Gender roles in peace and security: A case study of gender representation in the Namibian Police Force management cadre
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Date
2022
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
University of Namibia
Abstract
This thesis is an analysis of gender roles in peace and security with specific focus on the
Namibian Police Force (NAMPOL) management eadre. The main objective of the study was
to establish the role played by gender representation in the maintenance of peace and
security. In line with a qualitative approach, the research adopted an explorative research
design. The targeted population consisted of 200 senior ranked officers and the projected
respondents for the study comprised of fifty (50) participants from the targeted population of
senior ranked officers. A purposeful sampling method was used to select participants and
email interview was used as a form of data collection. Interview questions were sent to
participants' emails and they responded via the same channel. Some respondents were called
via telephone to clarify some of their responses. Reports were also used as secondary data to
support the study and confim1 some of the participants' responses. Thematic analysis was
used to analyse the collected qualitative data, which led to interpretations of the study. The
study revealed that men and women play different roles in ensuring peace and security in the
country and having one gender dominating in the management cadre influences the
decisions made as well as the performance of the entire NAMPOL. The role played by
women in conflict resolution was deemed as exceptional as women were said to possess
good communication skills, good situation analysis abilities, and good negotiation skills.
These attributes help women to de-escalate conflicts in the communities and during peace
keeping missions. The study further revealed that there were many causes of women
underrepresentation in the NAMPOL management cadre. Stereotyping, lack of experience,
administration bias and family responsibilities were among the causes of
underrepresentation of women. The study recommends NAMPOL to develop its own gender
policy that should be implemented at all levels with the hope that this may con·ect the
gender underrepresentation of women at all levels. The study recommends NAMPOL to
introduce gender training programmes and other training and development programmes
targeting specifically women. It also recommends mandatory mentorship of junior officers
in the preparation of them assuming leadership positions. The study also recommends other
researchers to investigate NAMPOL's HR policies and procedures to ascertain their
effectiveness in addressing gender inequalities
Description
A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Security and Strategic studies
Keywords
Namibian Police Force, Namibia, University of Namibia, Gender roles, Peace and security