How Women's Rights Shape National Security and Democracy

March 10, 2022

Podcast Deep Dish on Global Affairs Podcast

To celebrate Women’s History Month, Valerie Hudson and Zoe Marks explain why “what you do to your women, you do to your nation.”

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About the Episode

Around the world, authoritarianism is rising and women’s rights are declining—and it’s not a coincidence that’s happening at the same time. Valerie Hudson and Zoe Marks join Deep Dish to explain how sexism undermines national security, why autocrats are afraid of women, and why progress on gender equality is essential for stability, democracy, and prosperity.

Reading List

What You Do to Your Women, You Do to Your Nation, Valerie Hudson, the New York Times
Revenge of the Patriarchs: Why Autocrats Fear Women, Zoe Marks and Erica Chenoweth, Foreign Affairs

This episode is sponsored by William Blair.

About the Experts

Valerie Hudson

Professor & George H.W. Bush Chair, Bush School of Government & Public Service, Texas A&M University

Valerie Hudson is professor and George H.W. Bush Chair at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University. She has previously taught at Brigham Young, Northwestern, and Rutgers universities. Her research foci include foreign policy analysis, security studies, gender and international relations, and methodology.

Zoe Marks

Lecturer, Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School

Zoe Marks is a lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her research and teaching interests focus on the intersections of conflict and political violence; race, gender and inequality; peacebuilding; & African politics. Her current book project examines the internal dynamics of rebellion in Sierra Leone to understand how and why rebel groups can sustain a viable threat to the state without widespread support.

Brian Hanson

Vice President, Studies

Brian Hanson is the Vice President of Studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He oversees the Council's research operations and hosts the Council's weekly podcast, Deep Dish on Global Affairs.

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