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Author: Frida Trotter

The impact of war on women has only become a subject of analysis in recent times, despite the pervasive nature of war throughout human history. Given the continuing efforts to achieve gender equality, also in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, and ongoing violent conflicts globally, this remains a highly relevant issue. 

In a webinar titled , we explored the ways in which women are affected by conflict, global policies to support them, and the value of gender analysis of war and its effects. 

War substantially burdens the efforts to advance and achieve gender equality, enshrined in UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5: Gender Equality. Like the other Goals, SDG 5 is projected to miss its 2030 deadline. In November 2024, I chaired a webinar that explored gender equality in times of war, with expert inputs on the challenges facing gender equality in the context of conflict. The discussion highlighted the crucial need to persist in our efforts towards achieving gender equality.

Dr Phoebe Donnelly from the International Peace Institute introduced the policy frameworks that enforce gender equality in times of war, focusing on the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda. Professor Aisling Swaine from Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin, discussed the evolution of recognising and addressing the specific harms women face in conflict over the past four decades. And Professor Dr Paula Banerjee from the Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand, explored displacement around war and its effect on women particularly.

The panellists discussed the institutional understanding of violence against women in times of war, how systematic violent acts are legally criminalised, and measures to prevent them, to support the recovery of victims, and to protect potential victims from such events in current armed conflicts. The discussion also touched upon forced displacement, coercion, and poverty, which are other phenomena that affect women also before and after armed conflicts take place.?

Acknowledging the specificities of gender-based violence in times of war sheds light on a set of phenomena that have been largely overlooked in history but that ought to be considered independently.

Focusing on women: Legal framework to address the impact of war on women

War is one of the plagues of humanity. Analyses of its effects, though, have never been measured on women specifically before the 20th century. The violence women are subjected to during and around armed conflicts was not considered anything different from an inevitable and ordinary byproduct of war.?But acknowledging the specificities of gender-based violence in times of war sheds light on a set of phenomena that have been largely overlooked in history but that ought to be considered independently.?

UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security constitutes the very first official legal framework that explicitly urges the member states of the UN to adopt various measures to ensure the protection of women in armed conflicts and the respect of their human rights. This four-page document acknowledges the disproportionate impact of war on women and girls. It calls for increased participation of women in peace-keeping and negotiating roles; recognises systematic gender-based violence as an international crime; emphasises the need for its prevention and protection; and advocates for relief and recovery measures for affected parties. 

Resolution 1325¡¯s focus on sexual violence has played a pivotal role in casting light upon the specific harm suffered overwhelmingly by women in war contexts. Its categorisation as a crime against humanity, rather than as a normal war affair, has led to considerable progress in our understanding of warfare at large.?¡°The framework for Women, Peace, and Security matters because it has a nearly 25-year legacy of ensuring women and girls are not overlooked in discussions about peace and security,¡± said Dr Donnelly in her remarks.

The gender framework for analysing war: Deepening our understanding of war

Reclassifying systematic sexual violence in armed conflicts as a human rights violation is a major step towards gender equality, recognising women and girls as equal human beings deserving of equal rights and treatment, even during war.  

By starting to focus on some of the experiences specific to the female population, it has been possible to use gender more generally as a lens through which to understand war. Gender can be a crucial parameter alongside others to gain a deeper understanding of warfare. For instance, by considering the different dynamics and behaviour at play when women and girls are involved, it has been possible to develop a more fine-grained understanding of warfare dynamics and its consequences also on men and boys.?? 

¡°Gender and gender inequality provide a lens to see more of what occurs in armed conflict. Scholars and activists globally argue that without a gender analysis, we do not fully understand the situation. Gender helps us identify factors contributing to the violence women experience,¡± Professor Swaine explained in the webinar.

The effects and damages of war have traditionally focused on the battlefield, so it is understandable that men are chiefly the casualties. It required a strong narrative shift to include also the crimes and effects that are mostly unique to women.

Tracing the boundaries of war: How and what constitutes ¡°war¡±

Although sexual violence has been a primary focus of the first legal resolutions to address violence against women in war, it is by no means the only form of gender-based violence that occurs in times of conflict. Displacement and migration, which have the worst effects on the weaker parts of the population, often including women. 

The effects and damages of war have traditionally focused on the battlefield, so it is understandable that men are chiefly the casualties. It required a strong narrative shift to include also the crimes and effects that are mostly unique to women and that take place in the surrounding of the ¡°main event¡± to be considered.  

What constitutes the ¡°actual war¡± and what are its boundaries? When does the conflict start and end, and which territories and populations does it involve? With the inclusion of gender analysis, it is clear to understand that this picture of war as something with its spatial and temporal borders traced exclusively by physical combat is deeply flawed.? 

The aftermath of conflict, after physical combat has ended, still constitutes an unsafe and violent period of transition. Often, violence continues to be perpetrated in these periods.?¡°Displacement is an inevitable result of conflict. It always happens before, during, and after conflict. Women are getting progressively displaced as a result of war and conflict,¡± said Professor Banerjee in the webinar. ¡°When we talk about war being an intersectional event, what we mean by intersectionality ¨C like race, like gender, like religion ¨C is actually fractures in the system. And as a result of these fractures, certain groups of women are displaced.¡± 

Recognising the widespread effects of war ¡ª specifically on women ¡ª and understanding the value of gender as an analytical lens can profoundly reshape how we perceive armed conflicts and contributes to the fine-tuning of institutional and legal mechanisms designed to protect victims and prevent future atrocities.?

The importance of including a gender perspective for understanding wars

Recognising the widespread effects of war ¡ª specifically on women ¡ª and understanding the value of gender as an analytical lens can profoundly reshape how we perceive armed conflicts and their impact on global communities. This perspective not only enhances our grasp of war strategies but also contributes to the fine-tuning of institutional and legal mechanisms designed to protect victims and prevent future atrocities.? 

Increasing our awareness of the disproportionate toll war takes on women and girls allows us to better comprehend the complexities of global conflicts. When the awareness of these facts spreads, and they become part of collective knowledge, we all have the power to shift the narrative and drive meaningful change. 

Watch the for the insightful presentations and enlightening discussion.

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Paula Banerjee is the IDRC Endowed Research Chair on Gender and Forced Displacement at the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok. She has led numerous international research initiatives on gender, migration, and forced displacement.

Phoebe Donnelly is a Senior Fellow at the International Peace Institute, New York, where she leads the Women, Peace, and Security program. She holds a PhD in International Relations from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, MA, USA.

Aisling Swaine is Professor of Peace, Security, and International Law at University College Dublin¡¯s Sutherland School of Law. She holds a PhD in law and has received a prestigious €2 million European Research Council Grant for her work on gendered harm and coercive control in conflict contexts.