We the Women: Why Conflict Mediation is not just a Job for Men

This opinion paper finds that of the senior conflict mediators involved in peace processes, very few are women, and analyzes why this is a problem. First, the paper seeks out where the women mediators are, analyzing the predominantly political and diplomatic path that leads to a career as a senior conflict mediator. Then, it reviews the arguments most commonly used to explain this structural discrimination: the family factor, the choices women make, and the masculine nature of violent conflict and its protagonists. Finally, the paper gives options for action to counter the institutional inertia and indifference, and the conscious and unconscious prejudice which it exposes.

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