{"id":3573,"date":"2026-08-11T22:12:03","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T16:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/notes\/gender-justice\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T23:02:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T17:32:07","slug":"gender-justice","status":"publish","type":"psir_note","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/notes\/gender-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender justice"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"n-wrap\">\n<div class=\"n-shell\">\n<div class=\"n-crumb\"><a href=\"\/psir\/psir-notes\/\">PSIR Notes<\/a><span class=\"sep\">\u203a<\/span><a href=\"\/psir\/psir-notes\/#ii-a\">II-A Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics<\/a><span class=\"sep\">\u203a<\/span><span>Gender justice<\/span><\/div>\n<header class=\"n-head\">\n<div class=\"n-eyebrow\">Paper I \u00b7 Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"n-title\">Gender justice<\/h1>\n<div class=\"n-syl\"><b>Syllabus \u00b7 Paper II-A \u00b7 11<\/b> \u2014 Contemporary Global Concerns : Democracy, human rights, environment, <span class=\"cur\">gender justice<\/span> terrorism, nuclear proliferation.<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"n-grid\">\n  <main class=\"n-body\"><\/p>\n<h3 id=\"gender-justice-feminism-sex-gender\">Gender Justice \u2014 Feminism, Sex &amp; Gender<\/h3>\n<p>Gender justice movements address the systemic inequalities that disadvantage women and marginalised genders, rooted in the power imbalances of structural hierarchies and cultural norms. Movements such as <span class=\"n-term\">#MeToo<\/span> mark its urgency.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Central distinction \u2014 <span class=\"n-em\">sex<\/span> is biological; <span class=\"n-term\">gender<\/span> is socially created, carrying values, norms and expectations. <span class=\"n-term\">Internalisation<\/span> and <span class=\"n-term\">social conditioning<\/span> produce women as a gender.<\/li>\n<li>Feminism seeks gender justice \u2014 equality, not superiority; nobody should be disadvantaged by their sex.<\/li>\n<li>Impacts of injustice \u2014 discrimination at home and work; disproportionate suffering in war alongside exclusion from peace tables; cultural constraints on health care; the valuing of boys over girls (foeticide, infanticide).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"areas-of-systemic-inequality\">Areas of Systemic Inequality<\/h3>\n<div class=\"n-tw\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Domain<\/th>\n<th>Scholar(s)<\/th>\n<th>Argument<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Patriarchy<\/td>\n<td><span class=\"n-sch\">Sylvia Walby<\/span>; <span class=\"n-sch\">Susan Moller Okin<\/span><\/td>\n<td>Family, work and the state sustain inequality; extending <span class=\"n-sch\">Rawls<\/span>, traditional frameworks neglect injustice inside the family<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Intersectionality<\/td>\n<td><span class=\"n-sch\">Kimberl\u00e9 Crenshaw<\/span>; <span class=\"n-sch\">Chandra Talpade Mohanty<\/span><\/td>\n<td>Gender oppression intersects with race, class and caste; Western-centric feminism overlooks post-colonial experience<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Representation<\/td>\n<td><span class=\"n-sch\">Hannah Pitkin<\/span>; <span class=\"n-term\">Anne Phillips<\/span><\/td>\n<td>Descriptive and substantive representation; gender quotas and systemic reform<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Economic<\/td>\n<td><span class=\"n-sch\">Sylvia Walby<\/span>; <span class=\"n-term\">Diane Elson<\/span>; <span class=\"n-sch\">Nancy Fraser<\/span><\/td>\n<td>The \u201cgender regime\u201d \u2014 capitalism and patriarchy undervalue women\u2019s labour; globalisation deepens disparities; recognise paid and unpaid work<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Violence &amp; autonomy<\/td>\n<td><span class=\"n-sch\">Catharine MacKinnon<\/span>; <span class=\"n-sch\">Judith Butler<\/span><\/td>\n<td>Law normalises violence; <span class=\"n-term\">gender performativity<\/span> \u2014 rigid norms restrict bodily autonomy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Cultural hegemony<\/td>\n<td><span class=\"n-sch\">Antonio Gramsci<\/span>; <span class=\"n-term\">bell hooks<\/span><\/td>\n<td>Norms reinforce inequality; media, religion and education sustain stereotypes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<h3 id=\"gender-in-the-global-economy\">Gender in the Global Economy<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-term\">Christine Lagarde<\/span> (IMF) \u2014 India\u2019s GDP would be <span class=\"n-term\">27%<\/span> higher with workforce gender parity; Turkey +22%; Japan +5%; the US +9%.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Reserve army of labour<\/span> \u2014 women recruited into the workforce when production must rise and shed into domestic life in downturns; the sexual division of labour serves capitalism.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-term\">Feminisation of work<\/span> (Asian electronics, Mexican assembly plants); <span class=\"n-term\">feminisation of migration<\/span> (developed-world families rely on migrant women for care); <span class=\"n-term\">feminisation of poverty<\/span> (poverty biased against women and female-headed households).<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Cynthia Enloe<\/span> \u2014 a gendered lens reveals patriarchal hierarchies inside global institutions and markets.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"n-quote\">\n<p><em>\u201cGender inequality is not just an affliction of women; it harms society at large.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p><cite>Amartya Sen<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3 id=\"feminist-approach-to-ir-gendering-security\">Feminist Approach to IR &amp; Gendering Security<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Cynthia Enloe<\/span> (<em>Bananas, Beaches and Bases<\/em>, 2000) \u2014 asks \u201cwhere are the women?\u201d in nationalism, military bases, domestic work and diplomacy; the international system rests on assumptions that overlook women.<\/li>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">J. Ann Tickner<\/span> (<em>Gender in International Relations<\/em>, 1992) \u2014 critiques realism and liberalism as male-centric; reformulating <span class=\"n-sch\">Hans Morgenthau<\/span>, argues human nature is both masculine and feminine, national interest is multidimensional, and power can be \u201cconstructive empowerment\u201d not domination.<\/li>\n<li>Institutional response \u2014 the UN Decade for Women, gender mainstreaming, and <span class=\"n-term\">UNSC Resolution 1325<\/span> on women in peace and security.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Gendering security<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-lab\">Joan Tronto<\/span> \u2014 the <span class=\"n-term\">ethics of care<\/span>: caregiving, largely by women, is essential to a functioning society; <span class=\"n-sch\">Nancy Fraser<\/span> \u2014 justice as <span class=\"n-term\">redistribution<\/span> and <span class=\"n-term\">recognition<\/span>; <span class=\"n-sch\">Martha Nussbaum<\/span> \u2014 the <span class=\"n-term\">capabilities approach<\/span>: gender equality lets women reach their potential.<\/li>\n<li>Feminist foreign policy (first adopted by Sweden) treats women as agents of change, not merely victims.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Feminist critique of contemporary global issues<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Gendered dimensions of poverty, education gaps and health disparities; violence against women (domestic violence, harassment, trafficking) \u2014 the COVID-19 pandemic worsened intimate-partner violence, its public-health dimension studied by <span class=\"n-sch\">Logie<\/span> and <span class=\"n-sch\">Turan<\/span>.<\/li>\n<li>Globalisation \u2014 exploitation in supply chains (the Bangladesh garment-factory fire) and dependence on migrant third-world women; the <span class=\"n-term\">digital divide<\/span> (women \u201c12% less likely than men to use the internet\u201d). <span class=\"n-sch\">Chandra Talpade Mohanty<\/span> \u2014 intersectional, bottom-up solidarity against the homogenised \u201cThird World woman.\u201d Institutional responses \u2014 UNSCR 1325, UN Women, HeForShe; the \u201cpersonal is international.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"gender-justice-in-the-global-agenda-initiatives-religion-red\">Gender Justice in the Global Agenda \u00b7 Initiatives \u00b7 Religion \u00b7 Red Lipstick<\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Gender justice in the global political agenda<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span class=\"n-sch\">Wendy Harcourt<\/span> \u2014 little work links gender inequality and state fragility; promote women\u2019s citizenship through legal reform. <span class=\"n-term\">Nadine Puechguirbal<\/span> \u2014 the ceasing of hostilities is not always peace for women. <span class=\"n-term\">Susanne Schmeidl<\/span> \u2014 build gender into conflict early-warning. <span class=\"n-term\">Erik Melander<\/span> \u2014 greater gender equality (women in parliament, education ratios) is associated with lower intrastate armed conflict.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Global initiatives &amp; UN efforts<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"n-tw\">\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Instrument<\/th>\n<th>Year<\/th>\n<th>Focus<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span class=\"n-term\">CEDAW<\/span><\/td>\n<td>1979<\/td>\n<td>Obliges states to end discrimination in education, work, family and health<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span class=\"n-term\">Gender Development Index<\/span> (UNDP)<\/td>\n<td>1995<\/td>\n<td>Gender equality in health, education and income<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span class=\"n-lab\">Beijing<\/span> \u2014 Fourth UN World Conference on Women<\/td>\n<td>1995<\/td>\n<td>Gender equality as a human-rights issue; Beijing Platform for Action<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span class=\"n-term\">UNSC Resolution 1325<\/span><\/td>\n<td>2000<\/td>\n<td>Women in peace-building and conflict resolution<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><span class=\"n-term\">UN Women \u00b7 SDG 5<\/span><\/td>\n<td>2010<\/td>\n<td>Consolidated global effort; equality and empowerment of women and girls<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"n-sch\">Swami Vivekananda<\/span> \u2014 the progress of society is tied to the condition of women.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Religion &amp; gender equality<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Religion shapes cultural norms; women\u2019s status is tied to interpretations by predominantly male authorities. <span class=\"n-sch\">Holm<\/span> (1994) \u2014 the severest restrictions apply during menstruation and pregnancy; roles remain differentiated and unbalanced.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span class=\"n-term\">Red Lipstick Movement<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Reads red lipstick as an act of agency contesting gendered policing. Lineage \u2014 suffragettes (portrayed as \u201cshrieking sisters\u201d) and US suffragists adopted it as emancipation (the May 1912 New York rally); in WWII \u2014 despised by Adolf Hitler \u2014 it became resilient femininity (\u201cFighting Red!,\u201d Rosie the Riveter).<\/li>\n<li>Contemporary form \u2014 the 2021 Portuguese campaign, when Andr\u00e9 Ventura insulted candidate Marisa Matias over her red lipstick, sparked <span class=\"n-term\">#VermelhoEmBelem<\/span>: painting lips red and choosing to \u201cfight fascism with style.\u201d <span class=\"n-term\">Janet Afary<\/span> &amp; <span class=\"n-term\">Roger Friedland<\/span> \u2014 lipstick as \u201cfemale agency\u2026 anti-authoritarianism and liberal politics.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Assessment: gender justice is both a political and ethical imperative \u2014 <\/em><em>Nancy Fraser<\/em><em> on redistribution and recognition, moving from exclusionary structures to inclusive frameworks where dignity is accessible to all.<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"n-next\"><a href=\"\/psir\/notes\/environment\/\"><em>Previous<\/em><b>Environment<\/b><\/a><a class=\"r\" href=\"\/psir\/notes\/terrorism\/\"><em>Next<\/em><b>Terrorism<\/b><\/a><\/div>\n<p><\/main><\/p>\n<aside class=\"n-rail\">\n<h4>On this page<\/h4>\n<p><a href=\"#gender-justice-feminism-sex-gender\">Gender Justice \u2014 Feminism, Sex &amp; Gender<\/a><a href=\"#areas-of-systemic-inequality\">Areas of Systemic Inequality<\/a><a href=\"#gender-in-the-global-economy\">Gender in the Global Economy<\/a><a href=\"#feminist-approach-to-ir-gendering-security\">Feminist Approach to IR &amp; Gendering Security<\/a><a href=\"#gender-justice-in-the-global-agenda-initiatives-religion-red\">Gender Justice in the Global Agenda \u00b7 Initiatives \u00b7 Religion \u00b7 Red Lipstick<\/a><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gender justice for the UPSC PSIR optional \u2014 PSIR Notes \u203a II-A Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics \u203a Gender justice Paper I \u00b7 Comparative Political Analysis an<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"fx_note_key":"II-A.11.4","fx_note_sec":"II-A","fx_note_point":"11","fx_note_desc":"Gender justice for the UPSC PSIR optional \u2014 PSIR Notes \u203a II-A Comparative Political Analysis and International Politics \u203a Gender justice Paper I \u00b7 Comparative Political Analysis an","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3573","psir_note","type-psir_note","status-publish","hentry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note\/3573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/psir_note"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note\/3573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3753,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/psir_note\/3573\/revisions\/3753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/psir\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}