Paper Example on Women's Peace

Introduction

Women may not have been actively involved in the battlefield but their role in the build-up to peace after the conflicts have a significant impact on the peace process as well as in sustaining the new found peace. During the war, women provided a backup for men who went to the battlefield offered them hope for something to come back to after the war. The women took care of the children and the men, who were exposed to traumatic events, either were hurt physically emotionally, or psychotically, or witnessed death in the battlefield. Women offered the men stability when they came back home. Back home, women provided the "motherly" love for their husbands who were weary from the battlefield. In the absence of the men who were out in the field, women were the new heads of families; they were also combatants while some women were either freedom fighters or providers

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After the wars were over, the men did not only come home to loving wives but came back home to a new world where awakened women were fighting for either quality and representation in various areas including civil service, lawmaking. After the war, women moved beyond the humanitarian front of the narrative as they influenced the peacebuilding process as they fought for the newly defined peace beyond the lack of violent conflicts. For example, the newly defined peace was found in inclusion, representation, good governances and justice. For example, whenever cases such as genocide are discussed, the plight of women during genocide is prioritized. Major problems in the post era included impunity and security and these are the areas in which the women played a vital role in addressing (Brouneus, 2014).

The Dilemma for Peace

Should women call for retribution to avenge the deaths of their kins to rebuke their husbands and government for going to war? This is the dilemma for peace that is implied this topic of interest. Women played roles that supported and violence. For example, they cold on to their heads and sons to go to the battlefield to protect their families. They also called upon their men to help them fight for their equality and fair representation. The women participated in various talks that lead to the electoral legislation, as their lack of participation in those talks would have significantly affected their participation in politics as either voters or candidates. It is also important to note that women's votes during elections were important in tipping the scales in favours of the leaders who would promote peace. In almost all countries, the population of women is higher than that of men, therefore, the percolation in the election and social reforms has a major impact on their outcomes of those reforms (Bjarnegard and Melander, 2011). Women had the tyranny of numbers in most elections and their participation as votes influenced the voter turnout an outcome.

Women's psychological health and attitudes towards war also contributed to the faster resolution to end wars and focus on peacebuilding. Women's participation in post-war talks significantly improved the prospects for peace. Women played an important role in calling for state-driven truth and reconciliation process in Rwanda after the war. While men were unforgiving, women stepped up to their men and children to ask for or accept messages of peace and forgiveness. Most women had to forgive the killers of their husbands and children in post-genocide Rwanda. It is also evident that without women's pressure on their society leaders, the second wave of genocide would have erupted as men came face to face with their husband' and children's killers. All the mothers had a stake for peace and should play a role in transitional justice.

The adage "women's peace" and "men's war" clearly expresses the implied notion of the women's role in peacebuilding. While men are portrayed bold warriors, women are portrayed as nurturing, creative and peaceful. While this dichotomy was created in media, politics, education as well as socialization, the role of the women in building the post-war peace cannot be understated (Bjorkdahl and Mannergren Selimovic, 2013).It is the duty of the government to provide strong incentives for women to participate in elections, social reforms and policy development. Women can effectively draw on their skills, assets and all forms of capacities availed to them in the predominantly oppressive patriarchal systems to promote peacebuilding. From the anti-discrimination convention, and a wide range of international legal instruments, the women played a major role in setting up mechanisms for initiated new reforms for the recognition of human rights (Tripp, 2016).

Women can support sustaining peace in the post-war era if they are given adequate evidence on the benefits of sustaining peace. His government should also provide them with strong incentive to participate in sustaining peace. Women not only succeed in fighting for their rights. From the three feminist waves to women suffrage, and affirmative action, it is clear that women can significantly support sustainable peace initiatives. Women can and should not only participate in peace talks but also hold a senior position in peace tribunals, transitional mediation and reconciliation including constitutional amendments. They should be tasked with implementing and advocating for peace in which they have a stake.

References

Bjarnegard, E. and Melander, E. (2011). Disentangling gender, peace and democratization: the negative effects of militarized masculinity. Journal of Gender Studies, 20(2), pp.139-154.

Bjorkdahl, A. and Mannergren Selimovic, J. (2013). Gendered Justice Gaps in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Human Rights Review, 15(2), pp.201-218.

Brouneus, K. (2014). The Women and Peace Hypothesis in Peacebuilding Settings: Attitudes of Women in the Wake of the Rwandan Genocide. Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society, 40(1), pp.125-151.

Tripp, A. (2016). Women's Movements and Constitution Making after Civil Unrest and Conflict in Africa: The Cases of Kenya and Somalia. Politics & Gender, 12(01), pp.78-106.