Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0004-4622-9481

Advisor

Stanisevski, Dragan

Committee Member

Baker, Leslie

Committee Member

Potter, Michael

Committee Member

Rush, Christine

Date of Degree

5-15-2026

Original embargo terms

Visible MSU Only 2 Years

Document Type

Dissertation - Campus Access Only

Major

Public Policy & Administration

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Department of Political Science and Public Administration

Abstract

Since the UN’s Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, gender mainstreaming has been diffused globally as a policy strategy for advancing gender equality by incorporating a gender equality perspective into all government activities. Despite extensive implementation efforts by many countries, scholars studying gender mainstreaming have observed that outcomes have often been modest rather than transformative, due to implementation barriers, including depoliticization, cultural and organizational distance, and neoliberal constraints. This research explores how gender mainstreaming has been diffused globally and implemented differently across national contexts. Through a multiple case study method grounded in Max Weber’s comparative-historical analysis, it explores the institutional decisions behind initial adoption, the interpretation of gender equality, implementation practices, and policies and initiatives that emerged from gender mainstreaming, along with their outcomes. The study identifies recurring themes in policy implementation across three diverse cases: the Philippines, Rwanda, and Sweden. These countries were selected for their sustained commitment to gender mainstreaming and transparent documentation of strategies and progress. The progress reports submitted by each country to the United Nations over the past thirty years, along with academic literature, were reviewed through qualitative content analysis. Theories of institutional isomorphism and heteromorphism, feminist perspectives, and key concepts such as depoliticization, repoliticization, and the subjective meanings of gender equality informed the coding framework. The analyses revealed patterns of institutional isomorphism with practical heteromorphism. In addition, the study confirms that effective implementation requires adequate budget allocation for gender equality, the collection of gender statistics, progressive lawmaking, consideration of national contextual factors, and institutional mechanisms that enhance democratic participation among stakeholders at the local, national, and international levels while ensuring accountability. Moreover, an ideal type comprising fifteen policy themes has been developed for comparative studies of other countries. This research indicates the transformative potential of gender mainstreaming. It emphasizes the need to view its implementation as part of a broader cultural transformation within institutions, which is a process that typically unfolds incrementally over time.

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