On October 31, 2000, the United Nations (UN) Security Council passed Resolution 1325. The resolution was passed in response to allegations of sexual abuse against UN peacekeepers across several missions and in an effort to advance the cause of gender equality, which the UN has championed for many decades. Among its many provisions, the resolution called for gender mainstreaming and the increased participation of women throughout the peacekeeping process. The majority of UN policymakers pushed for more female troops to be deployed in peacekeeping operations to battle the abuses committed on the ground by male peacekeepers, which they felt required an immediate and aggressive response. This dissertation examines whether this emphasis on the presence of female troops to combat problems of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by male troops has been successful or not. Do more female troops curtail the frequency of sexual exploitation or abuse or has the policy been misguided? Most studies of this problem have been case studies focusing on particular cases at particular times. The few empirical studies that have been undertaken have only been able to study a limited period of time with incomplete data. This important question can be empirically examined over time with new data released by the UN which includes the number of allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by peacekeepers since 1990. Ultimately, I find that the number of female troops is an important determinant of sexual exploitation and abuse, but that several other factors relating to necessary and sufficient conditions for sexual assault are important as well. I conclude policies encouraging more female troop participation by the UN may be a first line of defense, but other measures can be taken that will provide the UN with a multi-faceted approach to the problem that will be more effective in the long run.