The Oxford Handbook of Women and International Law interrogates women's interrelationship with international law's institutions, norms, and theoretical approaches. Women have made tremendous strides in international law by contributing to its development and application; wielding power as representatives and leaders in international organizations; and serving as judges, legal experts, and leaders of non-governmental organizations pushing the law in new directions. Yet, as this Handbook demonstrates, full equality remains elusive while new threats emerge. Climate change, the rise in nationalism, and anti-gender ideology pose serious challenges to multilateral institutions and norms that protect and empower women.

Featuring diverse and interdisciplinary contributions from across the globe by leading scholars, international judges, and legal practitioners, this Handbook explores the ways in which international law might meet its unmet potential for achieving gender equality for women and girls, in all their diversity, and counter these emerging challenges. All the while, the book wrestles with both who "women" are and the extent to which international law's norms and institutions are effective and worthwhile spaces for emancipatory change.