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1. Women’s Empowerment as a Path to Peace Understanding the Relationship between Gender Equality and Organized Violence

Author:
Jeni Klugman, Robert Nagel, and Mariana Viollaz
Publication Date:
03-2021
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
This study explores the relationship between gender inequality and violent conflict at a societal level. The results reveal that narrowing of gender gaps in education, employment, financial inclusion, and political participation, as well as reduced rates of adolescent fertility and intimate partner violence, are significantly associated with lower levels of organized violence. This suggests that advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls not only supports fundamental human rights but builds a solid foundation for a more peaceful world. This study updates and deepens existing research on several fronts. Building on the approach laid out in our Women, Peace, and Security Index, we propose a model that connects three dimensions of gender inequality—the lack of inclusion, justice and security for women—with the intensity of conflict. We develop gender inequality measures for each dimension as proxies of socially constructed gender roles and associated power differentials, taking advantage of improvements in the availability of global data over the past decade. We examine the years 2000–2014, with a measure of organized violence as the outcome variable, against our set of gender inequality measures. Our investigation calculates and compares estimates obtained from fixed as well as random effects models. Unlike some other factors associated with conflict, such as conflict history or mountainous terrain, we know that effectively addressing gender inequality is feasible with deliberate and sustained policy action.
Topic:
Women, Conflict, Violence, Peace, Equality, Empowerment, and Gender
Political Geography:
Global Focus

2. Can the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and International Humanitarian Law Join Forces? Emerging findings and promising directions

Author:
Jeni Klugman, Robert U. Nagel, Mara Revkin, and Orly Maya Stern
Publication Date:
01-2021
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
This report explores overlaps and synergies between International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda, specifically the protection and participation pillars of WPS. A summary of initial findings was presented in a policy brief of the same name in December 2020: Can the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and International Humanitarian Law Join Forces? (Policy Brief). IHL is the body of law that governs armed conflict. It is designed to protect combatants and civilians of all genders by restricting the means and methods of warfare. Although IHL has a track record of meaningfully protecting the rights of people in conflict-affected areas over the past five decades, there are notable shortcomings and blind spots in its ability to address the gendered dimensions of conflict. While the authors of the report do not advocate for the merging of these two agendas, they argue that there is potential to broaden the focus of the WPS protection pillar to ensure women and girls are safe from all forms of violence, and to use IHL to add legal force to the WPS agenda. Three case studies on the militaries of South Africa, Israel, and the United States highlight progress and challenges around WPS implementation and IHL compliance. South Africa is a case in which the military is engaged in peacekeeping operations, with frequent allegations made against it of sexual assault against civilians. The United States is a case in which women’s participation in combat roles has increased significantly in recent years, as well as one in which soldiers are deployed in nonconflict situations (such as partner military training missions and black-site prison facilities) where IHL does not formally apply. Israel has the largest rate of women’s participation of any state military in the world. These cases demonstrate persistent shortcomings but also crucial opportunities to better leverage WPS to promote IHL compliance and improve women’s protection. This research paper is the second in a series of outputs of a research program on the synergies between IHL and WPS at the Georgetown Institute of Women, Peace and Security with support from the Government of Liechtenstein.
Topic:
Security, Women, Peace, and International Humanitarian Law (IHL)
Political Geography:
Israel, South Africa, and United States of America

3. Beijing+25: Accelerating Progress for Women and Girls

Author:
Peace and Security (GIWPS) Georgetown Institute for Women and Jeni Klugman
Publication Date:
09-2020
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
Beijing+25: Accelerating Progress for Women and Girls is a roadmap to advance global gender equality authored by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security (GIWPS), with support from The Rockefeller Foundation and in collaboration with Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton. Marking the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, which took place in Beijing, China in 1995, the new report builds upon the original Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Since 1995, there have been some important gains for women and girls, including parity in education in many countries, far fewer deaths in childbirth, more women elected to parliament and leadership positions in government and business, and reduced discrimination under the law. Yet major inequalities have persisted, only to be exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Part I of the report documents serious challenges such as the stagnation of women’s income and wages, discrimination depriving women of fair wages, and how women still carry the burden of unpaid work at home. Violence against women also remains a global scourge, and women remain largely excluded from decision-making in governments (from local to the highest levels), in peace negotiations, and in corporate leadership. With this as the backdrop, Part II provides a deeper dive into five key areas for progress including: (1) changing problematic gender norms; (2) enforcing and resourcing policies that promote equality; (3) countering growing backlash to gender equality; (4) fostering inclusive democracy and climate justice; and (5) harnessing technology as a means to promote women’s economic empowerment and protection from violence. Part III proposes a course of action to leverage multiple actors—from civil society and youth, male allies and traditional authorities, through to the business community and multilateral agencies. When taken together, they not only accelerate progress for women and girls, but also build a better world for all. The report was written by a GIWPS team led by Dr. Jeni Klugman, Managing Director of GIWPS.
Topic:
Civil Society, Science and Technology, United Nations, Women, Inequality, Income Inequality, Economy, Youth, COVID-19, Girls, Empowerment, and Gender
Political Geography:
Global Focus

4. How Did Conflict Affect Women’s Economic Opportunities in Sub‑Saharan Africa?

Author:
Jeni Klugman and Turkan Mukhtarova
Publication Date:
10-2020
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
Prior research suggests that in times of conflict, women seek paid work for various reasons. But do these shifts last post-conflict? The authors analyze women’s labor force participation and employment trends in six conflict-affected Sub-Saharan African countries: Burundi, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, and Rwanda. The report finds there are significantly higher labor force participation rates among women, both in absolute numbers and relative to men’s participation, in these conflict-affected countries compared to peer countries. However, while conflict expanded women’s economic opportunities, it did not transform or improve the quality of jobs available to them. Most women continue to work in agriculture, often lacking decent working conditions and adequate social security. A deeper investigation of Liberia suggests that conflict-related disruptions expanded women’s economic opportunities. The predicted employment likelihood rose significantly between 1986 (three years before the conflict) and 2007 (four years after the end of the conflict) for all Liberian women, but especially among married women.
Topic:
Economics, Labor Issues, Women, Conflict, Participation, and Opportunity
Political Geography:
Africa, Liberia, Rwanda, Burundi, Chad, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, and Sub-Saharan Africa

5. Women’s Financial Inclusion in a Digital World: How Mobile Phones Can Reduce Gender Gaps

Author:
Raiyan Kabir and Jeni Klugman
Publication Date:
12-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
Globally, only about two-thirds of women own a financial account, compared to about three in four men. In conflict-affected nations, women are 27 percent less likely than men to have a bank account. We present new estimates that greater mobile phone usage among women is associated with much lower gender gaps in financial inclusion: a percentage point lower gender gap in mobile access is associated with a 0.94 lower percentage point financial inclusion gap. This association is much larger than the effects found for reducing gender gaps in employment. Our findings highlight the promise of mobile phones to financially include women in fragile and conflict-affected countries. We also address efforts to close mobile phone gaps, design financial services intentionally for women, eliminate legal discrimination, and establish regulatory and policy frameworks that seek to ensure inclusion. Ultimately, concerted efforts by governments and private sector companies are required to achieve digital financial inclusion and close the gender gap.
Topic:
Women, Conflict, Economic Inequality, Phone, Inclusion, Digital Finance, and Gender
Political Geography:
Global Focus

6. Women’s Financial Inclusion and Economic Opportunities in Fragile and Conflict-Affected States: An overview of challenges and prospects

Author:
Jeni Klugman and Yvonne Quek
Publication Date:
02-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
It is well established that women’s participation is essential for growing economies—and that inclusive growth is critical to creating sustainable peace. Yet women face the most severe economic exclusion in fragile and conflict-affected countries—precisely the nations that critically need their participation. This GIWPS report focuses on financial inclusion as an important tool to economically empower women and speed the pace of recovery after conflict. The report, supported by Bank of America, is the first in a series of Georgetown research studies on advancing women’s economic opportunities in fragile states. The report describes the status of women’s economic participation worldwide. Only 4 in 10 women are in paid work (compared to 7 in 10 men) in the 36 countries classified by the World Bank as fragile and conflict-affected states. The situation is even worse in countries with protracted conflict. Afghanistan has a 60 percentage point gap between male and female employment rates, and Syria and Yemen both have gender gaps of over 50 percentage points. Rates of financial inclusion – access to formal financial services as well as mobile accounts – are also systematically lower for women in fragile and conflict-affected settings, even though these are the conditions where such access is vitally important. “Financial accounts can be a lifeline for women and their families – and can have larger cumulative effects on the economy,” said Dr. Jeni Klugman, managing director of GIWPS. “Surveys suggest a strong demand for financial services among women.” The Georgetown report suggests innovations to formal financial services to make them more accessible to women in difficult environments. Mobile banking accounts, for example, can expand women’s occupational options and increase their consumption, especially given ongoing infrastructure and mobility constraints. Digitized social transfer payments from governments directly into women’s financial accounts can also be a route to inclusion with multiple benefits. “Emerging evidence shows that the private sector can play an integral role in addressing the unmet financial needs of women in fragile and conflict-affected countries,” adds Yvonne Quek, the Clinton-McLarty research fellow at GIWPS. Future research by GIWPS will focus on what is working to create economic opportunities for women in conflict-affected countries. GIWPS will use case study methods to underscore successful approaches to advance women’s economic opportunities and financial inclusion.
Topic:
Women, Finance, Conflict, Peace, Inclusion, and Opportunity
Political Geography:
Global Focus

7. Gang Violence as Organized Violence: Implications for the WPS Index

Author:
Mariana Viollaz and Jeni Klugman
Publication Date:
02-2019
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
In this note, we experiment with potential improvements on the measurement of violence in the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Index to better reflect the reality on the ground in countries experiencing high levels of gang violence. First, we propose an extension to the measure of conflict from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program—currently the most comprehensive measure of organized violence—by including a more accurate number of deaths associated with gang violence alongside “battle deaths.” We show what difference this would make to WPS Index rankings for a set of four Central American countries and Mexico.
Topic:
Security, Women, Violence, Peace, and Gangs
Political Geography:
Central America and Mexico

8. Working to Empower Girls in Nigeria: Highlights of the Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises (ENGINE) Program

Author:
Jeni Klugman, Jennifer Parsons, and Tatiana Melnikova
Publication Date:
05-2018
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS)
Abstract:
The Coca-Cola Company, together with the UK Department for International Development and local partners, undertook a multifaceted effort to educate and economically empower marginalized Nigerian girls, who face significant social and cultural barriers to realizing their potentials. The program offered training, mentoring, and support to girls aged 16-19 in four Nigerian states who were out of school or at risk of dropping out of school or facing an early marriage. An important component involved efforts to shift traditional norms among community leaders and others, to help open up opportunities for girls. This report from Georgetown’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security – which reviewed evaluations of the program – concluded that the results were encouraging on a number of fronts. More than 10,000 out-of-school participants (out of 13,024) were linked to employment as a result of the program, with more than half joining the Coca-Cola value chain. Program participants were more likely to run their own business or manage a business, hold a savings account, and report higher levels of self confidence and better knowledge of the skills required to run a small business compared to non-participants. “The results highlight the potential to empower girls, even in very challenging circumstances, with the support of partners that deliberately address overlapping constraints,” said Dr. Jeni Klugman, managing director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. “We also welcome the focus on rigorous evaluation of the program, to better understand what works, as well as persistent constraints.” The Educating Nigerian Girls in New Enterprises (ENGINE) program is part of The Coca-Cola Company’s 5by20 program, designed to leverage the company’s resources and reach to empower five million female entrepreneurs along its value chain by 2020. “Women and girls are a central pillar in global development,” said Ambassador Melanne Verveer, executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. “Many companies, including The Coca-Cola Company, have been playing leadership roles to improve the status of women, to accelerate economic opportunities, and to enhance sustainable development.” The ENGINE program ran from 2014-2016 and involved multiple partners: The Coca-Cola Company, Nigerian Bottling Company, Mastercard Foundation, Nike Foundation, and the UK Department for International Development’s Girls’ Education Challenge. Mercy Corps led the implementation of ENGINE, with support from Girl Effect Nigeria, d.light solar social enterprise, Action Health Incorporated, Community Action for Popular Participation, and Society for Women and Development and the Empowerment of Nigeria. Reports and data were collected by Preston Health Care Consulting Ltd.
Topic:
Development, Education, Women, Girls, Empowerment, and Schools
Political Geography:
Africa and Nigeria