Becoming Visible: Women and Conflicts in the Quebec Metropolitan Areas, 1965-2000

Abstract

Since the 1960s, urban conflicts have tended to gain prominence in most cities of advanced economies. During the same period, women have also gained prominence in urban public life, including conflict activity. Have their roles in these conflicts had possible humanising effects on urban life? More than 2000 conflicts are analysed, hypothesising that characteristics of conflicts influence the probability of women participating in them. It is found that this probability is much higher when actors come from civil society rather than from the state or the private sector and when conflicts deal with social issues rather than economic or, surprisingly, environmental issues. It is also found that this probability diminishes with time, indicating increasing institutionalisation and diversification of women's roles in urban public life.