What’s in It for Women: A Feminist Foreign Policy

Heather Hurlburt was quoted in a piece from the American Prospect on the Biden Administration and feminist foreign policy.

Heather Hurlburt, the director of New Models of Policy Change at New America, says that one example of when a feminist foreign policy would have been particularly beneficial was in Afghanistan. When Americans arrived in the country, they wanted to focus on women’s representation in politics. “And local women said ‘no,’” Hurlburt said. “‘Please help us lower maternal mortality and remove taboos against women having medical assistance at childbirth first.’” Empowering and listening to local women is a key part of the strategy.

Studies have shown that when women are involved in peace negotiations, the agreements last 64 percent more of the time than those negotiations with men only. And in the last year, female leaders have emerged as political impresarios by heading up some of the most successful and holistic campaigns in response to COVID-19. In New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s actions on the pandemic led to a landslide re-election victory in October, while Christine Lagarde, the first female president of the European Central Bank, realigned the financial authority’s primary mission to include fighting climate change. These successes suggest that bringing women into the political decision-making process results in better outcomes.