Globalisation And Feminism
Feminism has undergone changes due by its constant articulation by, feminists through the avenue of global discourse of human rights tagged “women have rights that are equal to human rights” coupled with a great deal of focus on inter-state intervention. Which has partly been prompted by a various amount of small transitions in the gendering of political and economic aspects which I think have led to growing opportunities for women. Ultimately, a result of globalization. The whole concept of globalization has created challenges to democratic governance across the globe, and facilitated increased development of fresh young enterprises and feminist rhetoric that strive to justify the universal principle of human rights powerfully by prompting a critical interest in globalization among transnational feminism.
Why Globalization Matters to Feminists
Feminists have ventured into the study of globalization to provide insights into various contradictions associated with the concept by analyzing how racialization, gender, sexuality, and religion undergo mobilization to evoke differences in the global market relations (Naples & Manish, 2002).
For instance, through feminist scholarly work, the distinct features of a global restructuring of capital and its ability to realize promotes through differentiation of specific markets and resources is explored in conjunction with its effects on the exploitation of gendered and racialized labor within the national, regional, and international levels. They also strive to learn ways that which poor women especially those of color survive the harsh economic status especially within developing countries (Naples & Manish, 2002). Globalization further matters to feminists as it provides global information of poverty level of women. Poor women bear an unequal burden of economic and social disintegrations of the gendered process of globalization. Feminists reveal that globalization exposes women to consequences in terms of social citizenship, education, work burden, and their access to employment. However, in response to the increasing challenges faced by women due to high level economic, social, and environmental pressures, women continue to organize their various communities across national and international borders to challenge the oppressive labor demands and conflicted neoliberal policies. One of the key bodies that frontier the fight for human and specifically women rights is the (UN) United Nations. Since the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the UN, the organization has been on the frontline fighting for the rights of women thus encouraging the growth of more transnational feminist movements (Naples, & Manish, 2002).
Globalization: A Gendered Process
There are three distinct interpretations of globalization that include Universalist, integrationist, and constructionist. The Universalist interpretation describes globalization as a phenomenon, issues, events, or characteristics that are universally affecting the world. The problems according to this perception include global warming, global population decline or increment, global environmental pollution, and global food crises among others (Aniche, Efanodor & Ofordum, 2017). On the other hand, the integrationist approach perceives globalization as a supranational phenomenon that propels incongruent parts of the world into a unified cultural outlook. Indubitably, the constructionist approach perceives globalization as the process of creating a better world, system, structure, or order that possesses new institutions and a unified culture.
However, the feminist perception views globalization as a process that strives to improve the stake of men in the economic, social, and political domain thus leading to the emergence of transnational feminist scholars and organisations that strive to fight for equal representation of women in all life spheres especially in the job market (Aniche, Efanodor & Ofordum, 2017). Aniche, Efanodor & Ofordum (2017) opine, “the main aim of feminism is to challenge the systemic inequalities that women face on a daily basis. Feminism focuses on equations of masculinity and femininity which has nothing to do with the biological male-female differences but rather on the construction of gender identities. Feminists challenge the misconception that inequalities between genders are natural. ” Globalization is a gendered process as it continues to fight for the improvement of work welfare although it does not consider the plight of women in the labor market. Despite the restructuring of economic industries, men continue to receive well-paying and permanent jobs unlike women (Walby, 2005). Although globalization strives to enhance quality, women continue to experience unequal treatment even in education. This has forced international bodies such as the UN to offer educational and empowerment services to women. Similarly, transnational feminism has also prompted increased participation of (NGOs) Non-Governmental Organisations in the provision of basic amenities and services such as health to women.
For instance, in Africa, 24% of the health services come from NGOs. Affirmatively, although globalization has brought perceived economic development to the world, it has improved the status of men in the employment sector while most women still struggle to balance their family life that entails providing food for their families and working on a part-time basis to earn meager income (Walby, 2005).
Interior and Exterior Challenges to Transnational Feminism
On the significant interior challenges to transnational feminism involves an increase in women’s unpaid labor at home. Even before SAPs (Structural Adjustments Programs) during the 19th century, women still did 70% of the unpaid labor in the world. Contemporarily, more women are engaging in the provision of care for their children, aged parents, and other close family members. Ordinarily, this is coupled with their poor labor pay that a large number of the people they take care of depending on for sustenance. Therefore, women continue to bear the additional stress of provision triggered by the harsh global economic restructuring (Naples & Manish, 2002).
The prices of commodities especially food has gone higher thus making women more vulnerable to malnutrition as it has become a norm that they eat last after all their children and other family members have had their fill. Due to this challenge transnational feminist groups Zimbabwe and India, among other countries have demanded the growth and continuance of international distributional system to provide subsidized food aid for instance in India where such food continues to be distributed to the poor people living in the rural and urban areas (Marchand, 2003). Undeniably, the lack of national statistics on global women’s underpaid work and available informal labor continues to be a challenge among transnational feminist groups. Historically, during the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995 that sprouted from the Women’s World Conference, it was agreed unanimously that the count on women’s work at home should be established and remunerations for such work granted (Naples & Manish, 2002).
However, until today, many countries have not taken critical steps towards that direction thus triggering massive strikes among transnational feminist movements. For instance, on March 8, 1999, women from Ireland called on a mega-strike to highlight the incompliance by the state demanding an end to the notorious devaluation of women’s paid and unpaid labor. Since that, it has become a norm to experience such strikes as in 2000 over 60 countries observed it fight for their wage rights (Naples & Manish, 2002).
Moreover, globalization in the United States has gross effects on feminism. The linking of healthcare to employment has left unemployed women and those that work on a part-time basis without healthcare. The introduction of the managed healthcare plan in the United States and parts of Europe has triggered a decline in the availability of quality healthcare services to most women and their families (Aniche, Efanodor & Ofordum, 2017). Deteriorating rate of the health is evident in the Eastern European countries that currently undergo transition.
According to the UNICEF-sponsored Monetary Report, out of 23 countries in the region, 16 experience a decline in life expectancy. For instance, in Russia, the life expectancy of women has reduced by 3. 2 years since 1989. Undeniably, the most affected lot comprises of women of color whose developing states lack democratic leadership and channels that allow their incorporation into the political and economic system (Sarkar, 2007).
Conclusion
In summary, although globalization has promoted growth and development in the social, economic, political, and environmental domains, it has contributed to unfair treatment in the workplace with women especially those of color in developing countries struggling to cater for the needs of their families. Globalization has promoted discrimination in terms of education and political indulgence, especially for women. This has led to the emergence of numerous transnational feminist movements that advocate for human rights. In conjunction with various NGOs and the UN, the movements have put extreme pressures on state governments. Consequently, they have ended up jeopardizing the success of the neo-liberal policies whose frontier are such governments. Undeniably, it would be pragmatically recommendable for the transnational feminist movements to fight for the rights of all women irrespective of their race as it currently stands that White women enjoy the fruits of globalization compared to the women of color.
