Gender norms, global hierarchies and the evolution of feminist foreign policy

Gender equality has long been adopted by states to indicate liberal values and respect for international norms. Feminist thought argues that the gendered hierarchies created by these norms underpin and sustain international relations. This article contributes to this literature on gendered norms and hierarchies through the case study of feminist foreign policy. It addresses four case-study countries who adopt feminist foreign policy – Sweden, Canada, France and Mexico – arguing that the developing norm of feminist foreign policy acts to signify liberal modernity and adherence to the international liberal order when deployed by states. It further argues that this deployment of feminist foreign policy contributes to existing gendered global hierarchies and these states’ positions on the world stage. As such, it contributes to the developing literature on feminist foreign policy and to wider work on norms and hierarchies around gender in global politics.Key messagesThe article provides a detailed comparative study of feminist foreign policy and its development in Sweden, Canada, France and Mexico.The article situates feminist foreign policy within the literature on global norms and hierarches, arguing that feminist foreign policy is as much about states’ positions on the world stage as it is about its policy content.The article argues that feminist foreign policy acts to signify these states’ adherence to the liberal world order and institutions, and their role as ‘good’ international actors.