| This thesis considers the literature on gender and conflict to determine whether war acts as a catalyst for improved gender equality. It questions why some opportunities for improvement are sustained in the post-war period while others are not. The case study of Sierra Leone is used to examine the effects of factors related to war on the indicators of gender equality, which include political representation, legal change, access to education, economic opportunities and access to health care. Field research was conducted by the researcher in the fall of 2007 in Canada, the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone. The research finds that in the case of Sierra Leone, the spaces opened up through the conflict created opportunities to address gender inequalities in the immediate post-conflict period. |
