Gender-Balanced Representation and the Erosion of Global Liberal Norms

ABSTRACT How will the rise of China and other illiberal regimes affect the behaviour-shaping power of global liberal norms? The paper uses updated dyadic data on ambassadorial appointments to address this question. It focuses on the fate of a global liberal norm on gender-balanced representation. It argues that when powerful international partners discount the importance of gender balance, governments become less likely to prioritise gender balance themselves. The pattern of nodding toward partners’ norms is particularly pronounced for governments of structurally dependent, poorer countries. We find that the gender-balanced representation norm has eroded in the last five years. In this period, countries like Sweden and Germany have increased their support for global liberal norms, but China has become an increasingly vocal opponent. We also find that countries’ international power positions—not their broad cultural value systems (e.g. ‘Asian values’)—affect partner countries’ approaches. We suggest that the pressure for states to prioritise women’s political representation will weaken further unless rising powers dramatically reorient their current behaviours.