Conflict through a Gender Lens

This brief suggests that those seeking an in-depth understanding of the social and political world need to apply a feminist curiosity – that is, a curiosity about the roles gender plays at all levels of human life, including politics. In other words, since gender is central to all inter-personal relationships and influences much of human activity, it clearly needs to be integral to all attempts to understand these. This includes not only situations on the ground but also at the top level of global politics. Finally, the brief demonstrates the important policy implications of using a gender lens in conflict analysis and suggests the penalties for failing to do this may be severe.