Micro-level Impacts of Conflict and Aid on Men's and Women's Attitudes in Uganda

• In Event: Gendered Implications of War

Abstract

While conflict is often harmful for women, recent scholarship proposes that conflict creates political and economic opportunities for women. How does exposure to conflict affect men’s and women’s attitudes on women’s rights? While international actors may play a key role in shaping post-conflict institutions to favor women's rights, programs to support gender equality often overlook men and thus, men may not receive similar pressure to change their gendered beliefs. This may coincide with the concurrent influence of conflict on men, which often increases hypermasculinity. Therefore, while women exposed to both conflict and international aid may be more gender equitable, men are less likely to be positively impacted. Using Demographic Health Survey data, this analysis compares the influence of conflict and aid at the micro-level on individual responses on women's rights. The results demonstrate that while exposure to conflict in the absence of aid worsens women's attitudes towards gender equality, dual exposure to both conflict and aid increases women’s gender equitable beliefs. Men, on the other hand, do not alter their attitudes. This paper clarifies the pathway through which conflict and international actors promote gender equality, while cautioning the heterogeneous impacts on different members of society that can limit the sustainability of post-conflict improvements in women's rights.

Author

• Laura Huber, Emory University