A Voice at the Table: How Women in Peace Processes Shape Political Representation

Abstract

Women’s political representation is a key indicator of peace and stability in postconflict states, but we do not yet fully understand the factors that lead to sustained increases in women’s representation after conflict. This article proposes and tests a new variable affecting changes in women’s legislative representation in postconflict states: types of women’s participation in the peace process. Using multivariate regressions, this study finds that local women’s participation in high-influence roles and in both Track I and II processes significantly increases women’s representation after conflict, while international women in peace processes do not. Women’s movements only increase women’s representation after conflict in combination with local women in peace processes. These findings illustrate one important outcome of local women’s inclusion in peace processes and highlight the importance of inclusive peace processes for postconflict democratic outcomes.