The purpose of SecurityWomen is to act as an advocacy organisation for the inclusion of more women in security sector institutions, including the military and police forces. SecurityWomen operates on a global basis.

SecurityWomen aims to highlight news items, academic papers, publications and reports on the subject of Women Peace and Security, and to monitor progress in the development of gender equality in security institutions, in particular, the increase of women in decision-making positions and advances towards a 50:50 gender balance.

Women In Security

Latest News

view all

May 14, 2020

Directory of Female Experts within CAR Defence and Security Forces to Boost Women Leadership

Women in uniform in the Central African Republic are counting on a newly launched Defence Forces Official Directory of Female Experts to help push for better representation of women in decision-making positions. The document, produced with MINUSCA support, was handed over to Prime Minister Firmin Ngrebada at a ceremony held in Bangui on 11 March 2020, just three days after the celebration of International Women’s Day.

United Nations Peacekeeping

May 6, 2020

Women Launch Legal Action to Stop Military Courts Trying U.K. Rape Cases

Three women serving in the armed forces have begun legal action aimed at preventing the military courts from trying UK rape cases, complaining that the conviction rate is five to six times lower than in civilian courts.

The Guardian

May 6, 2020

Men, Women And The Changing Shape Of Military Muscle

This article by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox examines why women’s greater participation in militaries is a good thing. See also publication below by Andrea Tuemmler, ‘‘Women and Gender Perspectives in the Military’ Book Launch at Georgetown University’ dated 12 November 2019.

Forbes

April 30, 2020

U.S. Marine Corps Struggles to Integrate Genders in Boot Camp

Keeping men and women in separate platoons during recruit training is the last stand for the Marine Corps, which has been slow to move toward gender integration.

New York Times

April 24, 2020

Women Leaders Stand Out in Response to Coronavirus

Many of the leaders who have had the most success in containing the current pandemic of Coronavirus are women. From Iceland to Taiwan and from Germany to New Zealand, women are stepping up to show the world how to manage a messy patch for our human family. These leaders are offering us an attractive alternative way of wielding power. What are they teaching us?Truth

Forbes

April 14, 2020

Female Peacekeepers Should be Climbing the Ladder

In a recent interview with DefenceWeb, Bintou Keita, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Africa, discusses the benefits and challenges of bringing more women into peacekeeping.

DefenceWeb

Articles & Publications

view all

Can Women Make a Difference?

May 19, 2020

In this article, SecurityWomen Director Juliet Colman contrasts considerations of gender in the 5-year plans of South Africa's Department of Defence (DOD) and the South African Police Service (SAPS)

by Juliet Colman

‘Be a Force for All’ Recruitment Campaign: the questions we should be asking….

April 8, 2020

Law enforcement in the United Kingdom is organised separately in each of the legal systems of the United Kingdom: England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Most law enforcement is carried out by police officers serving in regional police services (known as territorial police forces) within one of those jurisdictions. These regional services are complemented by UK-wide agencies, such as the National Crime Agency and the national specialist units of certain territorial police forces, such as the Specialist Operations directorate of the Metropolitan Police.

By Claudia Wace

Empathetic Leadership – a Female Super Power

February 25, 2020

As we enter a new year and decade, let us celebrate women by recognizing a special skill that many women have received informal training in, yet do not receive enough credit for. I am referring to empathy, and it is nothing short of a super power that can transform relationships, teams and organizations.

By Roza Bicer

United States Strategy on Women Peace and Security Underestimates Women's Agency

November 12, 2019

The recent United States Strategy on Women, Peace, and Security is a promising first step in implementing the world’s first domestic legislation on the global Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda. Because the Strategy does not go far enough in recognizing women’s agency and participation in security services, we recommend that the departments tasked with implementation of the Strategy pay close attention to: • Recognizing existing women’s advocacy and participation in security and peacebuilding; • Analyzing differences in women’s experiences of conflict and intersecting identities;• Avoiding a narrative that focuses only on women’s victimization; and • Supporting women who are already participating in security services.

By Andrea Tuemmler

'Women and Gender Perspectives in the Military' Book Launch at Georgetown University

November 12, 2019

Dr. Robert Egnell, Dr. Mayesha Alam, and Amb. Melanne Verveer discuss Gender Perspectives and Militarized Masculinities. On 8 November 2019, the Georgetown Institute of Women, Peace, and Security (GIWPS) celebrated the release of the new book ‘Women and Gender Perspectives in the Military’ with a talk by the book’s editors, Dr. Robert Egnell and Dr. Mayesha Alam, moderated by GIWPS Director Ambassador Melanne Verveer.

By Andrea Tuemmler

See the latest events

View events

UK Registered Charity Number 01169486

|   This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

make a donation