Social constructions of women in politics

As a feminist, Enloe brings attention to the personal gender struggle for power and says that politics and power have been dominated by men, and that men have used this power to perpetuate the male-dominated world of international and personal relations. Powerful and successful women do exist, she says, but on an international level, only poor, powerless "Third World women" are visible. She makes the conclusion that international politics and national governments are suppressing women by perpetuating the image of a weaker woman.

I disagree with Enloe that women are so suppressed by the male exercise of power in international political relations. I do agree that politics are generally male-dominated, but I don't think that it's so drastically for the reason that women are suppressed. Whether it's a matter of social construction or human nature, women generally do tend to be less concerned with power than men and have other, more 'feminine' motives such as family. Although women may run into obstacles when they choose to enter a male-dominated field, men have the same obstacles in female-dominated fields. Why? Social constructions and human nature. People act in accordance with social constructions generally because they are comfortable, familiar and acceptable, and human nature can help shape social constructions. Women with desires to pursue other paths can do so if they have those qualities necessary for that construction -- whether it's strength, power or personal drive -- they just have to be able to publicly demonstrate those qualities. They may encounter obstacles in getting to high political positions of power because social construction and human nature shows us that men are generally less likely to involve emotion in decision-making and less likely to show weakness, but if a woman can publicly display those qualities, she is more likely to succeed in the political realm.

I agree with Enloe that a greater public emphasis on the stronger, independent, and politically active woman will change social constructions in the political world and allow women to achieve more successes in power politics, but Enloe's argument can be made when dealing with the alteration of any social construction. If this is to be so on an international level, it must happen globally across many male-dominated societies. The point I'd like to make is that some women in certain societies may be content pursuing values other than political power, and that certain qualities just are generally found more in males. The reason for the male-dominated world of international politics is not solely the result of male-exercised power, but it is also partially human qualities and personal preference on the part of the woman, which have contributed in shaping the social construction in the first place. The international is personal, but is so on multiple levels.