A tale of two pragmatisms: How to increase the meaningful participation of women in Afghanistan's police force

The process of including women in the Afghan police force goes back to the 1960s. It was boosted after 2001 by international support for the Security Sector Reform and Women, Peace and Security agendas. Nevertheless, progress has been slow because of persistent societal and institutional barriers. Inclusive security is generally approached from two perspectives: the security sector’s pragmatic operational perspective, which prioritizes effectiveness; and a pragmatic feminist perspective, based on women’s rights and equality. Both play an important role in achieving inclusive security in Afghanistan, but they can only succeed if they increasingly complement each other.