In the summer of 2023, the Dutch Ministry will launch a feminist foreign policy. We expect this to be a mainly liberal feminist foreign policy. This is comparable to current efforts in name of...Show moreIn the summer of 2023, the Dutch Ministry will launch a feminist foreign policy. We expect this to be a mainly liberal feminist foreign policy. This is comparable to current efforts in name of feminism in Dutch foreign policy, as well as the feminist foreign policies of Sweden, Canada and France. In this thesis, we explore if and how such a liberal feminist foreign policy aligns with stakeholder perspectives on what a feminist foreign policy should entail. By using Q-methodology, we ask respondents to rank statements on foreign policy from perspectives rooted in liberal-, cultural-, socialist-, intersectional- and postcolonial feminist theory. We conclude that respondents rank liberal feminist statements the lowest. Rather, respondents argue for a Dutch feminist foreign policy that prioritizes perspectives rooted in intersectional- and postcolonial feminism.Show less
Terrorist group IS has proved to be more successful in recruiting Western women than any other jihadist terrorist group. Due to the fall of the caliphate in 2019 more than 20 Dutch women now seek...Show moreTerrorist group IS has proved to be more successful in recruiting Western women than any other jihadist terrorist group. Due to the fall of the caliphate in 2019 more than 20 Dutch women now seek to return. Gentry & Sjoberg (2021) show that politically violent women are often understood as victims, which in turn affects policy decisions. In this research, Postmodern Public Administration Theory (PPAT) and Doty’s Discursive Practice Approach (1993) are combined to expose the dominant discourse on returning Dutch IS-affiliated women. Although the women who seek to return are portrayed in the debates in a neo-Orientalist and traditional way, the findings of this study show that the Second Chamber of the Netherlands does not regard IS-affiliated women as victims, but as perpetrators.Show less
Crises impede the achievement of gender equality worldwide, and are unlikely to cede in the coming years. Therefore, understanding the gender effects of crises is crucial to inform policymakers and...Show moreCrises impede the achievement of gender equality worldwide, and are unlikely to cede in the coming years. Therefore, understanding the gender effects of crises is crucial to inform policymakers and strive towards universal gender equality. This thesis seeks to add a new empirical contribution to the existing state of art by exploring how the type of crisis affects gender equality. By pursuing a single-case study focused on Sweden, this thesis aims to address limitations of current literature on this topic, which often lacks thick description and has largely neglected country-specific analyses. Using feminist theory as the theoretical framework, this thesis compares and contrasts the impact of two types of crises on gender equality in Sweden, namely financial and climate crises through document analyses. Whereas financial crises had a limited impact on gender equality, which already enjoyed a high standard pre-crisis, climate crises had a much more profound impact on gender equality in Sweden. By comparing and contrasting findings, this thesis concludes that the type of crisis does matter in terms of the impact it has on gender equality as it varies significantly in terms of the scope and nature of impact.Show less
