Policy mobilities and gender: a case study of the influence of the ‘Swedish model’ on Northern Ireland’s sex work policy

As gender is largely absent in academic studies of policy mobilities, this article calls for academic discussion on the role of gender within policy mobilities. To kick-start this discussion, it suggests two avenues of investigation: (1) gendered labour and power relations, and (2) gendered narratives. To demonstrate the value of taking these avenues, it examines the circulation of sex work policy models. In particular, the article considers the labour, power relations and narratives behind a Bill submitted to the Northern Ireland Assembly that, inspired by policymaking in Sweden, sought to criminalise the buying of sex. The article concentrates on the Bill’s reception in the Committee Stage of the legislative process where the public and other interested parties are encouraged to give oral and written evidence. It demonstrates that many supporters of the Bill used explicitly gendered narratives in their Committee Stage evidence which frequently resonated with, and were likely influenced by, radical feminist ideas on prostitution. The article also illustrates that while there was some involvement of radical feminists in the shaping of the Bill, it was more notably shaped by the patriarchal political climate around it.