How has international relations been harder on women than on men? Why has this happened? Support your answer with examples.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Examples will vary, but should all support the points made. International relations has been harder on women than on men in regards to representation in government, wars and civil wars, sanctions, and globalization. Women make up a little less than half of the world’s population. Even so, women are underrepresented in most countries in the world. For example, in the German parliament women make up about 37 percent of the members. This percentage is high compared to other countries. In the United State, for instance, 19 percent of the members of Congress are women. As a result, women are underrepresented in international affairs. In some countries, women are not allowed to participate in government. For example, in the fundamentalist theocracy of Iran, women havefew rights and protections compared to men.
Because women have few rights in many developing countries, they are more vulnerable to the hardships of war and civil war than men are. During these conflicts, many developing countries place severe restrictions on the population. Women are forced to relocate and do hard labor and are often punished severely if they express any dissent. In addition, to punish their enemies, soldier and insurgents often rape women.
Wars, civil wars, and sanctions often cause economic decline in countries. As a result, unemployment is high, causing an increase in domestic violence against women. In addition, during economic hard times, women are more likely to lose their jobs than men, even though women often earn less. Globalization has provided more employment opportunities for women. However, in developing countries, many of these opportunities involve working in sweatshops, where the employees work long hours for little pay and have no security.