Why aren't women being deployed if it helps UN peace keeping? Why aren't women in leadership roles?

Question

There's a UN Security Council resolution which is stalled even though it's found "practical evidence that the deployment of women enhanced the impact of peace keeping, especially for women and children in conflict areas." Plus it further found "the deployment of women facilitated engagement with local women through the setting up of women's desks in Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and refugee camps which assist women to talk about their needs and trauma." So what's the hold-up?

So why aren't women being deployed: "The participation of women at decision-making levels in conflict resolution and peace processes has not increased significantly, and the number of women military observers, civilian police, envoys, and special representatives of the Secretary-General in peacekeeping missions was still low." Why?

Quotes from the South African BuaNews article titled:

"Violence against women to dominate UNSC debate"

http://www.buanews.gov.za/view.php?ID=08061812451002&coll=buanew08

Answer 1

I have mixed feelings about sending women into harms way. If it their choice to be deployed in U.N. Peace keeping assignments then they should be allowed to do so. I agree that a women would be a a more natural fit in situations involving situations with the needs and issues of women and children. Perhaps it is more of a cultural issue. Female as well as male civilians in many parts of the world don't trust women that have been placed in positions of authority. This is just my two cents. I hope it helps.

Answer 2

The answer is pretty much simple.

There are far more men who join the military than women. Women actually are deployed to such regions as Iraq, and Afghanistan, but you have to think about the numbers of women in certain Military Occupational Specialties (MOS), women are only allowed to serve in certain MOS's and the small numbers of women compared to men pretty much leaves them to be dispersed more widely in the Military.

Most MOS's involved in missions that take personnel of the secured base involve combat MOS's, which women are not allowed to serve in, and It's not often non combat personnel venture off these facilities in certain peace keeping missions. Yes there are women in Military police companies, but Military police are technically non combat service members who's purpose is only to police our own in Military installations.

I don't know if this rule has changed, but local civilian personnel in these war zones are not allowed on UN Military instillation's unless they're screened contractors, so therefore any local who was victim of a heinous act cannot access UN facilities unless they work there on contract.