The Feminist Theory and IR Practice Essay

Introduction

The feminist theory challenges women to forget about the ancient I.R. practice and theory completely. Females face marginalization in international relations as they are not involved in decision-making processes because men believe that women are unnecessary. Men argue that women are inferior and their contributions do not matter in international relations practice. The feminist theory made some contributions to international relations through destroying gender biases, both socially and powerful logic organizing (Ballo et al., 2021). It, therefore, challenged the existing myths and assumptions concerning both masculine and feminine roles that dictate what a man or a woman does in society, global politics, and international relations.

The myths and assumptions about gender determine global politics and shape people’s lives. The feminism theory explains that traditional IR concentrated more on males while neglecting females. Men were regarded as superior to women and carried out the main duties, including decision-making and offering support to their subordinates. The theory, thus, puts women and gender into consideration, posing challenges to international relations’ foundations, including assumptions and concepts.

Feminists developed arguments favoring the female gender, including politics and advocacy, to make people aware of gender biases. For instance, the United Nations is now aware of the mainstreaming gender concept, leading to developing more comprehensive women’s rights in terms of gender and peace. Focusing on how international relations theorists explained some concepts, such as security, state, and superiority that led to gender bias, feminists felt the need to develop and transform the international relations practice and theory (Latimer, 2019). The theory’s development led to women’s resolution and security as they gained knowledge about their rights, making them able to challenge men.

Countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom, have started considering women’s rights by preventing sexual abuse and violence by men. Although feminists have succeeded in their practical duties, society still accuses them of possessing a simplistic and positive attitude towards women’s empowerment (Ballo et al., 2021). They also face critics from people as the latter terms them as imperialists, especially in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars where feminists argued that even if the wars as a result of liberation, the primary purpose was to maintain power and guarantee western countries’ economic interests about the middle east ones.

As the theory progresses, some scholars fail to consider feminists’ arguments because some questions address whether the feminists are only performing international relations or have an interior motive. Traditional international relations developed in a rational research agenda and addressed questions, maintaining focus on the states and their systems (Ratna, 2018). Feminists, on the other hand, employ a different approach underlining the importance of social relationships and individual experiences instead of state abstraction. The feminists, therefore, concentrate on places, people, and activities outside the traditional I.R.’s scope (Norsted, 2021). Some scholars discipline feminists for contributing to an already stated agenda. For example, in 1989, Keohane Robert responded positively to feminist theories regarding interdependence and power. The situation led to the formation of an alliance between feminists and institutionalism, making feminists reject unusual forms in the feminist theory.

Other scholars, such as Weber, also responded and argued that he was trying to represent feminist arguments outside the context of feminist theory, thereby re-imposing boundaries about feminist thoughts. She also explained that feminist scholars visualized the theory’s literature simultaneously to view I.R. from multiple perspectives at a time. As a result, other scholars developed an interest in the feminist theory since it created boundaries that influenced the disregard of issues that are not included in the theory. Therefore, according to the arguments, Keohane tries to hijack and remove parts of the feminist literature that he terms unusual, takes and molds those ideas he likes, and links them with his theories.

Sylvester also identifies and other engagement encounters and types with feminist theory. He argues that some theorists engage feminist theories in political ways instead of considering the main issues (Elomäki et al., 2018). Other scholarly groups engage feminist ideas to form personal writing. In contrast, others consider gender an essential identity and an analysis variant and practice gender consciousness without considering or mentioning the feminist theories.

Contribution of Feminist Theories

The Theory Focused on Making Women Relevant

Feminist theories explained that women faced and are still facing gender-based violence due to disregard from men, making them ignored in critical areas, such as decision making. The theories focused on developing an international system that acknowledged gender-based problems and experiences in terms of sexual violence. For example, a former United Nations secretary General initiated campaigns to address gendered violence with the aim of reducing the rates at which females faced inequality as compared to men. The movement proved that a more significant percentage of women (60%) experienced sexual violence at times. It also exposed that most females worldwide reside in countries where sexual violence is rampant since it is not considered a criminal offense. Gendered violence still exists worldwide since it is not tied to a specific economic or political system (Azzopardi et al., 2018). Some scholars demonstrate the links between gendered violence against females’ private lives, such as domestic violence and all public violence that females experience due to globalized workplaces. The theory stated that women do not share equal political, social, and economic rights and freedom compared to men.

The situation led to increased cases of sexual violence since females face domestic violence at home and sexual one when involved in conflicts with men. Gendered violence leads to a situation where females do not experience peace and stability in their lives (Ratna, 2018). Some societies are termed as stable and peaceful without putting into consideration the increasing gendered violence cases against one gender. The situation makes the state portray a different image and reputation due to insecurity and violence cases as characterized by traditional international relations viewpoints.

The feminist theory also addresses females’ non-involvement in decision-making processes and absence from institutional structures, such as education and employment centers. For instance, in 2015, about 23% of the female population served in parliamentary positions worldwide, according to World Bank statistics. The theory also challenges females to occupy areas termed as highly political, such as military and state security. It encourages them to focus on those positions traditionally dominated by men (Brown, 2018). In the traditional setup, men dominated state activities, possessing power and made decisions about their progress without considering females. Males also ran global politics without considering the other gender, since they termed them as minor subjects without a say over particular matters.

The situation allows males to continue excluding females from major activities in the world, including global politics. Ancient practices disregarded females and failed to involve them in critical activities, such as global politics. Men therefore, disregarded the impacts of global politics on the lives of women. They also encouraged females’ dis-involvement in state and global matters, explaining that the latter formed a minority group and there was no need of taking their views into consideration about particular activities (Norsted, 2021). Feminist scholars, on the other hand, explained that ignoring women’s views and excluding them from the critical activities performed in international relations deprives them of their rights and freedom. Therefore, the scholars encourage females to occupy the topmost positions in states, bringing the gap between male and female life status.

Exposing Gender-Based Norms

Some cultural practices and beliefs discourage women from achieving their life goals due to gender discrimination situations from men. Feminist scholars explained the need for developing a society where males and females possess equal rights and freedom. The theory also helps people understand that sex results from biological processes while gender results from social perceptions and beliefs (Ratna, 2018). The theorists describe gender as social assumptions constructed and assigned to female and male people, including the appropriately considered behavior among people. In the traditional setup, men were associated with the public sphere’s independence, power, and status. In contrast, women were associated with domesticity, the need to be protected by men, and the occupation of the private sphere. The resulting political and social identities shaped and influenced interactions between men and women globally and in international relations.

The global identities also outline who should carry out a particular activity and the reason why. Socially developed identities determine power distribution, explaining the place women occupy in politics globally. Some scholars such as Cynthia posed questions about females’ existence in the globe (Bunyan, 2021). The question encouraged other scholars to notice the spaces that women inhabited in global politics, aiding in demonstrations proving that women would perform effectively in the international relations system if given a chance. She also explained how global politics influences and shapes people’s daily activities and how the activities impact gender identities (Azzopardi et al., 2018). In the conventional setup, war and military endeavors are considered men’s activities because men act as protectors and warriors who fight to protect women and children.

Over the years, women’s experiences about gendered conflicts have been irrelevant, without inconsideration from international relations. For example, gendered and sexual violence have been irrelevant and entered into the international relations agenda. The theorists explained that gender and other identities, such as ethnicity and race, shape international relations (Bunyan, 2021). Feminism also exposed marginalization and gendered violence among women globally, challenging gendered norms that term women as peaceful and need to be protected. They also state the norms as evidence that gender inequality exists and leads to female exclusion from global I.R. perspectives. When men assume women to be peaceful instead of aggressive or victims instead of actors, they are likely to ignore the latter’s perspectives and experiences of global politics.

Keeping Peace Worldwide

The theory encourages parties to make peace after an argument or conflict, especially when involved in complex misunderstandings. It addresses concerns about how post-conflict groups are rebuilt and preventing future conflict relapses (Brown, 2018). The global community initiates peacekeeping bodies to sustain peace after conflicts, broadening the U.N.’s ancient peacekeeping duty. The bodies involve missions about military forces, introducing police, and constructing political buildings. The theories state how masculinity influences peacemaking. After conflicts, situations are characterized by violence cessation between the conflicting parties, therefore, peacekeeping bodies engage in activities, such as disarming involved parties, monitoring, and facilitating peace deals. However, gendered violence continues after the conflict, including rape and forced prostitution.

Women face exclusion from decision-making and power development efforts concerning indirect and structural violence, leading to restrictions on access to resources, such as food and housing. They also face under-representation in the peacekeeping bodies, occupying very few positions. Increasing cases of gender inequality have been acknowledged, making peacekeeping bodies pay more attention to the causes and impacts of female insecurity. Peacekeeping bodies influence post-conflict continuation as they harbor gendered production (Bunyan, 2021). They also perpetrate sexual violence against children and women, as exposed in 2015 by a whistleblower.

Conclusion

The feminist theory challenges women facing marginalization in international relations as they are not involved in decision-making processes due to the belief that they are unimportant and their lives do not matter in the I.R. practice. The theory made some contributions to international relations through destroying gender biases, both socially and powerful logic organizing. Therefore, it challenged the existing assumptions concerning masculine and feminine roles that dictate what a man or a woman should do in society, global politics, and international relations. It focused on developing an international system that acknowledged women’s problems in terms of violence. Gendered violence still exists worldwide since it is not tied to a specific economic or political system.

Some scholars demonstrate the links between gendered violence against females’ private lives, such as domestic violence and all public violence that they experience due to globalized workplaces. It also helps people understand that sex results from biological processes while gender results from social perceptions and beliefs. Feminists explain that gender results from men’s and women’s identities and expectations and the duties performed by each group. The scholars explain gender as social assumptions constructed and assigned to female and male people, including the appropriately considered behavior among males and females.

Reference List

Azzopardi, C., Alaggia, R. and Fallon, B. (2018) From Freud to feminism: Gendered constructions of blame across theories of child sexual abuse. Journal of Child sexual abuse, 27(3), pp. 254-275. doi: 10.1080/10538712.2017.1390717

Ballo, R., Das, S., Dawson, E., Mignan, V. and Perronnet, C. (2021) ‘Feminism, intersectionality, and decolonization theories: “The price we have to be willing to pay is ourselves”: Discussing illusions of inclusion in science centers and museums’, in Bevan, B. and Ramos, B. (eds.) Theorizing Equity in the Museum. London: Routledge, pp. 34-49.

Brown, L. E. C. (2018) ‘Post-colonial feminism, black feminism, and sport’, in Mansfield, L., Caudwell, J., Wheaton, B., and Watson, B. (eds.) The Palgrave handbook of feminism and sport, leisure and physical education. London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 479-495.

Bunyan, L. (2021) Book Review: Women and Work: Feminism, Labour and Social Reproduction by Susan Ferguson. Gender & Society, 35(2), pp. 56-59, doi: 10.1177/0891243220979173

Elomäki, A., Kantola, J., Koivunen, A. and Ylöstalo, H. (2018) Affective virtuosity: Challenges for governance feminism in the context of the economic crisis. Gender, Work & Organization, 26(6), pp. 822-839, doi: 10.1111/gwao.12313

Latimer, T. (2019) ‘Dear World: Arts and Theories of Queer Feminism’, in Robinson, H, and Buszek M. E. (eds.) A Companion to Feminist Art. Hoboken: Wiley, pp. 389-403, doi: 10.1002/9781118929179.ch22

Norsted, K.S. (2021) Subjects of Feminism: The Production and Practice of Anxiety in a Swedish Activist Community. Doctoral dissertation. Institutionen för kulturantropologi och etnologi, Uppsala Universitet.

Ratna, A. (2018) Not just merely different: Travelling theories, post-feminism, and the racialized politics of women of color. Sociology of Sport Journal, 35(3), pp. 197-206, doi: 10.1123/ssj.2017-0192