Awards

• Winner of Winner, 2024 Bertha Lutz Award, International Studies Association.

Overview

Foreign services globally are undergoing fundamental and rapid gendered change, spurred on by shifting social and governance norms and even the adoption of an explicit feminist foreign policy in some stages. For some, this has resulted in women's rapidly increasing representation at the frontlines of global governance. Yet, compounded by COVID-19, a rise in right-wing misogyny and extremism, and sometimes archaically slow-moving institutions, progress is marred by women's continued, entrenched under-representation in leadership and devastating challenges that have increased in recent years. Women remain frequently side-lined, marginalized, under-valued, and overlooked in international affairs. In short, international affairs has a gender problem, and remains one of the worst-performing sectors of the state. After studying women's leadership and gender relations across four international affairs agencies spanning diplomacy, defense, national security, policing, and intelligence, The Face of the Nation contributes empirical data from the last 30+ years on women's representation in a leading case context--Australia--to understand the disconnect between pockets of progress and undercurrents of resistance. Australia is a global leader in terms of representation of women and policy supports for gender equality in governance. Yet, Australia also demonstrates how deeply gendered, racialized, and heteronormative international institutions remain. Through in-depth interviews with almost 80 global leaders, including with Australia's first female prime minister, Julia Gillard, and first female foreign minister, Julie Bishop, this book delivers a much-needed Intersectional Feminist Institutionalist approach to trace the evolution of inequalities in international affairs and interrogate why women still remain under-represented in international affairs.

Full Product Details

9780197632727

Table of Contents

Reviews

Elise Stephenson's forensic examination of the challenges faced by women in international affairs is eye-opening and a call to action to address the gendered barriers to leadership in diplomacy. * Julia Gillard, 27th Prime Minister of Australia * Elise Stephenson knows that 'Who Leads, Matters', and demonstrates why. She explores the obstacles, opportunities and the optimism surrounding women leaders in international affairs. She shows that we are on the verge of creating herstory in international affairs, with women on the verge of parity. Her ground breaking research and invigorating approach is a stellar addition to the discussion of women in global affairs. * Natasha Stott Despoja, CEDAW * In an era of polycrisis, diplomacy has never mattered more to global futures, and yet our understanding of diversity and representation in international affairs still has many gaps. Dr. Stephenson draws on sophisticated data analysis to make a groundbreaking contribution about the way 'genteel toxic masculinities' play out in international-facing government agencies, delving into the structures and informal rules that lead to persistent underrepresentation of women representing the state, and in particular, more diverse women. * Susan Harris Rimmer, Griffith University *

"""Elise Stephenson's forensic examination of the challenges faced by women in international affairs is eye-opening and a call to action to address the gendered barriers to leadership in diplomacy."" -- Julia Gillard, 27th Prime Minister of Australia ""Elise Stephenson knows that 'Who Leads, Matters', and demonstrates why. She explores the obstacles, opportunities and the optimism surrounding women leaders in international affairs. She shows that we are on the verge of creating herstory in international affairs, with women on the verge of parity. Her ground breaking research and invigorating approach is a stellar addition to the discussion of women in global affairs."" -- Natasha Stott Despoja, CEDAW ""In an era of polycrisis, diplomacy has never mattered more to global futures, and yet our understanding of diversity and representation in international affairs still has many gaps. Dr. Stephenson draws on sophisticated data analysis to make a groundbreaking contribution about the way 'genteel toxic masculinities' play out in international-facing government agencies, delving into the structures and informal rules that lead to persistent underrepresentation of women representing the state, and in particular, more diverse women."" -- Susan Harris Rimmer, Griffith University"

Author Information

Dr Elise Stephenson is a multi award-winning Australian gender researcher and entrepreneur, and Deputy Director at the Global Institute for Women's Leadership at the Australian National University, founded and chaired by Australia's former Prime Minister Julia Gillard. She is recognized by Google as one of Australia's Top 50 Outstanding LGBTIQ+ Leaders, is a 2022 Fulbright Scholar, and a Community Awardee of the United Nations Australia Association..

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