ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the subject of gender mainstreaming in counter-terrorism (CT) policy, highlighting for the reader why gender perspective is an essential part of effective security policy. It contextualizes this within the wider discussion around the global governance of transnational CT frameworks in the context of the Global War on Terror and the pervasion of security policy into increasingly more areas of life. The normative and narrative links between women’s rights and effective peace and security solutions have been growing since the passing of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000 and the birth of the Women, Peace, and Security agenda. However, there remain significant gaps in understanding of how to implement transformative gender mainstreaming strategies and lack of commitment to the necessary transformations. Therefore, this chapter lays out the lines of inquiry for this book, focused on the challenges of implementing programming under gender-blind state security frameworks and how the lack of available gender data limits understanding of its multidimensional nature. It also introduces the methodological approach of the study and the content of each of the following chapters, which through the application of gender analysis to the case studies build up a gender analysis framework in support of more transformative gender mainstreaming approaches.
