The Reproductive Rights Effect: 

How Reproductive Policy Affects Women’s Political Representation and Militarization

A growing body of international security studies scholarship has linked the increased presence and participation of women in society (e.g. through governance, peacekeeping, peace building) to increased levels of peace (Best, Shair-Rosenfield & Wood, 2019; Gizelis, 2011; Krause, Krause & Bränfors, 2018). However, studies of peace and conflict have yet to consider the effect of reproductive policy on peace.When states lack progressive reproductive policy, there can be harrowing consequences for women, ranging from psychological harm to death, meaning it is essential to enabling women’s presence and participation in the first place. Therefore, my dissertation addresses the following research question: How do states’ reproductive policies influence peace? 

In this dissertation,  I theorize about a specific pathway to peace: the impact of reproductive policy on women’s representation in legislatures. Specifically, I argue that progressive reproductive policy promotes greater representation of women in legislatures by improving women’s physical security, mental health, and socioeconomic well-being. The idea that progressive reproductive policy improves these measures of security is supported widely in international development, public health, and demographic research (Foster, 2021). This greater security allows women to overcome some of the many obstacles to running for government, such as gendered gaps in ambition, recruitment, and distribution of household labor. Consequently, I argue that more women are elected to legislatures and therefore states are more peaceful. This is because as more women run for legislature, they will have a pacifying effect on legislation due to socialized gender differences in their political behavior in office. Women leaders tend to support social issues (e.g. health, education), be less militant, and be more integrous than men (Bolzendahl, 2009; Clayton & Zetterberg, 2018; Dollar et al., 2001; Koch & Fulton, 2011). Rather than arguing that progressive reproductive policy is the sole driver of peace, I assert that it is an important and understudied factor facilitating women’s representation in legislatures, and thus key for peace. While the relationship between reproductive health and women’s security may not be surprising, linking reproductive policy more broadly to peace is novel and noteworthy.