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Women's Agency in Conflict Settings: Evidence from Peace Agreements

Author

Listed:
  • Carolyn Chisadza

    (Department of Economics, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa)

  • Matthew W. Clance

    (Department of Economics, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa)

  • Romuald Meango

    (Department of Economics, University of Oxford, Manor Road Building, Manor Road, Oxford, OX1 3UQ, United Kingdom)

  • Charl van Schoor

    (Department of Economics, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa)

Abstract

Women's agency continues to be disproportionately threatened in conflict settings, derailing significant progress made by nations to address gender equality. Moreover, the limitations of women's participation in peace processes and decision-making compounds their insecure positions during and in the post-conflict phase. This study examines the association between peace agreements and women's agency in conflict settings by creating a gender bias score (higher score indicating female bias) from the language used in peace agreements spanning the past three decades. We also explore associations between the gender bias score and women's agency. The preliminary results indicate that the gendered language in the peace agreements has a somewhat positive association with women's agency, suggesting that the frameworks may be more gender-sensitive than gender-transformative. We also find that this association is stronger in countries with longer duration of peace processes. We believe that the findings from this study can contribute further to the dialogue surrounding women's agency in conflict settings.

Suggested Citation

  • Carolyn Chisadza & Matthew W. Clance & Romuald Meango & Charl van Schoor, 2025. "Women's Agency in Conflict Settings: Evidence from Peace Agreements," Working Papers 202510, University of Pretoria, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:pre:wpaper:202510
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    conflict; peace agreements; agency; gender; women's welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F51 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Conflicts; Negotiations; Sanctions
    • F53 - International Economics - - International Relations, National Security, and International Political Economy - - - International Agreements and Observance; International Organizations
    • K38 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Human Rights Law; Gender Law; Animal Rights Law

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