ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to bring together the largely separate debates within feminist and empirical research on the development and the security component of post-conflict reconstruction. It explains the major theoretical and methodological divides between these debates and suggests synergies to promote further academic and policy research on gender mainstreaming and post-conflict reconstruction. The chapter describes post-conflict reconstruction and gender mainstreaming before examining gender mainstreaming and development. It analyzes gender mainstreaming in security sector reform and UN Peace Missions, reiterating the importance of gender equality for preventing recurrent conflict. The impact of gender equality on long-term development demonstrates its relevance for understanding the prospects for successful post-conflict reconstruction. With the expansion and transformation of UN peacekeeping missions after the Cold War, a broader understanding of post-conflict reconstruction has become dominant in scholarly discourse and policy practice. The relationship between development and gender mainstreaming in post-conflict reconstruction depends on existing economic and social institutions.
