What Man Can, Woman Can Even Better: Analysis of Gendered Roles in Amisom Military Peace Operations in Somalia

Throughout history, the military as a gendered male-dominated institution is an indisputable fact. The dichotomization of men’s and women’s roles influences any military operation, including peace operations. The stereotypes of women as weak and unfit for military service have been preserved across time and space, thereby excluding women from most frontline roles to concentrate on support roles. While inclusion is a vital component of gender equality and a bedrock of feminist debates on women’s participation in promoting international peace and security, how it happens in the division of military roles in peace operations will form the main discussion in this paper. Using qualitative data collected from a study of a regendered military in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), the analysis established that there are shifts in gender roles executed by men and women in a military peace operation mission. This informs the thesis that, once given an opportunity, women have the potential and agency to do all that men can do in military peace operations and peacebuilding.