Should women be more involved in international affairs?

Women are often depicted as casualties of conflict in many cases. However, this perspective obscures the significant roles that women may play in leadership, especially in assisting in the settlement of disputes, the growth of post-conflict reestablishment efforts, and economic life. Women are often on the receiving end of any dispute in society, but their voices and ideas on problem-solving approaches are frequently ignored (Kaufman 624). Women are known to be among the most marginalized groups in the conflict. These range from kidnappings, violent attacks, and sexual harassments which are some of the most common and underreported violations against the female gender in a conflict setting (Drury and Peksen 478).

Different forms of discriminations are still obstacles to the formal participation of the women in the decision-making process, involvement in material and political resources, and in the formulation and implementation of various policies of the government. These further affect their involvement in the peace negotiations and national agreements. Based on the fact that every decision which is made in the society would have a direct impact on the lives of the women (Kirby and Shepherd 253).

It is therefore essential to consider their contributions, views, and roles in the international affairs such as peacekeeping process talk on food security and health, and in shaping the future of post-conflict countries (Kaufman 1502). Women are considered as the link between the family and the society. Even though the current involvement of the women in the international affairs remains sparse, their contribution to the global issues which affect the livelihood of the society can have a great impact on the overall welfare of the society.

Opposing Viewpoint

The actual involvement of the women in the international relations can be used to describe the international relation as a gendered discipline. The involvement of the women in the international affairs has been perceived to be poor because of the occurrence of the hegemonic masculinity and gender bias in the field. Besides this, different research studies have indicated that most of the women in the society are not always willing to fight for their space in the international affairs. Women are significantly underrepresented in the foreign policy and national security positions in the government, academia, and think tanks (Kirby and Shepherd 250).

As in the situation of men, women are have been perceived to take much time in taking care of their families hence their attention in the international affairs would be adversely affected. Even though the foreign affairs have been considered as a male-dominated institution, it is important for the women all over the world to increase their presence in the international relations. And hence to increase their participation in the global politics and international peace-keeping talks by actively participating in those talks and providing credible solutions to the global issues which are being overlooked by their male counterparts.

One of the major factors which should be taken into consideration before allowing the women to participate in the international affairs is the issue about their ability of team building (Kaufman 1499). There a societal and political perception that most of the women are not good team builders. It is the character of the women to keep most much of their thoughts to themselves; they do not like to share ideas and freely participate in different developmental talks. The ability of the person to share out their views on a specific matter is one of the key remedies of finding a solution to the perceived problem.

Analysis

The international affairs and global problems have been for very many years dominated by the male gender. In that case, the male masculinity has been considered as the most effective tool which can be used in dealing with the global issues. Based on the fact that the international affairs have remained to be dynamic for very many years, so should the methods and approaches which are employed to solve its dynamism (Kaufman 626). Therefore, this is where the role of women in the international affairs comes in; women with different backgrounds, such as politics and scholars, all over the world do always have a different outlook and experience from men (Conley et al. 160).

Therefore, women are more capable of coming up with new solutions which can be used to tackle the problems affecting the world which are ever changing. Even though the general willingness of the women to participate in the international affairs is often low, their views should always be considered based on the fact that they are the most affected in the case of the occurrence of global problems such as conflict. Most of the conflict which takes place do always affect the living standards of the families, leading to food shortage and poor health.

Regarding closeness to their families, the women have been considered as the direct link between the family and the outside world (Kirby and Shepherd 253). This, therefore, means that they have firsthand information about any issue which affects their families. In that case, it is important always to incorporate the views of the women in the international talks related to issues such as conflict resolution, food security, and provision of health facilities.

Even though the women leaders such as the women lawmakers are not a homogenous group with the same perspectives and interest, hey to often observe the issue which affects the women as those which directly affect then neither for biological nor social reasons and more broadly as social issues. According to the study conducted by Jauhola (337), it was developed that the underrepresentation of the women in the international affairs is based on the fact that they are a minority group in that field since the foreign affairs are predominantly dominated by the men. Even though their presence in such forums is wanting, it has been observed that their contributions in such talks have been useful in coming up with the solutions to the problems which affect the world.

On the opposing end, it is justifiable to take into consideration that the world is faced with serious problems which require serious talks. This is an attribute which most of the women do not have (Conley et al. 174). Therefore in such cases, the sidelining of the women from such talks would be considered as the most effective way of coming up with the solution to those problems within the shortest time. Terrorism has been considered as one of the issues which affect the global peace, in most of the cases, the only solution to this menace is through military action, an activity that most of the women would not be willing to take part in as opposed to the men. In that case, it would be important to sideline them. According to the findings from the United Natation Peacekeeping Missions, it was identified that even though women are the most vulnerable in case of the conflict, they are not always willing to participate in the peacekeeping missions.

The engagement of the women in the international issues such as politics and peacekeeping talks has had an impact on the public policy across the world. This has been made possible with the efforts which have been put in place by the women organization in the United Nations Decade for Women. Through the involvement of the women in the international talks, the likelihood of getting to the root course of the problem will be high as opposed to when the women are sidelined from such talks (Drury and Peksen 478). This is because the women will be able to give out factual facts about the situation at hand. The social problem should be solved using a social perspective. In that case, everyone in the society, regardless of the gender, should be incorporated in the talks.

According to the World Bank, the number of women is higher than that of the men (Kaufman 1503). Therefore there is no need to considering them as a minority in the community. In the real sense, they are the majority. To increase the productivity of the talks on the issues such as conflict which affect the world, it would be important to consider the views which are raised by the women highly (Conley et al. 163). To change the world, it would be important to put more women in the foreign policy.

Even though there are some studies which have shown that women are always reluctant to join and significantly contribute in the international affairs, that should not be a legitimate reason which would make their views not to be effective in offering a resolution to the global issues (Kirby and Shepherd 253). Following the predicted contribution of the women in the peacekeeping missions around the world, the United Nations Security Council in 2000 passed a Resolution 1325 on women peace and security to provide enough room for the accommodation of the women in the global issues on security.

Women who are the most critical segment in the global population have now become active participants in all walks of life. In the contemporary world, the women are becoming not only critical unit of the society but also influencing the course of social change in the international affairs domain. With the modern civilization, the world has started recognizing the actual identity of the women (Kirby and Shepherd 250). They are believed to have abilities, aspirations, and qualities which can be used to transform the world accordingly. If the women are provided with the necessary platforms which they can use in the development of their faculties and express them according to their own choices, most of the international issues can be solved with little application of resources as opposed to when they are sidelined in such talks (Conley et al. 156).

The global participation of the women in the international issues has been observed to have increased in the decade. With the increased number of educated and civilized women all over the globe, the world has witnessed increase levels of development. It is therefore important to figure out some of the significant development that can take place when these women are involved in the international affairs decision-making process. Even though different studies have shown that women are always slow in during the decision-making process, their ultimate decisions have been seen to have great importance as opposed to those decisions which are made hastily.

Most of the discussions which are spearheaded by the women are mostly about improving the lifestyle of their families regardless of their levels of education and civilization, and place of origin (Drury and Peksen 469). To increase the effectiveness of the talks on the international affairs, it is important to always consider the views of the women, not because they are women, but because those views are often productive.

According to the study conducted by the World Bank, there was need of the United Nations Security Council to incorporate more female peacekeepers in their camps. It is therefore important to note that the women can and must play a leading role in the political participation, conflict resolution and the transition from conflict and peace (Hagen 320). This is based on the level of experience that they have in life. Even though many people do often ignore their importance in peacekeeping missions in the society, it always important to take into consideration that the women are the best people who can provide the necessary views which can be used in solving the global problems.

The role of the women in the United Nations peacekeeping mission range from the police, military, and civilian levels. Studies have therefore shown that the women are making very significant contributions to the peacekeeping missions than before. The only thing that these women need is empowerment since their service delivery is very encouraging and resourceful (Hagen 329). Unfortunately, the debates which have been conducted on the role of the female soldiers have been observed to mainly focus on their roles than focusing on how best it would be to utilize the strength of the female soldiers in the peacekeeping missions (Drury and Peksen 475).

During the peacekeeping mission, as a method of conflict resolution, there are some specific role s which can be played better by the women than by the male counterparts. Their involvement in such activities has led to significant contributions to the peacekeeping missions since the women have been observed to act as a source of inspiration and encouragement to the colleague soldiers regardless of their gender.

There are some life-threatening international affairs which many people would advise the women not to participate in. They include conflict resolution through military actions. Women play very important role in ensuring the continuity in the society through reproduction. These factors have not deterred them from actively participating in such activities (Jauhola 342). They do this for a simple reason, for their families, their children and their society at large.

The United Nations Security Council has therefore called for more women in the peacekeeping missions in order to enhance the overall holistic approach to the current peacekeeping missions which have started to value the importance of women in such missions. Despite their slow military approach, they still play important role in ensuring that the rescue missions, for example the children is achieved (Conley et al. 170). Those who are opposed to the involvement of the women in the process of offering solutions to the problems affecting the globe do not often have substantial reasons for their perceptions but instead they are guided by the harmful stereotype about the role of women in the international affairs. One of the major factor which influences their continuous participation in the international affairs is the gender role patriarchy.

The family is considered as the main institution for the patriarchy and hence is the significant concept which can be used in explaining the issues related to gender inequality. The involvement of the women in the security issues around the world is very important since it has been developed that they can actively take part in the issues pertaining security reforms, peace building process and, re-integration and transitional justice (Drury and Peksen 482). This therefore makes them a very important source of establishment of the peaceful co-existence in the society.

Policy Description

The involvement of the women in the international affairs is very important since they are the most affected group whenever there is the existence of any conflict in the society. Their involvement will be important since they will be able to provide the factual and useful information which can be used in coming up with the solutions to the problems, such as food insecurity, disease outbreak, and conflict, which affect the globe (Jauhola 347).

The low participation of the women in the international affairs is contributed by the heightened discrimination which acts as an obstacle between their involvement in the political arena, decision-making process and, formulation and implementation of different government policies (Kaufman 625). Based on the findings from the study conducted by the United Nations Security Council, the involvement of the women in the peacekeeping missions is very vital since their presence leads to the creation of harmony and peaceful co-existence among the soldiers.

To improve the levels of the participation of women in the international affairs, it is important to ensure that their empowerment is embraced. Even though the fight against the women discrimination is finding its routes in the local settings of the society, there is still much effort which needs to be put in place to ensure that the fruit of the campaign is achieved (Hagen 315). There is the general stereotype in the society about women that their views on social development should not be considered, not because their views cannot offer the required solution, but because they are women. To rectify this situation, it is important for every person in the community and the across the globe to ensure that the women and respected and provided with the most reliable social space which they can use in airing their views about the issues that affect the globe (Kaufman 1502).

To ensure this, there should be the implementation of the legislation which can use in the protection of the rights of the women in the society. The women empowerment can be achieved through proving the women and the young girls with the right platforms such as education, financial support, among others which they can use in overcoming the heightened levels of discrimination of women in the society (Hagen 327). The process of empowering the women in the community cannot only be achieved through training the women under the banner of the affirmative action.

To achieve its full objective, it is important to involve every person in the society (Jauhola 346). There is also need of encouraging the women to fight for their rightfully acquired space in the society since reluctance to join the forums which offer discussions on the international affairs is one of the major contributions of their poor representation in such forums. Women need to be given enough freedom and opportunities which they can use in actively participating in the issues affecting the world.

Works Cited

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Drury, A. Cooper, and Dursun Peksen. “Women and Economic Statecraft: The Negative Impact International Economic Sanctions Visit On Women.” European Journal of International Relations, volume 20, no. 2, 2012, pp. 463-490. SAGE Publications.

Hagen, Jamie J. “Queering Women, Peace and Security.” International Affairs, vol 92, no. 2, 2016, pp. 313-332. Oxford University Press (OUP).

JAUHOLA, MARJAANA. “Decolonizing Branded Peace building: Abjected Women Talk Back to the Finnish Women, Peace and Security Agenda.” International Affairs, volume 92, no. 2, 2016, pp. 333-351. Oxford University Press (OUP).

Kaufman, Joyce P. “The Securitization of Rape: Women, War and Sexual Violence. By Sabine Hirschauer.” International Affairs, volume 91, no. 3, 2015, pp. 624-626. Oxford University Press (OUP).

Kaufman, Joyce P. “Women and Children, War and Peace: Political Agency in Time of Conflict.” International Affairs, volume 92, no. 6, 2016, pp. 1499-1504. Oxford University Press (OUP).

Kirby, Paul, and Laura J. Shepherd. “Reintroducing Women, Peace and Security.” International Affairs, volume 92, no. 2, 2016, pp. 249-254. Oxford University Press (OUP).