International institutions, advocacy networks, and the status of women

In recent years, those interested women's human rights have placed increasing confidence in the ability of international institutions and nongovernmental organizations to promote their cause both globally and domestically. This has been particularly the case with constructivist scholars who view international institutions and advocacy networks as the key to the development, promotion and diffusion of international norms in this area. These theorists argue that state practices can be most effectively transformed through an iterative process of norm creation and diffusion via international conventions and the empowerment of domestic actors by international advocacy groups.; As evidence in support of this process, scholars and activists point to a long string of accomplishments by these actors over the past century, most notably with the extension of political and economic rights to women on a nearly universal scale. This dissertation argues that this pattern of accomplishment while notable is both less substantive and broad in its impact than it is thought to be and less the result of advocacy groups. Though there are other success stories, the majority of accomplishments tend to be specific to a single country or a set of a few countries and to share less in common than appears to be the case.; Evidence in support of this thesis is drawn from longitudinal and cross-national data on the realization of women's political, legal status and reproductive rights. The empirical evidence demonstrates that while the instruments of advocacy that constructivists identify do influence women's enjoyment of rights, their effect is limited, often dissipates prematurely and is not robust across rights. The narrow scope and selectivity of these achievements casts doubts about the degree to which gender equality and nondiscrimination norms are as internalized by the socialization process as constructivist scholars contend or whether the diffusion of norms is more attributable to marginal concessions by states and a convergence of interests between actors. Evidence is presented that suggests that the promotion of democracy and improvements to women's core rights, access to education and the workplace, may be more reliable predictors and constitute the most effective vehicles for the advancement of women's status.