The role of gender in inclusive peacemaking: women negotiators' strategies to overcome gender inequality at the table

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21647259.2026.2644692

This article explores how women negotiators navigate the challenges associated with gender discrimination in official peace negotiations. Drawing on interviews with 21 women negotiators from 14 countries, the study identifies strategies they employ to overcome barriers, asserting their roles as effective peacemakers. By situating these findings within the framework of gendered power dynamics, the study advances the discourse on inclusive peace processes and offers policy recommendations for fostering gender equality at negotiation tables. It also demonstrates that while the inclusion of women at peace tables is vital for achieving descriptive representation, the way they enact their roles is highly dependent on context, and is influenced by various factors, including the intersectionality of woman negotiator identity with other social identities (i.e. political ideology, race, class, and age) as well as the reasons they were selected to participate as negotiators.