Feminism in International Relations | Major Themes |

Feminism in International Relations is a theory that adopts a “gender lens” or “feminist lens”. Feminists in International Relations is actually “a way of looking at the world which prioritizes certain features, issues or processes”. Feminists in IR see things through the angel of “man” and “woman”. Feminists in IR also believes that discourses in IR are not neutral but are partial. The viewpoint about international relations is the viewpoint of “men” or “masculine”. There are four types of feminists. This includes Liberal Feminism, Standpoint Feminism, Historical Materialist Feminism, and Post-Structuralist Feminism.

One of the major assumptions of Feminism in IR includes:

1. Status of the woman is one measure to determine the progressive and civilized nature of society.

2. The position of woman is not ordained by God nor by nature, but the position of woman is socially constructed.

3. The participation of women in public life is a key to advance the status of women.

4. Under capitalism, women will not be able to achieve emancipation due to the presence of public life and private life.

5. Due to this distinction, a woman’s work is unpaid and devalued. On the other hand, a man’s work is paid because he works in public life.

6. “woman” and “man” occupy readily different lifeworlds.

7. Woman’s experiences of nurturing and caring shape famine experience and lead to a distinct viewpoint. By using this different experience of women, legitimate social knowledge can be constructed.

8. A post-structuralist feminist believes that gender is discursively constructed. They also believe that there is no authentic “woman’s experience” or “standpoint”.

9. A person’s understanding of “masculine” or “famine” is constructed through language, symbols, and stories.

10. Judith Butler said, “one is not born, but becomes a woman”. Gender is a performance.

Feminists have also viewpoints about The State and Power, Identity and Community, Institutions and World Order, Inequality and Justice, Peace and Security, Conflict, and Violence. Feminists want to bring women to the position of influence in international relations.

To watch more videos, you can click on the following links:

What is State

Liberalism in IR

Structuralism in IR

SovietAfghan War

The era of Ayub Khan

Treaty of Westphalia

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