Women at the Helm — Gender, Leadership, and Global Politics

The growing number of women in executive office has raised questions about how our existing theories — theories often created by and to explain the experiences of men — can account for how women come to power and how they perform in office. This class surveys how gendered norms and political structures affect the election, behavior, and political fate of women heads of government. Students will engage with various approaches to the study of gender and leadership in International Relations and explore cases of stateswomen who led empires and states.