Putting Governance into the Gendered Political Economy of Globalization

Abstract

This article argues that the gendered analyses of governance and globalization should be integrated, because if we believe that globalization is not an immutable and irresistible force, our analyses of globalization can only be improved by a greater understanding of the gendered ways in which these processes are constructed and regulated. This understanding can also help to overcome the false dichotomy between structure and agency by helping to make clear the many ways in which actors interact with global structures and processes. Drawing on the diverse bodies of work on globalization and governance, this article focuses on four inter-related areas that are relevant to the development of a gendered political economy of governance and globalization. First it examines the processes associated with globalization, because although identified primarily with the analysis of globalization alone, an understanding of this area forms a preliminary building block for any integrated analysis. The subsequent three categories have been identified with the study of both governance and globalization and therefore are central to this endeavour. They are: the policies that have been linked to globalization; the norms, discourses and ideologies associated with globalization and its policies; and finally the contemporary forms of women's organizing that have been linked to globalization. The final section of the article examines some recent gender work that takes forward the task of integrating the analysis of gender, governance and globalization.-----------------------

Sex, Gender and the Conservative Party

“…10 Hawkesworth (2003); Kathlene (1995); Carroll (2001); Trimble and Arscott (2003); Gotell and Brodie (1991); Dodson (2001); Chaney (2006); Thomas (1994); Weldon (2002); ; Swers (2002); Childs and Withey (2006); Bratton and Ray (2002); Reingold (2008a,b); . 11 In this way, the new approach resonates with talk of 'feminist advocacy coalitions' (Mazur 2002) and 'strategic alliances' (Waylen 2004) that can be key to the feminist substantive representation of women (Mazur 2002: 177), even if sympathetic non-feminist allies in key decision making positions are sometimes necessary. Importantly, critical actors may not even be women.…”

Global rankings and domestic realities: Women, work and policy in Australia and New Zealand

“…Rather, a feature of globalisation is that it is multi-faceted and dynamic, not immutable or inevitable (Bennett 2002;Waylen 2004). 'It unifies and delineates, internationalises and localises' (Robertson, cited in Bennett 2002, 490), so that ultimately global forces are mediated by local contexts, and often transformed in the process.…”

“…Georgina Waylen (2004) has provided a comprehensive analysis of the various ways of thinking about gender and global governance and, in doing so, demonstrates the lack of uniformity of feminist work in this area. Just as the mainstream globalisation literature can be categorised crudely into studies optimistic and pessimistic about increasing economic internationalisation, so too are feminist scholars divided on what globalisation may mean for women.…”

“…First, many of the changes associated with globalisation such as increased trade liberalisation, casualisation of employment, the growth of the service sector, the deregulation of wage bargaining frameworks and the rolling back of the welfare state have had significant and varied impacts on the quantitative and qualitative dimensions of women's labour force participation (Waylen 2004). As a consequence, scholars interested in exploring the gendered dimensions of globalisation have paid much attention to the changing worlds of female employment and domestic labour and how these have been affected by changes emanating from the international economy.…”

Small Victories But Slow Progress

“…Additional successes can be attributed to the growing number of women heading political opposition parties; improved educational advancements with more women going through school; and women's long-standing involvement in associational groups such as church groups, local community societies and guilds, which left them well positioned for heading up organizations (Tripp 2003). International women's initiatives have also provided new opportunities for women to be more visible and to have a voice in the changing governance structures around the world (Waylen 2004). …”