feminism and globalization

FeminismAndGlobalization

Global Feminism○Feminist action concerned with the

development of women’s rights on a global scale.

○Seeks to dismantle the currently predominant structures of global patriarchy.

○Concerned not only with direct laws that discriminate, but also social structures and the denial of equal opportunity.

Global Concerns for Women

○Health and health care ○Employment○Political representation○Education○Violence against women

Global Concerns for Women: HealthLow Income Countries

○ Lower respiratory infections

○ Heart disease○ Diarrheal disease○ Stroke○ HIV○ Maternal Conditions○ Neonatal infections○ Prematurity and low

birth rate

High Income Countries

○ Heart disease○ Stroke○ Alzheimer/dementia○ Lower respiratory

infection○ Breast cancer○ Lung cancer○ Colon cancer

Global Concerns for Women: Employment

• Women are more limited in their choice of employment across sectors.

• In advanced economies, women’s employment in industry halved, crowding 85 per cent of them into services, primarily in education and health.

• The occupational segregation measure shows that women continue to be segregated into particular types of occupations. These fields and occupations tend to be related to the more general social constructions related to women, and often are valued less (in compensation and in prestige) compared to jobs primarily held by men.

Global Concerns for Women: Political representation• Women occupy only 20% of parliamentary seats around the world.• Regional averages of the percentage of women in parliament vary

greatly:• Nordic countries: 41.4%• Americas: 21.8%• Europe (excluding Nordic countries): 19.1%• Asia: 17.4%• Sub-Saharan Africa: 17.2%• Pacific: 13.4%• Arab states: 9.6%

○The US currently ranks 68th of 134 nations worldwide with only 16.8% women elected to the House of Representatives and 16.0% women elected to the Senate- In October 2003, Rwanda became the country closest to reaching parity between men and women of any national legislature. 

○Currently, Rawanda has 48.8% of Lower

House seats held by women and 34.6% held in the Upper House.

Global Concerns for Women: Education

• According to the UN, 2 out of 3 countries in the world face gender disparities in primary and secondary education.

• Girls represent 55% of children not enrolled in school in 2010.

• This disparity is worse in many areas, such as areas of sub-Saharan Africa and parts of the Middle East.

Global Concerns : Violence Against Women

Intimate partner violence● FGM: Approximately 100 to 140 million girls and women

in the world have experienced female genital mutilation/cutting, with more than 3 million girls in Africa annually at risk of the practice.

● Child marriages: 60 million girls worldwide married before the age of 18

● Bride burning/Dowry deaths: 4,000 and 25,000 deaths occur from bride burning each year in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh

● Honor killings● Human/Sex Trafficking: Women and girls are 80 percent

of the estimated 800,000 people trafficked across national borders annually, with the majority (79 percent) trafficked for sexual exploitation

4 Approaches to Global Women’s Studies

1. Gender inequality as historical, sociocultural phenomenon

2. Activism and Empowerment

3. Multicultural, Intersectional, Contextualized Approaches

4. Women’s Rights and Human Rights

Gender as a Social Construct Globally

○ Gender Roles ○ public v. private sphere

○ Gender Stereotypes○ based on relations of power

○ Gender Norms○ social rules on what each gender can(not) do

○ Gender Socialization○ process by which we “learn” gender

Gender inequality as historical, sociocultural

phenomenon

○ Social constructivist view○ Social roles theory

○ Gender stereotypes as a result of men and women engaged in different social activities

○ Leads to false assumption of difference

Activism and Empowerment

○ Agency and empowerment for women

○ Focus on women bringing on positive change as opposed to women being victims.

Multicultural, Intersectional, Contextualized Approach

○ Recognizes and values cultural diversity

○ Emphasizes dimensions of commonality

Multiculturalism

The endeavor to understand, accept, and celebrate the cultural diversity between and among groups of people.

Problems with a Universal “Sisterhood”○ To use the concept “woman” is

problematic because …○ implies there is something unique or

similar about “women” that carries across all nations

○ ignores differences of religion, race, class, sexuality, etc.

Ethnocentrism

○Looking at the world primarily from the perspective of one’s own culture.

○Often entails the belief that one’s own race or ethnic group is the most important and/or that some or all aspects of its culture are superior to those of other groups.

Cultural Relativism○The view that no culture is

superior to any other culture.

○Argues that all cultural beliefs are equally valid and that truth itself is relative, depending on the cultural environment.

Nationalism○An ideology and social

movement.○ Reflects how one cares

about “national identity” ○How nations seek to achieve

or maintain self-determination.

The Global North/South Divide

A political and socioeconomic distinction between more “developed” (i.e., wealthy) nations (the “Global North”) and “developing” (i.e., poorer) nations (the “Global South”).

The Global North:○Europe○North America ○ 4 of the 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council (U.S., Great Britain, France, and Russia).

○ First World – U.S. and allies○ Second World – Soviet Union, China○ Third World – “neutral”

The Global South:○When referring to the Global

South as “developing,” it is important recognize that what industrialized nations recognize as “underdeveloped” is relative and reflects an ethnocentric viewpoint.

Women’s Rights as Human Rights

○ Regardless of gender and/or culture people are entitled to basic human rights, which should be ensured and protected by the government.

Universal Treaties

○ International legal instrument which legally binds, by international law, those States who chose to accept the obligations contained within it.

○ Can be referred to as “convention” or “covenant”

Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

○ International convention adopted in 1979 by the United Nations General Assembly.

○ Came into force on 9/3/1981.

○ “International Bill of Rights for Women”

CEDAW

Provides the basis for realizing equality between women and men through ensuring women’s equal access to, and equal opportunities in, political and public life -- including the right to vote and to stand for election -- as well as education, health and employment.

Countries ratifying CEDAW must:

○ Incorporate the equality of men and women in their legal systems

○ Abolish discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones

○ Establish tribunals to ensure the protection of women

○ Eliminate acts of discrimination against women by individuals, organizations, or enterprises.

CEDAW

The United States is the only developed nation that has not ratified the CEDAW.

Fourth World Conference on Women

○ Held by United Nations on Sept. 4 -15 in 1995 in Beijing, China

○ Main concerns were the advancement and empowerment of women in relation to women’s human rights, women and poverty, women and decision-making, female children, and violence against women

○ Resulted in the“Beijing Platform of Action”aimed at achieving greater equality and opportunity for women.

Transnational Feminist Networks (TFNs)

○ Mobilize pressure against outside forces and institutions (ex. WTO) that seek to undermine women’s status.

○ Encourage protest to enhance public awareness of inequalities.

○ Participate, lobby, and consult with the UN and other intergovernmental agencies to direct policy change.

Transnational Feminist Networks (TFNs)○ Alliances that brought women together in

response to economic pressures and to movements limiting women’s rights.

○ Helped bridge the North-South divide between women activists.

○ Since the 1990s TFNs have been engaged in policy-oriented research, advocacy, and lobbying around issues pertaining to women, development, and human rights.

Globalization○The transformation of local or

regional phenomena into global ones.

○The unification of people around the world into a global community.

Economic Globalization○capitalist expansion ○the integration and rapid

interaction of economies through ○Production○Trade○Financial transactions

Cultural Globalization

○The migration of people, information, and consumer culture across borders.