Abstract

Over the course of the past century, conflicts are increasingly resolved through negotiated agreements. There are movements pushing for more inclusive security, or the inclusion of more than just the warring parties at the negotiations, such as the inclusion of women or civil society organizations. Inclusive security claims to improve the durability of agreements. Women in particular are excluded from negotiations. There has been significant research documenting the positive influence of the inclusion of civil society on durability. Moreover, there is a substantial body of literature theorizing that women’s inclusion in peace negotiations contributes to the durability of the agreement. However, because of the extreme rarity of cases of women’s inclusion, there is little documentation of this theory in practice. My research seeks to demonstrate the effect of women’s inclusion in the negotiations of the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement on its durability. A careful exploration of the negotiations provides insights to the effect of women’s inclusion on durability. While a single case study is not very generalizable, the potential positive effect of women’s inclusion in the negotiations could support the inclusion of women in future peace processes and highlight some of the obstacles women face in getting to the table.