A framework for developing gender-responsive cybersecurity policy

Beyond the fact that cybersecurity problems are formulated in techno-functional terms, which gives it an objective halo, cybersecurity is a contested field and an inherently political one: it is a contest between different worldviews, ideologies and strategic interests, even if all these are concealed as unquestioned assumptions. Indeed, security, as a value, is not universal and immutable; instead, security is constantly sustained and elaborated by local socio-cultural practices that characterise who and what is considered “safe” or “unsafe”, conceptualising the objects that are protected by security and articulating the moral justification for security. The gender approach has also entered the dispute about what and how cybersecurity is considered.

While great strides have been made in recognising the applicability of human rights frameworks to gender-based threats and abuses in digital contexts, the gendered impact of international cyber operations and incidents, as well as gender inequality, has been a largely unexplored part of the discourse in more securitised cyber processes and forums.

This three-part framework developed by the Association for Progressive Communications seeks to support policy makers and civil society organisations by providing practical guidance for developing gender-responsive cybersecurity policies, laws and strategies. Thus, it is expected to contribute to the various stakeholders interested in the contributions of a gender approach to cybersecurity to find a theoretical background that can support their policies and actions.