Who Cares for Women Refugees? A Novel Beijing Declaration Plan for Action+25 Measurement of Country Level Commitments

Women have often been ignored or marginalized by international treaties or accords on refugees. The literature has not systematically addressed which countries are committed to granting women refugees much needed benefits and protections, and which countries eschew doing so. This study employs a novel measurement based on text analysis of the Beijing Declaration Plan for Action+25 country reports and a negative binomial analysis. Findings presented here show that countries with higher levels of development and higher levels of gender equality are most likely to grant women refugees much needed benefits and protections. A higher number of refugees hosted by a country also translates into more benefits and protections for women refugees. The novelty of this study’s contribution rests with the focus on women refugees and country commitments to women refugees measured through a novel measurement tool, unlike any used in previous studies and based on individual countries self- assessment and self-reporting.