Gender Politics and the International Political Economy (IPE): Are women disproportionately affected in the IPE? A case study of the gear program in South Africa Bansal Meenakshi1,*, Borges Simran2 1Meenakshi Bansal, Assistant Professor (on Extension Basis), Department of Political Science, JVMGRR College, Charkhi Dadri, Haryana, India 2Simran Borges, Undergraduate, International Studies and Media (Communication & Journalism), University of New South Wales, Australia, Email: simranborges@hotmail.com *Corresponding author email id: meenakshibansal0601@gmail.com
Online Published on 6 January, 2022. Abstract The purpose of this paper is to contribute to an understanding of the dynamics between gender politics and the international political economy. The authors aim to establish whether women are disproportionately affected within the international political economy itself. For this, we draw on the case study of the GEAR program to assess the impacts of its neoliberal agenda on women in South Africa. The data presented in this methodology mainly explores three key areas; labour force participation, unpaid/domestic work and reliance on public sector/government services. The outcomes highlight that that gender politics play a crucial role within the international political economy, particularly reflected in the divide between female and male experiences wherein, females are disproportionately affected. This was reinforced by the case study of the GEAR program in South Africa, whose implications were extremely significant for women, particularly in South Africa’s agricultural sector. Top Keywords Gender politics, Political economy, South Africa, Women. Top |