The Influence of Feminist Organisations on Public Policy Responses to Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women: A systematic literature review

Violence against women remains a critical threat to women's safety around the world. This paper examines the existing literature on feminist organisations' influence in producing policy outcomes to determine whether feminist activism has an influence over public policy. Forty-nine relevant studies were identified, reviewed and analysed. Feminist organisations were found to have significant influence over public policies across governmental levels and political systems. The research findings conflicted on whether internal or external advocacy by feminist organisations is most beneficial to achieve desired policy outcomes. Collaboration was found to be the most commonly used activist technique of feminist organisations to achieve change. The use of collaboration encompassed collaborating with the state, other feminist organisations, and other social movement organisations. Significant gaps were identified within the literature. Future research should provide an Australian context to the influence of feminist organisations on public policies, as well as comparative studies on the types of feminist activism to determine which is most effective in securing policy outcomes. Future research should aim to provide conclusive evidence on how feminist activism influences policy.