Title- Power, Polarity, and Patriarchy: A Feminist Reimagining of Global Order in an Age of
Multipolarity
Abstract
Dominant debates on unipolarity vs. multipolarity often rely on masculinist, state-centric
frameworks that obscure deeper power hierarchies. This paper applies a Feminist
International Relations (IR) lens to challenge these assumptions, asking not only who holds
power, but how that power is constructed, sustained, and experienced across gendered and
racialized lines.
As the international order transitions from U.S. hegemony to complex multipolarity, the risk
is not just power redistribution but the reproduction of patriarchal, colonial structures in new
forms. Through case studies such as the war in Ukraine, digital authoritarianism, and
gendered global precarity, this paper illustrates how multipolarity impacts marginalised
communities—particularly women and the Global South.
Using concepts of relational power and care ethics, it argues for a feminist rethinking of
global order that centres interdependence, intersectional justice, and epistemic diversity.
Rather than treating polarity as a static configuration, it envisions a post-hegemonic world
grounded in feminist values.
This intervention contributes to decolonizing IR by foregrounding voices and knowledges
traditionally excluded from global politics. In an age of uncertainty, it offers a transformative
framework for imagining more just and inclusive international futures.
Keywords
1
, Feminist International Relations, Multipolarity, Global Order, Relational Power, Gender and
Geopolitics
Introduction
The post-pandemic world has exposed the limitations of state-centric cooperation and the
brittleness of international institutions. Recent events demonstrate that global governance
continues to favor a select few, from unequal vaccine distribution to industrial power
dominance in climate negotiations. Although multipolarity is frequently hailed as a remedy
2
Multipolarity
Abstract
Dominant debates on unipolarity vs. multipolarity often rely on masculinist, state-centric
frameworks that obscure deeper power hierarchies. This paper applies a Feminist
International Relations (IR) lens to challenge these assumptions, asking not only who holds
power, but how that power is constructed, sustained, and experienced across gendered and
racialized lines.
As the international order transitions from U.S. hegemony to complex multipolarity, the risk
is not just power redistribution but the reproduction of patriarchal, colonial structures in new
forms. Through case studies such as the war in Ukraine, digital authoritarianism, and
gendered global precarity, this paper illustrates how multipolarity impacts marginalised
communities—particularly women and the Global South.
Using concepts of relational power and care ethics, it argues for a feminist rethinking of
global order that centres interdependence, intersectional justice, and epistemic diversity.
Rather than treating polarity as a static configuration, it envisions a post-hegemonic world
grounded in feminist values.
This intervention contributes to decolonizing IR by foregrounding voices and knowledges
traditionally excluded from global politics. In an age of uncertainty, it offers a transformative
framework for imagining more just and inclusive international futures.
Keywords
1
, Feminist International Relations, Multipolarity, Global Order, Relational Power, Gender and
Geopolitics
Introduction
The post-pandemic world has exposed the limitations of state-centric cooperation and the
brittleness of international institutions. Recent events demonstrate that global governance
continues to favor a select few, from unequal vaccine distribution to industrial power
dominance in climate negotiations. Although multipolarity is frequently hailed as a remedy
2
