Feminism Is Seen as an Ideology - Essay Example

Feminism and International Security INTRODUCTION Feminism is seen as an ideology that advances the social role of women by aiming to improve their status in various aspects in the society. Provision of security is usually entrusted to the government. The assumption is that the state should protect its citizens from internal and external threats. Over the years however, the increased levels of international insecurity and female empowerment has led to the inquiry of the role of women in security matters. Women have been marginalized in the foreign policy -making machinery which in part exposes the failure of the society in assigning roles to the genders. In the face of increased security threats emanating from terror activities and techno wars, feminist voices have risen to demand for inclusion of women in international security systems. This study seeks to investigate the relationship between feminism and international security. This will be done by answering the question: what is the impact of feminism on international security? A comprehensive analysis of different literature on studies done on feminism and international security will be conducted so as to shed more light on this issue. Literature Review (Blanchard 70-119), discusses the functions of feminist scholarship in international security by reviewing feminist literature on international relations. According to the study, feminists in the international relations have not put adequate focus on the issue of military hardware leading to scanty information on war, gender and technology understudied. The study also notes the importance of inclusion of women in security matters by analyzing the practical aspect of feminist security theory in the combating global insecurity. According to Blanchard, international relations; the body of discipline tasked with theorizing the world only created a place for feminist analysts just recently. This could be the reason behind the few female led academic studies and findings on topics relating to politics, military and war issues. The fact that foreign policy and military affairs have been mostly conducted by men, the academic discipline tasked with analyzing this two areas have become largely masculine. The assumptions, explanations and experiences focus on men making it difficult for women to find scholarly materials on women experiences. According to (Pettman 19-56), historically women have played second fiddle to men in the decision making process on the global platform. Women have continually been rendered insecure through acts of sexual violence, gendered division of labour and poverty among other problems that face women worldwide. The feminist security theory however shows that in spite of women being conspicuously absent from war stories, they are hugely featured in war making practices (Pettman 119). By asking whether wars would take place without the input from women’s activities, recognition is given to the role of women in warfare. The important thing to deduct from this is the role of women in the society. The socially instituted gender differences are based on men’s view as superior to women which results in women getting unequal roles compared to their male counterparts. According to (Runyan and Peterson 68–69), the realism theory adopted in international relations and security systems are largely patriarchal that subordinates the input of women. The system casts women as a domesticated figure whose wants and desires are at odds with the realities of the political world. Feminist dealing with international reins further explain the exclusion of women in international security matters by noting that international politics have been made masculine to the level that women’s opinions are considered un authentic. In the spate of the Arab spring, women have been vocal and have played a significant part in the political upheaves. The potency of the involvement of women in international security matters were put into perspective during the political turmoil and upheaves witnessed across several Arab countries. In the year 2011, several countries in the Middle East and were marred by political uprisings that developed fast baffling to both local and international observers (Balfour 148-177). (Magdalena 201-223) assesses the impact of women in the Arab spring in Bahrain and the resulting outcomes that brought about changes of various magnitudes in to the nation. Political empowerment is crucial to feminist activism. One of the key drivers for political empowerment for women in Bahrain was the widespread media campaigns. In a patriarchal society such as that in Bahrain, the media can have a lot in the development of women leaders. The media in that country have taken up a role of featuring women who have gone against the odds and broken into the male dominated jobs. The newspapers feature the successful women where they draw admiration and serve as encouragement to other women that they too can make it. The feminist security theory assesses the philosophical, academic and political structures of the security system models and advocates for a version model that includes women in a more active capacity and role. According to (Sorbera 202), there were well established feminist movements in some of the countries where the political protest movements occurred. There were also already existing human right organizations and transnational networks that include Arab women located in other Arab countries and across the world. New dynamics in the way women were involved were noted during the unfolding of the skirmishes. Although feminist organizations were largely absent during the protest movements, women were active in the activities. Women movements have over the course of history achieved different levels of success in their efforts to call the government into action towards their grievances. Approach Feminist thoughts have the potential to make significant impact as it questions the assumptions on which power is based (Griffiths 219). The common aim of feminism activism all over the world is for provision of a platform for women to participate in legislatures. Many push for this as they condemn the male domination in the world of politics. Feminists on the other hand believe their social experiences provide them with a unique opportunity to handle politics in an efficient manner. They also believe that for women to achieve equal citizenship, they must resist the notion of men having control all the legal and legitimate use of force in the military. The ideological superiority of men over women is seen in the military where its composition is predominately male. Several reasons have been advanced forward to explain the less number of women who get recruited into the military. Physical fitness and cohesion in the units are normally forwarded as the reasons hindering recruitment of more women. Gender analysis however, shows different findings. While it’s indeed true that men and women are biologically different, these differences should not be used to justify the exclusion of women in the international relations. According to (Blanchard 97-112), women are among the most powerless members in a society. This is caused by their responsibility of reproducing and transmitting culture and this makes them vulnerable to sexual violence during international conflicts. War affects women on a greater scale than men. They are at a risk of rape, a vice that is not only physical but also have serious psychological effects. They are also tasked with looking after the children which are another burden placed on their shoulders. The vulnerability of women therefore calls for their male counterparts to implement policies aimed at empowering women. This situation presents a dilemma for men who are hesitant in creating and implementing policies that seek to strengthen the position of a woman in the society. To curb this, the few women who break through to decision making positions to encourage other women to follow their steps regardless of the myriad challenges. All over the world, activism by feminist groups is responsible for the increased political participation in their respective countries. By having organized feminist groups actively challenging the male dominated political scene and over time, achieve some measured level of success. Feminist activism has a long history in Bahrain dating back to the 1950’s. The continued persistence led to women getting universal suffrage rights in 2002. They have significant strides with some women getting appointed to senior government positions. These appointment further encouraged women to seek elective positions by participating in elections. The political ambitions of such women are however marred by numerous challenges that present a stumbling block to their success. The publicity of women engaging in elective politics made them an easy target of attacks. Some reported to having received numerous threatening messages. They also lacked the endorsement and of any Islamic association hence making them performs dismally in the elections. By getting more women into decision making bodies, the political objective of feminism will finally be achieved. On the other hand, some occurrences have shown women are indeed capable of leading and instigating widespread calls for change as evidenced during the Arab spring. The contribution of women in the political upheaves in Arab countries such as Tunisia presents an opportunity for scholars to look at the current forms of women engagements in international security and relation matters, (Salime 33-99). These ways present themselves in terms of the theme and form of activism chosen. Women of the younger generation used online activism through media such as blogging and social networks. It was also found that majority did not affiliate themselves to established feminist groups but adopted individual intervention means. On the other hand the older and elite women were most vocal and visible. The collaboration of the two groups contributed massively to the upheaves. The women involved in the uprising were critical for the success of the movements due to their ability to separate issues by concentrating on the calls for political reforms. Such clarity of purpose shows the level of maturity that women can exhibit. It further shows the advantages a nation can get by having more women in decision making positions either locally or internationally. In respect of the increasing level of interdependence between nations, women have to be brought on board to contribute to decision making to ensure sound policies and decisions are reached. It is crucial for modern feminists to adopt other strategies and ways of dealing with the limited inclusion and marginalization of women in foreign politics. They should take advantage of the increasing ease of technological advancements in the communication sector to further expand and spread awareness to other women. By reaching out to women and sensitizing them on their rights, they will further increase their power and influence as there is significant power in numbers. Focus should also be put on economic empowerment of women. One of the greatest challenges to feminist efforts is the lack of financial might among women. As seen in the Bahrain case, most women have financial challenges since economic resources are majorly owned by men. For women to excel financially, mainly it comes at the expense of their social lives. Studies should therefore be made on more efficient and effective measures to empower women economically so as to bring them to par with their male counter parts in their struggle and scramble for political power on the global front. (Burguieres 139-145) however provides three feminist approaches to peace and security. These approaches are in fact policies that guide the security model that should be adopted. Firstly, it should contain and handle both the male and female stereotypes while appreciating the special maternal thinking. Secondly, it should not propagate the notion of male dominance over the female and third it should discourage militarism by attacking both stereotypes. By adopting a security model that entails the three, both men and women would be equally involved in managing security in an active capacity in the international relations. While this may be vital for the positioning of women in international security matters, it is up to feminist movements to step up their commitment and involvement in engaging actively in the promotion of a woman’s place in the society. Conclusion The social responsibility of women is based on the perceived differences between men and women which has in extension shaped the relationships of power. The general mentality that some issues are best handled by men began long ago and the idea of feminism was yet to begin. However, over time the human society’s developed and political boundaries expanded from individual states to regional and international relations. Women then began taking more of an active form in contrast to their predecessors who took a passive stand on politics and leadership. Significant gains have however been made and todays woman is much more empowered than one of the yester years. There are numerous challenges that face women who take up the initiative to involve themselves in politics. Religious and demographic dynamics as well as financial constraints are some of the issues that face women in their quest for the push for inclusion in important decision making platforms. Therefore, there is a need for various stakeholders to join in the efforts of sensitizing people in such societies on the importance of empowering women. In spite of the fact that there still remains a lot to be done on the matter, increased feminist activism will with time lead to women acquiring more powerful positions in the decision making foreign policy organs. Works Cited Burguieres, Mary K. “Feminist Approaches to Peace: Another Step for Peace Studies.” Millennium: Journal of International Studies.1990. (1):1–18.Print. Griffiths, M, Fifty Key Thinkers in International Relations. Routledge.1999 Print. Karolak, Magdalena. ‘Bahraini Women in the 21st Century: Disputed Legacy of the Unfinished Revolution.’ Journal of International Women’s Studies Vol. 13 No. 5, 2012: 5-16. Pettman, Jan Jindy.Worlding Women. New York: Routledge. 1996. Print Peterson, V. Spike, and Anne Sisson Runyan. Global Gender Issues. Boulder, Colo: 1999. Westview Salime, Zakia.A New Feminism? Gender Dynamics in Morocco’s February 20th Movement. Journal of International Womens Studies.2012.13 (5), 101-114. http://www.e-ir.info/2013/10/21/feminism-and-the-post-arab-spring/ http://people.reed.edu/~ahm/Courses/Reed-POL-240-2012 S1_IP/Syllabus/EReadings/05.1/05.1.zFurther_Blanchard.2003Gender.pdf--it’s a journal. Read More