Feminist Foreign Policy: A Comparative Analysis Of The Swedish And The Indian Foreign Policies

Abstract

The traditional feminist outlook was ineffective in stimulating the de-masculinization of the political frameworks of States. Power structures founded on patriarchal normativism conventionally systematise “Othering” in policy making. Such exclusionary susceptibilities gave rise to a paradigmatic shift. Informed by feminist voices and global civil society actors, gender mainstreaming gained traction in the 20th century. ‘Women, Peace, Security’ Agenda, engendered by the United Nations Security Council Resolution, invigorated progressive governments to incorporate a feminist facet to their foreign policies. What compelled the feminists to deconstruct this structural isolation of women? What are the factors that led to the substantial reorientation of foreign policies? In fact, in a major first move, the Swedish coalition government initiated a radical policy change by incorporating a feminist agenda which addressed the gendered problems of inequality, discrimination and violence. Contrarily, to date, statistics on India’s diplomatic cadre highlight a problematic masculine alignment. It becomes imperative, here, to examine the vulnerabilities that obstruct India from institutionalising a comprehensive gender-sensitive policy structure despite being a rising geopolitical force. Alongside, it also becomes a matter of inquiry whether the Indian scenario narrates a ‘masculine’ problem of the Third-world countries or is it just a country-specific issue? A qualitative content analysis highlights that Swedish foreign policy discourse has taken great strides to transform the ‘male’ institutionalised structures, taking intersectionality into account. Conversely, in the Indian context, gender parity has been restricted to only numerical connotations instead of a strong rhetorical framework and institutional modifications. Moreover, in India, there is a wide gap between planning and execution, which makes it difficult to enhance the prominence of women in the international domain. Therefore, it can be concluded that access and influence in global decision-making spaces are yet a yearning for Indian women, whereas Sweden has already achieved it.

DOI - https://doi.org/10.66496/LCAP.9788168710122.2026.145-169