Gender and Diplomacy

237 Pages·2017·2.638 MB·English

by  Jennifer A. Cassidy

Gender and Diplomacy
This volume provides a detailed discussion of the role of women in diplomacy
and a global narrative of their current and historical role within it.
The last century has seen the Ministries of Foreign Affairs (MFAs) experi-
ence seismic shifts in their policies concerning the entry, role, and agency of
women within their institutional make-u p. Despite these changes, and the
promise that true gender equality offers to the diplomatic craft, the role of
women in the diplomatic sphere continues to remain overlooked, and placed on
the fringes of diplomatic scholarship. This volume brings together established
scholars and experienced diplomatic practitioners in an attempt to unveil the
story of women in diplomacy, in a context which is historical, theoretical, and
empirical. In line with feminist critical thought, the objective of this volume is to
theorise and empirically demonstrate the understanding of diplomacy as a gen-
dered practice and study. The aims of are three- fold: 1) expose and confront the
gender of diplomacy; 2) shed light on the historical involvement of women in
diplomatic practice in spite of systemic barriers and restrictions, with a focus on
critical junctures of diplomatic institutional formation and the diplomatic entitle-
ments which were created for women at these junctures; 3) examine the current
state of women in diplomacy and evaluate the rate of progress towards a gender-
even playing field on the basis thereof.
This book will be of much interest to students of diplomacy studies, gender
studies, foreign policy, and international relations.
Jennifer A. Cassidy is a Doctoral Candidate in International Development at
the University of Oxford, UK.
Routledge New Diplomacy Studies
Series Editors: Corneliu Bjola
University of Oxford
and
Markus Kornprobst
Diplomatic Academy of Vienna
This series publishes theoretically challenging and empirically authoritative
studies of the traditions, functions, paradigms, and institutions of modern diplo-
macy. Taking a comparative approach, the New Diplomacy Studies series aims
to advance research on international diplomacy, publishing innovative accounts
of how ‘old’ and ‘new’ diplomats help steer international conduct between
anarchy and hegemony, handle demands for international stability vs inter-
national justice, facilitate transitions between international orders, and address
global governance challenges. Dedicated to the exchange of different scholarly
perspectives, the series aims to be a forum for inter- paradigm and inter-
disciplinary debates, and an opportunity for dialogue between scholars and
practitioners.
International Law, New Diplomacy Diplomacy and Security
and Counter- Terrorism Community- Building
An Interdisciplinary Study of EU Crisis Management in the Western
Legitimacy Mediterranean
Steven J. Barela Niklas Bremberg
Diplomatic Cultures and
Theory and Practice of International Politics
Paradiplomacy Translations, Spaces and Alternatives
Subnational Governments in Edited by Jason Dittmer and
International Affairs Fiona McConnell
Alexander S. Kuznetsov
Secret Diplomacy
Concepts, Contexts and Cases
Digital Diplomacy
Edited by Corneliu Bjola and
Theory and Practice
Stuart Murray
Edited by Corneliu Bjola and
Marcus Holmes Diplomatic Style and Foreign Policy
A Case Study of South Korea
Jeffrey Robertson
Chinese Public Diplomacy
The Rise of the Confucius Institute Gender and Diplomacy
Falk Hartig Edited by Jennifer A. Cassidy
Gender and Diplomacy
Edited by
Jennifer A. Cassidy
First published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 selection and editorial matter, Jennifer A. Cassidy; individual
chapters, the contributors
The right of the editor to be identified as the author of the editorial matter,
and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in
accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents
Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or
registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Names: Cassidy, Jennifer A., editor.
Title: Gender and diplomacy / edited by Jennifer A. Cassidy.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, [2017] |
Series: Routledge new diplomacy studies | Includes bibliographical
references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016058258| ISBN 9781138234307 (hbk) |
ISBN 9781315270777 (ebk)
Subjects: LCSH: International relations–Social aspects. | Diplomacy–
Social aspects. | Women diplomats. | Women ambassadors. | Women
international relations specialists.
Classification: LCC JZ1253.2 .G444 2017 | DDC 327.2082–dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016058258
ISBN: 978-1-138-23430-7 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-27077-7 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
Dedicated to Siobhan Cassidy:
my mother, my light, and the strongest woman I know.
I would be nothing without her.

Contents
List of illustrations ix
Notes on contributors x
Foreword xiv
MARY ROBINSON
Acknowledgements xvi
Introduction: analysing the dynamics of modern diplomacy
through a gender lens 1
JENNIFER A. CASSIDY AND SARA ALTHARI
PART I
Getting to the table: historical challenges and reflections 13
1 Women, gender, and diplomacy: a historical survey 15
HELEN MCCARTHY AND JAMES SOUTHERN
2 Alison Palmer’s fight for sex and gender equity in the
twentieth- century United States Foreign Service 32
BEATRICE MCKENZIE
3 From marriage bar towards gender equality: the experience
of women in Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs
1970–2000 48
ANNE BARRINGTON
4 Women of the South: engaging with the UN as a diplomatic
manoeuvre 65
DEVAKI JAIN
viii Contents
PART II
At the table: broken boundaries and persisting
institutional challenges 81
5 Towards a feminist US foreign policy? Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton’s metaphorical diplomacy 83
ERIC M. BLANCHARD
6 Gender, status, and ambassador appointments to militarized
and violent countries 100
BIRGITTA NIKLASSON AND ANN TOWNS
7 Women in foreign lands: women diplomats and
host- country cultures 120
JANE MARRIOTT OBE
8 Women in global economic governance: scaling the summits 140
SUSAN HARRIS RIMMER
9 Becoming UN Women: a journey in realizing rights and
gaining global recognition 170
PHUMZILE MLAMBO- NGCUKA
10 Unprecedented: women’s leadership in twenty- first century
multilateral diplomacy 187
JESSICA FLIEGEL
11 Conclusion: progress and policies towards a gender- even
playing field 210
JENNIFER A. CASSIDY
Index 219
Illustrations
Figures
1.1 Timeline of women’s admission to selected diplomatic
services 24
8.1 2015 labour participation in G20 countries by gender 162
Tables
2.1 FSO distribution by sex within each job function (cone)
(June 1974, percent of total) 39
6.1 Descriptive statistics of included variables 106
6.2 Share of women and men (percent) of different regions’
ambassador appointments 108
6.3 Share of women and men (percent) of the ambassadors
received by different regions 109
6.4 The extent (percent) to which female and male ambassadors
are sent to countries of high economic status 110
6.5 The extent (percent) to which female and male ambassadors
are sent to countries of high military status 111
6.6 Degree of militarism of the receiving countries to which
female and male ambassadors are sent 112
6.7 Share of female and male ambassadors (percent) that are sent
to countries with different levels of armed conflict 113
6.8 Share of female and male ambassadors (percent) in receiving
countries of different GPI rank 114
6.9 Average GPI score and rank of the receiving countries to
which female and male ambassadors are sent (means) 114
9.1 What is UN Women? Policy objectives in the twenty-fi rst
century 176