Author: Maria Pelayo

Maria Cecilia Pelayo is a recent graduate with a master's of international affairs from the Bush School of Government and Public Service, where she pursued concentrations in women, peace and security, as well as international development and economic policy. Her student research and work with the WomanStats Project focused on exploring the ways in which women's security affects and impacts the well-being of the state. This year, Pelayo will be joining the Peace Corps as a volunteer in The Gambia.

The Women, Peace and Security Framework Is Not ‘Woke’—It’s Smart Strategy for National Defense

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While most of the American populace may not know what Women, Peace and Security (WPS) is, or what it champions, WPS has recently found itself at the center of partisan political crossfire. The US WPS Act of 2017, a response to UN Security Council Resolution 1325, mandates agencies of the federal government to understand and facilitate the incorporation of women’s knowledge and skills in the realm of national security. WPS asserts that women should be involved in matters of peace and war, which too often have been the sole preserve of men.