Class Year

2026

Document Type

Student Research Paper

Date of Creation

Spring 2026

Department 1

Political Science

Abstract

The end of a civil war represents an opportunity for women to gain political power and improve their societal status. If women are systematically constrained from gaining this power, they are losing a valuable chance to improve levels of gender equality. Little research thus far has focused on how the post-conflict period might be impacted by a country’s natural resource wealth. This study aims to fill this knowledge gap by exploring how a country’s dependence on natural resources might influence women’s political empowerment in post-conflict societies. I argue that countries that rely more heavily on natural resources as a source of revenue will experience less women’s post-conflict political empowerment. Time series, cross-sectional data between 1946 and 2024 provide support for this expected negative relationship, although the relationship is not statistically significant. This study contributes to a lack of research on a critical opportunity for women to ultimately improve levels of gender equality.

Comments

Written for POL 351: Political Economy of Armed Conflict

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