gender in world politics

8/16/2019 Gender in World Politics

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Gender in World Politics



How do women participate in IR?

Always had a role BUT in non-gov settings ie social movements rather thanpolicy-ma!ing

Women"s voices rarely heard in leadership settings# yet they are a$$ected %yleadership decisions

ie& women and children ma!e 'p most o$ the civilian cas'alties

& women are the ma(ority o$ the poorest pop'lation



What do $eminists mean %y gender?

)veryday 'se * gender + %iological se,

eminist view * gender + set o$ socially and c'lt'rally constr'ctedcharacteristics that vary.time/space

0haracteristics s'ch as power# a'tonomy# rationality associated with

masc'linity +1 perceived to have a more positive val'e %y %oth men A23

women as well as most val'ed in states" $oreign policies

emale and male characteristics are m't'ally e,cl'sive +1 i$ we give men

4power"# we give women 4wea!ness"

These are social constr'cts as power$'l# in$l'ential women o$ten act li!e 4real

men"

Gender %ecomes a mechanism $or the 'ne5'al distri%'tion o$ social %ene$its

and costs +1 we need to ma!e 'ne5'al gender str'ct'res visi%le to remove

them



Gender in Glo%al Politics Women are disproportionately sit'ated in low-paid occ'pations $ar $rom power * WH6

7i%eral eminism& o%serve how women"s presence 8or lac! o$9 in practices o$ glo%al

politics a$$ect international policy-ma!ing * removing legal o%stacles to women wo'ldachieve e5'ality

eminist 0ritical Theory& gender depends on the relations %etween men and women *

changes in the meaning o$ gender have di$$erent e$$ects on policies

eminist :ocial 0onstr'ctivism& st'dy how gender in$l'ences glo%al politics and politic

in$l'ence gender; reg'lating home-%ased wor! is important $or $eminists -1 analysed

how home wor!ers 8's'ally women9 were treated poorly as they were not considered

important eminist Poststr'ct'ralism& concerned with the !nowledge * power relationship 8those

who constr'ct meaning and create !nowledge gain power thro'gh it9; men historically

seen as the 4!nowers" -1 gained power; gendered messages are encoded in society

regardless o$ the intentions o$ the a'thors

Post-colonial eminism& relations o$ domination-s'%ordination still e,ist; women"s

s'%ordinations m'st %e addressed within their own c'lt'ral conte,t rather than

4'niversal 'nderstanding"



Gendering :ec'rity

4men $ight wars to protect women and children" * yet <=> o$ cas'alties are civilian#

mostly women and children- challenge the protection myth

Women partic'larly v'lnera%le in states o$ con$lict * 4systematic" rape and

prostit'tion ie Bosnia& rape+ ethnic cleansing thro'gh $orced pregnancies

ilitary training degrades all that is 4$eminine"; yo'ng men $ight wars to protect the

4helpless" women and children# so they have to %e strong * enemy o$ten given

$eminine characteristics& wea!# coward

2ow there are more women in military * tension with em%edded view with what it

means to %e a 4warrior" * o$ten negative e$$ect on com%at readiness * sho'ld women

$ight in 4men"s wars?"

In con$lict# %oth women and men loo! towards strong $ig'res * o$ten associated with

men * might e,plain why there are $ew women in military . top e,ec'tive positions



Gender in the )conomy

Women disproportionately located at the %ottom o$ the socio-economic scalein A77 societies * earn @. o$ a man"s wage

Association o$ women with domestic roles * 4ho'sewi$e" * has %ecomeinstit'tionalised +1 now seen as almost nat'ral * red'ces a'tonomy and

economic sec'rity

Women choose low-paid# caring positions not ('st d'e to rationality %'t also

e,pectations as mothers and caregivers that they are socialised in $rom ayo'ng age -1 o$ten seen as 4s'pplemental" wage earners to the male head

When women do wor! $or wages# this 'ndermines the legitimacy o$ maledomination that occ'rs d'e to the men"s traditional head o$ $amily view



How are we wor!ing to change this?

U2 3ecade $or Women

3evelopment Alternatives with Women $or a 2ew )ra 83AW29

Press're $rom women"s gro'ps to disaggregate data %y se,

Adoption o$ the Gender 3evelopment Inde,

Gender ainstream adoption * re5'ires organisations to eval'ate the

gendered e$$ects o$ all aspects o$ their instit'tional decision-ma!ing

gender in world politics

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