My dissertation project focused on conceptualizing gender in  Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programs, by analyzing previous programs through a feminist lens. Looking beyond the formal UN guidelines on the inclusion of women, I examined how gender is included in DDR, including how gender identities shape programs, how gender stereotypes and prevailing gendered hierarchies are reinforced, and how women are often coupled with other 'vulnerable' groups which fails to account for their key contribution during conflict. 

Using a novel dataset on gendered dimensions of DDR programs, I examined the predictors of women and girl's inclusion in these post-conflict processes. This analysis examined how various conflict and peace dynamics predict the strength of gendered inclusions in DDR programs. I additionally considered how women participating in reintegration programs in northern Uganda have to juggle newfound identities of being ex-combatants, mothers, and wives. In this article, I explored case studies of women-led businesses created out of economic reintegration programs to examine how they were used to navigate the multifaceted identities many women faced, and how they served (or didn't serve) as mechanisms through which women could redefine their roles within communities and challenge pre-existing gender norms. 

This work built on key feminist theory to highlight the faults in dichotomizing gender and the dangers of reinforcing gender stereotypes during post-conflict processes. It has practical policy implications for DDR donors and practitioners, by highlighting that DDR programs in their current form do not go far enough to dismantle potentially harmful gendered divisions during and after conflict.