Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) said Monday more women should help negotiate peace agreements, arguing they tend to be better negotiators than men.
Speaking at Foreign Policy’s Her Power Forum in New York City, Jayapal said women and families carry much of the burden of war but have too little say in efforts to end it. The forum was held during the week of the United Nations General Assembly.
“War and the burdens of war fall primarily on women and families,” Jayapal said.
She cited research that she said shows agreements are 20% more likely to last longer than two years when women take part in peace negotiations. Jayapal did not name the study in the remarks provided.
“The research shows that if we had more women diplomats, peacemakers, you know, women were more involved in the peace process, the research shows that peace agreements lasting more than two years goes up by 20% just by having women negotiating those peace agreements,” Jayapal continued.
Jayapal went on to say the Pentagon should do more to include women.
“It’s why I’m so thrilled to see this room because I do think that this is, we need better negotiators at the table,” she said. “I think women tend to be much better negotiators. And that is, they’re deeply unrepresented within the Pentagon, by the way. But I think that is the work that we need to do.”
