What Gender Teaches about International Relations - Essay Example

What Gender Teaches About International Relations International Relations is a discipline that has been dominated by patriarchy. In its existence, it failed to acknowledge the relevance of gender until in the recent years where it acknowledged contributions of feminist theory. Under the umbrella theme, ‘Women and International Relations’, this state of affairs was put to question by feminist theorists who were concerned about gender marginalization and the invisibility of women in international politics. This debate sparked by feminists contributed immensely to the change of state of affairs in the discipline. Scholars in the discipline felt that the discipline is a feminine desert and the need to review feminist literature arouse in the early nineteen nineties. Some of the scholars who convened in London School of Economics probed the absence of women in international politics. Feminist International Relations scholars have observed that gender issues, which have been, put on the periphery is deeply embedded in the mainstream concerns of the discipline. Moreover, feminist theorists have heightened the visibility of feminist work through various forums and means. Elshtain notes that International Relations as a discipline has, however, transformed to embrace more of what feminists were rallying for1. These foregrounding issues include war, international feminist ethics, political identity, peace and security, political economy and development, international institutions, and women rights. Over the years, feminists have been fighting tooth and nail against the disciplines sense of addressing other issues deemed significant that have been prioritized at the expense of gender issues. Although this was viewed a fruitless fight, it has turned out to be a Goliath versus David war, since the feminists have triumphed. It is worth noting that gender mostly focuses on contemporary feminist perspective in international Relations as a discipline. In this paper, therefore, through the feminist perspective, I will demonstrate the ways in which the world economy has rewarded men and women in different ways and examine gender implications of modern mankind’s domination over nature. Moreover, by looking at the gender differences in political, economic, and ecological relations arena, I will present a view of the insecurities faced by women and men in international Relations. In a nutshell, what this paper analyses are the departure of other international theories in practice and give a feminist touch to the discipline. In my first theme, social relations of gender inequality, is a concept which has produced gendered inequality in social relations. Despite the radical changes in the world order of the Twenty First Century, gender inequalities still remain a thorny issue. We may argue that there are differences between countries of the world, there are also many universal things, and while gender inequalities take varied patterns, the problem though is global. The socially constructed masculine identity has been made valid and imposed on women. On the other hand, this masculine identity has preserved male privileges and social structures and practices that enable men to their own human experiences. The masculine fraternity through this way has ignored gender issues and look for ways to mask their own biases. Gender bias has been dominant within International Relations studies in that scholars had not included gender as a category of study. It was until recently that mainstream scholars in the discipline have engaged in the analysis of gender as a mainstream of International Relations. These scholars observe that the effects of gender can be measured in many ways, and its variables used to understand certain phenomena such as war, security and peace, among others. Most positivists and feminists argue that we construct reality as a gendered subject and perceive the world around us through the thick lenses of gender. This shows that gender cannot be viewed as a mere variable. From this perspective, we can argue that mainstream International Relations is a deeply gendered discourse. Evidenced from discussion of the discourse, the concept of gender and International Relations has set to critique and expose gender bias that underpins the debate that generates a powerful debate bout whether gender ought to be include or excluded in construction of International Relations theories. There has been under representation of women in the world in many domains. Feminist approaches have mainly focused on women as subjects in International Relations and feminist groups as actors in International politics. For instance, feminists have posed questions such as the existence of few or no women in high political cadres of diplomacy or foreign policy making. Questions of whether this is a consequence of a discriminatory process which is based on the belief that women cannot perform the tasks assigned effectively have been raised. Dankelman and Davidson observes that this has hindered the growth of women in all domains driving feminists to further probe the possible consequences of women under representation in International Relations2. Other feminists have directed their energies in uncovering and bringing to light the political, economic, and social status of women in the world. In their analysis, feminist scholars found out that gender plays a key role deciding who gets access to health care, education, or control of financial resources. In addition, feminist International Relations seek to look into gender and the impact global social, and economic has on both women and men. As globalization presents employment opportunities for men and women respectively; the latter feels the globalization effects more than the former. This is often felt more in emerging economies as opposed to countries which are stable economically. In this case, institutions both at national and international level play a role in the reproduction of gender inequalities. Feminists have focused on gender as a social construct advanced to make legitimate a specific form of inequality. On the other hand, inequality could be seen as a process of subordination structured at different levels, for instance, local, national, and international level through different ways and means. Generally, feminism as a theory gears towards emancipation of women. In an effort to fight the knowledge that informs gender bias, International Relations feminists dig deep into the conditions women live in and attempt to understand their experiences. The lenses in which we view and understand these constructs are, however, different in that there exists different perspectives. Perceiving the world through feminist perspective is to focus on gender as a particular kind of power relation to trace out the ways in which gender is central to understanding international processes and practices in international relations. Gender perceptions also focus on women and highlight the consequences of their unequal social positions. Gender perspectives bring into focus the under representation of women in decision- making processes and formal barriers to equality of equality. It, therefore, allows us to see gender inequalities as an integral part of structural inequalities brought about by global economic operations. International Relations feminists have not only focused on femininities but also in masculinities. Much has been said about feminine gender to the effect that one can think feminists theorists only concentrate on women. This bias towards preoccupation with women is understood because feminist approaches gears to emancipation of women and tend to keep men out of feminists’ analysis and insist on focus on women. However, feminists argue that since gender is relational, attention needs to be given to masculinity in International Relations. Consequently the study of men has become part of feminist International Relations. Men and their masculinities are a subject of study in feminists international relations. In order to understand the position of women and how gender relations work, one ought to look into when and where masculinity were wielded. Feminists assert that, in taking women issues seriously, it will be easy to understand the ways in which masculinities worked to sustain inequalities in power. In a nutshell, feminist not only concentrated on feminine gender but also sought to understand the masculinity and the power it yields over femininity. Connell notes that gender also gives an insight into national security and women security in particular. This issue of security starts from analysis of particular problems and insecurities experienced by women addressing the social impact of military expenditure3. Feminist economists have been concerned to demonstrate the costs military expenditure has on women as a group. This is in the light that feminists have been in the fight towards the establishment of prominent feminine strategies that ensure women enjoy equal economic opportunities. These include similar career opportunities, access to jobs, equal wages, and equal economic protection when it comes to pensions, unemployment insurances among others. A notable example is in the United States of America in the 1980s at the height of The Cold War whereby women joined the military in massive numbers to supposedly improve their social position by benefiting from economic rewards that were attached to military service. During these times, security debates had dominated national debates, and billions of shillings were ploughed to security issue. On one hand, the feminists and society at large embraced the idea of women joining the military because it opened up opportunities for employment of women but, on the other hand, it increased vulnerability of women who were in the economic system. It is worth to mention that expenditure on military had an impact on the amount of resources which were diverted from other areas of the economy to support expenditure on weapons. All this narrowed down to feminists arguing that military directly or indirectly deterred what feminists movement, which was aimed, at improving health, status and position, and security of women as a group. Gender provides a dimension with regard to International Political Economy. The security and the insecurity of a people are measured by levels of poverty, inequalities, denial of human rights, and ability to meet the basic needs. These are just but a few parameters central in determining the circumstances people live. It, therefore, follows that the study of gender in International Relations ought to embrace the dynamics of international political economy. These dynamics include the systems of production, distribution of resources, distribution of wealth across national boundaries, and the linkages between the local, national, and the international economies4. In the study of International Political Economy, institutions such as IMF, World Bank, World Trade Organizations are influential in this domain and, therefore, worth studying. Other influential actors in international economies for instance multinational corporations that engage in the productions and exchange of activities in many countries and Non Governmental Organizations are of importance to International Political Economist scholars. Politics and economics are two concepts intertwined and are of utmost concern to International Political Economy scholars. Feminists have highlighted weighty problem facing International Political Economy as unpaid labor. The rise of the modern state and the birth of capitalistic market economies caused a divide between private or public and home or domestic labor. International Political Economy feminist included production in measurement of global economic activity in relation to the market or work done for pay or profit. It is also hard to find women and men enter into the formal economy as bearers of gender identity. In the third- world countries, women have endorsed development goals, for example, health care, education, better remuneration of labour, among other problems women face and their solutions. Diverse transnational women movements were built upon common fight against oppression against women and hierarchies and promote political structures and relationships that see the insubordination of women in all spheres. These feminists’ organizations seem to embrace collective decision making to empower women and advocate for a political agenda of ending women oppression. The United Nation’s chapter has also set up structures to promote the women fraternity through development. It is, however, evident that the works of the United Nations have been caught up in the wider political and ideological conflicts of international relations. The works of the United Nations have profoundly been constrained by realities of power and political influence in the world today. The United Nations, however, has played a crucial role in providing networking, and providing a link that will bring together Non Governmental Organizations, social movements, and other groups across national borders. The United Nations and Non Governmental Organizations have also provided a platform in which women use to voice their problems. If one considers the setbacks of the United Nations, he or she may be skeptical about the usefulness of United Nations and its constituent tenets as a vehicle of advancing the empowerment of women. In conclusion, this paper has analyzed the concept of gender in relations to International Relations. I have focused my writing on feminist theory, which tends to, fight for the empowerment of feminine gender. Women have been given priority to men by feminists’ theorists. The main focus of this theory is to emancipate women in all spheres ranging from political, economy, and the social arena. This paper has also analyzed in depth how gender and security intertwine, gender dimensions of International Political Economy. It also sough to understand the role United Nation and other Non Governmental Organizations play in empowering feminine gender more so the women. However, Gender and International Politics is a wider topic that cannot be exhausted in one discussion. Further research on the topic ought to be carried. This paper has given an insight into the expansive topic. Bibliography Boserup, Esther. Women’s Role in Economic Development. Aldershot, England: Gower, 1986. Connel R, W. Gender and Power: Society, the person and sexual politics. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1987. Dankelman, Irene and Joan Davidson. Women and Environment in The Third World: Alliance For Future. London: Earthscan Publications, 1988. Elshtain, J. Bethke . and S. Tobias. eds. Women, Materialism, and War. Savage, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 1990. Read More