“Language is power, but not everyone who uses it has the same power” : The effect of Resolution 1325 on gender discourses in peace agreements

Sammanfattning: Peace agreements are important tools towards gender equality, and how they are written in terms of language is of particular importance. In October 2000 the United Nations Security Council acknowledged among other things the need for gender inclusive peace agreements with their Resolution 1325. This study is a qualitative textual analysis that with the use of a content analysis and a critical discourse analysis analyzes two peace agreements, one from before the implementation of Resolution 1325 and one from after. The findings of the study suggest that references towards women and gender have increased since the implementation of Resolution 1325, and that the way women are portrayed in terms of agency and stereotypes have changed for the better. However, the latter agreement was still missing gender provisions that sufficiently addressed issues that fundamentally structure gender relations.