Gender inequality is a persisting matter of both domestic and international relevance. For centuries, men have dominated existing roles of power and influence - be it politically, economically, professionally or socially. Not only does this system perpetuate internalized patriarchal norms, but political systems dominated by men are often open to the charge of undervaluing policies which affect women more profoundly, such as rape, economic discrimination, reproductive health inequities, social terrorism and so on. This essay proposes that with increased gender diversity in political positions of power, will come gender equality, which will in turn lead to a more peaceful world.
An adequate understanding of this argument requires specification as to what is meant by the terms outlined above. The concept “more positions of power” throughout the discussion will refer to a 50/50 split of women and men in political positions of equal representation and institutional value to their role, whereby neither men nor women hold more than 60% of national parliamentary representation. Gender equality, will be defined according to UN Women, as referring to the “equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys. Equality does not mean that women and men will become the same but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born male or female.” Finally, the objective of a more peaceful world does not imply a freedom from war or fighting, but rather, a world in which less gender-related conflict and discrimination occurs. This essay does not pretend that increased gender diversity in politics would lead to world peace, but rather that it would help to amen...
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...ould, in turn, add weight to the value of women as leaders, decision-makers, workers and human beings universally. Increasing the number of women in political roles of influence and power is an imperative starting point for empowering women globally, and demonstrating that a person’s responsibilities, rights and opportunities should not depend on whether they are born a male or a female.
Gender equality in relation to a more peaceful world is a topic of extensive debate also. Empowering women politically is an indispensible requisite for advancing the development of policies that affect women specifically as a political demographic. This is necessary to encouraging and sustaining the integration of a gendered perspective on all aspects of political decisions, which will in turn lead to a more peaceful world in terms of gender-related violence and discrimination.
...cs should gain its value, and lastly people should vote because it is their responsibility. Moredish Conroy points out, “The traditional ruler view of women rejects the idea that femaleness and political power can coexist.” The traditional idea of what constitute leadership should be rejected. Bashevkin speaks that people must face their own internalized, often unrecognized feelings of discomfort with putting women in positions of power. This should change. Rationally, we all need to engage ourselves in politics because it contributes to our day to day activity. This book is a precondition to change because it promotes awareness by bringing change through monitoring the media, social movements, public opinions, electoral reforms, consensus building, collaboration, stronger motivation, and changing the rule of the game. This assures every citizen, every voice counts.
However, Europeans women were very segregated and under man control during the colonial times; but little by little women fight for their rights and become free of man domination. Today the status of women’s civil rights varies dramatically in different countries and, in some cases, among groups within the same country, such as ethnic groups or economic classes. In recent decades women around the world have made strides in political participation, as for example women acquired the right to vote, the right to become part of political issues, the right to marriage who they want, and the right to be free as an individual.
Women are often labeled as “needing saving” which has been a common theme in our readings this semester. Enloe says, “Women are deemed crucial by the rivals, but merely as symbols, subordinates, admirers, or spectators” (304). She also includes that the supposed freedom and liberation of women that the west promotes becomes a front because women are merely playing a male-determined role for the victorious side. To put simply, even women in power are always at a disadvantage. I
Many ancient laws and beliefs show that women from all around the world have always been considered inferior to men. However, as time went on, ideas of equality circulated around and women started to demand equality. Many women fought for equality and succeeded in bringing some rights. However, full equality for women has yet to be fulfilled. This issue is important because many women believe that the rights of a person should not be infringed no matter what their gender is, and by not giving them equality, their rights are being limited. During the periods 1840 to 1968, total equality for women did not become a reality due to inadequate political representation, economic discrepancy, and commercial objectification.
Today, nothing remains of the former social role of women. Nearly all professions are open to women. The numbers of women in the government and traditionally male-dominated fields have dramatically increased. More women than men earn bachelor’s degrees. Many women's groups still prevail and are major political forces. Although the two movements hoped to achieve different things and used different tactics, they still came together to gain women’s rights and have achieved more than anyone would have ever anticipated.
The struggle for control over birth transcends centuries and continents. Gloria Steinem, a women’s rights advocate of the 1990s describes how “the traditional design of most patriarchal buildings of worship imitates the female body” in order that “men [can] take over the yoni-power of creation by giving birth symbolically” (Steinem XV). The struggle for control over the power of procreation between the sexes existed in Ancient Greece. It is apparent in the Theogony, an account of the creation of Greek deities, composed by Hesiod sometime between the eighth and seventh centuries. The Theogony depicts how males attempted to subvert control of procreation by monitoring the womb, through force, and by undermining mother-child relationships. The Theogony also describes how women combated the subversion through willpower, deceit, and forming mother-child bonds to preserve the female power of birth, the unique power to control what is created and influence the actions of that creation.
While women were traditionally largely responsible for child care and managing the household, men were more concerned with earning the money in order to support their families. Moreover, it is has been a widely held view, especially by male politicians, that women were not capable of evaluating political matters because they were too emotional and thus, don’t have the required powerfulness (Monique Leijenaar, 1997). Nevertheless, women’s status and integration in the political decision making process has improved continuously since most western-countries introduced women’s right to vote. Consequently, in some of these states women’s underrepresentation is not a numerical problem anymore; instead it is only a problem of the representation of their interests and values on the political agenda. This can be illustrated by the example of Denmark where women have a majority in six councils. However, women should be given more power in order to create a world in which power is exercised equitably for the benefit of
The “Politics” section, from the UN’s 2008 report of the progress of the world’s women, discusses in detail how women’s roles in government and politics in general have expanded and can continue to expand. Moreover, it also explores different challenges and obstacles women may encounter when it comes to politics, and how these obstacles can be overcome. In discussing these issues, the author describes a “cycle of political accountability”. This so called cycle is a process by which women’s engagement in politics results in a positive “feedback loop” whereby a more gender-balanced political system may arise. According to the report, there are five stages: mobilization, representation, legislation & policy, implementation, and transforming politics. Of course, the cycle can also go backwards leading to the loss of rights for women.
She argues that knowing the role of women of society, they deserve a larger role in it.
This endeavor is necessary to protect women’s rights in the labor force in matters such as sexual harassment, salary, work opportunities, etc. Currently, there are several trade unions in Malaysia namely Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) and Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (CUEPACS). However, specific trade unions that fight for women and their equal rights does not exist. At the most, women are only a small part of the committee in general trade unions due to a low number of female workers in the labor force. Therefore, the formation of FTAs can reap benefits in terms of gender inequality and female labor participation which eventually leads to an increase in income per capita and economy
...action with others… especially men. This supplies final substantiation of the authors' argument, that women continue to be oppressed by their male-dominated societies. It is a bold undertaking for women to ally and promote a world movement to abandon sexist traditions. Although I have never lived in a third world or non-Westernized country, I have studied the conditions women suffer as "inferior" to men. In National Geographic and various courses I have taken, these terrible conditions are depicted in full color. Gender inequality is a terrible trait of our global society, and unfortunately, a trait that might not be ready to change. In America we see gender bias towards women in voters' unwillingness to elect more females into high office, and while this is not nearly as severe as the rest of the world, it indicates the lingering practice of gender inequality.
Involving more women in International Relations could be a better influence for the world and have positive results, but only if both genders agree. For Feminist theorists, it is difficult to find why it has been so complicated for gender equality to exist in international relations because it is just something that cannot be measured.
Mao-Tse-Tung once said, “women hold up the sky” (Boulding et.al, 2012). Gender equality has become a global phenomenon that is recognized by international institutions, developing and developed countries that are key players in international development. Waves of feminist movements have resulted in the adoption of approaches that are geared towards; “Gender equality...the extent to which women are present in positions of political authority and decision making” (Boulding et al, 2012), which translates to women 's socio-economic and political participation in development. In the pursuit for equality, a more in depth focus is placed on undermined issues such as gender-based violence, gender division of labour, women empowerment
The debate regarding gender identities in politics is today a protruding aspect in our society. Both the domestic and international gender roles and norms are central in the developments in the field of political science and International Relations. The inclusion of women into formal politics through quota systems is one of the key issues in focus for both the current societal debate as well as much of the academic work in the field. This essay will focus on the arguments supporting and opposing both constitutional/legalized and voluntary quotas systems aiming to increase the percentage of women in national parliaments and what implications these quotas systems have on political life and the society as a whole.
Throughout history, there have been constant power struggles between men and women, placing the male population at a higher position than the female. Therefore, in this patriarchal system women have always been discriminated against simply due to the fact that they are women. Their rights to vote, to be educated and essentially being treated equally with men was taken away from them and they were viewed as weak members of society whose successes depend on men. However, this has not prevented them from fighting for what they believe in and the rights they are entitled to. On the contrary, it has motivated them to try even harder and gain these basic societal rights through determination and unity.