Conclusions

Gender and forced migration as an approach, both in research and humanitarian assistance, is still evolving. There is increased awareness of the differences in the gender impact of development, whether caused by conflict, development, or disaster. International and humanitarian organizations working in the field are slowly taking in these considerations, but implementation of gender guidelines and policies is still weak. Also, while gender issues have gained prominence in the protection of and assistance to refugees, and to a lesser extent IDPs, in the context of conflicts, the same cannot be said of development- and disaster-induced displacement.

Some general trends can be observed on the impact of displacement on men and women. Women, for instance, are more vulnerable to sexual and other types of gender-based violence, and they are frequently forced to cope with more and different roles in the search for their survival and that of their families. They experience gender-based discrimination both during displacement and in post-conflict or resettlement settings. Organizations working in forced migration have recognized this and special programmes have been created to address such inequalities. Sometimes, this has led to women acquiring increased skills, confidence, and gender and political consciousness. On the other hand, men seem to find it more difficult to cope with the disruption of displacement and the challenges to their traditional gender roles and identity. Their experience of displacement as gendered subjects needs to be explored further.

However, these are just generalizations. Many other factors have an impact on how men and women experience forced migration, including class, age, race, ethnicity, and rural/urban differences, as well as wider political and socio-economic issues. This does not mean that there is no need for specific attention to women, since in most cases they remain amongst the most vulnerable groups of displaced people and they are under-represented in decision-making in such contexts. But if we assume that to tackle forced migration effectively and reduce future displacement all sources of inequality should be addressed, then gender roles and relations are important, and these involve both women and men. This is debatable, since some have questioned the role, and indeed power, of the international humanitarian community to influence gender relations in a positive and lasting manner. Despite this, researchers and field workers have identified the importance of seeing displaced people as individuals with different identities and roles, in different contexts, and acknowledging their agency rather than considering them passive victims, if lasting and sustainable solutions to forced migration are to be achieved.