Patriarchal Bargains and Intergenerational Negotiations

Introduction: Addressing the vulnerability of young women and girls to stop the HIV epidemic in southern Africa

Education Sector is witnessing new developments at the international and national levels. Internationally, Heads of States under the United Nations in 2015 adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Sustainable Development Goal 4 provides for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all and has defined new targets and indicators that have to be achieved by 2030. This research study aimed at investigating the Strategies to Increase Female Enrolment in Advanced Level in selected Secondary Schools in Kampala District. The main objective of the study was to establish the enrollment of females for Advanced level in secondary schools. Cross-sectional research design was adopted for the study. Schools were randomly drawn from Kampala district in Uganda. The study was quantitative and was guided by the descriptive and cross sectional survey designs. This sample size involved 300 form five and six secondary students. These students were selected using simple random sampling technique. A questionnaire was used in collecting data for the study. This data was analyzed using frequencies and percentages. The findings of the study revealed that socio-economic barriers, cultural norms and expectations, lack of awareness about educational opportunities and gender stereotyping had significant relationship with the female enrollment in advanced level in selected secondary schools. Therefore, female student’s attitude should be changed towards studies at A’ level, awareness be made, addressing cultural barriers where girls are seen for marriages, hope be developed in girls that educated girls can make good wife’s not so that they are patient and the assumption that A ‘level is difficult tends to discourage girls should stop because girls should know that they are having the same brain like boys, they are not any less. The difference between boys and girls is not in the brain that handles academic gymnastics. They should therefore stop self-pity and be hustlers in the field of academics like anyone else. Female enrolment would improve at an advanced level if the above challenges, wrong beliefs can be addressed.

The relevance of the research topic is determined by the need to overcome harmful gender stereotypes that limit the rights and opportunities of individuals based on their gender, as an integral aspect of ensuring gender equality in modern active society. The aim of the research is to study the legal means by which the international legal instruments of the United Nations influence the counteraction of gender stereotypes in the context of basic international conventions, agreements and legal mechanisms aimed at eliminating stereotypes that impose limitations based on gender. The theoretical analysis of international legal acts helps to identify effective strategies for overcoming gender stereotypes in international law and interstate relations. Key UN normative acts are examined, including the UN Charter, International Human Rights Covenants, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, United Nations Millennium Declaration, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals. The role of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the mechanisms for individual complaints under the Optional Protocol are considered. The study highlights important provisions of international documents regarding the elimination of gender stereotypes and the creation of conditions for gender equality. In particular, it emphasizes the need to eliminate discrimination, ensure equal rights and opportunities in education, work, family life, and counter violence stemming from stereotypes. Measures for involving women in decision-making processes, providing financial resources for gender equality projects, and others are examined. It is generalized that the current UN international acts provide comprehensive mechanisms for countering gender stereotypes, but they often have a declarative character or do not define clear procedures for realizing rights. Recommendations are provided on clarifying the definitions of gender stereotypes, expanding their coverage, introducing sanctions for their dissemination, more effective monitoring, funding research and programs for overcoming stereotypes. It is concluded that the means of counteracting gender stereotypes are an important component of international law for realizing the principles of justice, equality, and human rights regardless of gender. Key words: gender stereotypes, international legal acts, UN, gender equality, human rights.

Recent research has documented the rise of neoliberal and postfeminist sensibilities within young women’s sense-making and accounting activities in western countries – exemplified by the image of the “top girl”. Yet workplaces remain structured by male power and patriarchal norms. In this qualitative focus group study conducted in Auckland, New Zealand, we investigated how young professional women negotiate the contradictions between the “top girl” mode and gendered workplaces in their accounts of workplace difficulties. Our aim was to explore the affective dimension of participants’ identity struggles and to discuss possible implications for thinking about young professional women’s experiences of emotional distress. We identified shared narratives about how to “survive”, and suggest the imperatives bound up in them can be thought of as lessons that women learn to get by at work. In addition to reinforcing the status quo, they represent the negotiation of inherently conflictual professional identities, which places a considerable emotional strain on women.

Debate has continued throughout the last decade over the existence and possible causes of differences between males' and females' mathematical skills. Several observations recur as the focus of this controversy. First, adolescent boys have been found to score higher than girls on standardized mathematics achievement tests.' Second, males are more likely than females to engage in a variety of optional activities related to mathematics, from technical hobbies to careers in which math skills play an important role.2 Third, adolescent males typically perform better than their female

Intimate partner violence (IPV) occurs in high proportions among young women, with long-lasting adverse health and social outcomes. Recent research findings suggest that experiencing economic vulnerability may influence the ways in which young women experience or are at risk for IPV, including economic abuse. Economic abuse, a form of IPV, involves a partner’s control over money and other economic resources or activities. This study explored economic vulnerability and IPV, including economic abuse, among young Nigerian women reporting a recent history of IPV. In-depth interviews (n = 25) were conducted with women aged 18–30 years who had experienced IPV in the past year. Women were recruited from community and health facilities in low-income neighborhoods of Ibadan, Nigeria. A semi-structured interview guide was used to gather data on women’s economic vulnerability (e.g., food security, living situation, employment/education opportunities, family financial support, economic independence) and experiences of IPV. An analysis was conducted using a thematic analysis approach. The coding scheme was based on interview protocols, adding open codes from emergent themes identified in the interviews. On average, participants were 21 years old, most had children (68%) and reported to be cohabitating with a male partner (56%), and 48% had less than a secondary level of education. Among the emergent themes, women reported economic vulnerability as being financially dependent on a male partner for basic needs. Among this sample, economic vulnerability was exacerbated by limited education, training, and work opportunities, and a disproportionate burden of household labor. Economic vulnerability precipitated all forms of IPV, including economic abuse, as well as sexual and pregnancy coercion. Economic abuse was reported to occur when male partners controlled household finances and denied women adequate allowance to purchase household food, including food for children. Findings from this qualitative study suggest that interventions promoting educational and employment opportunities may be critical to reducing financial reliance on male partners and young women’s vulnerability to economic abuse and other forms of IPV. More research and programmatic work are needed on food deprivation as a form of economic abuse affecting women and their children.

While attending high schools, in Bangladesh, rural school girls face the pressure of socio-cultural gender norms and the barriers of economic deprivation. This paper aims to analyze the multifaceted connection between gender norms and economic deprivation of families in rural Bangladesh; and how the dynamics of the connection affect high school girls’ opportunities of further education. The paper identifies the major factors that lead girls to drop out of school. In-depth qualitative interview sessions were conducted with 5 rural high school dropout girls. The analysis incorporates both thematic and narrative analyses. The study finds that gender norms, socioeconomic realities, deprivation and poverty work as barriers; and affect girl’s future education by restricting girl’s opportunities and social mobility with the support of discriminatory gender norms and practices. Parents compromise on girls’ education by giving gender norms a priority. Instead of encouraging girls’ future education parents tend to ensure their daughter’s future in an early marriage. Among the financially challenged families, girls’ domestic duties are prioritized over their aspiration of getting education. Most parents are concerned about the sexual security/chastity of their girls, which also force girls to drop out of high schools. Few parents/guardians who encourage and support girls’ education usually take the initiative to bring changes by resisting social norms that obstruct and limit girls’ opportunities. The paper concludes that in the context of persistent socio-cultural gender norms, resistance against regressive gender ideologies and social norms are needed to bring positive changes in gender socialization.

In Qatar, a small Middle Eastern Country, bordered by Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf, over 75% of college students are female but only 34% of the workforce is female. This qualitative study explores the paradox of highly educated and underemployed Qatari women through interviews with six college-educated Qatari women. To date, the majority of the research about the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) focuses on national- regional- and institution-level issues and not on individual experiences. There is a particular void in understanding the individual experience of Qatari women, even though there has been energy at the national level to create policies that expand educational opportunities, and to a more limited extent, workforce opportunities for women. Given this context, this study focuses on college-educated Qatari women's motivation for and experiences with higher education and workforce opportunities. This study found that this group of highly motivated and highly educated young Qatari women were entering the workforce, challenging the existing paradox; however, it was easier for some women to take advantage of educational opportunities than professional opportunities. Women faced challenges in negotiating professional and personal identities within Qatar's rapidly changing social structure, especially in terms of shifting gender norms. They experienced points of stress, especially in the workforce and in family relationships though they remained highly motivated to acquire additional education and succeed in the workplace. This study calls for further examination of these issues and of existing paradigms of women and work in MENA.

Gender equity for female instructors is crucial for higher education because it fosters a more diverse, inclusive, and dynamic academic environment. This study used a quantitative instrument development design to develop a statistical model of gender equity for female university instructors in Kunming, Yunnan, China. It identified eight factors influencing gender equity. These factors included gender roles, gender norms, gender stereotypes, gender discrimination, family dynamics, institutional policies, economic conditions, and educational opportunities. We collected data from 365 female instructors across five public universities, and quantitative analyses revealed generally high levels of perceived gender equity. The study found that as gender roles, gender discrimination, and institutional policies increased, the perception of gender equity decreased. In contrast, family dynamics (β = 0.184, SE = 0.0607, p = 0.017), economic conditions (β = 0.1263, SE = 0.0577, p = 0.029), and educational opportunities (β = 0.417, SE = 0.0495, p < .001) were positively associated with gender equity. Notably, gender norms and gender stereotypes did not significantly predict gender equity. The findings underscore the need to prioritize anti-discrimination measures and educational empowerment in institutional reforms, while also critically evaluating policy implementation to avoid mere symbolic compliance.

Association between contraceptive use and socio-demographic factors of young fecund women in Bangladesh

Child labor remains a prevalent issue in the agricultural trade of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, where economic hardships, cultural norms, and limited access to education force children to contribute to household livelihoods. Many families, particularly in rural areas, rely on child labor to support farming activities, as poverty and financial constraints make it difficult to hire adult workers. The resolve of child labor in KP’s agricultural sector highlights the structural inequalities and inadequate enforcement of labor laws. Furthermore, the socio-economic implications of child labor extend beyond individual households, as it perpetuates cycles of poverty. This study examines the key drivers of child labor in agricultural households, including economic pressures, lack of alternative income sources, and the unavailability of accessible education. It also explores the broader consequences of child labor on health, education, and long-term economic mobility. To address this issue, the study advocates for targeted policy interventions such as poverty alleviation programs, improved access to quality education, financial support for rural families, and the strict enforcement of child labor laws. By addressing the root causes of child labor and implementing effective interventions, KP can work towards a future where children are safeguarded from labor exploitation and provided with opportunities for education and skill development.

<i>A Society of Young Women: Opportunities of Place, Power, and Reform in Saudi Arabia</i> by Amélie Le Renard

ABSTRACTThis article examines a growing demand for higher education among Indigenous Amazonian women, exploring their educational goals and the challenges they face. We examine how young women's desire to access new educational opportunities is entwined with an aspiration to become new kinds of persons, but also to support their own communities. We argue that women's demand for education is actively shaping new futures, opening new pathways toward educational inclusion and leadership on their own terms.

Young women remain underrepresented among engineering bachelor's degree holders. While there is a relatively large body of extant research on the many factors that curtail young women's interest in pursuing engineering, less is known about high school girls who are on an engineering pathway. Therefore, this study focuses on a select group of precollege young women who express a strong interest in engineering. Specifically, informed by theories of gender as a social system and previous empirical research, this mixed-methods study explores the constellation of significant actors within the daily lives of these young women, to understand from whom and how they are supported in pursuing this gender-atypical field, and simultaneously, from whom and how they are discouraged. To do so, the researchers analyzed survey and interview data from a sample of diverse high school girls who participate in the Society of Women Engineers' (SWE) SWENext programme. Quantitative results indicate that young women report high levels of encouragement from most sources, including parents, teachers, and other young women. However, across various peer contexts, they receive much more support from other young women than from young men. Qualitative results further reveal that parents and teachers stand out in young women's recollections of encouragement, often through advocating their participation in engineering activities or providing mentoring support. In contrast, young men in engineering spaces were recalled as particularly discouraging of their engineering participation, by socially or physically excluding them or refusing to provide recognition. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

IntroductionHIV incidence remains high among young women in sub-Saharan Africa in spite of scale-up of HIV testing, behavioural interventions, antiretroviral treatment and medical male circumcision. There is a critical need to critique past approaches and learn about the most effective implementation of evidence-based HIV prevention strategies, particularly emerging interventions such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).DiscussionWomen in sub-Saharan Africa are at increased risk of HIV during adolescence and into their 20s, in part due to contextual factors including gender norms and relationship dynamics, and limited access to reproductive and sexual health services. We reviewed behavioural, behavioural economic and biomedical approaches to HIV prevention for young African women, with a particular focus on the barriers, opportunities and implications for implementing PrEP in this group. Behavioural interventions have had limited impact in part due to not effectively addressing the context, broader sexual norms and expectations, and structural factors that increase risk and vulnerability. Of biomedical HIV prevention strategies that have been tested, daily oral PrEP has the greatest evidence for protection, although adherence was low in two placebo-controlled trials in young African women. Given high efficacy and effectiveness in other populations, demonstration projects of open-label PrEP in young African women are needed to determine the most effective delivery models and whether women at substantial risk are motivated and able to use oral PrEP with sufficient adherence to achieve HIV prevention benefits.ConclusionsSocial marketing, adherence support and behavioural economic interventions should be evaluated as part of PrEP demonstration projects among young African women in terms of their effectiveness in increasing demand and optimizing uptake and effective use of PrEP. Lessons learned through evaluations of implementation strategies for delivering oral PrEP, a first-generation biomedical HIV prevention product, will inform development of new and less user-dependent PrEP formulations and delivery of an expanding choice of prevention options in HIV prevention programmes for young African women.