Executive Summary
Based on public opinion polling from November 2011 and February 2013, this report describes and analyzes the status and perceptions of women in South Sudan related to security, access to basic services and economic empowerment. Focusing on the critical period between independence and the outbreak of civil war, the paper identifies trends between the two waves of data and highlights the important role public opinion research plays in understanding the well-being of women and communities writ large. The research and analysis presented here is an interdisciplinary effort that combines public opinion primary research with secondary resources on women, peace and security, conflict resolution, and human development. In doing so, this report serves as an evidence-based, practically applicable tool for gender-sensitive conflict prevention, crisis
response and post-conflict reconstruction.