Is Gender Diplomacy Effective? Women’s Representation and Public Diplomacy in Authoritarian Regimes

Extant scholarship suggests that autocrats employ quotas to cultivate an image of democratic governance, yet the mechanisms underlying these effects are underexplored. We conceptualize Gender Diplomacy (GD) as the strategic deployment of women in public diplomacy to enhance foreign perceptions. We conducted a nationally representative survey, randomly exposing 1,241 Americans to vignettes and photos depicting either an all male or a gender balanced Federal National Council in the UAE. Our findings reveal that GD improves perceptions in domains associated with stereotypically female traits, including viewing the UAE positively, but weaker effects in domains associated with male competencies, such as support for security cooperation. We argue that these effects are due to the implicit association between female traits and the UAE. Our research underscores the role of implicit gender biases in public diplomacy and informs debates on the strategic use of women's inclusion.