How does thinking about gender improve our understanding of world politics? Explain.
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Course
(PAIR2001)
Institution
University Of Southampton (UOS)
This essay discusses the differing international feminist theories and how gender plays a role in IR. It refers to the political, economic and cultural impact gender has on global politics whilst drawing upon liberal, post-colonial and post-structural feminism
How does thinking about gender improve our understanding of world politics? Explain.
This essay seeks to illustrate that thinking about gender will improve our understanding of world
politics in comparison to the preexisting, more traditional theories. Gender is relevant to consider
when understanding international relations (IR), especially in the political regard. Representation in
world politics ensures that the policy that is made is for the people and considerate of the issues that
women face globally. In addition, the economic sphere still has a notable inequality, with the gender
pay gap still being relevant (Korn Ferry Hay Group, 2015, as cited in The Economist, 2016) and how
the economic security of women is something that is not focused guaranteed in underdeveloped and
developed countries. This exposes women to a variety of risks within the private sphere such as
marriage as an economic proposition which could in turn potentially lead to domestic violence and in
the western world the pay gap creates a risk of job security. Finally, this essay will explore how
thinking about culture, race and religion improves our understanding of world politics by focusing on
intersectionality and post-colonial feminist theory and how white western women are potentially not
recognising the issues women of colour face and the discrimination towards Muslim women for the
goal of ‘equality’.
To understand how gender can improve our understanding of world politics, it's important to note the
traditional theories that currently exist and what they contribute to our understanding of world politics.
Realism highlights the reality of international relations (IR) and that the state is the main agent in IR,
therefore, acts in state interest hence their belief that war is rooted in human nature and an inevitable
aspect of IR (Morganthau, 1948). Realists also believe that the international system is governed by
power, ‘states seek power and they calculate their interests in terms of power’ (Keohane, 1986:
164-165). Therefore, realism argues that our concentration on IR should be on what ‘is’. Liberal IR
theory is more idealistic on understanding world politics and places an emphasis on ending war and
the potential for world peace. Wilson argues in his Fourteen Points speech that there should be a
promotion of free trade among all peaceful states and no secret alliances (Wilson, 1918). Arguably,
, traditional IR theories often take form by looking at the international system and how our human
nature responds to power and conflict.
I will first explore how thinking about gender improves our understanding of world politics by looking
at the political shortcomings and why it is necessary for women to be present in international political
institutions. Firstly, the UN and other international bodies have underrepresented women. Arguably,
our world political bodies should reflect the people, and with 49.6% of the world being women
(United Nations, 2022), the UN should, as an international political body, be able to reflect this.
However, in 2016 only 22.8 per cent of all national parliamentarians were women and in the least
developed countries, under 60 per cent of girls finish primary school and only 30 per cent go to
secondary school (UN Women, 2022). The lack of female presence in leadership roles means that
serious issues may be focused on less. For example, feminists want to remove old norms such as
‘patriarchal traditions and discriminatory bureaucratic rules’ and instead promote new norms such as
‘prohibiting violence against women globally, respecting women’s rights as human rights, and
promoting gender equality through gender mainstreaming and gender-balanced decision-making’
(True, 2013: 74). True’s argument shows that the current male-dominated leadership of IR often
ignores or does not highlight some of the critical issues such as gender equality in under-developed
countries even in the 20th Century. For example, it was only in 2018 that women in Saudi Arabia were
given the right to drive (Alexander, 2017). This slow pace of progression for foundational legal
equality is not highlighted enough in world political organisations such as the EU and with more
women in leadership in these organisations there will be a greater understanding of a female
perspective in the world and underdeveloped countries. In addition, women already in the world
political system still experience the old norms of gender inequality. In 2022, more than a dozen UN
staff explained the misogyny within the organisation, with a senior advisor, Sinead Andrews saying
she was ‘ostracised’ after making a complaint while in the UN (Kotecha, 2022). With the organisation
that is setting quotas for female representation and aiming to better the world for women, it is
unsettling that the women within are still treated unequally. Therefore, highlighting the inequalities
and starting the conversation about the lack of women in world political institutions, ensuring these
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