GENDER IN CONTEMPORARY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: STRUCTURAL INEQUALITY, FEMINIST CRITIQUE, AND THE POLITICS OF GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

Abstract

This article examines the role of gender in contemporary international relations, focusing on the persistent structural inequalities that continue to shape women’s participation in global political, economic, and social processes. Despite the formal recognition of gender equality within international normative frameworks, including the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, its practical implementation remains uneven across regions and institutional contexts. Grounded in feminist international relations theory, the study argues that global governance structures are still largely informed by patriarchal assumptions embedded in traditional understandings of power, security, and rationality. These assumptions contribute to the systematic underrepresentation of women in decision-making institutions and reinforce gendered hierarchies within international political and economic systems. The article further analyzes key dimensions of gender inequality, including political exclusion, economic disparities, unpaid care work, limited access to education and healthcare, and heightened vulnerability to gender-based violence and armed conflict. It demonstrates that these factors are structurally interconnected and collectively sustain gender asymmetries in global development outcomes.