War Can Boost Women's Power — But Often Only Temporarily

🔍 What’s the Question and Why It’s Contested

How do periods of conflict and peace shape women's empowerment worldwide? Existing work shows gender inequalities can increase the risk of armed conflict, but attention to the reverse direction is uneven. Some scholars argue that militarization and external threat entrench male dominance; others contend warfare can upend gender hierarchies. This study traces how both the anticipation of war and the lived experience of war alter women’s opportunities for influence.

📊 Using Cross‑National Data From 1900–2015

• Developed observable implications linking wartime preparation and wartime experience to changes in gender power.
• Tested these implications with cross‑national data spanning 1900 to 2015.

🧭 Mechanisms: How Preparing For and Experiencing War Reshape Gender Power

• Preparation for war can change social roles and resource allocations before combat begins.
• Wartime experiences can produce role shifts across society (e.g., women taking on economic, civic, or public positions) that alter everyday gender relations.
• War can also catalyze political shifts—opening windows for institutional reform and gender mainstreaming during peace processes.
• Conversely, militarization and persistent threats can reinforce male dominance, creating competing dynamics.

📈 Key Findings

• In the short and medium term, warfare often disrupts social institutions and is associated with increases in women’s empowerment.
• The primary pathways for these increases are role shifts across society and political changes triggered by war.
• Institutional reforms and gender mainstreaming enacted during peace processes can leave enduring legacies for gender power relations, but such reforms alone are often insufficient for lasting change.

🕊️ Why It Matters

These results highlight conflict and peace as pivotal moments for gendered political change. Peace processes that intentionally reform institutions and mainstream gender offer important opportunities to alter power relations, yet sustained and broader efforts are typically required to secure permanent advances in women’s empowerment.