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Women’s participation in peace processes has become increasingly important as the UN resolution 1325 was adopted in 2000. The resolution encourages women’s participation in peace processes and validates that increased female participation builds sustainable peace. This master thesis provides an in-depth case study of women’s participation in Yemen’s peace process. The purpose of this thesis is to identify and analyze what kinds of Yemeni women are participating in the peace process, and who are not, as well as investigating why there might be a difference in inclusion. Additionally, an interpretation is offered on what these results may say about peace processes in general. To answer the research questions, empirical material in terms of reports, articles, documents, and semi-structured interviews have been gathered and processed through a qualitative content analysis. The empirical data has been analyzed through a theoretical framework consisting of theories on intersectionality and hegemonic femininity.

The results of this thesis show that Yemeni women who participate in the higher track levels of the peace process mainly consist of women holding a high level of education and stemming from higher social classes, while women from the countryside, women who have a lower degree of education and stem from lower social classes, are mainly excluded. However, the results also show that the inclusion of women in the peace process is hybrid, as participating women are being excluded from meaningful participation. The thesis also concludes that women are included and excluded according to different specific power dynamics. This thesis finalizes in a discussion on what these results say about peace processes in general, and reflect upon possible continuous research.