Women play an intricate part in creating a peaceful solution in times of conflict. Decreasing access to public services and increasing workloads put women at the center of any conflict. With a UN report stating that 90% of recent war deaths are civilians, versus a century earlier when 95% of war deaths were military combatants, modern wars increasingly affect the populace, with civilians the target of atrocities, including sexual violence towards women and girls; yet when it comes to making peace, most often women find themselves locked out of the peace conferences. Although armed conflict and post-conflict reconstruction processes deeply affect women, they remain largely absent at the peace tables. The role of women in ending violence and restoring peace in Liberia offers a stark contrast to the failed peace efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and resulted in long term stability for the former.



Liberia faced economic and political instability starting with a military coup in 1980 and ended with the significant influence of Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace in 2003. A resentful rebel group sparked the Second Liberian Civil War in 1999 against the government and it banded Liberian women together. The bloody war horrified the nation as soldiers on each side began looting and displacing thousands. They began to increasingly use sexual violence and terrorized the countryside with mass rapes. The shock of violence caused the women to advocate for peace and petition for cease-fire and negotiation talks between opposing sides. Both groups accepted and agreed to meet in Ghana. The women raised money to send a delegation to the peace talks and continued protests. In fact, when talks became stagnant the women blocked the meeting room and prevented anyone from leaving until a consensus formed. Two weeks later, with pressure from the international community, a peace deal was signed.


The women continued their involvement throughout the post-conflict reconstruction in aiding the UN disarmament efforts after prior attempts led to chaos. Women brought an increased legitimacy to the mission, ensuring greater success in post-conflict rebuilding. After witnessing the strong impact the Liberian women had on their society, the World Bank made Liberia its focus country for its Gender Equality as Smart Economics program. The program trained women with the necessary skills to generate income and reduce gender inequality in the post-conflict society. Gender research shows that if Liberia had failed to include women it would have been difficult for international aid organizations to address its gender specific problems. All the efforts of the Liberian women to better their nation culminated on the inauguration of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as the first female president of Liberia and the first elected head of state in Africa. She appointed women in many top cabinet positions, focused in on gender empowerment, and combated corruption. Liberia is slowly recovering from the war, reconciling, and making progress to strengthen the nation. Women not only moved their country towards peace but continue to address the needs of the broader society.



Unlike Liberia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is yet to reach a state of post-conflict stability. The second Congo war broke out in August 1998 and lasted until June 2003 against Laurent Kabila and his successor and son, Joseph Kabila. The war claimed five million lives and, according to UN reports, over 200,000 women have been raped in Congo since 1998 and surveys suggest that up to 39% of women in the nation experienced sexual violence. In an effort towards peace, opposing groups in the conflict met in February 2002 for the Inter-Congolese Dialogue in South Africa to negotiate. Although the DRC had many women’s peace activists, women were inadequately represented; only six female delegates out of 73 and some were specifically instructed by male superiors to refrain from the promotion of gender-related issues. Outside organizations later advocated for the inclusion of more women and the creation of gender targeted programs but the peace talks and gender efforts failed. Later in November 2002, Joseph Kabila returned to meet with his main opponents to reach a peace deal. He brought no women to contribute to the discussion. With 98% of conflict fatalities from treatable diseases, malnutrition, and collapsing health services, women would have highlighted these issues in negotiations. Nonetheless, an agreement was signed that December although smaller conflicts continued as numerous rebel groups roamed the country and casualties remained high. Many complex factors contribute to the continuing violence but the failure to tap into the female perspective on conflict sufferings cannot be ignored.

Since independence, the DRC’s leaders selectively chose unqualified male relatives for top positions instead of appointing qualified candidates hindering the development of efficient institutions. The low number of women involved with the DR Congo’s institutions shows a lack of political will to empower women in decision making. The plight of women reveals itself in other statistics: 1,100 women are raped daily and many accuse the army of violating human rights Human rights experts cited underrepresentation of women in positions of authority as a continued obstacle towards the long-term peace and stability of the DRC.

Both Liberia and the DRC had women’s grassroots organizations fighting for peace, but only Liberia’s flourished into a successful national campaign. First, Liberia’s women’s group overcame differences for a common cause. Christian and Muslim women united together under the leadership of Leymah Gboweee. Also, unlike the DRC, Liberia received international support. When the women blockaded the doors in Ghana, the international community successfully threatened to place aid sanctions if an agreement was not made. Their peace activists also received media coverage and international recognition. The blockade was broadcasted on international stations and their leaders, Gbowee and Johnson-Sirleaf, shared the Nobel peace prize in 2011. The DRC’s women struggled to unite with 400 different ethnic tribes, as well as with sheer size; the DRC’s population is 76 million versus Liberia’s three million. The women of the DRC are frustrated with their invisibility to the international community and sluggish progress. Without recognition and support, their movements will never produce national effects. Often, when foreign aids come to ravage areas, reports only credit the outside company thereby disregarding the efforts of the local women. Even today as the DRC’s conflicts continue there remains relatively little media coverage, limited to the portrayal of victimized Congolese.

Another reason why the DRC faced such horrible atrocities against women, surpassing Liberia, is the pre-war anti-women culture. Women needed husband’s approval for basic tasks, were not protected under law, and were subject to state enforced gender discrimination laws. With women viewed as substandard, dehumanization is made easier.

The 2000 Security Council Resolution 1325 addressed sexual violence during conflict and encouraged women participation in the peace process. Goals of SCR1325 were realized in Liberia because their women’s activist groups received international support and the lesser extent of discrimination allowed female authority in the post-conflict society. The Congolese women face heavy discrimination and its women’s grassroots organizations have failed to rise without a unifying leader or outside support. They struggled to attain decision making powers and faded out from reconstruction legislation.

Liberia and the DRC allow the global community to gain perspective on how to encourage gendered peace. The international community needs to recognize and support grassroots efforts to empower women. Grassroots organizations are multi-faceted to fit the diverse needs of the community, but many don’t have offices or bank accounts and require international funding to thrive. Without recognition of their capabilities, these efforts ultimately fail to achieve national campaign status and women remain excluded from high-stake decision making when ending a conflict and establishing peace.

As a short-term solution, quotas allow marginalized groups to participate in the political process. Expanded education removes the disadvantage uneducated women face when meeting with powerful men at peace tables. Education promotes equality and allows minority groups to obtain economic viability later in life. The proper allocation of funds is also essential to achieving gender equality. Allowing women to become financially independent empowers them to overcome male dominance. Media coverage is also valuable to spreading the women’s message. Though despicable crimes should rightly be reported, it is important not to victimize women. The dedication and abilities of women as change agents should not be overshadowed by the brutality of war.

Gendered approach is not merely inclusion of large numbers of women into decision making, which in itself will not guarantee substantial change. In El Salvador, high ranking female officials were in every stage of the peace process but when negotiating, failed to address concerning issues. Furthermore, power corrupts; and women are not immune to corruption. However, long-term commitment to the promotion of marginalized groups in the conflict resolution and reconciliation processes will prevent future conflict outbreaks or at least minimize senseless violence.

The case studies of Liberia and the DRC show the achievements women can make when they are supported by international organizations and the consequences if not. Gendered peace includes women in the peace process to benefit from their diverse views on critical issues and from their ability to unify, organize, and lead. Empowering underrepresented groups through improvement of socioeconomic conditions and support of their political efforts at the grassroots level can foster a stable, inclusive, and just society conducive of sustainable peace.