The evolving understanding of gender in international law and ‘gender ideology’ pushback 25 years since the Beijing conference on women

Abstract

This paper provides an analysis of the use of the term gender in international human rights law – both in the discourse on women's rights and on sexual orientation and gender identity – as well as the current contestations and challenges raised by the anti-gender movements. It is argued that the rise of the SOGI concept in international human rights system and the social constructionist definition of gender in the Istanbul Convention were among the defining moments in the development of the ‘gender ideology’ discourse and anti-gender movements in the 2010s. The paper concludes by arguing for an inclusive understanding of the term to keep transforming the gendered system, an obligation undertaken at the 1995 Beijing conference on women. On the occasion of the quarter-century anniversary, the Beijing+25 provides an opportunity to take stock of the developments and ensure that gender equality and human rights are not undermined by the ‘gender ideology’ discourse.