GENDER AND SUSTAINABLE PEACE-BUILDING IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

Abstract

One major challenge in contemporary society has been how to achieve sustainable peace for national development. Conflict resolution and peace-building efforts have tended largely to be either gender-neutral or resort to simplistic stereotyping of women, alongside children, as victims, home makers, weak and vulnerable groups, while men are seen as foot soldiers for aggression, violence and conflict. This contrasting characterization of femininity and masculinity along the binary opposites of peace and aggression respectively tends to undermine the realization of the full potentials in the agency of both genders in peace processes and conflict resolution. A truly gendered approach to peace-building, therefore, requires a comprehensive analysis of the variety of roles which men and women play in relation to peace and conflict resolution processes. This paper, therefore, critically reexamines existing gender gaps in peace-building initiatives and processes in contemporary society. The reflective qualitative research method with content analysis of secondary data was deployed. The paper argues that sustainable peace-building requires a more gender inclusive framework in conflict resolution processes and peace initiatives.