Women In Security

Calling for women’s inclusion in security sector reform

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.

SecurityWomen recognises that goals in the post 2015 development agenda, which aim to eradicate poverty and prevent environmental degradation, require progress towards a more peaceful world in which gender equality is an essential component. No development can take place where there is conflict. SecurityWomen raises awareness of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 which reaffirms the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace-building. National Action Plans (NAPs) are the means to bring about action in this sphere, and SecurityWomen highlights best practice examples in how to develop comprehensive and meaningful NAPs.

Latest news

Where Are All the U.S. Coast Guard’s Mid-Career Women Going?

April 12, 2018: The U.S. Coast Guard has had great success with training women. The Coast Guard Academy is nearly 40 percent women, the highest of any military academy. But after 10 and 12 years of service among our female officers there is a loss of nearly 50 percent per year. The Coast Guard commissioned a study to find out why that particular group is atrophying; especially when the service’s other retention rates are so high.

Why We Need Women in the Military

April 6, 2018: Saudi Arabia’s decision to allow women to serve in the military – part of its Vision 2030 economic-reform program – has been widely celebrated as a step forward for gender parity in the notoriously unequal kingdom. In this article, Quratulain Fatima, one of the first women to join the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), discusses her experiences and the hurdles that Saudi women are likely to face as they begin to enlist.

U.S. Air Force’s First All-Female C-130 Hercules Crew to Fly in Combat

April 5, 2018: On September 26, 2005, six women assigned to the 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron under the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, made history and became the first all-female C-130 Hercules crew to fly in combat. More than a decade later, a few members of the group reflected on their experience.

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Articles & Publications

The Private Security Monitor

The University of Denver, in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) has a research project which monitors private security across the world.

The Future of Warfighter Conference, November 2017, London

The Future of Warfighter Conference was held by RUSI, Royal United Services Institute on 23 November 2017. The event took place at the Institute`s WhiteHall building. The conference brought together 11 professionals to share their experiences and to debate the future developments of the British Military. This report aims to provide a brief background of speeches and more importantly, to identify the discourse in relation to gender and women`s inclusion in military recruitment.

Cyber-security as a career for girls

Lucy Owen, A-level student from Stroud High School, Gloucestershire, UK, talks about Cyber-Security as a career. She is present at the 61st Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women 2017 (CSW) in New York

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