The role of women in making and building peace in Liberia

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In the early 2000s, Liberian women, dressed in wrap skirts and white T-shirts, garnered international attention with their rallying cry for peace after nearly fifteen years of civil war. Their persistent, non-violent activism played a crucial role in ending the conflict and facilitating a peace agreement between the factions. While it is often believed that including women in peace processes leads to better attention to their issues in post-conflict scenarios, this assumption holds only partially true in Liberia. This analysis delves into the extent of women's contributions to the peace process and explores why gender-sensitive outcomes were not fully realized. By examining patterns of masculinity in both public and private spheres, Anne Theobald identifies various factors across different levels and timeframes that explain this unexpected result. This approach not only enhances the understanding of gender dynamics and context-specific challenges in post-conflict environments but also refines existing theoretical frameworks on gender in peacebuilding. Ultimately, it aims to inform the development of more holistic and effective policy strategies that can foster gender-sensitive peace.