Implementation of a gender mainstreaming strategy in diplomacy.
Men and women are different but equal. This very equality of treatment and worth, the equality of chances and opportunities, the freedom to live the way one chooses, can be achieved with a judicious application of the different resources and tools of gender
mainstreaming. Gender mainstreaming in diplomacy cannot be separated from gender mainstreaming in the wider framework of society as a whole.
Gender consciousness on the part of politicians and decision makers is indispensable as it is they who have to create the legal parameters in which a proper gender policy can develop. But a set of laws alone is not enough. There also has to be a strong political will not only to
create this legal framework but to actually put gender mainstreaming into practice as well.
Different strategies to implement gender mainstreaming in diplomacy As the basic problems and short comings of diplomats’ lives are already well known, we intend to concentrate on the situation of women with different family statuses working in diplomacy, and to suggest possible measures to improve their situation of equality.
Single women: For single women there is no serious gender problem apart from the social situation of women in general in the country of posting and the special effect of this environment on
women. It depends on the individual Ministry to decide whether to send female diplomats to such countries if they apply.
Married men/women: For married men/women the greatest problem is probably the fact that in diplomacy people sometimes live more than half of their working life abroad. It is usually very difficult for the partner to find work or even to be allowed to work in the foreign country. This of course applies equally to both men and women. But in practice it usually affects females more as they find it easier to step back and to follow their partners more often than the reverse. This can currently only be solved on a country-by-country basis. Each country has its own rules for foreigners – including diplomats – applying for a work permit. Basically, the personnel department should at least always provide partners with relevant information concerning the employment opportunities and regulations in the proposed country. In Austria for example, things have changed quite considerably in the last ten to twenty years. It has mostly been the measures with financial implications that have had a sustainable effect on the behavioural patterns and on the life-shaping decisions of both women and men.
Up until about twenty years ago, every married Austrian male diplomat posted abroad received an extra allowance for his wife joining him. It was assumed she would have to buy more expensive dresses for representative occasions, and the allowance also covered the extra costs incurred by entertaining. This was called the “wife’s allowance” – until one day a very alert lady diplomat, an expert on international law in the Foreign Ministry, pointed out
that this flew in the face of all the principles of equality. This was of course true, but it had never occurred to anyone before. Since then female employees posted abroad have also received an allowance for their accompanying husbands. Although the percentage is steadily increasing, relatively few men take advantage of the paternity leave facility. In Austria men usually earn more than women, the income gap between men and women being the second highest in the EU, and so the economic decision is usually taken in favour of the man’s career.
As can be seen, gender mainstreaming in diplomacy must always be considered against the background of each individual country and society. A Foreign Ministry can establish its own gender mainstreaming measures, allocate finances effectively and provide the administrative and legal framework to allow the maximum flexibility. But many countries still have a long way to go, and we must never relent in our determination to alert the decision-makers to gender issues.
