The 2020 WIIS Gender Scorecard is out! It shows that despite some progress, the national and international security field remains a male-dominated field. Women remain underrepresented at the governing board and expert levels. The 2020 Scorecard also spotlights the nuclear security community and provides baseline data on the gender balances in think tanks, including think tanks focusing on arms control and nuclear security issues. Lastly, the Scorecard provides information on the gender distribution in major international security and arms control and nuclear security journals. The Gender Scorecard, is part of a continuing effort by WIIS to measure the gender disparities in US foreign policy and security communities.
The WIIS Gender Scorecard presents data with regard to the gender balance of 22 major thinks tanks that work on foreign policy and national and international security issues in the DC area. The scorecard reviews think tanks along four main axes: 1) percentage of women leading think tanks; 2) percentage of women experts; 3) percentage of women in governing bodies; 4) and number of think tanks with significant commitment to gender and/or women’s programming
1325 Scorecard Project was supported by a grant from the NATO Science for Peace Program (SPS) and is carried out by Women In International Security (WIIS) and the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP). The Scorecard is a methodology that permits an assessment of how NATO member states (including partners) are integrating the principles of UNSCR 1325 into their military operations.
Progress Report on Women in Peace & Security Careers: U.S. Congressional Staffs by Shoemaker, J; Poiré, M. (2014).
This report, Women in Peace and Security Careers: U.S. Congressional Staffs, is intended to raise awareness among the policy community about how women are faring on Capitol Hill and what needs to be done to support more women in leadership positions in the legislative policy environment. This is the third WIIS study in the Women In Peace and Security Careers series. Since 2008, WIIS has documented the status of women in leadership positions and women’s perspectives on career advancement in United Nations Peace Operations and in the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government. These studies are based on qualitative data gathered from individual interviews and focus groups. The series highlights gaps in women’s representation and the voices and experiences of women who are navigating paths to advancement. The series also offers recommendations for peace and security institutions to better support women’s participation.
Progress Report on Women in Peace & Security Careers: U.S. Executive Branch by Shoemaker, J; Park, J. (2010)
Recently, studies have focused on women’s leadership in some sectors, including academia, the media, and corporations. These studies have highlighted gaps in representation and proposed recommendations for improving women’s opportunities. But a missing component of research seems to be on women’s presence in a particular area of utmost importance—the national security and foreign policy arena. This is the first study to examine women in leadership within the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government in international security.
Women in United Nations Peace Operations: Increasing the Leadership Opportunities by Conaway, C; Shoemaker, J. (2008)
Since the historic adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), the recognition of the important and beneficial role that women play in building sustainable peace has steadily increased. Civil society arguments for women’s inclusion in the formal processes of peacemaking and peacebuilding are bolstered by growing evidence of women’s impact on the ground in unstable and conflict-affected countries. Numerous policymakers and practitioners within the UN and other multi-lateral organizations are publicly acknowledging the value of women in leadership roles. Yet the lack of women in senior positions in the UN, particularly in peacekeeping missions, reflects the reality that significant cultural and institutional impediments remain to women’s entry and advancement within the UN. As a result, there is frustration with the slow pace of progress both inside and outside the system. There are few mechanisms in place to facilitate regular information sharing between the UN and civil society on this issue. Civil society organizations lack understanding about the skills and requirements for high-level positions, the process for selecting candidates, and the best means to nominate qualified experts. Within the UN, there are traditionally few resources and little attention devoted to outreach and communication with organizations that can access qualified female candidates, or to marketing these positions in a way that will attract the best talent.