Main outcomes of event 'Gender x Nuclear: The Future of Women in Nuclear Disarmament'

Blogpost written by Catherine Robertson.

Background: 

The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which recently entered into force, stands alone as the only nuclear disarmament treaty sensitive to gender. A gender perspective on nuclear weapons and disarmament is essential since: 

• the use or testing of nuclear weapons disproportionately harm women and girls;
• women are under-represented in decision-making regarding nuclear weapons;
• and the discourse around nuclear weapons is highly gendered.

With a look at the creation of the TPNW, the event’s speakers examined the roles women have played in its creation and how this was achieved. What are the limits of the gendered aspects of the TPNW and what can we do in the future to ensure more women’s voices are heard in the realm of international diplomacy and conversations around nuclear weapons? 

Gender Norms in Disarmament Discourse

What do we mean when we talk about gender? Gender highlights the roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that are considered appropriate or ‘the norm’ for women, non-binary people, and men. In most societies, these social rules produce inequalities which generally favour men. This is why the topic of ‘women’s empowerment’ is such a crucial issue. However, this does not mean that discussions around gender should exclude men. Quite the opposite. It is essential that men are present and take an active role in these discussions if these inequalities are to be rectified.

But how is gender relevant for arms control and disarmament? Gender norms shape the role of weapons in society and the impact that weapons have. When nuclear weapons are used, they do not have a gender neutral impact. Women are more likely to develop cancer, but also, due to societal gender norms, women are more likely to be ostracised from communities and be seen as “contaminated”. On the flip side, men are likely to lose their livelihood due to nuclear contamination, affecting their feelings of self-worth and status in society. 

Women’s History in Anti-Nuclear Activism

Women have long been active in peace activism. Most documented in the West since the late 18th and early 19th centuries, women excluded from peace negotiations mobilised to form the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom. WILPF is the longest standing peace organisation in the world and played an active role in the most recent TPNW negotiations. In the Global South, women’s activism forms part of a long tradition of peace work, notably in working against colonialism and colonial oppression. 

Women’s role in anti-nuclear activism began to intensify in the 1980s. The backdrop to this was a wider scene of activism, Cold War tensions, and second wave feminism. This saw a new generation of women-led action campaigns, taking on a more radical emphasis. Anti-nuclear campaigns often made gender equality an explicit goal, arguing nuclear weapons are tied to problematic ideas around masculinity. These movements saw the increased involvement of men and non-binary people in feminist action.

Women’s anti-nuclear activism in the North often gets the most attention but this work is by no means confined to the North. Pacific Islander women organised at the local, regional, and transnational level to protest the use of nuclear weapons in the region. Indian women also did the same, forming movements against nuclear tests. Feminist anti-nuclear activism also did not end with the Cold War. The International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons has seen a remarkable revival in feminist influence, culminating in the TPNW in 2017. Women continue to campaign, forging alliances with diplomats from states around the world. 

Gender and the Treaty of the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Nuclear weapons are the most destructive, inhumane, and indiscriminate weapon ever created. If 1% of the weapons currently active were used, it would destroy the earth’s climate and force two billion people to starvation. Increased understanding of the risk that nuclear weapons pose, led in part to the creation of the TPNW. The TPNW references women explicitly because nuclear weapons have a disproportionate impact on women and girls. Over the last 75 years, women in Japan exposed to the two nuclear attacks in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, have had a double risk of developing and dying of cancer. Women exposed to radiation from the nuclear power plant explosion at Chernobyl had a higher risk of developing thyroid cancer. Nuclear radiation increases maternal mortality due to the increased risk of stillbirths and birth defects. Data collection has only recently become sex-disaggregated, however. It is therefore likely that this harm differential has been under reported and under recorded. 

Furthermore, women continue to be underrepresented in negotiation and intergovernmental discussion surrounding nuclear weapons and disarmament. The TPNW recognises this inequality by highlighting the need for change and calling for parties to assess their progress in addressing this issue. During the formation of the treaty itself, one third of delegations were women and one third of delegations were men only, an improvement from the previous 50% of all delegations being men only. Diverse representation is essential, with intersectionality as its heart. Going forward, this power imbalance can only be shifted when it is ensured that underrepresented people have the floor to speak and be heard.