Essay Sample Dedicated to Gender and Conflict

Women and Males experience war and peace differently. In providing a basis that underlies the gendered differences, some authors point out to biological differences between male and female, while others point out to cultural factors or both, that dictate how the sexes view war and conflict. Overwhelming evidence shows that there exist gendered experiences of war in societies across the world.

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The first gendered experience regarding war is the perspectives regarding the use of violence as a dispute resolution between groups. According to Caprioli (2000), males are more likely to advocate for the use of violence as compared women. Such a perspective can be explained through biology where Goldstein (2003) points out females are naturally weaker or "tender" and thus, more likely to seek ways of solving disputes other than males. On the other hand, biologically, males have higher testosterone, which predisposes them to act violently. However, the differences between the males and females perspectives regarding the use of violence could be culturally influenced since many societies have conditioned each gender to either prefer the use of violence (males) or the negotiations (females).

The second gendered outcome of war and conflict is evident through the roles that each sex undertakes during a conflict. For instance, in modern militaries across the world, less than 5% of the troops are females (Caprioli, 2000). Additionally, in such instances, females are, primarily, allocated non-combat roles such as acting as nurses, camp managers, and so on. The differences in the number of people per gender that are involved in military show a world where females are viewed as unfit or no strong enough to be in combat (Caprioli, 2000). Consequently, the differences in roles of females and males in military play show the place of gender in conflicts.

Despite the above culturally influenced gender perspectives relating to war and conflict, there is growing evidence showing that women prefer non-violent approaches to solving differences as compared to men. For instance, Caprioli (2000) argues that in societies where the parliament has more women is less likely to vote for the use of military force as compared to that which is dominated by males. Additionally, societies, where women have enjoyed more years of suffrage, are less likely to go to war than those where women are oppressed or have limited rights. In the above cases, women have more say and influence on issues of national concern, and since they prefer the use of non-violence in addressing conflicts, they are less likely to choose the use of a military force. However, Goldstein (2003) views the above differences between how males and females experience war as indicative of gender discrimination. The author notes that women have equal capacities and capabilities as men, and thus, there is no justification as to why females are not used in military as much as men.

Consequently, the gender differences regarding experiences in war indicate the cultural perspectives on the role of men and women in conflict. In many societies, gender roles are distinct and put females as tender beings who should not be used in militarised conflicts. The notion explains why women are less likely to be enrolled or employed in the military. Nonetheless, it the gendered experiences may indicate ongoing inequalities in the society since females and males have the same capabilities.

References

Caprioli, M. 2000. Gendered conflict, Journal of Peace Research, 37, 1, pp.51-68.

Goldstein, J.S., 2003. A puzzle: consistency of gender roles in in war. In Encyclopedia of sex and gender (pp. 1-59). New York, NY: Springer US.