ABSTRACT
This chapter consolidates key insights and lessons across ten issue areas. Scholars have made great strides in analyzing gender-security issues starting in the latter decades of the 20th century. The track record in the policy world is mixed. The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) movement and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have established targets and frameworks for advancing these priorities. Even so, policy progress has been uneven, especially at the national level. Although there is variation from issue to issue and especially from country to country, there are two striking commonalties when it comes to gender-security dynamics: the obstacles to progress and the main drivers of progress are the same. The main obstacles to progress are the male-dominated institutions that are deeply entrenched in human affairs – patriarchies. The main drivers of progress have been women activists and women’s rights organizations that have focused on security problems and gender issues. Going forward, strategic priorities will continue to be gender balancing, gender mainstreaming and the integration of true gender perspectives in policymaking. Changing balances of power is never easy. The campaign to advance gender equality and gender-security issues is a contest to change the ultimate balance of power.
