Gender Diversity and International Security: Does Gender Politics Promote Peace?

• In Event: The United Nations and Global Norms

Abstract

Conflict, the most typical issue in the world of international relations, can be influenced by many factors, such as political institutions, economic systems, or social environment. In recent decades, gender has been accepted as a factor of peace promotion in many political studies. However, systematic research on gender and inter-state conflict has been rare. Moreover, a small number of extant researches are often limited to rather anecdotal case studies, lacking systematic-empirical analysis. To fill the gap in existing literature, I analyze how gender diversity influences interstate conflict, by conducting statistical research of women political leaders, women in national parliaments, and societal gender equality and interstate conflict. Regression analysis shows that the proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments affects the probability of interstate conflict. As a result, models reveal a relationship between gender politics and interstate conflict – a country with a higher proportion of women leads to a lower probability of interstate conflict.

Author

• ZHAOYU CHEN, Aoyama Gakuin University