Gender and Security

The diversity of this subject underscores the significance of applying an intersectional gender perspective in both policy and practice within all defence and security sectors. The promotion of gender equality and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda is essential for achieving lasting peace and security solutions.

With the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000, the international community recognised the need to assess:

• The role of women in conflict prevention;
• Women's participation in peacebuilding;
• The protection of the rights of women and girls during and after conflict; and,
• Women's specific needs during repatriation, resettlement and for rehabilitation, reintegration and post-conflict reconstruction.

Gender is an often-overlooked social construction that shapes every individual’s understanding and experience of defence and security. Our work fosters a stronger understanding of the gendered dynamics of a wide range of peace and security policies and practices. We highlight the need for an intersectional gender mainstreaming approach recognising that gender intersects with other key identity factors such as race, class, age, ability, etc. and that identity-based inequality is often compounding – especially in conflict situations.