Gender and Foreign Policy

This chapter looks at the contributions of feminist approaches to Foreign Policy Analysis. Starting with a discussion of Feminist international relations and it examines the ways in which foreign policy as a field of study and practice is gendered. By challenging some of the assumptions underpinning Foreign Policy, the chapter opens a space for a more detailed understanding of the complex social and political structures that have come to define this field. The chapter covers issues around descriptive representation, leadership, gender mainstreaming and feminist foreign policy. In so doing, it provides an introduction to key feminist approaches and debates on foreign policy and external affairs.