The Feminist Theory

Feminists rely chiefly on the contention that the traditional analysis of world politics is fundamentally gendered. Gender-sensitive analysis begins with the premise that societal institutions are made by humans and are therefore changeable by humans. Feminists systematically deconstruct the notions traditionally held by realists and taken for granted as how the world works.

Gender-sensitive analysis takes many factors into consideration that the realist does not. As history dictates, the world, both in the domestic and international scenes, has been predominantly ruled by men. Women have historically been almost entirely excluded from policy-making positions throughout the world. Until recently there have been almost no women with significant power, relevant to the number of men in similar positions. In the limited instances of a woman gaining any high degree of power within a country, her success has typically been due to the marginalization of those characteristics traditionally gendered as feminine. Additionally consider the fact that, at least until recently, the overwhelming majority of written contributions to the fields of international relations theory and world politics have been from a male perspective. Then we can begin to see that the feminist assumption that the traditional analysis of world politics has been and still remains inherently gendered may not be an unrealistic conclusion.

Consider the Hobbesian notion that, in a state of nature, human beings (man) acts entirely in an anarchic manner. This premise carries over into traditional international relations theory when the relationships he involves himself in are solely for the purpose of self-help and self-preservation (True, 234). Feminist theo...

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...ore of these 'feminine' characteristics. History shows us that some of these countries (Sweden, etc.) have developed a more non-violent, non-confrontational policy toward the rest of the world than other nations have.

I submit to you that, if Hofstede's findings are true, and I do believe that they are, this could be a great boost to the credibility of feminist theory and moreover that feminist perspectives could provide valuable insights into ways to improve our world and promote a more peaceful existence.

According to Scott Burchill, theorizing "is the process by which we give meaning to an allegedly objectified world 'out there'" (True, 225). If this is true, how can we possibly hope to assemble a workable theory that is both relevant and objective without taking into consideration the perspectives and attitudes of over half of the population "out there"?