Gender politics; State Feminism; feminist and women’s movements; policy diffusion; gender mainstreaming; comparative politics; development studies; Latin America; Sub-Saharan Africa
Background & Qualification
M.A. in International Relations – Dublin City University 2001-2002; Postgraduate Diploma in Gender and Development Studies – Universidad Politécnica de Nicaragua & Comisión Interuniversitaria de Estudios de Equidad de Género de Nicaragua; B.A. in Humanities (Linguistics, Languages, Translation Studies, Literature) – National University College Ireland in Galway and Las Palmas University 1995-1999.
Doctoral Research
The spread of National Women’s Machineries in Latin America: a window of opportunity to advance women’s equality or merely window-dressing?
Abstract
In Latin America in the period 1995-2016, all states created or reformed their National Women’s Machineries (NWMs). This form of institution was promoted by the United Nations as a global gender equality policy blueprint. NWMs were supported by emerging international gender policy norms, catapulted by the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA), adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, China) in 1995. The research has two aims. Firstly, it examines the process of policy diffusion, assessing the extent of policy convergence as well as the type of institutional structures established. Secondly, it examines the effectiveness of NWMs in promoting progressive reform to improve the position and condition of women. It asks, has the diffusion of NWMs opened a window of opportunity to promote women’s status and gender equality? or are these entities a form of window-dressing to comply with global gender equality norms at the behest of international pressures and / or particularistic internal interests, without necessarily prompting real change?
Dr Diaz Garcia was awarded her PhD by DCU in 2019.