The journal was established by Jan Jindy Pettman (Australian National University) in 1999.

Gender as a subject of analysis noticeably increased in the mid-1990s in the study of international relations.

At this time there was a significant focus on the ways in which conceptions of gender influenced language, policies, and processes occupying the international arena.

The creation of the journal was a result of this feminist thinking building up in the areas of international politics.

The establishment of the journal was a collaborative effort headed by Jan Jindy Pettman in 1999.