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Introduction

Advancing equal opportunities for women in defence is of paramount importance for keeping, building, and sustaining peace. Representation and diversity allow Member States to leverage broadened skillsets and improves operational effectiveness as well as community trust. The need for diverse perspective and skills in the defence sector is more critical than ever. Through security sector reform, governments can work towards the full, equal, safe and meaningful participation of women in security and defence institutions. 

Security Council resolutions 2151 (2014) and 2553 (2020) emphasize the importance of women’s participation in national security sectors and calls on Member States to implement reforms that address and remove legal and institutional barriers to women’s participation in the security and defence sectors. Additionally, this year world leaders adopted the Pact for the Future, which underscored that women’s equal participation is crucial to achieving and sustaining peace, security and development. 

To take stock of the status of women in defence the United Nations developed the first-ever United Nations Report on Equal Opportunity for Women in the Defence Sector, further to the recommendation of Secretary-General Guterres in his latest . This report, published in October 2024,  puts forward a set of recommendations – based on Member States’ legislation, policies and practices – on measures countries could consider adopting to enhance the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women in defence.  

Key Findings

The report finds that many Member States have taken steps to advance gender equality and increase women’s participation in their national defence sectors, including by developing gender-specific policies and action plans, lifting restrictions on the roles and positions open to women in the military, and making armed forces employment more desirable, supportive and equitable. This report showcases some of these national initiatives, drawing from case study interviews on good practices conducted with 18 Member States as well as a survey on the status of women in defence that was completed by 55 Member States. 

However, the report also finds that barriers to the recruitment, retention, career development and the promotion of women in defence institutions remain at all levels of defence institutions. In many armed forces, social-cultural values, policy, institutional culture and informal practices prevent women’s full, equal and meaningful participation. 

Realizing these objectives requires more than legal and policy changes. The barriers to equality women face in the defence sector are entwined with and reflective of gender inequalities present across society more broadly. It therefore requires a cultural shift to overcome deep-rooted gender stereotypes, a redefinition of what “security” entails, as well as reimaging how the defence sector can ensure gender-responsive operations.   

Next Steps

Through security sector reform and governance, Member States can work towards the full, equal and meaningful participation of women in defence, a critical step in ensuring more accountable, inclusive and responsive institutions. This report can be used as a roadmap to help eliminate barriers and create equal opportunities for women in defence, ultimately contributing to more effective armed forces