Evaluating Gender-Responsive Mediation Models: The Strategic Role of Women-Led Civil Coalitions in the Peace Architecture of Northern Ireland

Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies | Vol. 10, No. 3, March 2019 | pp. 19–27

DOI: 10.46882/2019/GJPCS/100301

Article Type: Original Research Paper

Title: Evaluating Gender-Responsive Mediation Models: The Strategic Role of Women-Led Civil Coalitions in the Peace Architecture of Northern Ireland

Authors: Claire M. Dubois¹, Grace A. Akpan²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of War Studies, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; ²Faculty of Law, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria

Abstract:
While international peacebuilding theories heavily emphasize the necessity of gender inclusivity, formal peace processes routinely relegate women's organizations to informal, tracks-two diplomacy platforms. This paper evaluates the long-term structural impacts of women-led civil coalitions on the stability and institutional resilience of the peace architecture in post-conflict Northern Ireland. Utilizing a mixed-methods research framework, we combine comprehensive archival qualitative analysis of political agreements with semi-structured interviews of 54 prominent community mediators. The empirical findings indicate that the early inclusion of grassroots women's networks was critical for integrating long-term human security indicators—such as integrated housing and victim support—into the primary constitutional framework. Quantitative metrics establish that localized peace monitoring councils featuring active women-led leadership configurations report a 38% lower incidence of recurring sectarian street violence. The study demonstrates that top-down, elite-centric negotiation models fail to heal deep-seated community polarization when they exclude grassroots civil networks. We conclude that sustainable political transitions require institutionalizing binding gender quotas within all national security sector reform (SSR) committees.

Keywords: Gender-Responsive Mediation; Peace Architecture; Northern Ireland; Human Security; Grassroots Networks; SSR

Manuscript Timeline: Received: August 20, 2018; Revised: November 05, 2018; Accepted: December 12, 2018; Published: March 15, 2019

Citation: Dubois, C. M., & Akpan, G. A. (2019). Evaluating Gender-Responsive Mediation Models: The Strategic Role of Women-Led Civil Coalitions in the Peace Architecture of Northern Ireland. Global Journal of Peace and Conflict Studies, 10(3), 19–27. DOI: 10.46882/2019/GJPCS/100301

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