Warning: Use of undefined constant referer - assumed 'referer' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 102

Warning: Use of undefined constant host - assumed 'host' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 105

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 106

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays:102) in /usr/home/essaywo/public_html/essays on line 109
Gender In International Relations Theory - Essay

Gender In International Relations Theory

When we regard the views of liberals and conservatives (or realists) in international relations (henceforth IR), we think of their respective viewpoints as purely politically motivated. We rarely see these viewpoints as embedded in gender constructs, and the quest for masculine superiority. However, in "Masculinity and the Fear of Emasculation in International Relations Theory," authors Lucian M. Ashworth and Larry A. Swatuk make a very compelling case for the power of culturally embedded gender roles in shaping international policy for both liberals and conservatives. They believe that each approach has its own version of masculinity that it regards as superior. Realists/conservatives ...

Want to read the rest of this paper?
Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay
and over 50,000 other term papers

is rational masculinity.
Ashworth and Swatuk believe that gender is a social construct, and not an absolute. "It varies significantly in time and space and within and mong cultures. Gender is not dichotomous but is rather a continuum of undisclosed shape and size." (p. 76). Thus if masculine and feminine are not simply biological characteristics, individuals have to prove their masculinity and femininity-according to a cultural standard. Back in the Middle Ages, conservatives felt a hierarchy was necessary, and that the warrior-aristocrat was a father figure protecting his "family." When European sovereigns went to war, they were still governed by codes of honor. This system of shard values made the aristocrat a "man".
The authors contend that "the twin pillars of conservative society-tradition and order-drew on this model of the family." In interstate relations, the warrior was allowed to be uncontrolled, hypermasculine. The goal of war was to preserve the hierarchal ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays.
Write better papers. Get better grades.

Already a member? Login

CITE THIS PAGE:

APA
MLA
Chicago
Turabian

Gender In International Relations Theory. (2015, October 11). Retrieved January 11, 2026, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gender-In-International-Relations-Theory/105064

"Gender In International Relations Theory." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 11 Oct. 2015. Web. 11 Jan. 2026. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gender-In-International-Relations-Theory/105064>

"Gender In International Relations Theory." Essayworld.com. October 11, 2015. Accessed January 11, 2026. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Gender-In-International-Relations-Theory/105064.

JOIN NOW

Join today and get instant access to this and 50,000+ other essays

PAPER DETAILS

Added: 10/11/2015 06:03:16 AM
Category: Social Issues
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 780
Pages: 3

Save |

Report

SHARE THIS PAPER

SAVED ESSAYS

Save and find your favorite essays easier