To ‘Dismantle the Patriarchy’
Contributed by Next Generation Experts Series
Posted 31 January 2024
An exploration of the gendered power dynamics that underpin the international peace and security space
By Liliane Nkunzimana
January 29, 2024
In the New Agenda for Peace policy brief, the United Nations Secretary-General states that, “We must dismantle the patriarchy and oppressive power structures which stand in the way of progress on gender equality or women’s full, equal and meaningful participation in political and public life.” The need to further articulate the implications of this statement has been made clear in a number of discussions around this document. This thought piece will aim to make a contribution to this ongoing dialogue by examining some of the problematic attitudes and qualities that currently characterize the international peace and security space, as they relate to oppressive power structures. It will also explore the transformative potential of moving toward qualities of collaboration, cooperation, compassion, and care, which are essential to individuals assuming their full humanity. The Secretary-General’s call to dismantle patriarchy is a recognition of the herculean effort needed to overcome ways of thinking, being, and doing grounded in control and privilege that have eroded trust—including in the multilateral system’s ability to respond adequately to the needs of all the world’s people. The call opens pathways for actors to begin to explore the critical need of having values traditionally associated with the feminine inform conversations, negotiations, and policies within the international peace and security discourse.
Though the word “patriarchy” itself is contested, norms of dominance, as well as possessive and exclusionary forms of power traditionally associated with it continue to characterize numerous societies. Masculinity and men are thus deemed inherently more worthy than femininity and women, affording the former privileges that are denied to the latter. This power asymmetry can often find expression in agenda-setting, decision-making, convening, and even in hidden forms of influencing structures that govern relationships between institutions and the individual. For example, the role of women and critical human issues such as social development are often pushed to the periphery, even though underfunding these areas can lead to societal breakdown and increases security risks of entire regions. Similarly, in conversations around peace and security, military spending often dominates a nation’s budgeting and tends to be prioritized over the well-being of its population.
Beyond the overt harm of patriarchal structures, there is also serious loss of potential progress that comes from a lack of principles that have historically been more associated with the feminine. It should be acknowledged that any individual, regardless of their gender, is capable of embodying principles of care, compassion, and so on. Further, it is important to extend the conversation to think about how changing the culture of patriarchy is a responsibility borne by every member of society by learning to value qualities we have typically pushed aside. No society stands as the model for gender equality; we have yet to see a world where qualities like mutual respect, cooperation, collaboration, care, concern for the future, and compassion are at the core of the discourse on mending relations with each other and the planet. Such values are complemented by the Secretary-General’s call for trust, solidarity, and universality in a New Agenda for Peace.
Today, world circumstances demand we adopt a conceptual framework more reflective of our highest aspirations. A truly gender-equal world is one where human beings have built the capacity to value the well-being of the whole and embrace it as the surest foundation for the well-being of each individual. The wide ranging implications of this principle can potentially transform the discourse on issues of international peace and security and the multilateral order. How can we begin to ensure that values such as care and compassion become intrinsic to the conversations in the international peace and security arena? How can we dismantle structural barriers that prevent the full expression of human equality? This call beckons all of us to respond with vigor and energy.
Centering these values in the process of analysis, planning, consultation, policy making, and action could very well reshape the normative questions surrounding the distribution of power and financial resources, the root causes of war and violent conflict, and the prerequisites needed to bring about and maintain peaceful societies. Put simply, centering the values expressed in the New Agenda for Peace inherently contributes to the goal of transforming patriarchy and forms of hierarchy that afford a minority of peoples, nations and regions the self-granted privilege to make consequential decisions for the majority. Centering such values could create space for increased regionalization and localization of peacebuilding, peacekeeping, and enforcement efforts, reducing the apprehension seen from certain blocks of nations around funding regional peace efforts. This would pave the way for greater levels of trust from increased cooperation, enabling regional blocks to make more concerted contributions to international agenda setting exercises.
The equality of women and men is not merely a tally of comparable resources or a set of social norms. Rather, it is a truth about human nature, reflecting the nobility latent in every human being, where feminine and masculine qualities innately coexist. From that starting point, we can better dedicate our collective energies toward the elimination of all forms of violence, which force many women to spend their lives surviving and recovering instead of co-creating and thriving. We can move towards the realization of the promise of peace that underlies international aspirations. We can begin to articulate a more holistic conception of peace grounded not solely in the eradication of war, but in the construction of a world united in its diversity, living in harmony with the natural world, and fostering continuous learning, where the dignity and equality of all people are realized.
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