Women’s Political Leadership

Men and women are often disparately impacted by conflict and the policies and interventions designed to promote stabilization, reconstruction, and durable peace. Recognizing the profound effect that women’s participation in public life has on a country’s security, justice, and resilience, IRI empowers women to seize opportunities for engagement and leadership during periods of conflict and transition. The Institute also helps women build the skills needed to engage in long-term political processes and advance peace and prosperity in their society.

Increasing women’s participation in public life brings significant benefits to a country’s stability – yet women remain underrepresented in public life around the world. IRI uses its WDN SheVotes toolkit to identify and address the mutually reinforcing barriers to public life that women face:

1. Individual barriers, which impede women’s agency and efficacy;
2. Institutional and governmental barriers, which include legislative and regulatory provisions that undermine women’s participation; and
3. Societal barriers, which exclude women from participating fully in the public sphere.

To address these challenges, IRI’s political and civic participation programming centers on the following three pillars:

1. IRI equips women with the technical and soft skills needed to serve effectively in leadership positions.
2. Broadening women’s understanding of how to participate in political processes and why that engagement is important. Leveraging WDN’s Women’s Leadership School and Women’s Political Leadership Academy curricula, this pillar offers leadership and skills training that builds self-confidence and introduces women to avenues for public engagement.
3. IRI helps women develop connections with people in civic and political networks. It also builds their skills to run for office and participate in public life using such resources as WDN’s Toolkit for Effective Activism, Ask a Woman to Run curriculum, and its Transformative Alliances Toolkit.