Gender in International Relations

In America, a culture of sustained racism and sexism influences foreign policymakers, which results in colonialism and imperialism, the desecration of nations, and militancy. The authors of the articles, Michael L. Krenn and Laura McEnaney, with differing skill sets, provide evidence of racial and gendered bias in foreign policy. In “The Adaptable Power of Racism,” Krenn expertly examines the history of racism within foreign policy; how racism adapted in the face of religious and scientific challenges, and the overall effects of racist foreign policies.1 McEnaney, in “Gender Analysis and Foreign Relations,” provides a lackluster account of the application of gender analysis to foreign policy, specifically in relation to the policies of the Cold War and Spanish-American War.2 The history of racism and sexism in America provide a blueprint for foreign policymakers, where racist militancy and sexist excuses override basic human rights.

In a society, gender roles are the roles that are restricted to males or females on the basis of their sexism. Conventionally, in numerous societies including the western society, it is supposed that females are more encouraged at any platform than the males. It is believed that for the development of a society, females should be treated in an encouraged way because encouragement of the females help in the betterment of society. Earlier, it was considered that females should remain at home and they should maintain the household things rather than working outside because outside work is only for the males, but it was a traditional way of treating women, which has been changed now.

Afghan women seem to have better fortune in America than in Afghanistan. Before Amir and Baba moved to America the only women that were mentioned were not around anymore making it seem like they were not important in the first place. Once Amir and Baba were living in America there were female characters brought in to show that they were able to live their lives better than in Afghanistan. The women were better off in America even before the Taliban took over Afghanistan because they were no longer talked about as disappointments. The lack of women in the novel shows how the men thought of the women as if they were not as capable of doing the things they were able to. Baba was a business leader who did things that were unspeakable in Afghanistan

“By balancing the scales of equality, women and men will have an equal chance to contribute both at home and the workplace, thereby enhancing their individual well-being, and that of society” (About Workplace Gender Equality). Throughout history, women continuously progressed to reach this equality. This is evident with the Women’s Right Movement which pushed to break social and economic barriers. Women went from focusing on domestic responsibilities to working in places normally reserved for men. At this day in age, it seems as though that balance would already be maintained considering how much was accomplished, however this is untrue. Women are predisposed to less opportunities within the workforce when compared to men.

While the term “sexism” dates from the mid-1960s and came into frequent use after the rise of women’s liberation movements in 1968-1969. Feminists in Eastern countries have also appealed to the United Nations to enforce women's rights. In the West, discussion has shifted from legal rights

The article “The State as a Gendered Institution” examined how everything, including the political landscape is gendered and has been gendered throughout history. Like norms, the political landscape is geared toward men. In this article Kimmel examines how the political landscape of the world is gendered and geared toward men. He uses examples such as the 19th century Bengali Men, in which men who were seen as lower on the totem poll of society were assigned feminine qualities as a way to belittle them. He says “Colonial powers nearly always used gender- both inadequate masculinity of colonized men and the helpless innocence of colonized women, who were in dire need of recuse” (Kimmel 306). Here we see that throughout history gender has been used as a way to belittle others, but what really stands out to me was by making something feminine or un-masculine, it was now seen as a lesser being. This speaks volume to the problem that our society has in that associating people with feminine qualities is a way to insult them, and through this example, we see how it really hasn’t changed throughout history. Through his article I learned how society has always treated femininity as a lesser than masculinity, which only strengthened my view that feminism needs to be promoted more because of this idea being present in history for so

From a young age, Arlie Russel Hochschild developed an inclination and curiosity towards emotion and emotional displays. Born on January 15, 1940, as a child to parents of the U.S Foreign services, Russel explains her early observations of behavior and emotional presentations of foreign diplomats. It is from this memory, that Russel centers her current sociological work. As a young adult, Russel attended the University of California, Berkley where she successfully obtained her master’s and doctorate degrees. As a student, Russel found interest in the study and placement of women in a male-dominated society. Upon her study of these specific topics, Russel came to the conclusion that many theories, references, and experiences in the

For all the turmoil, exhaustion, and shear reality-show melodrama of this years presidential campaign, the actual results appear more likely to deepen long-standing trends in the electorate than to shatter them all-in-all. That’s been one of the paradoxes of this extraordinary election year. With both newly-presidential elect Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton facing unfavorable opinions from a majority of the voters, this has been a demolition derby of a campaign that has left both sides sputtering toward the finish line with dented fenders and cracked windshields. Yet it’s a race that has been unfolding like no other, to still appear on track and to reinforce and intensify the trends that have defined the competition for the White House over

Gender is an often a contentious term, feminist scholars have introduced this vital term to the language of international relations. Since its inception, gender is most prominent in distinguishing the differences between male and female, however it has articulated different interpretations by both parties in different realms of thought. The duration of this paper will help to explore the different definitions of gender and its associations with the practices of war. This paper will look into how power is used as a gendering tool to exert ones dominance over the other, with a close look at how rape is used as a tactical tool for warfare. As society portrays women as vulnerable, helpless victims, this paper seeks to look into how power can influence women as the perpetrator but also an option for resolution in conflict.

In this University article I found how women in the Middle East are starting to gain more rights and respect which is what they deserve. There’s this new law about how family is the biggest priority for everyone there, but we also see the changes that happen with women. Some women in the Middle East are allowed to not cover their face or body, but there’s some that still do because they want to follow the traditions from their ancestors. The gender role I saw on this article is that, men are less dominant now days on the Middle East compared to back in the 1940s, the same way that it was in the US. It look longer for women in the Middle East to receive more freedom, because of all the wars that are going on, and because of the masculinity of

Women are not helpless creatures in a world full of challenges. They are considered role models of families, businesses, and social movements. They are the pillars of feminism. Women are now holders and decision makers of recognized networks, strong figures in the senate and political institutions. However, women are not decision makers in all nations. In specific societies where women empowerment is overruled, there is no major feminist movement prevalent. The theory of an existing hope of unity between women is minimal, but as the idea of “empowerment” unfolds, it inspires women to support their gender. Females have started to fight as one against social misconceptions, labor inequality, and political limitations. It is the concept of women

What do you think of when you hear gender roles? You probably think of men and women having the same opportunities. Or you think of how there isn’t gender equality in most places in the world. Most people are against others saying that males and females should have gender roles, or that one thing should be identified into a gender role. There are very different norms in different societies around the world. Not all are agreed with, but some are completely supported. Gender roles have changed throughout evolution. Gender roles can even be created from humans portraying something a certain way. Life for those who have their life controlled by one human struggle with gender roles and how they should be. But how did gender roles even become a topic? How are gender roles for people who have almost no rights? The Middle East has different tendencies than in other places in the world, due to the fact of the religion they practice and the way they live. Islam is the second most popular religion in the world. There were about 1.6 billion Muslims in the world in 2010, according to Pew Research. Muslims constituted about 23% of all people on Earth. The religion is currently in a period of rapid growth, and is expected to reach 2.8 billion by 2050, when the number of Muslims will probably approximately equal the number of Christians in the world. Estimates of the number of Muslim adults in the U.S. have ranged from 1 to 7 million. The former estimate is based on public opinion polls

Gender roles and power dynamics have been a topic of great debate in regards to their portrayal in horror films. Over time, the horror genre’s boundaries, as well as ideas of gender roles, have become less strictly defined and many see this as being observable by looking at films from different points in time. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) and John Carpenter’s Halloween (1978) are both horror films which feature gender roles in different ways, although there are also similarities. The use of gender roles and their representation can be said to evolve over time as society’s views of gender roles also changed. There is a noticeable focus on sexual desires in both films, which relates to the role of sexuality in people’s views of

“The face of a woman is a source of corruption for men not related to them” (Taliban). History illustrates that world powers, including our own, are temporary. They ascend and collapse and the institutions they erect, the beliefs and social norms guide them, the economic systems, which support them, ascend, and collapse, too. The United States foreign policy has frequently been a tale of assertive intervention in foreign lands for strategic interests based on saving or civilizing them. The United States should intervene in countries to help the treatment and rights of women by eradicating poverty, forming bilateral relationships, and improving women’s education.

Through this written piece of work, I want to examine the ways in which the dominant ideas of gender and war, from a Feminist perspective. I will be contributing an understanding to the role of the Kurdish female fighters in the field of war and politics, that have broken the taboos of gender roles within the community, and the national movement. The concept of gender, war, and conflict has lightened the issue of women in war. The image of war is associated to masculinity, and in many cases women are not welcomes in the field of war, as “she is exposed as a victim of war by drawing the idea of women being helpless (Sjoberg, 2014, p. 10).” Laura Sjoberg; Gender, War, and Conflict, states that “war-making and war-fighting have been traditionally