Bananas, Beaches And Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1990

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Preface 1-Chapter 1

Chapters 2-3

Chapters 4-5

Chapters 6-7

Chapter 8-Conclusion

Key Figures

Themes

Index of Terms

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

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Discussion Questions

Background

Cultural Context: Women’s Representation in the Economy and Governance

Enloe exposes the patriarchal structures in global political and economic systems. Seeking to make women’s contributions to these structures visible, she argues that women can choose to resist rather than sustain these structures. Enloe highlights how men’s dominance in powerful positions and women’s overrepresentation in low-wage positions increase men’s wealth and power. As of 2024, patriarchal structures remain stubbornly in place despite some gains for women.

According to the organization UN Women, as of June 1, 2024, just 18 countries had a woman as head of state, which is typically a ceremonial role, and 15 had a woman as head of government, which is usually the top executive officer. In only 15 countries did women hold 50% or more of executive cabinet positions. Only 26.9% of legislators in single or lower houses were women. In 21 states, women held less than 10% of these positions, and in only six countries did they hold 50% or more of these seats. As of 2023, according to Fortune magazine, women accounted for 30% of board members, 22% of executives, and 27% of senior management positions. Of the Fortune 500 companies, only 53 had women as chief executive officers (CEOs). In the banking sector, which Enloe highlights as one in which women are particularly underrepresented, just 10.6% had women as CEOs, and only 32% of bank officers were women. It is thus not surprising that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development notes an average gender pay gap of 11.6% globally in 2022, citing South Korea as having the highest gap (31.2%) and the US (17%) as in the top 10 (“The Largest Gender Pay Gaps in OECD Countries.” Visual Capitalist, 31 Mar. 2024).

At the lower end of the pay scale, women are overrepresented. While women make up 47% of the paid workforce, 58% of people who make less than $11 an hour are women, and 69% of people who make less than $10 an hour are women. The latter are called lowest-wage workers (“Low-Wage Jobs Are Women’s Jobs.” National Women’s Law Center, Aug. 2017). At every educational level, women made up a larger share of the low-wage workforce. In the garment industry, which Enloe highlights, women make up 60% of the workers (80% in some regions). In Asia alone, this industry employs approximately 42 million women in low-wage jobs.

Ideological Context: Gender and International Relations

For decades, the professors and researchers who dominated the field of international relations in the discipline of political science were men. Before the 1990s, articles in this field were often based on quantitative modeling, which drove their focus (for example, the causes and strategies of war). Other topics included the workings of intergovernmental organizations, the tools of statecraft, security, diplomatic relations, and theories of state actions. Theories of state actions explored whether states adhered to realism, prioritizing national interests, or legalism, prioritizing international law. A sharp line was drawn between the public and private spheres, omitting affairs relegated to the private realm from analysis and discussion.

Beginning in earnest in the 1980s, Enloe and others criticized this approach, arguing that relationships in the alleged private realm shape national and international politics. To dismiss the private realm is to disregard the plight of women. Instead, Enloe and other feminist scholars questioned the sources of men’s dominance and asked why women were missing from positions of power, such as foreign heads of state and diplomats, yet far more prevalent than men in low-wage jobs. Enloe drew connections between the policies that the traditional realm of international politics pursued and the disempowerment of women in governments, corporations, and unions. Those policies intentionally perpetuated a gendered hierarchy, which activism among women could challenge. In making this connection to political activism, Enloe associated with those advocating for new approaches to the study of political science that aligned with progressive goals.