This working paper investigates how the presence of women affects peace talks. It focuses on the particular challenges of the women’s rights approach, questioning the effectiveness of strands of current feminist academic and policy literature and the resulting advocacy campaigns pushing for greater representation and participation of women at the peace table. The working paper begins with an analysis of relevant literature on mediation, policymaking, women, and peacemaking before undertaking an interpretive analysis of 14 interviews with mediation experts and negotiators. The research findings show that the presence of women does make a fundamental difference in peace talks, but not necessarily in the way assumed by gender mainstreaming policy literature, i.e. as an aid towards the conclusion of a negotiated settlement.