Examining Factors Underlying the Women’s Peace and Security Index RankingsÂ
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Oral Research Presentation
Challenges Theme
Open Challenge
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Kenneth Cramer
Proposal
The present study examines the factors associated with a nation’s Women’s Peace and Security (WPS) Index rankings, based on 170 nations surveyed in 2021. Rankings for the index were derived from three main dimensions, namely JUSTICE (discriminatory norms, son bias, and legal discrimination), INCLUSION (financial inclusion, education, employment, cellphone use, and parliament), and SECURITY (organized violence, perception of community safety, and intimate partner violence). A cluster analysis of nations revealed 5 distinct groups of countries, chiefly based on two linear functions, involving both justice and inclusion. Results of the analysis indicate that countries’ rankings were strongly associated with financial inclusion, education, or employment rates. Additionally, WPS scores were associated with a nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, but not in a linear relation; rather, the WPS index ranged from high to low scores for lower-income nations but was never low for middle and higher-income nations. These findings suggest that although there is an apparent, positive association between a country’s GDP per capita and their WPS index ranking, other nations still report a similarly high ranking on the WPS index, yet do not have a high GDP per capita. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Grand Challenges
Viable, Healthy and Safe Communities
Examining Factors Underlying the Women’s Peace and Security Index RankingsÂ
The present study examines the factors associated with a nation’s Women’s Peace and Security (WPS) Index rankings, based on 170 nations surveyed in 2021. Rankings for the index were derived from three main dimensions, namely JUSTICE (discriminatory norms, son bias, and legal discrimination), INCLUSION (financial inclusion, education, employment, cellphone use, and parliament), and SECURITY (organized violence, perception of community safety, and intimate partner violence). A cluster analysis of nations revealed 5 distinct groups of countries, chiefly based on two linear functions, involving both justice and inclusion. Results of the analysis indicate that countries’ rankings were strongly associated with financial inclusion, education, or employment rates. Additionally, WPS scores were associated with a nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, but not in a linear relation; rather, the WPS index ranged from high to low scores for lower-income nations but was never low for middle and higher-income nations. These findings suggest that although there is an apparent, positive association between a country’s GDP per capita and their WPS index ranking, other nations still report a similarly high ranking on the WPS index, yet do not have a high GDP per capita. Implications of these findings are discussed.