Women, Peace and Security Organisations: Gender Norms and NATO

Abstract

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as security organisation, plays a key role in mainstreaming gender policies not only because the organisation itself is characterised by hegemonic masculinity and operates in a hyper-masculine environment but also because international organisations are central actors in norm creation and implementation. Wüstemann gives an overview of NATO’s previous activities in implementing gender norms at both institutional and policy levels and within NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan to show how NATO is interpreting gender mainstreaming on its different levels.