Mariel Dominique Verroya1
1Griffith University, Nathan, Australia
Biography:
Mariel Dominique Verroya is a PhD Candidate at the School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University. She is a research team member on the Australian Research Council-funded Discovery Project, The Politics of Expertise During Covid-19. Her thesis examines the forms of exclusion and inclusion of gender expertise on scientific committees.
Abstract:
The role of expertise at the international level has been presented as equal parts competition for authority and striving for objectivity on what is seen as valid knowledge that can be universally accepted. But where does gender expertise sit within these camps? What barriers do gender experts face in being included as experts on international scientific committees? Despite the significance and the increasing emergence of gender knowledge as expertise in various international domains – humanitarianism, peacekeeping, peace processes, and sustainable development – it is yet to receive the same level of inclusion in other technical domains such as information communications technology and health, and climate change. This gap in the recognition and integration of gender expertise in scientific domains warrants further analysis. This paper focuses on experts appointed to the World Health Organization's International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committees and their understanding of gender expertise. Through an online survey delivered to past and present committee members, we asked how they perceive gender representation (i.e. quotas), gender expertise (as knowledge), and the barriers to representation and knowledge on the IHR Emergency Committee. Our study provides insight into how scientific members appreciate the legitimacy of gender expertise, the barriers and enablers for gender expertise inclusion, and how gender experts can navigate their marginalised space.