the economy will improve their earning potential, assisting families to move out of poverty and contribute to the economy.

Evidence indicates that mothers are uniquely positioned in terms of access and proximity to their children, and that they are a key partner in counter-violence strategies.

In spite of the tangible threat that social media poses to peace and security worldwide, substantive discussions of women’s role in combatting this risk are scarce. Unfortunately, whether by exclusion or accidental omission, information relating to the use and effectiveness of social media in modern...

While the issue of online violence may sound quite abstract, the malicious use of social media can, and has, posed a tangible threat.

Women are more likely to experience increased violence in the wake of disasters such as floods and earthquakes. They also take on the overwhelming, when droughts force their husbands and sons to leave home to find work.

Women in conflict situations and fragile states are using social media tools in many ways.

Over the past several years, the meteoric rise of social media has been an integral part of uprisings and revolutions across the globe.

Just as “political equality” for women is about improving women’s political rights and increasing the participation of women in decision-making, security equality is about “the distribution of protection between men and women.”

I’m often asked, “What is a good tool to use to do a quick gender analysis?” Here’s a simple gender analysis tool to keep in your back pocket.

If your boss hands you the latest brief on food security, police reform, or democratic elections, and then asks you to apply a gender perspective to the brief—here’s some help!