Gender and re­li­gion must be con­sidered on the way to peace
(WorldNews Finland)

Research unit established at the University of Helsinki focuses on problems in peace mediation. Women are often sidelined in peace processes, even when they have significant expertise in attaining lasting peace. `When peace mediation focuses on the upper echelons of societies and religious communities, women`s representation and expertise are often ignored,` says Academy Professor Elina Vuola from the Faculty of Theology. The same shortcoming is occasionally present in religious dialogue, where women are commonly absent as they rarely function as authorities in their religious communities. Vuola says that the problem has been recognised, but that this is not enough. `The parties should...