While IR theorists are increasingly critical of neorealist assumptions about the state and the international system, few have explored the gendered construction of the state and its implications for IR. Recognizing this, the authors of this collection explore how core concepts of political and IR theory - the state, sovereignty, power - are reframed through feminist lenses. Taking seriously the question of ""what difference does gender make?"", the authors illuminate new directions in IR by highlighting the role of gender in constructing and maintaining the sovereign state system and its related notions of security, autonomy and identity.