The need to establish a new state in post-conflict and unstable contexts is essential after overcoming that period. These contexts usually cannot create a new state on their own and require financial and non-financial support from organizations and institutions, both domestic and often foreign. However, the approaches of these supporters to state-building projects, lack any gender analysis. While the relationship between the state and citizens is weak in most cases, this is more evident when it comes to women citizens. Therefore, this process can provide a new opportunity to reconsider power patterns and political systems to include women and other marginalized groups. This article presents findings from a research project by FRIDE ODI that examines the impact of state-building on women's citizenship. The project includes research in 5 post-conflict countries: Burundi, Guatemala, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, and Sudan. The project addresses three main questions: What role do women play in state-building? How do state-building processes affect women's political participation? How do state-building processes affect women's rights? The research findings have shown that post-conflict contexts provide new opportunities for women's mobilization. However, their ability to influence the state-building process is limited due to structural barriers and the opposition of societal elites. It seems that gender inequality is inherently linked to political issues such as power balance. Therefore, it is important for supporters to consider gender as a fundamentally political issue.