Feminism Flashcards
Traditional IR overlooks
women’s experiences and contributions, focusing on state sovereignty, military power and “high politics”
Feminism
Highlights how gender dynamics influence global politics, exposing structural inequalities
Talks about
domestic violence, workplace harassment, and conflict-related sexual violence
Reveals
marginalization (excluding) of women in politics and global decision-making
Ban Ki-moon’s “UNiTE” campaign:
up to 70% of women experience violence in their lifetime
Sex vs Gender
Sex: Biological differences
Gender: Socially constructed roles and expectations
Masculinity vs Femininity
Masculinity: power, rationality, independence, public sphere
Femininity: emotion, domesticity, dependence, private sphere
War and military security framed as
a masculine domains, men protectors and women victims
Women underrepresented in
peacekeeping missions (3% military personnel, 10% police personnel in 2014).
Male wartime rape:
Feminizes and humiliates opponents, demonstrating gendered logics in conflict.
Intersectionality:
examines how gender intersects with race, class and ethnicity to shape experiences
UN Resolution 1325 (2000):
Calls for women’s inclusion in peace processes and protection of their rights.
Implementation remains limited, with gender issues underfunded and marginalized
Feminists reject
essentialist views of women as inherently peaceful or passiv
Challenged…
Traditional theories that overlooked gender as a fundamental factor in global politics
Disciple is…
Gender blind, focusing on state sovereignty, military power and politics while excluding women’s experiences and contributions
Earliest contribution…
Make woman visible in international politics
Traditional IR often ignored…
Gendered violence woman experience globally.
Campaign
Ban Li-moon’s “UNiTE” campaign revealed 70% of women experience violence globally
Stable societies…
Have high levels of violence against women
Feminist IR broadens…
The concept of security to include human security
Also critique…
Underrepresentation of women in political and institutional decision-making
Caused by traditional IR’s focus on “high politics” such as military security and diplomacy areas dominated by men
Critically examines…
The socially constructed nature of gender roles and identities
Gender refers to…
Societal expectation assigned to men and women. Masculinity is often associated with power, rationality and independence. Feminism with emotionality.
