1 Introduction

The 20th century in Colombia was a period of time marked by extreme political tensions. Out of these tensions arose an armed conflict between the state and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) that lasted over 50 years. The conflict resulted in mass casualties as well as the displacement of rural communities. In 2016, the government and the FARC finally signed a peace agreement to end the armed conflict. The peace process lasted over 4 years, as formal negotiations began in 2012. Women played an influential role in the ongoing peace process, not just in formal negotiations, but also in civil society.

This paper aims to apply theoretical frameworks of participation and deliberation to explore the extent to which women participated meaningfully in the Colombian peace process. This paper will also seek to apply the “gender-aware” participatory development approach to the way women were able to voice their opinions and influence the negotiations.

First, I will provide a brief overview of Colombian history and the events leading up to the beginning of the peace process, then I will outline the roles that women had throughout the peace process as my case study. This leads to the introduction of the theoretical frameworks applied in my analysis of the roles of women.

The findings provided in my analysis indicate that women held meaningful roles in the peace process and were able to influence the negotiations. With that being said, there is still a long way to go before women have full control over the extent to which they participate in political processes.