Picture a room of congressmen deliberating on a whether or not to pass a bill. Did you visualize any women in the room? If not, don’t worry. Your visualization of men in a political situation is normal considering a majority of politicians are male. Most, if not all leaders in politics have been male since the ancient world. If the world of politics opened itself up to more female leaders in conjunction with feminist theory, a greater state of peace would arise in politics.
After attending the Women’s March On Washington this past January, I saw first hand how strong of an impact female leadership has. A team of successful women came together to create the Women’s March Campaign shortly after President Trump’s elect. The march exemplified major principles of feminist theory such as living in equilibrium and avoiding anarchy. Their intense and strategic planning lead to the largest peaceful protest in history. Over 600,000 people in Washington D.C. alone collectively took a stand for their political, social, and moral beliefs. Although march goers were outraged by the results of the election and the possibility of human rights being taken away, there was not one act of violence. People brought clever signs, campaigned for specific organizations and spoke out about current liberties at stake. They used their energy in a positive and productive way. The lack of violence proves using principles of feminist theory is advantageous.
Feminist theory’s holistic view regarding politics cultivates a creative, free and uplifting environment for ideas and change to flourish. The idea of collective empowerment was executed domestically and internationally. Washington D.C. was not the only place with numerous supporters. There were 600 sister marches with a grand total of 2.6 million marchers across the world. These numbers are ground breaking. They showcase the importance of and need for feminist theory in politics. Feminist theory allows for both women and men to advocate for their rights in the most organized and productive way possible. Moreover, feminist theory allows for this in a peaceful way.
The next step in accomplishing peace is for society is to accept and embrace feminist theory. It is not to say all other standards of politics need to be thrown out the window, but it is necessary for feminist theory to be considered seriously by politicians with constructivist, liberal, and realist viewpoints. In combining their theories with feminist theory more balance and peace in the political sphere will be achieved.
Great commentary on feminist theory! I also discussed feminist theory in my own blog post and it was very interesting to read another interpretation of the theory, especially since your discussion is quite personal. I definitely agree that there should be a greater representation of women in the political field, especially since women tend to provide others with such a strong sense of empowerment -- as you discussed! There absolutely needs to be a sense of balance between male and female representation within the world of politics, rather than solely male dominance or even female dominance. I believe that this equilibrium would make the world a better and more understanding place in which to live, though not everyone agrees. Why do you think it is difficult for some people to accept feminist theory?
ReplyDeleteThank you Victoria! I look forward to reading your blogpost about feminist theory! I believe it is difficult for people to understand feminist theory because of all the stigma that comes with the word "feminism". People who do not know the true definition of feminism may mistake the word to mean anti men or pro women when in reality the word strives for eqaulity of both. In addition, feminist theory is progressive which means people who have older pre-established viewpoints (liberalism, contructivism, etc) probably will not want to realign their beliefs.
DeleteI have heard about the women march, but, I did not know the reasons behind this protest until I read your post. However, I think you are right, if the world opens itself to more female leaders in conjunction with feminist theory, the world would be more peaceful. If 600, 000 protesters lead to the largest peaceful protest in the history, imagine how would the world be if women can effectively play a role in international relations. Quick question, Do you think the women march was protesting against Trump's policies or it mainly focused to empower women? I just want know because this movement took part a few months after the presidential election.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how you were able to tie feminist theory with your personal experience at the Women’s March on Washington. As a D.C. native myself, I have grown up surrounded by politics and seen first hand how few women hold positions of power with the federal government. One graduation requirement at my high school was to spend at least one month interning in a field you were interested in studying in college. I had the opportunity to shadow a family friend who had the unique experience of working as a senior advisor in the State Department as well as for multiple presidential administrations. She stressed the importance of having more women in these particular fields and explained how she was often looked to for unique and out of the box approaches to conflict. Do you have any ideas as to how we can start encouraging more feminine perspectives in government, or ways to create a balance between dominating masculine ideas and lesser represented feminine ones?
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