Gender And Power In Contemporary Asia Research Assignment

Gender and Power in Contemporary Asia  
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Gender and Power in Contemporary Asia  
According to Celis, Kantola, Waylen and Weldon (2013, p.1), people in the whole world tend to associate their basic necessities in life such as work, education, health, safety, and their ability to access to public spaces, markets, and freedom of expression to be influenced by the gender or sex which they belong to. The tireless chronicles of gender-based stereotypes in many organizations in the contemporary world would raise eyebrows if the effect of identifying employees based on their gender were not dire. Celis et al. also maintain that a person's sex is so critical that it determines who can vote, who gets sufficient nutrition, or water, or who goes hungry, who is most prone to domestic and national violence, who has more rights to children, and who can run for office or political position.
According to Vivienne Wee and Farida Shaheed (2016), feminism refers to as "a body of knowledge that is positioned in a position to 'patriarchy,' which may be understood as a structure that systematically advantages male and disadvantages females" (P. 32). The duo further claims that being a woman subjects one to patriarchal forces which limits a woman or a girl's ability to accent to positions of influence. In Asia, just like it is in many countries of the world today, women have limited, if any, powers to decide to resist oppression imposed to them by their male counterparts. In case a woman stands to defend her rights, it would be perceived as trying to oppose and go against the social order which bestows supreme powers to males.
According to Krishna Sen and Maila Stevens (1998) on Gender and Power in Affluent Asia, the society is in dire need for the role of women in changing the community through the incorporation of their transformative ideologies. The duo further maintains that the development and authoritarianism that women provide at home is what the nation needs to spice up its political and developmental agendas. There were the times when women were not considered as a part of the crew that formulates policies and determine the course and the direction of national politics. During that time, many nations were characterized with alleged cases of corruption, violation of human rights, widening rifts between the affluent and the less fortunate in the society, and constant battles were the order of the day (Jayati, 2016). On the contrary, the existence of proper coordination and tranquil in sectors which were deemed feminine trickled the need to take women on board and entrust them with what would otherwise be considered 'masculine' positions. This has since seen Asia and other countries such as the United States which embraced the role of women in power develop significantly.
How the debate on gender studies and feminism has taken shape in contemporary Asia?
According to Mary John (2007), the debate on gender studies and feminism has shaped the face of contemporary Asia to the better. The discussions, together with the support of women movements around the globe, have enhanced and created platforms that allow women to enlighten their naïve counterparts in the local regions. The debates have also helped women to showcase their leadership skills through launching and running foundations that champion for their freedom and right (Jayati, 2016). Additionally, gender studies and feminism debates have helped the country to shun away from creating and setting aside job vacancies and political positions for persons of particular gender as opposed to the qualifications of the person in question. The debates have also created avenues that have enabled women to express their displeasure and their lack of satisfaction with how society is tailored to perceive them.
What are the key strands of the debate?
For many years, women were under-represented in offices and elective positions in Asia, which posed a challenge in the global democratization. The parliament is a body which is constituted and designed to be a functional unity that represents the interests of all parts of the country, but more often than not, most parliaments in the world are assemblies which are male-dominated. In the past two decades, many countries in the world that embrace democracy have made amendments and formulated Acts and policies that call for more women representation in different political positions (Jayati, 2016). As a result of this, political scholarship and burgeoning gender have examined a wide array of topics using multifaceted strategies. The first strand of the debate deals with the inclusion of women in the matters to do with scrutiny of political sciences and participation in the contemporary political classes. This creates a sense of gender balance, which spices the system with different perceptions that enhance the scope of handling political matters. It also diversifies the old units of analysis, including legislatures, political parties, nations, legislators, voters, and states.
The second strand pertains to the examination of women's political activities in contexts which are traditionally thought of as not being part of political science (Jayati, 2016). This strand helps to exploit all the possible misconceptions that surrou...