Masake, Pilisano HSwawapala, Gabriel2025-08-122025-08-122022http://hdl.handle.net/11070/4068A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Security and Strategic studiesThis 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 inequalitiesenNamibian Police ForceNamibiaUniversity of NamibiaGender rolesPeace and securityThesis