Willing and Able: Power Dynamics and Women’s Representation in Peace Processes

Abstract

How do women advocate for their self-interests in heavily masculinized high-level peace and security negotiations? In this dissertation, I conceptualize and measure power dynamics governing negotiations, and I test the conditions under which individual women secure explicit provisions for women. Using multimethod research combining statistical analysis, experiments, process tracing, and case studies, I find that women’s involvement in negotiations increases the likelihood that peace agreements contain explicit provisions for women. However, women’s descriptive representation (percentage of women in the room) is not enough to secure women’s substantive representation (explicit provisions for women). Rather, women must have the ability to influence agreement outcomes and the willingness to advocate for women. Specifically, women’s substantive representation also necessitates: 1) women’s access to positions of power within negotiations and 2) local contexts that are amenable to women’s advocacy. By identifying additional variables necessary for women’s substantive representation, my findings offer nuance to theories that view conflict and peace negotiations as opportunities for women’s advancement. Additionally, my findings can be leveraged to refine gender quota and United Nations Women, Peace and Security policies. While current policies focus on increasing the number of unrepresented groups, my findings suggest that effective representation requires increasing groups’ ability to alter outcomes. This dissertation aims to progress the fields of Women, Peace and Security, and gender and negotiation, and offer insights into diplomacy and representation more broadly.