Report 36: Gender and security policies. A feminist look into the impacts of militarization in the West

Gender and security policies. A feminist look into the impacts of militarization in the West

The rise of the populist far right, which rules alone or in coalition in the USA and in ten European countries, predicts a dark period towards freedom rights, especially to women and LGTBI rights.

Policies against people’s rights cling to the idea of returning to the national security, focused on the State protection by military means. This return to a past of order and security is based on the patriarchal family, the confinement of women in private spaces and the invisibility of dissident sexualities.

Consequently, militarism and military expenditure increase, and countries develop control and massive monitoring techniques that sneak into people’s daily life and change how they interact. Furthermore, states cut down economic resources invested on social issues, expanding the gap between the rich and the poor.

This report gathers the contributions of Feminist Studies in the security field to determine the material impacts of securitization in the West. These impacts are translated into economic and community insecurity; migration prosecution and discrimination towards ethnic minorities; personal and physical insecurity, accentuated due to stereotypes that feed genre violence and impunity; and insecurity regarding health access, especially sexual and reproductive health.

Author: Nora Miralles. With the collaboration of Guillem Mases Gavaldà.

You can download the executive summary in English, in Spanish and in Catalan, and the full report in English, in Spanish andin Catalan.