First Post: About the Author

About the Author:

Twitter: @GendertheNews 

Hello, I am a Feminist International Relations Undergraduate with a keen interest in Gender in international politics looking to pursue a career in this field. I started this blog because I am often frustrated when reading the mainstream media and academic publications with how little gendered analysis of events feature. Given the gendered hierarchy in society, happenings in the world always effect women and men differently and often disproportionately. With these posts I am going to attempt to look at current affairs through a relational gendered looking glass. 

I believe it is extremely important to bridge the gap between the often inaccessible/unapproachable academic work and mainstreamed political thought therefore I will try to do this in my writing. I also recognise my feminist bias and privilege as a British, white, western, academic woman but I will always try to maintain a few central principles in my writing:

• Gender equality is a basic right yet despite popular ideas patriarchy* is alive and well in the world.
• Gender is not natural: it is a social expectation attached to the shape of our bodies. 
• Gender is always relational: assumptions about women and femininity always have consequences for men and masculinity and vice versa. 
• Intersectionality is so important. 
• Mainstream media/academic publications rarely analyse events from a gendered perspective meaning that the do not tell the whole story.

I would like to acknowledge so many authors and journalists for the inspirations to start this blog and I will always try to acknowledge them as I go but please see my sources page for further information. I welcome constructive criticism and different ideas. Please share my posts if you find them interesting and follow the twitter account @GendertheNews for regular updates.

*People are often fearful of using/reading the word patriarchy. It simply refers to the hierarchical gender bias towards masculinity and dominance of men in popular society. It is important we claim the word back from misandry!