ABSTRACT

Through focusing on the experiences of female diplomats working in host-countries where the political, legal, and cultural understandings of the role, status, and visibility of women differs significantly from their own, this chapter examines the different issues and challenges they encounter working in these, sometimes difficult, environments. It aims to provide a unique contribution to the existing literature by identifying the type and range of issues faced by female representatives of Her Britannic Majesty's Government when they operate in an overseas environment in the present day, specifically in host countries where the political and legal status, and cultural understandings of women in society differ significantly from their own. Interestingly, in identifying the ways in which women working in the British Diplomatic Service overcame these issues and challenges, the chapter demonstrates that there can be specific advantages to working in particularly difficult host-country cultures as women.