How Does An Emphasis on Gender Impact Our Understanding of International Relations - Essay Example

How does an emphasis on gender impact our understanding of international relations? Gender as come to have a significant impact on international relations in the contemporary world especially when one considers the complexities that it brings into the discourse. While this has been the case, gender issues have essentially been based on feminism, which has remained a marginalised aspect of international relations as a result of the setting aside of the affairs concerning women in favour of those affecting men. Feminist issues have not been given the attention they deserve even though in most events within international relations, it is women who are more affected than their male counterparts. This is especially the case in conflict areas where women often end up being victims of rape and other atrocities in addition to supporting their children in case their men are either off fighting or have been killed. It should be noted that gender issues in international relations, when looked upon from a feminist point of view has found that for the most part, international relations have been male-dominated with a standardisation of the bias against women. An emphasis on gender is essential in the development of a better understanding of international relations because it creates a situation where there is a form of gender balance as well as productive debate concerning issues affecting women internationally. International relations has for a long time been a male-dominated discipline which has ensured that women are left in the background of the events taking place around them. However, the emphasis of gender in international relations ensures that there is a form of gender-balance between the male and female attributes of the discipline (Elshtain1997, p.77). Not only is there a means through which individuals within the discipline can appreciate the contributions of women throughout the history of international relations, but it is also possible for there to be a realisation of the role of women as decision-makers. This perspective is necessary in the twenty first century understanding of international relations as it recognises women as being significant contributors to the changes in foreign policy as well as other aspects of relationships between nations (Hutchings 2002, p.53; Tickner 2008, p.262). An emphasis on gender can also be considered to be a critique of the manner through which the patriarchal society that has been dominant throughout most of human history has sidelined women in such a way that despite being active participants in society, their achievements have not been recognised (Elshtain 1987, p.163). The feminist perspective is very important because it ensures that there is a questioning of the continued male dominance in such fields as the military economy, as well as all other fields that are relevant to international relations (Enloe 2004, p.95; Sylvester 1999, p.254). In this way, it is possible to decipher the current role that women play in making international relations a success in the contemporary world while at the same time helping in the development of a better perspective of the relations between men and women on the international scene. When international relations are understood through a gender perspective, one comes to realise that women are a disadvantaged group which despite forming a majority of the workforce tend to own a very small percentage of the property in the world. When international relations are considered from a gender perspective, there is a realisation of the manner through which both conflict and peace have an effect on women and their wellbeing (Zalewski 2010, p.5; Kirby 2012, p.797). This is especially the case where in conflict situations, where women tend to be the greatest victims of structural violence as a means of enforcing long held patriarchal dominance over society. Furthermore, through the study of the diverse means through which decision making in international relations is carried out, one comes to the conclusion that gender has become important in making sure that decisions are structured in such a way that it is possible for there to be gender balance in the process. It reveals that despite the progress concerning gender issues that has been made in the contemporary world, women are still hindered in their progress towards equality with their male counterparts by ideologically and socially constructed differences between the sexes (Butler 1999, p.5). The power relations as well as the social structures that have been established in international relations have come to create a situation where women still have very few opportunities to advance as a result of their not being considered equal to men in society. From a feminist point of view, not only has gender remained a determinant factor in the development of structures that discriminate against women, but these have been transmitted into the realm of international relations where the role of women is still hardly ever recognised. Traditional international relations were concerned with issues about gender instead focusing only on relations between different states. However, the rise of liberalism as well as feminism in the discipline has allowed for the development of a consciousness about gender issues. Feminism in international relations allowed for the development of a new perspective for the discipline where the individuals involved came to consider the role played by women for the first time (Tickner 1988, p.429; McClintock et al. 1997, p.89). Feminists in the discipline sought to unveil the important role that women played in international politics through the daily experiences of women from all walks of life. It is through such revelations that it became possible for a place for women in international relations, above traditional gender roles, to be formed. The feminist international relations theories that developed revealed that to exclude women from the roles that they played in international relations was naive and that it would only be telling half of the story. There was recognition that women had played important roles in ensuring that diverse decisions were made internationally that had a direct effect on history (Tickner2010, p.10). These women tended to be the wives of diplomats and other prominent people in society as well as the mistresses and prostitutes that were involved with individuals whose decisions had a major effect on international relations throughout history. Through their influence, women managed to play prominent roles in international relations without being recognised and it is the task of feminists in the discipline to unveil these achievements. Women play a prominent role in international relations especially through their doing unpaid work during times of conflict where they take on the task of taking care of the injured when healthcare facilities are overwhelmed (Robinson2011, p.845). Moreover, women are often the symbol of hope and survival especially in situations where the men are either off fighting or have been killed. This is because it is women who take over the household and these do anything to ensure the survival of all that are in their care. Such instances are evidenced by the manner through which some women get involved in prostitution where they are informally contracted by military leaders to keep up the morale of soldiers. Through such unique positions, women are often capable of not only supporting themselves, but also of influencing the events that are likely to take place over time (Sylvester 2012, p.483). Seeing conflict from a woman’s perspective completely changes the way that war is perceived because it shows causes, as well as the consequences of actions that are taken by individuals during such events at an international level. In conclusion, the discussion above has shown that an emphasis on gender is essential in the development of a better understanding of international relations because it creates a situation where there is a form of gender balance as well as productive debate concerning issues affecting women internationally. This is because international relations has for a long time been a male-dominated discipline which has ensured that women are left in the background of the events taking place around them. From a gender perspective, one comes to realise that women are a disadvantaged group which despite forming a majority of the workforce tend to own a very small percentage of the property in the world. Finally, traditionally, international relations were not concerned with issues concerning gender instead focusing only on relations between different states and the involvement of feminism in this discipline promotes gender equality within it. References Butler, J., 1999. Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. London, Routledge. Elshtain, J.B., 1997, “Feminist Enquiry and International Relations.”In Michael W Doyle and G John Ikenberry (Eds.) New Thinking in International Relations Theory.Boulder, CO, Westview Press. Elshtain, J.B., 1987. Woman and War. Chicago, University of Chicago Press. Enloe, C., 2004. "Gender is not enough: the need for a feminist consciousness". International Affairs, vol. 80, no. 1, pp.95–97. Hutchings, K., 2002.“Feminism and Global Citizenship.”In Nigel Dower and John Williams (Eds.) Global Citizenship: A Critical Reader. Edinburgh,Edinburgh University Press. Kirby, P., 2012, “How is Rape a Weapon of war? Feminist International Relations, Modes of Critical Explanation and the Study of Wartime Sexual Violence.”European Journal of International Relations, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 797–821. McClintock, A., Mufti, A. & Shohat, E., 1997.Dangerous Liaisons: Gender, Nations, and Postcolonial Perspectives. London: University of Minnesota Press. Robinson, F., 2011. “Stop Talking and Listen: Discourse Ethics and Feminist Care Ethics in International Political Theory Millennium.”Journal of International Studies.vol. 39, no. 3, pp.845-860. Sylvester, C., 2012, “War Experiences/War Practices/War Theory, Millennium.”Journal of International Studies.vol. 40, no. 3, pp.483-503. Sylvester, C. 1999, “The Contributions of Feminist Theory. “In Smith, S., Booth, K. and Zalewski, M. (eds), International Relations Theory: Positivism and Beyond, Cambrigde University Press: Cambridge. Tickner, J.A., 1988. “Hans Morgenthaus Principles of Political Realism: a Feminist Reinterpretation, Millennium.”Journal of International Studies, vol. 17, no. 3, pp.429-440. Tickner, J.A., 2010. “You May Never Understand: Prospects for Feminist Futures in International Relations.”Australian Feminist Law Journal, vol. 32, no. 1, pp.9-20. Tickner, A.J., 2008.“Gender in World Politics.” In Baylis, John, Smith, Steve and Owens, Patricia, The Globalization of World Politics: An introduction to international relations, Oxford University Press: Oxford. Zalewski, M., 2010. “I don’t even know what gender is: a discussion of the connections between gender, gender mainstreaming and feminist theory.”Review of International Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp.3-27. Read More