Role of Women in Peace Building: Case of Lebanon
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63939/jies.td6v6k90الكلمات المفتاحية:
Women، Peacebuilding، Lebanon، Religion، Sectarianism، Patriarchyالملخص
This study examines the role of women in peacebuilding in Lebanon, focusing on the intersection of religion, gender, sectarianism, and political participation. It addresses the gap between women’s significant contribution to grassroots peacebuilding and their limited participation in formal peace processes. Adopting a qualitative approach supported by survey data, the study draws on 22 semi-structured interviews with religious leaders, political figures, women working in peacebuilding and empowerment organisations, university instructors, and women from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, alongside 260 survey responses. Thematic analysis was used to identify recurring patterns concerning women’s peacebuilding activities, religious engagement, and the barriers that restrict women’s participation.
The findings indicate that Lebanese women play a crucial but often under-recognised role in peacebuilding through informal mediation, advocacy, education, community engagement, social networking, and faith-based initiatives. However, their participation in formal peacebuilding and decision-making processes remains constrained by patriarchal norms, sectarian political structures, religiously informed cultural expectations, and institutional barriers. The survey findings demonstrate broad recognition of women’s contribution to peacebuilding, widespread acknowledgement of the cultural and religious barriers that restrict women’s leadership, and strong support for greater inclusion of women in formal peace negotiations. Drawing on Northern Ireland as a comparative analytical framework, the study highlights how women’s grassroots activism can contribute to more inclusive and sustainable peacebuilding when supported by appropriate institutional mechanisms.
The study concludes that women’s participation is not merely desirable but necessary for sustainable peace in Lebanon. It recommends legal, institutional, and social reforms to formalise women’s peacebuilding roles, support women-led initiatives, promote interfaith and cross-community dialogue, and challenge the sectarian and patriarchal structures that continue to restrict women’s political and peacebuilding agency.
التنزيلات
السيرة الشخصية للمؤلف
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Walaa Harb، Phoenicia University, Daoudiye, District of Zahrani, Lebanon
Walaa Abdallah Harb is a scholar and part-time faculty member in Communication at the Lebanese American University and the Coordinator of the Communication and Social Media Department at Phoenicia University, Lebanon, She holds a PhD from Glasgow Caledonian University, awarded in 2025, and a Master’s degree in International Liaison and Communication from the University of Westminster, London. Her doctoral research developed a soft-power framework examining the role of religion as an instrument for peace in Lebanon, with particular attention to sectarianism, political governance, gender, and women’s participation in peacebuilding. Her research interests include religion and peacebuilding, women’s political and social participation, gender studies, conflict resolution, interfaith dialogue, sectarian societies, and sustainable peace, Journalism and Media Credibilty.
ORCID
0009-0001-3040-1214
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