Can gender equality prevent violent conflict?

Gender equality is an essential factor in a country's security and stability. Excluding women from actively participating in society can increase the risk of instability. Gender equality is not only about doing what is right or about social justice; it is also an important element in economic development and a critical predictor of stability and security, which can inform and improve work on conflict prevention.

Research on women, peace, and security provides strong evidence that women's empowerment and gender equality are associated withmore peacefuland stable outcomes (see figure 1). Such findings include:

Violence against women is apredictorof whether a society is generally prone to violent conflict.

The larger the gender gap (defined as the differences in experiences and opportunities between men and women), the more likely a country is to be involved in inter- and intrastateconflictand to use violence as a first response in a conflict setting.

The higher the level of violence against women, the more likely a country may be to not comply with international norms and treaty agreements, and the less peacefully it will operate in the internationalsystem.

Higher gender equality corresponds with a country's lower likelihood of using military force to resolve disputes with othercountries.

The severity of violence used in international conflict decreases with higher genderequality.

Countries with low human rights standards, including low standards regarding gender equality, are more likely to have militarized and violent interstatedisputes.