Feminist Foreign Policy: Testing Times for the Women and Peace Hypothesis

Abstract

The present article analyses feminist foreign policies adopted by Sweden, Canada, France and Mexico to explore how they incorporate the Women and Peace Hypothesis and its application in the present Russia–Ukraine conflict. Of the seven countries that have adopted feminist foreign policies so far, the study selects the above four countries based on their systematic development of the policies once adopted. The study uses qualitative content analysis of both primary and secondary sources. Among primary sources, the study uses foreign-policy documents. It also relies on secondary literature developed around feminist foreign policy and the Women and Peace Hypothesis. The study suggests that Sweden and Canada have strongly incorporated the Women and Peace Hypothesis into their policies. France and Mexico, along with the participation of women in the peace process, give more importance to other aspects of women’s empowerment, such as the promotion of gender equality. In the present scenario, none of these countries stresses on women’s participation in the negotiation to end the ongoing Russia–Ukraine conflict. This study encourages policymakers to involve women in the peace process for an inclusive, peaceful and prosperous world.