Fredsprocessernas kvinnor. En kvalitativ analys av kvinnors deltagande i fredsprocesser och dess bidrag till hållbar fred.

Abstract

Women’s participation in peace processes has been given attention by scholars, and it is now well established that the inclusion of women promotes durable peace. Despite the recognition of their important role, women’s actual participation is rare. Previous studies have been focusing on motivating the inclusion of women rather than specifying what it is in women’s participation that generates durable peace. This thesis therefore seeks to theoretically define previous scholars’ explanations on how women contribute to durable peace, and to empirically examine four cases of peace processes of which two are categorized as sustained peace, and two as failed peace. This study indicates that women’s participation in peace processes on formal as well as on informal levels can influence the peace agreements and thereby contribute to durable peace. This study makes a valuable contribution to the current research by systematically comparing four cases of peace processes whereas previous research has mainly studied one or two cases. However, this research field requires further research in order to identify more distinct trends and explain in what way women contribute to durable peace.