Where Are the Women in Peace Mediation?

Abstract

This chapter focuses on women in peace mediation. It explores empirically three set of questions: (1) Where are women mediating and in what type of conflict; (2) what are their organisational basis and rank as mediator; and (3) to what extent are the negotiations leading to agreements, which include gender provisions? The chapter presents a unique dataset, which identifies 36 women acting as mediators in the last two decades in 24 different conflicts around the world. The general trajectories show that women participate in very small numbers as mediators; yet their frequency has increased over time. Nordic, American and African mediators tend to be overrepresented in comparison to other regions. The chapter ends with a discussion on future avenues for research on gender and mediation.