ABSTRACT
The arguments for women’s empowerment as a matter of social justice are strong, but unpersuasive within many power structures. Through examining resistance and obstacles to women’s empowerment, the underlying issues created by discriminatory gender power struggles become visible as national security issues. Facts and issues regarding women’s roles in societies most often have been treated as social issues. An understanding of the linkage between gendered issues and security is ignored at the peril of those seeking and supporting lasting peace and stability. The National Action Plan focused on strengthening the protection of women during and after conflict by, for example, working with the United Nations toward increased recruitment of female peacekeepers. Feminist approaches to international relations have tried to understand and change existing gender relations within conventional foundations of the field such as states, sovereignty and realism, though some have tried alternative methodologies.
