Analyzing institutional persistence: The case of the Ministry of Women's Affairs in Aotearoa/New Zealand

Abstract

The Ministry of Women's Affairs in Aotearoa/New Zealand was established as a stand-alone agency in 1986. It has remained institutionally intact for more than 20 years, unlike many women's policy agencies that have been downsized or eliminated. It has survived significant economic and state sector restructuring and weathered the extension of neoliberal orientations into the reform of social policy. We analyze New Zealand's version of state feminism during three political periods since its inception. For each period, we identify significant developments both in the broader political context and within the ministry itself, and examine how effective Women's Affairs has been in advancing the substantive interests of diverse groups of women. Our analysis identifies three key features of the Ministry of Women's Affairs - its political context, its political and bureaucratic leadership, and its institutional design - as important in explaining both the ministry's continued existence and the limits on what it has been able to achieve.