91探花

University 91探花
Volvo opens its first car factory in the US outside of Charleston in South Carolina. The Swedish ambassador Karin Olofsdotter (right) surprises by criticizing US policy at the Volvo inauguration. Here with H氓kan Samuelsson (left), CEO of Volvo Car Group.
Photo: Anette Nantell/TT Nyhetsbyr氓n
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Gender in bilateral diplomacy

Research project
Active research
Project period
2014 - ongoing
Project owner
Department of Political 91探花
Financier
Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Swedish Research Council
Area
Society and economy
Topic
Political 91探花 (Exluding Peace and Conflict Studies) Gender Studies

Short description

In the past two decades, an increasing number of women have entered bilateral diplomacy as diplomatic officials. On average, women now make up 23% of bilateral ambassadors globally, and they constitute an even larger share of the lower-level diplomats. Until recently, however, the Foreign Service remained a patriarchal stronghold, indeed one of the most male-dominated spheres of the state. Although women served many crucial diplomatic functions as wives, typists, servants and more, they were prohibited from holding diplomatic office well into the 20th century. Marriage bars on female diplomats remained in place until the 1970s, forcing women to choose between having a diplomatic career or getting married. The recent entry of large numbers of female diplomatic officials thus constitutes a rather dramatic change in what used to be a fully male-dominated institution. The aim of this project is to identify and examine the operation of gender norms, networks and practices in bilateral diplomacy as carried out by ambassadors and career diplomats.

Publications

2025.  Towns, Ann E. "." Cooperation and Conflict 60(2): 237-260.

2023.  Niklasson, Birgitta and Towns, Ann E., 鈥. International Studies Quarterly 67(4).

2022. Niklasson, Birgitta and Towns, Ann E., 鈥.鈥&苍产蝉辫;The Hague Journal of Diplomacy 17(3):339-369.

2022. Towns, Ann E. 鈥鈥 Global Society 36(3):347-67.

2022. Kreft, Anne-Kathrin, Birgitta Niklasson, and Towns, Ann E.," European Journal of Politics and Gender 5(3):279-302.

2020. Towns, Ann E., 鈥溾鈥 Review of International Studies 46, 573-593.

2020. Towns, Ann E, Jezierska, Katarzyna, Kreft, Anne-Kathrin and Niklasson, Birgitta . 鈥鈥 Hague Journal of Diplomacy 15(4):636-47. 

2019. Aggestam, Karin and Towns, Ann E., 鈥溾 International Feminist Journal of Politics 21(1):9鈥28.

2017. Aggestam, Karin and Towns, Ann E., eds. "". New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

2017. Towns, Ann E. and Niklasson, Birgitta. "", Foreign Policy Analysis 13: 521-540.

2017. Aggestam, Karin and Towns, Ann E., 鈥淒iplomacy 鈥 A Gendered Institution鈥. In Pauline Kerr and Geoffrey Wiseman (eds) , second edition. New York: Oxford University Press.

2017. Towns, Ann E., Kreft, Anne-Kathrin and Niklasson, Birgitta. 鈥淭he Empowerment of Women in Diplomacy鈥 in Amy Alexander, Catherine Bolzendahl and Farida Jalalzai (eds) . New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

2017. Aggestam, Karin and Towns, Ann E., 鈥淚ntroduction鈥 in Karin Aggestam and Ann Towns, eds. . New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

2017. Aggestam, Karin and Towns, Ann E., 鈥淐onclusions鈥 in Karin Aggestam and Ann Towns, eds. . New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

2017. Niklasson, Birgitta and Towns, Ann E., 鈥淕ender, status, and ambassador appointments to militarized and violent countries鈥 in Jennifer Cassidy, ed. . New York: Routledge, pp 100-119.

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