Changes That Feminism and Gender Lenses Can Bring To Global Politics Analytical Essay

Introduction

The metamorphosis of global gender politics has been rapid, yet profoundly mundane especially, in bringing socio-economic and political changes that may end the gender disparities (Cynthia, Schad & Fullon 2009). Over the years, the history of societies rested on agriculture during early renaissance when states emerged and male dominion took shape in these early societies. Early in the 20^th century, both genders practically occupied conspicuously different roles in the society.

For instance, the place of a woman in the society was viewed generally to be somewhere in the kitchen, while a men occupied a vocational place in the public sphere. From these conceptions, it is clear that the gender equation between especially in the concept of equality were a thrush against the aspirations of socio-economic and political aspects within the realms of the wider societal thinking (Zuckerman & Greenberg 2004, p. 23).

The society, as Nordstrom (1999, p. 17), expressed these relationships in the patterns or forms of behaviour that the society considers to bring about ethical interaction between members of different genders. However, the essence of these gender equations was to create social harmony especially in light of what favours men. Changes that feminism and gender lenses can bring to global politics must seek to bring forth new opportunities and new hope not only for women but also to the greater good of the society.

The need to change the status quo

While the differences, especially in the gender roles offers that many women in the society are confined in the domestic net, the tussle against gender equality represents the many men in the society who are adept at their masculinity and would always want the status quo unchallenged (Shepherd 2014, p. 34). This is so because the common rule that informs these unbiased structures favours men at the expense of women.

Unbiased legislation of the position of women in the society in general is a perpetuation of how this society loathes gender equality. Expressly, much of the agitation for gender equality must seek to explore the general concerns of women in the society, singling out the role of women against their male counterparts to inject gender equality in the society’s mind-set.

Keeping in mind that a family unit is a mirror presentation of the society, Shepherd (2014, 45) opines that the core of the society is equality of purpose, and sums it up within the scope of marriage, parenting, and domesticity. Women’s symbolic confinement in the homesteads, victimisation, and domination by men highlights the numerous inequality instances in most parts of the world (Rajasingham-Senanayake 2004, p. 156).

The concept of gender equality is an acceptance by the society to the many wrongful ways of ages that dictates women’s limitations. The case of gender equality in the world, as Alison (2004, p. 452) notes, draw on the traditions of the 19^th century, which saw men as, always determined to hide something from women.

Changing the status quo must begin in the minds of the society to make gender equality tenable (Shepherd 2014, p. 205). The global gender equality factor offers a thought-provoking subject that explores feminine determination to shed off the societal tags delineating their fate. In the new world, any opposition to gender equality could mean the society’s strategic mission to the extinction of the feminine situation.

Feminine movements

For the better part of the 19^th century, the society traditionally bound women to their husbands in anything. Married women especially became under the effective ownership of their husbands and the society, hence they could not voice their concerns (Kiran 2012, p’ 589). Given the fact that widows never bore much of the responsibility of being under the power or status of their husbands, they gained greater legal recognition and most often had the rare opportunity to watch over their social well-being.

Beyond the concern of female independence, this quest, according to Parashar (2011, p. 316), suggests that the women characters have always treated their marriage with the best intentions such institutions deserve. In a concise literal viewpoint, this quest traces the long and tedious pathway onto which women quest for recognition of their rights in the society have always taken. Whichever way, women conscious remains relevant for their applicability in the global life and public mainstream.

While the feminist movements have been forthcoming in delivering smaller benefits, the situation of women in the society has not changed much in many countries of the world. To achieve this stature, Moghadam (2010, p. 295) notes that all members of the society must rise above individual interest and climb the steep in an effort to make the society an arena of equal opportunities for all its members regardless of their gender.

The drift towards women empowerment

The basis that informs gender relations between individuals of different sexes as explored in the hotly contested quests for equality expressly suggests that the male dominance society is strongly opposed to the idea of gender equity. The ancient societal worldviews work in complementary of these patterns yet in a trivialised way regarding the relationship between male and females in the society.

The drift towards women empowerment according to MacKenzie (2009, p. 200) gained momentum in an attempt to free the feminist thinking of societal yokes might have infringed upon these highly held ancient societal ethics. Everything in the ancient tradition seemed to coincide to the promotion of male dominance, which was in fact the norm of the society (University of New South Wales 2014).

While modern civilisation selfishly guards and places emphasis on individuals rights in the concept of freedom of choice, the ancient civilisation had a weird version especially with regard to freedoms that extends to women in particular. Most ancient societies held their people to account, to be more responsible when dealing with those that are from the other sex.

Within these contexts, the society presumed that it was the duty of the authority of men to offer themselves as guides, and these were in line with men’s proclivity to dictate on women. The society further went on to dictate morals and offered consequences that checked the roles of women.

Greater opportunities for women

Greater opportunities for women denote greater opportunities for the entire society. The participation of women in the productive and service sectors could transform the society through policy assimilation, capacity building, and institutional support (Worstall 2014). It is undeniably that in most societies in the world today, poverty has often been synonymous with women who are always the victims of low or no income.

Women and girls particularly constitute three-fifth of the poor population in the world. The poverty rating of women is worse than that of men due to clear gender disparities that exist in various areas including worker remunerations based on sex. Women empowerment responses must seek to foster active participation of women in income generating activities.

Such movements must further focus on robust entrepreneurships that aim to deliver women to a sustained income and equitable remunerations compared to their male counterparts. According to Shepherd (2014, p. 54) the society can amicably achieve this feat through enterprise development programs that address the inequalities faced by women in the service sector.

Enhancing women’s access to credit facilities and corporate financing can adequately unlock the untapped human capital vested in women in most parts of the world. According to O’brien (2002, p. 45), research indicates the idea of technically locking out most women on free enterprise impedes global progress in achieving gender equality and economic freedoms.

There is great need to stimulate entrepreneurship environment that does not infringe on women. Due to its integrated ideology, feminism and gender movements can make a substantial contribution to women empowerment through entrepreneurships by providing them with the required skills to excel in business opportunities (Sandberg 2013, p. 59).

In partnership with other like-minded agencies, feminism and gender-based agencies could advance women’s entrepreneurship program for many women initiatives in several parts of the world. Under such programs, for example the institutions would find it necessary to prepare entrepreneurship development curricula for hiring professionals based on meritocracy and not on parochial gender lenses (Vyas 2003, p. 443).

Such agencies must further seek to provide among other things, women producers with skills to improve their knowhow on business management practices to produce quality products and render excellent services. Sandberg (2013, p. 61) holds that when women have access to capital, and managerial skills, it considerably increases their capacity to be more productive.

Inequalities based on gender are the dissimilarity between male and female usually expressed in terms of opportunities (Miller 2014). In other scales, it points to the average divide between men and women in terms of corporate opportunities. Generally, this situation suggests that even the wage gap between the genders mirrors these trends.

Much of this differentiation between men and women translates in the types of positions held by different genders in the organisations (Gow & Middlemiss 2012, p. 176). These popular practices are so because men the society apportions favour on men so that they generally have greater opportunities than the women do.

Moreover, others view this tendency as a representation of the amount of work experience as well as breaks in employments that in most cases go against women’s competitiveness in global politic generally (Miller 2014). Debate on gender inequality continues to be the cause of disagreement in most circles, to the point of seeking whether both women and men should make specific choices in to cool down the socio-economic and political tensions across the gender divide.

Empowering women based on income equality

The impact of gender equality on women empowerment, however, has equal chances to societal growth. It is clear that achieving gender based income equality will not be feasible without closing the gap between women and men in terms of capacities, access to resources and opportunities, and reduced vulnerability to discrimination especially in terms of job placement and payment scales (Mayoux 2010, p. 585).

Gender based income equality is a multi-faceted concept and an enduring process that in itself is such a noble course that the service sector must champion. As the definition of women empowerment indicates, the process of empowerment women is a force with which to reckon to make the world a better place for all humanity.

Empowering women, though complex is a multi-dimensional process that has the capacity to deliver humanity to much sought socio-economic and political freedoms (Hersch 2006, p. 35). A comprehensive intervention that embodies different domains of this process is essential for empowering women on a substantial scale.

Income inequality case between women and men

Given the differences that characterise men and women in their individual capacities, it would be imprudent to explore the differences that inform the various career choices men and women have to make based on their sexual orientations. The averaging lenses of rewarding both men and women at work have been misrepresentative ways used to inform public policy without necessarily giving an explanation to all that appertains to this commonplace income inequality (Social Justice in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region 2012, p. 25).

According to Miller (2014), observable differences exist between men and women affecting their delivery at work, and this accounts for the difference of income inequality. Available statistical analysis that explores this situation often provides variables that account for these gender inequalities (Social Justice in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region 2012, p. 25).

Much of the work done by researchers in this field show that gender inequality is at the forefront in shaping the income inequality while tilting these advantage to men. As women continue to be discouraged from lucrative jobs, men the other hand continues to be discouraged from committing to choices at work especially by way of prioritising on job satisfaction against pay. Usually, this scenario works against women’s capacity to explore their individual potentials.

Given the differences that characterise men and women in their individual capacities, it would be imprudent to explore the differences that inform the various career choices that men and women have to make to deny a certain gender specific opportunities. The averaging wages of rewarding both men and women at work for example, have been misrepresentative ways used to inform public policy without necessarily giving an explanation to all that appertains to this commonplace income inequality structure (Economic Justice 2014).

The wholesome fact about gender based income inequality addresses these issues succinctly by offering archetypical case scenarios within the report entailed in the Gender Pay Gap. The report explores a stark imbalance in the gender pay gap in the service sector in the United States of America but which has the likelihood of reflecting what is happening in several parts of the world (Economic Justice 2014).

The report explains how the gender factor affects women of all ages and education levels yet there is a clear need to shut this gap (Worstall 2014). Feminine movements across the world must pursue greater opportunities for women to enable them compete effectively in the crowded socio-economic and political space.

Increasing women participation

In the current management systems, the inclusion of women faces numerous challenges from the top; most firms do not recognise the inclusion of women in the higher posts. In the corporate world, for instance, it should be the responsibility of leaders to ensure that any information taken to the masses does not portray women in in bad light. Women can be instrumental in leadership positions if they believe fully in themselves and are able to explore their potentials.

Empowerment both for women and for girls in the world today is not only the right or reasonable thing to do; it creates an economic sense for the progress and continuity of the society in general (Hersch 2006, p. 37). Research has roundly indicated that countries that invest in promoting the social and economic well-being of women have registered lower poverty rates in ranking.

How the society can defeat these mishaps involves giving women equal opportunities in employment and offering equal salary scales for both men and women in the service sector (Gow & Middlemiss 2012, p. 178). Many researchers have attested to the fact that the differences that exists between men and women when it comes to making career choices is partly due to the inequalities or social prejudices that the society dictates on the female gender.

Limiting the risks of gender disparities

Although gender parity in the concept of leadership at the global level is close to being achieved, gender disparities in business institutions remain high in certain developing regions (Hersch 2006, p. 45).

Most organisations can address gender equality in a broad holistic manner, thereby contributing to the fulfilment of the political, economic, social, cultural, and civil duty of women and girls. In doing so, organisations will be effective supporting efforts towards the realisation of the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment (Noe and Noe 2012, p. 45).

Feminism and gender lenses must roll out a multifaceted strategy for strengthening women’s rights and promoting gender equality (Sandberg 2013, p. 62). With numerous programs that directly seek to bolster women’s representation in decision-making, O’brien (2002, p. 55) opines that increasing women´s participation, improving their access to opportunities, and resources while reducing their vulnerability to gender based stereotypes will be the next best alternative.

Feminism and gender lenses must seek to restructure the legal framework in public and private institutions to improve the recognition of women in management capacities. As the indirect approach in its valuation, a gender perspective must form part of policy and decision-making for the full realisation of the feminine potentials (Piirto 2011, p. 25).

Feminism and gender responses must seek to foster active participation of women in income generating activities, with a robust focus on entrepreneurship and inclusivity of purpose, which aims to deliver women to a sustained income. Limiting the risks of gender disparities could be through enterprise development programs that address the inequality factor across genders.

Beating cultural differences and stereotypes

In trying to beat cultural differences and stereotypes, training of women in various areas such as production, management, information technology, and systems assuring can help in realising the full potentials of women (Vyas 2003, p. 444). It is worth noting that through feminine movements, women entrepreneurs in developing countries have participated in trade fairs in Europe, America, and Asia, thereby building their understanding of management and market requirements (Social Justice in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region 2012, p. 26).

Moreover, women entrepreneurs in rural areas have been able to participate in income generating activities thereby improving their standards of living, while some have excelled in education thus increasing their employability. With the constantly changing market demands, leadership styles have to be flexible to accommodate the alterations in the public sphere.

In this situation, transformational leadership style is effective in changing the organisational culture of firms in order to admit more women in the management system. In designing and implementing the changes, feminine movements must advocate for an inclusive leadership system in all areas to accommodate the interests of all genders (Vyas 2003, p. 445).

Feminism and gender activism must champion the need to be more accommodative in absorbing female professionals in order to alter the existing notions about women in the service sector. In the vent that this happens, women would find it easy to have their issues addressed amicably since they will have more opportunities to present their concerns.

The need to extend education to women and the girl child

Despite the tremendous expansion of educational opportunities globally, women not only in the third world but also in various developing countries continue to receive compromised schooling compared to men. Such discrepancies happen in most parts of the world yet there is fascinating evidence that education for the girl child promotes the welfare of the society in general. A living example is the strong link between a woman’s education, subsequent employment, and her income.

It is no doubt that better-educated women bear fewer children, who have higher chances of surviving infancy. Children raised by educated mothers assume a healthy life, with the likelihood of better education, a better job and of course, a better pay. Whenever the society deprives women of education, families, children, as well as the communities suffer the consequences.

This is often because anything that goes around in the family this replicates in the salary scales of women (Signorelli, Taft, and Pereira 2012, p. 23). However, whenever women have access to adequate education, everyone in the vast society benefit. It is therefore necessary for feminine movement groups to pursue the wellbeing of the girl child through education.

The concern of the feminism and gender bodies should begin to address the puzzle of gender disparities by examining how policymakers design educational decisions in various parts of the world. Organisations championing women rights, according to Lene (2000, p. 286), must begin by exploring the costs and benefits that determine how much governments invest in educating the girl child.

A subsidised fee on secondary schooling and college education for the girl child for instance, can increase women’s education and their future employability by say 10 to 20 percent. Statistical evidence demonstrates that unlike the resources held by men, those that are under the watch of women go into household consumption and benefits the children and the society by extension (Samurai Financial 2014).

Previously we have witnessed situations where the women have excelled exceedingly given a chance to partake of such similar opportunities that men hold so passionately. In 2012, for example, over 80 percent of the new loaning and grants embraced gender in its project operations and received tremendous positivity. This was partly a proof that women have come of age and can always put chances accorded to them into good use.

The need to mitigate the influence of social constructs

Gender and adulthood are arguably concepts that denote social and cultural constructs that the society assigns to individual’s behaviours, values, and physiognomies that are attributed to males and females. These attributes, according to Tickner (1997, p. 617), are reinforced by perceptions, institutions, and laws of the society. The foundation of these social constructs revolves around the notion that they are ordinary in essence, or that they are intrinsic within an individual and for that matter, unalterable.

On the other hand, gender constructs as well as the conceptualisation of adulthood are shaped primarily by ideological, socio-economic, and interpersonal – relational determinants, each of which is succinctly the dictates of the society. Under these lenses, adult human females rightly qualify to be viewed as women while grown-up boys would be called men.

This no doubt is the preserve of every society’s ideology. It is important however to understand that the social constructs that the society uses to evaluate individuals are based in the lenses of the right thinking members of the society, used to assess others. This view is determined by the way an individual relates him or herself with other confluences within the society.

The society to some extent has a most uncanny way of judging individuals, and it evaluates people on the outward expression rather that within the intrinsic constructs that an individual endeavours to achieve in him or herself (Brooke & Jacqui 2008, p. 695). This is such that, if an old grown-up man momentously acts boyishly, he risks being degraded into a lower definition of a man – boy, this same societal parochial notion applies to women nonetheless.

Boys and girls therefore, are mirror lines of both men and women; the only fear is that at times the society arbitrarily apportions weird criticism along these ideological lines, as to biasedly downgrade the very genders on the basis of individuals’ actions, rather than on their social stature.

The role of women in the management of organisations, as well as the prospects of gender roles in businesses is a recurrent critical issue. Feminism and gender conscious groups must celebrate ads that promote women’s issue to sharpen their roles in the society (Sandberg 2013, p. 65). Categorically, such efforts must strengthen the social media to assist in marketing adverts, which celebrate the womenfolk.

There is need to acknowledge the existence of stereotypes among women and cultural differences to recommend appropriate ways of tackling such classical models. Governments across the world have to discourage and condemn in the strongest terms possible those practices that try to eliminate the existence of gender equity among females and their male counterparts (Clegg, Kornberger and Pitsis 2011, p. 56).

In leadership, the Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) describes the need to inspire women to take up leadership roles in the current global and dynamic world. The role of the media industry must encourage women to achieve their best by celebrating ads that fight stereotypes everywhere across the globe.

In this aspect, change management should be at the centre stage in all organisations. Organisations should be flexible in their management systems in order to handle women affairs in non-stereotypical ways. It is only upon the exclusion of stereotypes in the minds of the society that humanity will gradually change their perceptions on women across all spheres of life.

Increasing the number of women in leadership positions will automatically result in economic growth since there will be a few dependents as had been common with women, especially in the third world nations. Women leaders should not be comfortable at their zones, but come out to prove their worth in the management arena. Evidently, changes in management often occur when the victims take part in the change process.

Even though Sandberg advices women to come out and move to the highest professional levels, she fail to note that women, unlike men go through numerous body changes like conceiving. From a psychological perspective, women always develop first attachment with their children (Shepherd 2014, p. 58).

This implies that they should take more time with the children than the male counterparts. In applying these changes at the workplaces, there is also need not to forget the need for proper family development. Attachment among family members is critical to the growth and development of children with good morals.

The family unit requires parents, especially mothers to offer their close support to children at the early ages to avert development of psychological problems within the family setup. In essence, work and family are critical issues that future researchers should give recommendable considerations when analysing the need for change in the present techno savvy society. There is need to balance all the institutions to give room for empowerment to the weaker gender.

The 21st century men according to Shepherd (2014, p. 74) should be supportive partners in order to reduce the numerous obstacles that have faced women in climbing up the employment ladder. Women should not check out on work mentally, as this may make them opt to stay at home. Such a mind-set is dangerous; it results in the belief that men are the ones who run the globe.

Challenging the common workplace mentality requires unrelenting support across all sectors to eradicate the one-gender show at the workplaces, especially at the top management. From this perspective, institutions of work require complete overhaul of their systems to fit all genders.

Taking feminine movements to the next level

Feminine movements in most parts of the world have brought profound progress in all spheres of the society. In the quest for greater appeal, the women leagues turned to media as a means for their empowerment and as a medium for education in an effort to overcome barriers of distance and time. The mass media offered a tool to feminist movement to advance their progress in the development of their communities (Shepherd 2014, p. 85).

In much of the developed world, new information technologies allowed women to be seen as equal to men in their ability to investigate, discuss, report and present concerns on various issues challenging the society. Through these feminine agencies, the women movements could facilitate links and networks for them to interact effectively with the outside world and share information and resources with others in different regions.

Taking the quest of feminist movements to the next level, as O’brien (2002, p. 23) notes, would mean increasingly using social media frontiers to enhance their advocacy, to build solidarity and form stronger societies.

While rapid growth of technology continues to enhance the presence of women in the public life, the escalation of feminist movement would lead to an increase in the availability and display of information about women before the public opinion hence guaranteeing their future (Social Justice in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region 2012, p. 56).

Whichever way, feminine movements in various parts of the world must seek to complement one another to secure the future of the girl child. As the feminine movements continue to gain greater grounds in several parts of the world, there will be need for journalistic reportage on feminine ideals to enhance gender equity.

The examination, evaluation, and analysis of the history of the feminine movement in most parts of the world covers three closely linked, yet complementary phases in the life of a society. According to Shafik (2007), each phase is important for the fullest understanding of the feminine cause as a movement that sought to enable women in most parts of the world to claim their full and uncompromised privileges to integration the society.

The first period, as Taylor and Whittier (2007) note, is based on the trauma of domination and its impact on women, families, as well as the extended families. Moreover, the second concerns were more on building of the post-independence nation states. It is noteworthy to pre-empt that the suffering of women in most societies inspired the feminist movement, thus exiting the use of media to give them coverage.

Finally, the third motivation had a lot to do with the emergence of a wave of feminine consciousness whose power lay on the feminine body politic that derived much of its support from the international pressure groups and none-governmental discourse on the liberation, integration, and empowerment of women in all parts of the world (Sabry 2012).

The most dominant element in the women’s movement history may have been its recognition of mass media as a tool in the struggle for liberation from imperialism, hence its contribution in building stronger societies.

Whichever way, feminine movement and mass media complemented one another in very impressive ways. Feminine movements must take centre stage in involvement in the liberation of women in all parts of the world. Finally, the movements’ role in establishing women’s awareness would be to safeguard women’s right for generations to come.

Conclusion

Greater opportunities for women including freedom of expression as well as the advancement in the quest for greater democratic space and human rights is affecting women’s capacity to realise their potentials. The wave of feminist movement has swept nearly all places in the world today in an attempt to make the society better not only for women but for all genders, the family, and the society.

Historically, the dearth in women’s empowerment and liberation has not been simply a problem of justice and equity for women anywhere, but a major cause of the regressive world’s traditions that confine women particularly. The global human development report states that the utilisation of the capabilities of women through political and economic participation has historically remained bottommost in the world in quantitative and qualitative terms.

This, the paper noted, is demonstrable by the very low share of feminine representation in the feminine population around the world. In the event, feminist movement inspired the growth and expansion of opportunities for women and the girl child. Finally, feminist movements in all parts of the world must seek to pursue a qualitative change in the women’s political participation and their social and economic status in the all regions.

References

Alison, M. 2004, ‘Women as Agents of Political Violence: Gendering Security,’ Security Dialogue, vol. 35, pp. 447–463.

Brooke, A. & Jacqui, T. 2008, ‘Reflexivity in Practice: Power and Ethics in Feminist Research on International Relations’, International Studies Review, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 693-707.

Clegg, S., Kornberger, M. & Pitsis, T. 2011, Managing Organisations: An Introduction to Theory and Practice, Sage, London.

Cynthia, J., Schad, C., & Fullon, S. 2009, Chapter 15: Gender Inequality. Web.

Economic Justice 2014, The Simple Truth about The Gender Pay Gap. Web.

Gow, L. & Middlemiss, S. 2012, ‘Equal pay legislation and its impact on the gender pay gap’, International Journal of Discrimination and the Law, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 164-186.

Hersch, J. 2006, Sex discrimination in the labour market, Now Publishers, Boston.

Kiran, G. 2012, ‘Reclaiming the Voice of the ‘Third World Woman’, Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 569-590.

Lene, H. 2000, ‘The Little Mermaid’s Silent Security Dilemma and the Absence of Gender in the Copenhagen School’, Journal of International Studies, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 285-306.

MacKenzie, M. 2009, ‘Empowerment boom or bust? Assessing women’s post-conflict empowerment initiatives’, Cambridge Review of International Affairs, vol. 22, no 2, pp. 199-215.

Mayoux, L. 2010, ‘Reaching and Empowering Women: Towards a Gender Justice Protocol for a Diversified, Inclusive, and Sustainable Financial Sector’, Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 581-600.

Miller, C. 2014, Pay gap is because of gender, not jobs. Web.

Moghadam, V. 2010, Transnational Activism in Gender Matters in Global Politics: A Feminist Introduction to International Relations, Routledge, London.

Noe, R. A. & Noe, R. A. 2012, Human resource management: gaining a competitive advantage, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York.

Nordstrom, C. 1999, ‘Visible wars and invisible girls, shadow industries and the politics of not knowing’, International Feminist Journal of Politics, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 14-33.

O’brien, K. M. 2002, ‘We haven’t come far enough: Empowering women to transform their lives’, psycCRITIQUES, vol. 47, no. 3, pp. 23-78.

Parashar, S. 2011, ‘Gender, Jihad, and Jingoism: Women as Perpetrators, Planners, and Patrons of Militancy in Kashmir’, Studies in Conflict & Terrorism, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 295-317.

Piirto, J. 2011, Creativity for 21st century skills: How to embed creativity into the curriculum, SensePublishers, Rotterdam.

Rajasingham-Senanayake, D. 2004, ‘Between Reality and Representation: Women’s Agency in War and Post-conflict Sri Lanka’, Cultural Dynamics, vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 141–168.

Sandberg, S. 2013, Lean in: women, work, and the will to lead, Knopf, New York.

Shepherd, L. 2014, Gender Matters in Global Politics: A Feminist Introduction to International Relations, Routledge, London.

Signorelli, M. C., Taft, A & Pereira, P. G. 2012, ‘Intimate partner violence against women and healthcare in Australia’, Charting the Scene, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 14-46.

Social Justice in the U.S.-Mexico Border Region 2012, McGraw-Hill Irwin, New York.

Tickner, J. 1997, ‘You Just Don’t Understand: Troubled Engagements between Feminists and IR Theorists’, International Studies Quarterly, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 611-632.

University of New South Wales 2014, Social Theory and Policy Analysis: School of Social Sciences. Web.

Vyas, A. 2003, ‘Empowering Women through Information and Knowledge’, Gender, Technology and Development, vol. 7, no. 3, pp. 443-445.

Worstall, T. 2014, I Declare the Gender Pay Gap to Be a Truly Dead and Gone Issue. Web.

Zuckerman, E. & Greenberg, M. 2004, ‘The Gender Dimensions of Post-Conflict Reconstruction: An Analytical Framework for Policymakers’, Gender and Development, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 4-34.