The new patriarchal digitality? Understanding gendered power dynamics through a systematic review of femtech apps in China

ABSTRACTThis paper offers a critical analysis of existing literature on historical and contemporary gender dynamics in Australian social work education and practice. Analyses of gender dynamics and inequalities have the potential to illuminate pathways for inclusive social work education and practice, for both practitioners and people who access social work services. This critical review of the literature demonstrates that Australian social work education and practice have been shaped by gendered discourses, structures, and power dynamics since its inception. In a contemporary sense, women constitute the majority of social work educators and practitioners, while men disproportionately dominate positions of power and prestige, although rigorous Australian data on the roles and representation of men and women are not readily available. Our findings point to the need for further engagement with gender as a unit of analysis in Australian social work research, including further engagement with inclusive and intersectional feminisms.IMPLICATIONSEnhanced knowledge of Australian social work history, particularly in relation to gender, allows for a greater understanding of current gendered power relations in social work education and practice.Gender dynamics are underresearched in contemporary Australian social work education and practice.Up-to-date data on the status and representation of men, women, and nonbinary people in social work are needed as the foundation for transformative and inclusive social work education and practice.

Transmasculine people are at risk of cervical cancer but have lower rates of cervical cancer screening than cisgender women. Disaffirmation of the patient’s gender and unequal power dynamics between patient and provider during screening contribute to patient unwillingness to be screened. The mechanisms by which the balance of power may be shifted between patient and provider, and by which gender is constructed during the Pap test, are not well understood. A qualitative study using a modified grounded theory approach was undertaken to analyse patient interview and provider interview and focus group data pertaining to power and gender in the context of cervical cancer screening among transmasculine individuals. The study was conducted at an LGBTQ-focussed health centre in Boston, USA. Processes by which power is enacted included constraining or affirming patient choice, mitigating or exacerbating vulnerability, and self-advocacy. Gendering processes included naming patients and their bodies, invoking gender norms, de-gendering/re-gendering Pap tests, and othering or normalising trans bodies. The interplay between these processes promotes or constrains patient agency over body and health, impacting patient care, patient–provider interaction, and service utilisation. Understanding patient and provider roles in power and gender dynamics are critical for the provision of patient-centred care.

Special Issue: Heredity and Evolution in an Ibero-American Context

Household food and nutrition security is a critical aspect of human well-being, yet gender dynamics within households significantly influence access to and control over food resources. Women’s roles in the food system are often undervalued and unsupported. This qualitative study aimed to explore the complex gender dynamics within households and their impact on food and nutrition security in southwestern Uganda. In-depth interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with 30 households, 6 farmers’ groups, and 10 key informants. Data were inductively analyzed and the following key themes emerged: traditional gender roles, power dynamics, and resource control. This study revealed that gender dynamics within households are shaped by complex power relations, social norms, and cultural expectations. This study highlights the importance of considering the complex gender dynamics within households when addressing food and nutrition security.

In the contemporary digital landscape, where data serves as a critical asset, the misuse of personal information represents a profound threat to privacy and security. This threat is not uniformly distributed but is deeply influenced by gender dynamics, resulting in varied levels of vulnerability and impact. This article investigates the nuanced relationship between gender dynamics and the misuse of personal data. Drawing on the work of Ruha Benjamin (2019) , who explored how technological systems perpetuate racial and gender biases, and Noble (2018) , who examined algorithmic discrimination and its disproportionate effects on marginalised groups, this article sheds light on the unique challenges women face due to the mishandling of their personal information. It scrutinises the implications of data misuse, including the exacerbation of existing gender disparities and the impediments to women’s digital inclusion. The article also addresses the importance of intersectionality, as articulated by Crenshaw (1991) , in understanding the multifaceted nature of digital inequalities. This research article is a conceptual analytical review article; the arguments have been derived from the works of different literature published in the area of data privacy, gender data commodification, power dynamics and technology-facilitated gender-based violence. With an Accountability, Transparency and Oversight (ATO) lens, this article maps the pathways from data misuse to harm and sets out steps that platforms and regulators can act on and proposes policy recommendations to promote gender-sensitive data protection and an empowering digital environment.

BackgroundRwanda has made great progress in improving reproductive, maternal, and newborn health (RMNH) care; however, barriers to ensuring timely and full RMNH service utilization persist, including women’s limited decision-making power and poor-quality care. This study sought to better understand whether and how gender and power dynamics between providers and clients affect their perceptions and experiences of quality care during antenatal care, labor and childbirth.MethodsThis mixed methods study included a self-administered survey with 151 RMNH providers with questions on attitudes about gender roles, RMNH care, provider-client relations, labor and childbirth, which took place between January to February 2018. Two separate factor analyses were conducted on provider responses to create a Gender Attitudes Scale and an RMNH Quality of Care Scale. Three focus group discussions (FGDs) conducted in February 2019 with RMNH providers, female and male clients, explored attitudes about gender norms, provision and quality of RMNH care, provider-client interactions and power dynamics, and men’s involvement. Data were analyzed thematically.ResultsInequitable gender norms and attitudes – among both RMNH care providers and clients – impact the quality of RMNH care. The qualitative results illustrate how gender norms and attitudes influence the provision of care and provider-client interactions, in addition to the impact of men’s involvement on the quality of care. Complementing this finding, the survey found a relationship between health providers’ gender attitudes and their attitudes towards quality RMNH care: gender equitable attitudes were associated with greater support for respectful, quality RMNH care.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that gender attitudes and power dynamics between providers and their clients, and between female clients and their partners, can negatively impact the utilization and provision of quality RMNH care. There is a need for capacity building efforts to challenge health providers’ inequitable gender attitudes and practices and equip them to be aware of gender and power dynamics between themselves and their clients. These efforts can be made alongside community interventions to transform harmful gender norms, including those that increase women’s agency and autonomy over their bodies and their health care, promote uptake of health services, and improve couple power dynamics.

The purpose of this chapter is to provide new insights by using a feminist framework to analyze gendered power dynamics that were explicitly or implicitly discussed in the previous chapters in this book. Most chapters found some evidence of gender power dynamics, whether discussed under that term, or more frequently using more specific words for particular power dynamics in gender relations, ranging from authority, competition, resistance, struggles, and battles, to influence, negotiations, equality, complementarity, cooperation, interdependence, partnership, or the creation of community. Both historical archaeologists and philosophers have argued that power is expressed through human constructions of “space” (Orser 1988:320; Rabinow 1984:252). Gender power dynamics are fundamental in creating what I call “powered landscapes,” defined as landscapes that express social power dynamics spatially on landscapes, such as gender segregation or integration. This commentary uses a feminist framework of a diversity of interrelated powers to gain new insights about the gender power dynamics that are explicitly or implicitly discussed in each book chapter.

I show how spiritual kinships ties, spiritual marriages, and relationships of mastery between Mapuche shamans (machi), animals, and spirits in initiation and healing rituals reflect historical ethnic and national relationships, social and gender dynamics, and complex understandings of personhood. Machi's spiritual relationships are shaped by the gendered power dynamics of colonial mastery and domination, marriage and seduction, possession and ecstasy, and hierarchical kinship systems. These spiritual relationships reflect a complex understanding of personal consciousness in which machi are agents of their actions but at the same time share self with the spirits and are dominated by them. Machi gain varied forms of knowledge and power through the exchange of bodily substances as well as through spiritual means. In doing so, they offer a new perspective on current discussions among anthropologists about embodiment, ensoulment, and personhood.

Gender ideology is a concept often used, but seldom interrogated. In distinct contrast to other concepts such as gender identity, its use is so off-hand that it seldom rates an index entry in books related to any topic on gender, feminism, or women, although hegemonic masculinity – a concept that clearly suggests ideology – often is indexed. One suspects the definitional flexibility and multiple meanings associated with ideology more generally to be the source of both its common use and conceptual disregard. In “terminology reshuffling” (Gerring 1997: 960), gender ideology often is used synonymously with concepts such as gender attitudes, gender norms, gender power, gender relations, gender structures, and gender dynamics. It also appears in discussions of feminism, especially when feminism challenges cultural tradition or patriarchal dominance. A quick electronic search of the phrase “gender ideology” from 1980 to 2007 yielded 5,170 results. A nonsystematic examination of random pages from this search suggests that these articles overwhelmingly are concerned either with Bem sex-typing of traits and various psychological attitudes toward gender or with gender roles related to marriage, family, or household arrangements. Similar to the Poole-Rosenthal treatment of the liberal-conservative “political ideology” scale, some studies scaled gender ideology from traditional to egalitarian. Most of the 5,170 studies emanated from sociology or psychology, although anthropology also yielded a strong presence, analyzing the gender ideology underpinning norms for gender roles found in various world cultures.

This article aims to examine the intersection of gender studies and contemporary Georgian theatre, exploring how gender dynamics and representations are portrayed on stage. The study seeks to shed light on how Georgian theatre reflects, challenges, and shapes societal perceptions of gender roles, identities, and power dynamics. By analyzing selected performances and artistic practices, this research aims to contribute to the understanding of gender issues within the Georgian cultural context.

This study investigates the use of critical pedagogy in Moroccan educational settings to challenge persistent gender norms and power dynamics. The thematic analysis of in-depth interviews with educators indicates critical pedagogy's impact on gender role perceptions and practices. The findings show how critical pedagogy encourages critical consciousness and challenges old conventions, promoting gender equity in the classrooms. Teachers’ viewpoints illustrate both the problems and accomplishments of implementing critical pedagogy, emphasizing its ability to foster inclusive learning environments. This study provides insight into critical pedagogy’s transformative impact on instructors’ practices and students’ involvement with gender dynamics in Morocco. By explaining these educational practices, the study highlights critical pedagogy as a catalyst for achieving social justice in Moroccan schools, emphasizing the importance of pedagogical techniques that support equitable learning and question cultural norms.

This research investigates the intricate portrayal of gender dynamics in Girish Karnad’s renowned play Nagamandala. It epitomizes the contemporary roles of women against a backdrop of myth, exploring themes of identity formation, marital relationships, fidelity, and female agency within rural South India. Interweaving folklore with modern social issues, the play presents a diverse cast whose struggles reflect broader societal tensions. Characters like Vishakha, Nittilai, Padmini, and Rani emerge as influential voices of modern women, navigating patriarchal dominance with courage and resilience. Despite societal norms enforcing gender segregation, they assert bold independence, confronting challenges within a stratified society. This study scrutinizes the protagonist Rani’s journey, revealing nuanced gender roles and power dynamics, thereby enhancing understanding of Karnad’s thematic exploration and narrative technique. Nagamandala portrays female characters as victims of pervasive patriarchal repression, offering poignant insights into human complexities.

This article analyses the viability struggles of young female traders in Harare, Zimbabwe. It makes a conceptual contribution to debates about viability, which captures how young people connect and pursue aims across diverse life domains (referred to as ‘thinking and acting across’), by addressing gender and generational power dynamics. The article demonstrates how young female traders in Harare are thinking and acting across the domains of work and politics in a context of urban authoritarianism, by negotiating the challenging economic conditions and ruling party-aligned brokers that dominate the urban spaces in which they sell their wares. Based on over two years of qualitative research, which continued during the COVID-19 pandemic, the study shows how gendered expectations around young women's voice and presentation in public affairs shapes the agency of female second-hand clothes traders. The wider context of economic crisis, exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, deepened the precarity of the traders, requiring young women to defy lockdown measures. However, their agency with respect to challenging (‘acting against’) law enforcement and political brokers remained constrained. We argue that gendered power dynamics intersect with notions of youth in the Zimbabwean context and infuse authoritarian politics, creating attempts at viability shaped by risk calculation.

(2000). Erratum: Gendered power dynamics and HIV risk in drug-using sexual relationships. AIDS Care: Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 685-685.

This paper assesses Michel Foucault's idea of a disciplinary society and its connection with gender dynamics. Foucault's contributions to different fields of knowledge, with philosophy, sociology, and gender studies, are emphasized and his major publications, such as "Discipline and Punish," "The History of Sexuality," and others, are discussed as per the significance. The context of Foucault's disciplinary society theory is explored, underlining its implications for understanding power relations and social control. Gender dynamics are presented as the social, cultural, and political characteristics inducing the structure, performance, and regulation of gender identities. The paper critically evaluates the intersection of Foucault's disciplinary society and gender dynamics, considering the strengths and limitations of his theories in focusing on power and gender associations. Methodology comprises a wide-ranging review of academic resources, analysing Foucault's work and other concerned works. Foucault's disciplinary society suggests the shift in power from sovereign to disciplinary, the practices of discipline, and the effects on individuals and institutions. The analysis reveals how disciplinary power functions in several societal spaces, such as classrooms, prisons, and health facilities, inducing gendered norms and expectations. Foucault's concepts are useful to explore power and gendered disciplinary practices, surveillance of gendered bodies, technologies of gender, and the potential for resistance and subversion. However, the paper also concedes limitations in Foucault's dealing of gender as a social construct, insufficiency of an intersectional perspective, and incomplete analysis of resistance strategies. In conclusion, Foucault's concept of a disciplinary society offers valuable visions into power dynamics and gender relations within societal structures. Combining his concepts with intersectional feminist perspectives can develop our understanding of power mechanisms and the complications of gender dynamics in modern societies.