Feminism and International Relations: Towards a Political Economy of Gender in Interstate and Non-Governmental Institutions

In this volume, the author argues that international relations are shaped by particular notions of gender roles. She provides an overview of various feminist theories and extends this literature with insights from international political economy and critical theory. The empirical chapters explore the links between ideas, material conditions, and institutions as exemplified by the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) and the International Labor Organization (ILO). The author explains the causes and consequences of IPPF's early decision to downplay connections between birth control and women's empowerment, and to emphasize instead the goals of family, social, and international stability. She also examines how and why the ILO initially focused on gender differences only when women's childbearing and nurturing roles were involved. Her analysis demonstrates how actors can mobilize to promote or contest particular conceptions of gender roles embodied in organizations, conceptions that have tremendous impact on the life conditions of common people throughout the world.