Gender Studies

The Necessity and Utility of a Gender Perspective in Armed Conflicts and Natural Disasters: An Introductory Overview.

The United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda has emerged over the past decade and a half as a significant cross-cutting thematic program for achieving global peace and security.

Between November 2018 and November 2019, the primary author conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 100 Syrian women in Jordan and Lebanon – host countries for large numbers of Syrian refugees (along with many Palestinian and Iraqi refugees) – and in Australia. The women were between the ages of 18 and 63; most were in their 30s and 40s. The primary author also interviewed people working with Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.

The purpose of this report is to identify the lessons learned and emerging best practices of UN Member States committed to the implementation of this agenda through National Action Plans (NAPs).

This paper presents a snapshot of what it is like to be a Syrian woman in transition in Jordan or Lebanon. In 2019 we investigated the lives of these women to find out what challenges they face and the conditions, policies and structures that help or hinder their opportunities.

Women’s leadership and collective action have changed the world by combatting violence against women and building equality. Women’s leadership is central to reconciliation and conflict resolution and to peacebuilding efforts that bring results for families and communities.

We need the powerful outcomes generated by the United Nations Security Council’s Women, Peace and Security agenda to assist us as we reconstitute our societies and institutions, and as we resist the temptation to allow conflict to take root in the uncertainty we are all facing.

Between November 2018 and November 2019, we conducted semi-structured interviews in Jordan and Lebanon, primarily in Arabic, with 100 women between the ages of 18 and 63 (most in their 30s and 40s). Our previous paper provides a snapshot of their personal experiences, showing the multi-faceted reality and diverse situations Syrian women face.