The Elsie Initiative is an innovative, multilateral pilot project launched by Canada that is developing and testing a combination of approaches to help overcome barriers and increase the meaningful participation of uniformed women in UN peace operations, with a focus on police and military roles. A significant component of the Elsie Initiative is a research agenda to understand barriers to women's participation and the impacts of women's participation in peacekeeping. I am or have been involved in two Elsie Initiative projects as a researcher.
Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peacekeeping Barrier Assessment Methodology
My post-doctoral research at Cornell University, under the supervision of Dr. Sabrina Karim, focused on the barriers to women's and men's participation in peacekeeping. This research program, called the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peacekeeping Barrier Assessment Methodology (MOWIP) identifies ten common barriers to women's participation in peacekeeping operations. As part of my post-doctoral research, I assisted with the development and implementation of a set of tools to measure the magnitude of these barriers in different countries. This methodology was developed in partnership with the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) with support from the Canadian and Norwegian governments.
These tools include a survey of police and military personnel to explore perceptions of barriers for men and women, a fact finding questionnaire to identify institutional barriers, and elite interviews to determine the prioritization of women's participation in peacekeeping. The Barrier Assessment Methodology will be used as a requirement for all countries applying for funds from the Elsie Initiative Trust Fund.
I assisted with implementing this methodology in eight countries: Bangladesh, Ghana, Jordan, Mongolia, Norway, Senegal, Uruguay, and Zambia.
In addition to identifying and measuring the barriers to women's participation in peacekeeping, Sabrina Karim and I are also conducting two experiments to explore how gender norms within security institutions and the United Nations influence peacekeeping deployments and behavior. First, we are exploring how perceptions of risk and danger within UN peacekeeping missions alter preferences for whether male or female peacekeepers should be deployed. Second, we are experimentally examining whether norms of militarized masculinity influence peacekeepers' responses to security threats and domestic violence. This work and other work on gender in security and peacekeeping are continuing as part of the Gender and the Security Sector Lab under the direction of Sabrina Karim
Public Perceptions of Female Peacekeepers
As a consultant for the International Peace Institute (IPI), I am designing and implementing a survey that seeks to explore how the deployment of women peacekeepers impacts public support for peacekeeping. This three-part project includes an elite survey that examines how decisions-makers within the UN view public support for peacekeeping within their countries and whether they believe that the deployment of female peacekeepers, as well as casualties among female peacekeepers, will impact public support for peacekeeping. Second, I am conducting a survey experiment in India and South Africa to explore how the deployment of female peacekeepers impacts support for peacekeeping. Third, I am conducting a second round of surveys in India and South Africa to examine how casualties among male and female peacekeepers impact support for UN peacekeeping.
Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peacekeeping Barrier Assessment Methodology
My post-doctoral research at Cornell University, under the supervision of Dr. Sabrina Karim, focused on the barriers to women's and men's participation in peacekeeping. This research program, called the Measuring Opportunities for Women in Peacekeeping Barrier Assessment Methodology (MOWIP) identifies ten common barriers to women's participation in peacekeeping operations. As part of my post-doctoral research, I assisted with the development and implementation of a set of tools to measure the magnitude of these barriers in different countries. This methodology was developed in partnership with the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF) with support from the Canadian and Norwegian governments.
These tools include a survey of police and military personnel to explore perceptions of barriers for men and women, a fact finding questionnaire to identify institutional barriers, and elite interviews to determine the prioritization of women's participation in peacekeeping. The Barrier Assessment Methodology will be used as a requirement for all countries applying for funds from the Elsie Initiative Trust Fund.
I assisted with implementing this methodology in eight countries: Bangladesh, Ghana, Jordan, Mongolia, Norway, Senegal, Uruguay, and Zambia.
In addition to identifying and measuring the barriers to women's participation in peacekeeping, Sabrina Karim and I are also conducting two experiments to explore how gender norms within security institutions and the United Nations influence peacekeeping deployments and behavior. First, we are exploring how perceptions of risk and danger within UN peacekeeping missions alter preferences for whether male or female peacekeepers should be deployed. Second, we are experimentally examining whether norms of militarized masculinity influence peacekeepers' responses to security threats and domestic violence. This work and other work on gender in security and peacekeeping are continuing as part of the Gender and the Security Sector Lab under the direction of Sabrina Karim
Public Perceptions of Female Peacekeepers
As a consultant for the International Peace Institute (IPI), I am designing and implementing a survey that seeks to explore how the deployment of women peacekeepers impacts public support for peacekeeping. This three-part project includes an elite survey that examines how decisions-makers within the UN view public support for peacekeeping within their countries and whether they believe that the deployment of female peacekeepers, as well as casualties among female peacekeepers, will impact public support for peacekeeping. Second, I am conducting a survey experiment in India and South Africa to explore how the deployment of female peacekeepers impacts support for peacekeeping. Third, I am conducting a second round of surveys in India and South Africa to examine how casualties among male and female peacekeepers impact support for UN peacekeeping.