Published Jun 03 2022

‘What Happens Next?’: Where Are Women in Peacebuilding?

Susan
Carland
Academic, author and social commentator
Sharon pickering
Vice-Chancellor and President, Monash University
Natasha stott despoja
Member, UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women

Under the brutal Taliban regime, Afghan women, girls, and those who advocate for their rights are in mortal peril. In the previous episode of Monash University’s What Happens Next? podcast, our guests told the story of a tense escape from Afghanistan, arranged in the hours after the Taliban took its capital city of Kabul. The scholars and their family members who fled the country are among many leaders, activists, and changemakers forced to leave their home last year.

Listen: Escape From the Taliban

For the women and girls left behind, daily life is bleak. Their freedom of movement and right to education have been curtailed by the fundamentalist government with no end in sight. It may take decades or even generations for Afghan women to regain the ground they lost in 2021.

But by removing all opportunities for women, the new regime has undermined itself. Research shows again and again that women’s involvement in community-building and peace-brokering activities results in tremendous benefits for nation-states, ranging from better maintenance of infrastructure to better distribution of public resources and beyond.

Studies also show that when women are at the table in peacebuilding, peace agreements are more successful. But in countries around the world – even in Australia – women are underrepresented in decision-making processes, unable to bring their strengths and unique viewpoints into the conversation. What skills do women bring to peacebuilding? And why, in 2022, are they still so marginalised in the halls of power?

Read: Empowered Women Build a Safer World

Today, on the final episode of season six of What Happens Next?, Dr Susan Carland is joined by Professor Sharon Pickering, Monash’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Education, and Vice-President; and former Australian senator Natasha Stott Despoja AO, the country’s Ambassador for Women and Girls from 2013–16, now an independent expert on the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

“This is one of the single biggest and particular attacks on the rights of women, and girls in particular, that we've seen in a long, long time.”

Natasha Stott Despoja

Thank you for joining us for season six of What Happens Next?. The podcast will be back in a few short months with a new series investigating new challenges, and how each of us can make a difference. In the meantime, be sure to explore our back catalogue of episodes, such as right-wing extremism, hustle culture, the future of comedy, and psychedelics for mental health.

Do you have a topic you'd like us to examine? Email podcasts@monash.edu with your idea.

You can also leave us feedback by rating and reviewing What Happens Next? on your preferred podcast platform. It helps us improve, and it helps listeners like you discover the show.

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About the Authors

  • Susan carland

    Director, Bachelor of Global Studies, and Lecturer, School of Language, Literature, Cultures and Linguistics

    Susan's research and teaching specialties focus on gender, sociology, contemporary Australia, terrorism, and Islam in the modern world. Susan hosted the “Assumptions” series on ABC’s Radio National, and was named one of the 20 Most Influential Australian Female Voices in 2012 by The Age.

  • Sharon pickering

    Vice-Chancellor and President, Monash University

    Sharon is Vice-Chancellor and President, Monash University. She is an internationally recognised expert in criminology, refugees and trafficking who has written extensively on irregular border crossing with a focus on gender and human rights. She is the Founder and Director of the Border Crossing Observatory – an innovative virtual research centre across 12 universities, led by Monash and driven centrally by a collaboration between Monash, Oxford and Oslo universities. Sharon leads a series of Australian Research Council projects focusing on the intersections of security and migration, deportation, and police and community responses to Prejudice Motivated Crimes.

  • Natasha stott despoja

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