Solving the Concept Stretching Problem

Abstract

Abstract Chapter 1 reviews the problem of concept stretching in depth and demonstrates how existing scholarship and policymaking suffer from conflating gender equality with women’s status. The chapter begins by providing specific examples of this conflation in the literature and the policymaking world, as well as identifying the problems that result from this conflation. It then goes on to explain these problems and, using the language of concept stretching, the chapter engages in a step-by-step process of developing the concepts of gender equality and women’s status to show how they are different concepts all together. The goal is to show how this concept stretching can limit, even harm, the women, peace, and security policy agenda.