Why we need more IR Feminists..(aka Hillary Clinton is not enough)
International politics has been male dominated for thousands of
years. As the evolution of the state began patriarchy was often built into the
political structure to "maintain order". IR feminism continues to
challenge many international relations theories such as liberalism and realism
by highlighting the dominant male presence and masculine thought that exists in
international politics. We need more IR feminists entering the world of
international politics because keeping a male dominated system marginalizes a
group of people that inhabit about 50% of the world. Though we have made
progress in increasing the number of women in power, we have a long way to
go.
Let's take a look at Hilary Clinton's role
in international politics. As former Secretary of State for arguably the most
powerful country in the world right now, Mrs. Clinton has made her mark in
international politics. She is known for her confident opinions in foreign
policy, but the critiques she receives reinforces my belief that international
relations is stuck in it's gender discriminatory ways. “Too masculine”, “too
conservative” are too frequently used to describe Clinton’s foreign policy, or
quite frankly any decision she has made in her political career. On the other
hand Clinton is criticized for being too “emotional”, which could cloud her judgment
when making manly decisions about war and such.
So, why does this matter?
Being a woman in power in a state that has such influence across
the globe is bound to draw attention. When other states absorb the negative and
unfocused commentary that Hillary Clinton receives it remains okay to think of
women as incapable of holding a position of power in international politics.
This subtle discrimination reinforces structural patriarchy that hinders gender
progression. Feminist international relations theorists, J. Ann Tickner says “women
have knowledge, perspectives, and experiences that should be brought to bear on
the study of international relations”.
Generally, the world is moving toward a state of inclusion for
women and men in all fields. To let international relations fall behind in this
progression is dangerous to say the least. After all, international relations
examines how different parts of the world interact with each other. To accept the
majority male ratio in international politics is an insidious and risky idea.
Great post Tyler! I also believe that women need to be involved with international politics. To accomplish this goal, more women need to increase their power and involvement on the domestic level. As they gain involvement, their ideas will become more prevalent. Unfortunately, there will always be those people that want to prevent this from happening. These types of people will increase their misguided scrutiny as more women acquire more power. To overcome this issue, women need to show how strong they truly are and the discriminatory attitudes will change.
ReplyDeleteHarrison,
DeleteThanks! I think we both agree that women deserve a place in international politics alongside men. However, I think we disagree on why women have not been successful in becoming prevalent in international politics. I would argue that the systematic patriarchal hierarchy that creates a barrier that does not allow women to permeate the IR world. The problem I have with your position is that it seems to place a blame on women for not doing enough in politics, but it difficult to do so in a field that was built exclusively for men.
Tyler:
ReplyDeleteMy views follow those of Harrison. I think it is interesting to examine why international relations has fallen behind in the advancement of women. I think the big changeover will come once a new generation of people are born and sexism is not taught to youth, however, even that is too long to wait for needed change that should have already been done.
Politics globally is a male-dominated field. While we can begin the change here in the United States, I think women will still have a difficult time gaining the respect they deserve in the international sphere because many of the big players (China, Russia, the Middle-East) just don't put women in roles of power. The hard truth is that until other countries begin to shift their views on women it will be difficult for women in power to exercise that power to its full extent without pushback.
ReplyDeleteI agree as well that gender parity in IR, as in most, if not all, fields, should be worked towards. People speak about gender disparity in STEM fields, but I would argue that the one in IR, while not necessarily as pronounced percentage-wise, has worse effects and should be addressed accordingly. STEM fields do not depend as much as IR fields do on the different ways that males and females typically perceive things. Numbers don't change, but how to interact in a tense diplomatic situation while keeping in mind hundreds of years of historical context, language barriers, and other myriad factors requires differently wired minds.
ReplyDelete