"IS INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS TOO HARD FOR AZERBAIJANI WOMEN?" MFA Azerbaijan as A Gendered Institution

Abstract

The main aim of this thesis is to examine MFA Azerbaijan as a gendered institution for studying the status of Azerbaijani women in international affairs. Following this research aim, the thesis relies on three sets of theoretical factors (institutional sex ratios, hierarchies and divisions of labour, gender rules and norms). For developing a descriptive study, it has employed a single case study design and carried out a content analysis of two kinds of data: (1) official documents regarding the Azerbaijani MFA and its staff; and (2) semi-structured qualitative interviews with current and former MFA employees. The content analysis has revealed that women, as a "token" minority in MFA Azerbaijan, face the problem of the glass ceiling, gendered hierarchy and task allocation on the ground of social norms and gender tereotypes; however, they do not employ a "role encapsulation" perception. It has also been clear that there are the same formal rules for men and women, and most of these rules do not produce differential gendered impacts. As the institutional rules, the thesis has revealed that the appropriate standards of behaviours on physical mobility, social mixing, and alcohol are also gender-neutral in MFA Azerbaijan. Thus, the study has contributed to two distinct bodies of scholarship: (1) women's underrepresentation in foreign policy and (2) women/gender in MFAs. As the first study about Azerbaijan on this topic, this thesis has presented empirical data on gender patterns in its MFA and provided novel theoretical insights on what kinds of social norms might matter for the presence or absence of women in diplomacy.