This study explores the factors that affect the establishment and abolition of feminist foreign policy in Sweden. The study argues that Sweden’s decision to implement Feminist foreign policy was influenced by a combination of domestic and internatio...
This study explores the factors that affect the establishment and abolition of feminist foreign policy in Sweden. The study argues that Sweden’s decision to implement Feminist foreign policy was influenced by a combination of domestic and international factors. Existing literature suggests that the internalization of global norms, such as gender equality, results in the adoption and development of feminist foreign policy in certain countries. However, this study argues that Sweden’s decision to implement a Feminist foreign policy is also affected by party competition and the growth of women’s social and political organizations in Sweden. By utilizing feminist foreign policy as a political strategy, the Swedish Social Democratic Party (SDP) sought to enhance its electoral victory and consolidation. In addition, after the 2022 Swedish general election, the Sweden Democrats (SD) became the second-largest party, and the right-leaning coalition utilized the “abolishment of feminist foreign policy” to negotiate with the SD to form a government. As a result, this study suggests that countries’ motivation to declare and abandon feminist foreign policy is influenced by political parties’ polemical strategy, which employs politicized feminism in response to shifting domestic political environments.