Men, Masculinities, and Feminist Foreign Policy

A review of how governments with feminist foreign policies address the engagement of men and boys.

Over the past decade, Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) has grown in prominence in the international relations of several nations. This is not a sudden development, but the continuation of a long history of women’s rights activism and movement building which provided the essential political foundations for some nations to create feminist foreign policies.

This paper reviews all publicly available government articulations of feminist foreign policies. It assesses how they address the engagement of men and boys, both at the individual level and in efforts to challenge and transform patriarchal norms around masculinity at institutional and ideological levels.

Our focus: Men, Masculinities, and Feminist Foreign Policies

We do not advocate for the inclusion of men and boys in all feminist foreign policies. But we do believe it can add value when done through a robust feminist political framework — and can harm when not. This report analyzes the extent to which current feminist foreign policies incorporate this lens and the value it may offer to broader feminist foreign policy practice.

Who is this resource for? 

This document is aimed at:

• Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working on gender equality, men and masculinities, and international advocacy.
• Governments incuding policymakers, diplomats, and staff involved in feminist foreign policy design and implementation.
• UN Agencies and other stakeholders such as international bodies, donors, and academic institutions committed to global gender justice.

If you’re interested in exploring how engaging men and boys and transforming patriarchal masculinities can strengthen feminist foreign policy, this document offers critical insights. We focus on integration that is:

• Feminist-Informed: Grounded in a commitment to women’s rights and gender justice.
• Intersectional: Acknowledging how gender intersects with other forms of identity and power (like race, class, and sexuality).
• Accountable: Ensuring that efforts are directed toward the ultimate goal of dismantling patriarchal power—from the individual to the systemic level — and not just token inclusion.

Ultimately, this resource is for those who believe that a strategic, feminist-led inclusion of men and masculinities can add value to achieving the transformative aims of feminist foreign policy.

About the authors 

This report was written by Alexander Watt and Jennifer Rodriguez Bruno. A special thanks to Ilse Wermink for reviewing the document, as well as to Magaly Marques, Khurram Saleem, and Laxman Belbase. Thank you to the MenEngage members who shared their valuable insights and to all the feminist coalitions who are leading the work to advance feminist principles within Feminist Foreign Policy.

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