🔶 I. Commonalities / Similarities
1. Both are Critical Theories
- They challenge mainstream IR theories like Realism and Liberalism.
- They focus on power, inequality, and oppression, not just states or military issues.
2. Both highlight structures of domination
- Marxism: class & capitalism
- Feminism: patriarchy & gender inequality
Both see the international system as unequal and exploitative.
3. Both argue IR is biased
- Mainstream IR was created by Western men.
- Important voices (workers, women, Global South) are missing.
4. Both shift focus from states to people
- Human experiences (workers, poor, women, migrants) matter in global politics.
5. Both emphasize global justice
- Marxists: economic justice
- Feminists: gender justice
Both work toward a more equal and human-centered world.
🔷 II. Key Differences (Marxism vs Feminism)
| Aspect | Marxist Perspective | Feminist Perspective |
|---|---|---|
| Main focus | Class struggle & capitalism | Gender & patriarchy |
| Key inequality | Economic inequality | Gender inequality |
| Source of oppression | Capitalist system | Patriarchal social structure |
| Unit of analysis | Classes (bourgeoisie vs proletariat), economic structures | Men vs women, gender roles, identity |
| Understanding of power | Economic and material power | Social, cultural, and gendered power |
| View of IR problems | Result of capitalism, imperialism, exploitation | Result of patriarchy and male-dominated politics |
| Approach to war/conflict | Wars happen due to capitalist competition | War affects women differently; gendered violence |
| Security concept | Economic security & freedom from exploitation | Human security (violence, rights, well-being) |
| Main actors | States, corporations, classes | Women, men, marginalized genders |
| Key scholars | Karl Marx, Lenin, Wallerstein | Cynthia Enloe, J. Ann Tickner |
🔶 III. How They View Important IR Issues
1. War & Conflict
- Marxists: wars are caused by capitalist competition and imperialism.
- Feminists: wars are gendered; women face sexual violence, displacement, and unpaid burdens.
2. Globalization
- Marxists: globalization exploits workers and widens class inequality.
- Feminists: globalization exploits women through cheap labour, trafficking, care work.
3. Security
- Marxists: economic exploitation = insecurity.
- Feminists: domestic violence, sexual violence, and social inequality = insecurity.
4. International Organisations
- Marxists: controlled by capitalist elites (IMF, World Bank).
- Feminists: dominated by men; gender issues ignored.
🔷 IV. Strengths & Weaknesses of Each
Marxism strengths
- Focuses on global economic inequality.
- Explains imperialism and exploitation.
Marxism weaknesses
- Ignores gender issues.
- Treats people mainly as economic classes.
Feminism strengths
- Highlights ignored gendered experiences.
- Expands IR towards human security & everyday life.
Feminism weaknesses
- Too diverse; lacks unified theory.
- Critics say sometimes it focuses too much on gender.
⭐ V. Short Exam Answer (5 Marks)
Marxist and Feminist perspectives are both critical theories in IR that challenge mainstream approaches like Realism. Both highlight inequalities in the international system and argue that IR is dominated by powerful groups. However, Marxism focuses on class, capitalism, and economic exploitation, seeing the global system as shaped by bourgeois interests. Feminism focuses on gender, patriarchy, and the exclusion of women’s experiences from IR. While Marxism explains global problems through capitalist structures, Feminism explains them through gendered power relations. Both seek a more equal and just world but differ in their units of analysis and sources of oppression.