Address Gender Inequality Research Articles

Women and gender equity in academia through the conceptual lens of care

ABSTRACT Even though academics are routinely engaged in care activities for their students, colleagues, institutions, and families, care is often overlooked in the culture of academia. This study focuses on how care work affects gender equity in academia, along with work and personal lives of women academics. Through female professors, the study explores the extent, variety, and lived experiences of care practices in academia. Utilizing care and gender theories in an organizational context, we analyzed qualitative interviews with twenty-two female academics from two Canadian universities, purposively selected to represent different disciplines and stages in the academic career trajectory. Regarding their life and health trajectories, our interviewees spontaneously utilized a vocabulary of care to describe their teaching, supervision, and administrative tasks. This acknowledgment of care as an important aspect of academic practice can be helpful in addressing gender inequalities in academia. Specifically, self-care remains a largely overlooked—yet important—category of care theory. Based on our fieldwork, we argue that self-care needs to be more closely and extensively studied to create a more supportive academic work culture.

The experiences leading to resignation of female audit managers: an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Purpose Considering the benefits that gender diversity could bring to audit firms, especially in a time when the audit profession faces criticism and the COVID-19 pandemic has widened the gender inequality gap, this study aims to explore the lived experiences of female former audit managers from a social role theory and role congruity theory perspective, to understand the factors that contributed towards their resignations. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory qualitative research approach and an interpretative phenomenological analysis design were used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior female audit managers who had resigned from Johannesburg Stock Exchange-accredited audit firms. Findings The female former audit managers reported their unique experiences in terms of a lack of transparent career progression discussions, audit firms being run by “old boys’ clubs” and unfair treatment linked to bias, job overload and indistinct ambitions to become audit partners. Research limitations/implications The homogeneous sample included a small number of female participants from a limited number of audit firms. Originality/value The findings could inform audit firms how to address the factors contributing to female audit managers’ resignations and to challenge stereotypes to retain more women for promotion to audit partner-level, thereby capitalising on the benefits of a diversified management structure that could lead to higher quality audits and address gender inequality.

Rebalancing Himmat: Affect and Vernacular Approaches to Inequality in North India

AbstractThis article explores how affect shaped frontline workers’ efforts to address gender inequality in Jaipur, the capital of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Counselors, frontline workers who helped women facing violence seek legal and social support, used the term himmat, courage/daring, to criticize the behavior of men and to celebrate the bravery of women. In counseling interactions, activist writing, and everyday speech, people used the word himmat to describe how affect might be marshaled for social transformation. I argue that himmat animates social movements addressing inequality, simultaneously serving as a felt diagnostic of hierarchy and a prompt to act against that hierarchy. Phenomena such as himmat are what I call affective fulcrums. A fulcrum both generates and limits motion. As an affective fulcrum, himmat channels affect that gains energy from relations shaped by a grid of inequality, including gender inequality. Yet it also creates movement around and within those unequal relations. Using himmat as an example of an affective fulcrum, I argue that attention to the role of affect in women's rights organizations can help us better analyze how inequality grounds efforts for change even as it allows for movement towards transformation.

Clergy, capital, and gender inequality: An assessment of how social and spiritual capital are denied to women priests in the Church of England

AbstractAlthough the Church of England (CofE) agreed to admit women to its most senior ordained offices as bishops in 2014, they are still not afforded the same opportunities for professional progression as men. This article identifies and explores factors that contribute to such inequality. It draws on semistructured interviews with 41 male priests from theologically conservative traditions within the CofE, interpreting the data with a thematic narrative analysis. Utilizing literature from social and spiritual capital, this article establishes that these forms of capital are necessary for informing the habitus required for obtaining senior positions in the CofE before arguing that such resources are frequently denied to women by those interviewed. The analysis develops understanding of spiritual capital and institutional work, demonstrating that the former functions in a manner akin to cultural capital within religious institutions and that the latter is not always purposive in its capacity for effecting institutional change. It also articulates the theory of irresolute equality reform to describe the way in which different institutional goals can limit their ability for equality reform. The article then outlines changes that could be made in clergy training and in the selection procedures for senior appointments to address gender inequality within the CofE.

“No, Teach Yourself!”: College Women’s Expectations for White Men’s Awareness of Privilege and Oppression

Addressing gender inequities in higher education must begin with the acknowledgement that men play a key role in creating change. The purpose of this qualitative study is to center and raise the experiences of women students, and to communicate to men who are students, faculty, and administrators what women students expect from them in terms of privilege and oppression awareness. Findings indicate that women students felt criticized, judged, and underestimated by men, and expected men to self-educate to become aware of and interrogate their own privileges. The authors provide recommendations for higher education teaching and learning, focusing on attitudes and behaviors of White men in the academy.

Gender and Power Dynamics of Social Relationships Shape Willingness to Participate in Biomedical HIV Prevention Research Among South African Adolescents and Young Adults.

Background: Understanding young women and men's perceived barriers and facilitators to participation in biomedical HIV prevention research is important for designing youth friendly services (YFS) and acceptable technologies, which are necessary for preventing high sustained HIV incidence in South Africa. This study explores the multileveled barriers and facilitators to young men and women's willingness to participate in hypothetical biomedical HIV prevention research.Methods: Eight age- (16–18 and 19–24 years) and gender-stratified focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted using semi-structured interview guides to explore young South African women and men's willingness, perceived barriers, and facilitators to participating in biomedical HIV prevention research. FGD transcripts were uploaded to NVivo and coded collaboratively with youth study team members. Thematic analysis using Bronfenbrenner's ecological model (individual, inter-personal, community, and societal) was used to guide a deductive coding procedure, which was documented and compared by gender.Results: Thirty-one participants from Durban and 34 from Soweto participated in FGDs. Individual facilitators for participation were discussed more by young men and included financial incentives and altruism. Concerns about side-effects of biomedical products were a common barrier. Interpersonal relationships with peers, intimate partners and caregivers influenced young people's willingness to participate in HIV prevention research, more so among young women. For young women, gendered power dynamics and distrust of intimate partners and parents influenced both communication regarding participation and willingness to participate in research that is often stigmatized, due to societal norms around women's sexuality. On a societal level, participants expressed distrust in medical and research institutions, however a sense of community that was developed with the study staff of this project, was a motivator to participate in future studies.Discussion: At each level of the ecological model, we found participants expressed gendered barriers and facilitators for participation. Gender norms as well as distrust of partners, parents, and health care professionals were key barriers that cut across all levels. At each level participants discussed facilitators that were youth-engaged, underscoring the need to implement YFS, establish trust and address gender inequities within future biomedical HIV prevention studies wishing to engage and retain South African youth.

Exploring the use of film to stimulate dialogue on the issues of gender inequality in Samoa

ABSTRACT Gender inequality encompasses a myriad of overlapping social norms, legal and cultural structures and practices that disadvantage a group based on gender (European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE). 2020. Glossary and Thesaurus: Definition Gender Inequality. EIGE. Accessed April 4, 2020. https://eige.europa.eu/thesaurus/terms/1182). As the development agenda moves forward across the globe, approaches to address gender inequality have expanded and become more innovative. In this research project, the Centre for Samoan Studies (CSS) collaborated with researchers in other academic units at the National University of Samoa (NUS) and spearheaded a short film training and competition on gender issues in Samoa in 2018. This paper explores the organisation of the project and issues which emerged.

Scandal, Social Movement, and Change: Evidence from #MeToo in Hollywood

Social movements have the potential to effect change in strategic decision making. In this paper, we examine whether the #MeToo movement, spurred by the Harvey Weinstein scandal, leads to changes in the likelihood of Hollywood producers working with female writers on new movie projects. Because #MeToo affected the entire industry, we use variation in whether producers had past collaborations with Weinstein to investigate whether and how #MeToo may spur change. We find that producers previously associated with Weinstein are, on average, about 35% more likely to work with female writers after the scandal than they were before, relative to nonassociated producers, and the size of this effect increases with the intensity of the association. Female producers are the main drivers of our results, perhaps because they are more likely than male producers to resonate with the movement’s cause and face relatively low costs of enacting change. Changes made by other groups, such as production teams with the most intense association with Weinstein and less experienced all-male teams, may be better explained by motivations to mitigate risk. We also find that producers do not sacrifice writer experience by hiring more female writers and that both experienced and novice female writers have benefited from the increased demand. Our study shows that social movements that seek to address gender inequality can, indeed, lead to meaningful change. It also provides perspective for thinking about whether, and to what extent, changes may occur in broader settings. This paper was accepted by Isabel Fernandez-Mateo, organizations.

The challenges of becoming and being a clinician manager: a qualitative exploration of the perception of medical doctors in senior leadership roles at a large Australian health service

BackgroundIn Australia, activity-based funding models have emphasized the need for hospitals to be accountable for their clinical performance. Clinician managers, with medical backgrounds are essential to ensuring high quality clinical performance and operational management of hospital services. The purpose of this study is to 1. Identify factors influencing doctors to become clinician managers in the Australian healthcare setting. 2. Understand the pathways and challenges faced by doctors in becoming clinician managers.MethodsWe undertook a qualitative study with semi-structured interviews of 18 clinician managers (who have medical practitioner backgrounds) with formal leadership administrative roles. Interview transcripts were analysed with systematic text condensation.ResultsAll eligible participants approached in this context, agreed to participate and over 80% of the participants were male. We identified five themes: ‘Motivations for leadership’, ‘Pathways to managerial role’, ‘Challenges faced in management roles’, ‘Credibility through clinical practice’ and ‘Management skill cultivation and support’. Clinician managers progressed from being doctors to leadership roles through being encouraged to take on roles, while others felt pressure to take on leadership roles even if this was not a personal goal. Clinician managers described challenges such as feeling under-prepared, maintaining respect form colleagues through still participating in a clinical load, along with juggling priorities such as administrative tasks, managing budgets and performance managing other doctors.ConclusionsThere needs to be an intentional and more structured approach to training and supporting clinician managers that considers the complex challenges faced by individuals (especially women) as they progress into these roles in the Australian tertiary health services context. There is a need to consider ways of supporting clinician managers to focus on management skills, effective mentorship and address perceptions around losing respect from colleagues if clinician managers cease their clinical loads. Further research is needed among the female medical workforce, along with research to understand if maintaining clinical loads when undertaking a clinical management role in fact leads to better effectiveness in contributing to better patient safety and quality outcomes. Such evidence may assist in addressing these social pressures among clinician managers, and contribute to addressing gender inequality among the clinical management workforce.

Gender inequities in treatment-seeking for sexual and reproductive health amongst adolescents: Findings from a cross-sectional survey in India.

ContextIndia's adolescent health policy aims to improve sexual and reproductive health, especially amongst the most vulnerable. There is limited evidence on how gender influences treatment-seeking patterns amongst unmarried adolescents.MethodsWe analyzed data from 11,651 unmarried adolescent boys and girls aged 15–19 from a cross-sectional survey conducted in two large states of India. We conducted sex-disaggregated analyses to estimate the prevalence of symptoms of genital infections and compare treatment-seeking patterns. We identified correlates through multivariable regression and used a conceptual framework to explore structural, household, social and individual factors that influence gender inequities in adolescent sexual and reproductive health.ResultsOne in five unmarried adolescents reported symptoms of genital infections, such as burning or discharge, in the past three months. Factors associated with reporting symptoms varied between boys and girls, except for a common correlation with symptoms of depression. At least two-thirds of boys sought treatment, compared to approximately one in four girls (rural: 66.2% boys, 23.1% girls; urban: 69.4% boys, 30.7% girls). Boys primarily sought care from medical shops or private facilities, while girls used both private and government services. Amongst boys, having friends and being in school was associated with seeking treatment (aOR: 11.47; 95% CI: 2.75, 47.87; aOR: 1.95; 95% CI: 1.24, 3.07, respectively). Odds of seeking treatment were higher amongst girls with exposure to any mass media (aOR: 1.93; 95% CI: 1.25, 2.99) and who had discussed puberty with a parent (aOR: 1.98; 95% CI: 1.32, 2.98).ConclusionStark sex differentials in factors associated with symptoms and in treatment-seeking illustrate how structural gender inequities, such as access to economic resources and education, influence sexual and reproductive health amongst adolescents. Along with health system interventions, addressing gender inequities calls for strategies to strengthen parental engagement, social support and girls’ access to resources.

Regulating for gender-equitable decent work in social and community services: Bringing the state back in

This article explores the potential of regulatory and policy reform for gender-equitable decent work in social and community services, a rapidly growing sector of female employment in many Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Along with other feminised sectors, employment in this sector is marked by low rates of unionisation, poor pay and fragmented, insecure working hours. Internationally, gig economy work is now appearing in the sector. A distinguishing feature of the sector is employers’ reliance on government funding through contracted services or via direct payments to individuals. The distance of government from accountability for workers in publicly funded services directly contributes to gendered undervaluation and poor working conditions. However, the presence of the state also provides options for regulatory reform. This article considers the different roles played by government, as employment regulator, as funding and bargaining actor and as market manager and care regulator. Adopting a broad conception of regulation, it canvasses options for bringing the state back in to address gender inequality and precarious work. In the Australian context, it examines potential for rebuilding state accountability for gender-equitable decent work in individualised social care in which the gender inequalities and poor working conditions present in social and community services are amplified.

WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS AND DECISION-MAKING PROCESS OF PAKISTAN: CHALLENGES AND BARRIERS

Objectives: This study seeks to examine the specific challenges and barriers related to women's participation in politics and decision-making within the context of Pakistan.
 Methodology: This study deploys literature review and historical analysis to understand the context and causes of women's underrepresentation. Furthermore, sociocultural analysis is used to assess the societal norms and cultural factors affecting women's participation in politics. Institutional analysis is used to evaluate the structural barriers and policies that hinder women's political involvement.
 Findings: The outcomes of this study indicates that women in Pakistan face persistent obstacles to active participation in politics as well as these obstacles stem from historical, sociocultural, and institutional factors. Furthermore, the underrepresentation of women in political positions has adverse effects on Pakistan's democratic framework, including limited diversity and inclusivity. The study identifies the need for comprehensive measures to remove these barriers and promote a more equal and representative political landscape in Pakistan.
 Applications of the study: Policymakers can use the findings to develop strategies and policies aimed at promoting women's political participation in Pakistan. In addition, civil society organizations can leverage the study's insights to advocate for gender-inclusive political reforms. Educational institutions can incorporate this research into their curriculum to raise awareness about gender disparities in politics. Furthermore, international organizations can support initiatives that address gender inequality in Pakistani politics based on the study's recommendations.
 Novelty/Originality of the study: The novelty of this study lies in its comprehensive examination of the obstacles hindering women's participation in politics in Pakistan, encompassing historical, sociocultural, and institutional aspects. Additionally, it emphasizes the practical implications of women's underrepresentation on the democratic framework of the country. This holistic approach provides a unique perspective on the issue and offers valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to address gender disparities in politics.

Intergroup dialogue: A justice‐centered pedagogy to address gender inequity in STEM

AbstractGender inequities in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields persist and calls have been made for continued efforts to challenge systemic sexism in STEM. In response to these calls, we examined the experiences of undergraduate and graduate STEM students who participated in an intergroup dialogue (IGD) focused on gender and sexism in STEM. We conceptualize IGD as a form of “justice‐centered” STEM pedagogy, designed to bring together individuals from different social identity groups with a history of tension between them (in this case, women and men in STEM) for sustained, face‐to‐face communication. The goals of the dialogue included (1) building relationships and understanding across genders, (2) developing a critical awareness of male privilege and systemic oppression (i.e., sexism), and (3) promoting capacities to work toward gender equity in STEM. The dialogue followed a modified version of an empirically validated model of IGD. Eight students participated in the IGD and post‐IGD interviews. Through grounded theory analyses of these interviews, four themes emerged including Barriers to Dialogue, Facilitative Factors, Cognitive and Attitudinal Outcomes, and Behavioral Outcomes. Ultimately, we engaged in theoretical integration around a core theme of perspective‐taking to characterize these young scientists' experiences in IGD. We explore the implications for STEM education and research and practice of IGD and conclude that IGD on gender, sexism, and intersecting forms of privilege and oppression in STEM has the potential to challenge inequitable cultures.

Media representation and gender bias in science

Research on gender bias in science has often focused on the effects of gender stereotypes or a lack of female role models on the recruitment and retention of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, or on the discrimination women scientists face. Systemic bias fuels, and is cyclically reinforced by, media representations of scientists (who are most often presented as white men). While many proposed interventions to address gender inequality in science focus on changing women’s beliefs or behaviour to help them succeed, more inclusive representation of scientists could meaningfully contribute to reshaping the cultural beliefs that act on both genders to deny women opportunities and produce inhospitable learning and working environments.

Neurosurgeons in 2020: the impact of gender on neurosurgical training, family planning, and workplace culture.

In 2008, a Women in Neurosurgery Committee white paper called for increased women applicants and decreased women's attrition in neurosurgery. However, contributing factors (work-life balance, lack of female leadership, workplace gender inequality) have not been well characterized; therefore, specific actions cannot be implemented to improve these professional hurdles. This study provides an update on the experiences of neurosurgeons in 2020 with these historical challenges. An anonymous online survey was sent to all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited US neurosurgical programs, examining demographics and experiences with mentorship, family life, fertility, and workplace conduct. A total of 115 respondents (64 men, 51 women; age range 25-67 years) had trained at 49 different US residencies. Mentorship rates were very high among men and women in medical school and residency. However, women were significantly more likely than men to have a female mentor in residency. During residency, 33% of women versus 44% of men had children, and significantly fewer women interested in having a child were able to do so in residency, compared to men. Significantly more women than men had a child only during a nonclinical year (56.3% vs 19.0%, respectively). Thirty-nine percent of women and 25% of men reported difficulty conceiving. The major difficulty for men was stress, whereas women reported the physical challenges of pregnancy itself (workplace teratogens, morning sickness, etc.). Failed birth rates peaked during residency (0.33) versus those before (0.00) and after residency (0.25).Women (80%) experience microaggressions in the workplace significantly more than men (36%; p < 0.001). Ninety-five percent of macro-/microaggressions toward female neurosurgeons were about their gender, compared to 9% of those toward men (p < 0.001). The most common overall perpetrators were senior male residents and attendings, followed by male patients (against women) and female nurses or midlevel providers (against men). Accurate depictions of neurosurgery experiences and open discussions of the potential impacts of gender may allow for 1) decreased attrition due to more accurate expectations and 2) improved characterization of gender differences in neurosurgery so the profession can work to address gender inequality.

Towards a better understanding of gendered power in small scale fisheries of the Western Indian Ocean

Scholarship on gender in fisheries is not new. However, while there are many studies on the context and politics of gender and fisheries, understanding how power influences gender equality remains understudied, especially in the Western Indian Ocean. Based on evidence gathered from an interdisciplinary set of literature, including sectoral policies, this article provides nuanced insight at rethinking - how gendered-power dynamics constrain and enable choices and opportunities for addressing gender inequality in small-scale fisheries. Compelling evidence shows that a gendered-power dynamic is crucial for renegotiating gender equality with social norms and politics, including challenging simplistic views on poverty, vulnerability, and subordination of women. The article presents a latent chance for greater reflexivity among development practitioners, researchers, and policymakers on the politics of and transformation towards gender equality in small-scale fisheries.

Perceptions of student accoucheurs regarding gender inequality in midwifery training at Free State maternal healthcare institutions.

BackgroundWorldwide, gender inequality has been a dominating factor in the training of student accoucheurs in most maternal healthcare institutions. This poses challenges for the maternal healthcare institutions where student accoucheurs are placed for clinical practice as most women become reluctant or refuse to accept their services. Gender inequality has a negative impact on the training of student accoucheurs as most of them become demotivated which could lead to a high attrition rate.ObjectivesThis study explored and described the perceptions of student accoucheurs regarding gender inequality in midwifery training at the Free State maternal healthcare institutions.MethodAn explorative and descriptive qualitative research design was undertaken. There were 40 student accoucheurs that formed 10 focus group discussions. Each focus group discussion had four participants. Tesch’s eight-steps of data analysis was used to analyse data.ResultsThree major themes emerged during data analysis: meeting the training requirements in midwifery, women’s autonomy in a choice of healthcare provider versus student accoucheurs’ autonomy to be trained in midwifery and staff establishment to render maternal healthcare.ConclusionThe participants perceived prejudice, rejection and resistance by women in maternity units as a contributing factor to gender inequality, which has a negative impact on their training in midwifery. The study recommends that health directorates, nurse managers and training institutions should consider revising maternal healthcare policies regarding the recruitment and placement of willing accoucheurs in maternity units in order to address gender inequality.

Scientometric Review of the Twenty-First Century Research on Women in Construction

Women are underrepresented in almost all occupations and professions within the construction sector. Consequently, several studies from across the globe have examined different aspects of gender inequality and gender segregation in the context of the construction industry. This study conducted an in-depth inquiry into research on women in construction using a scientometric review approach covering 128 relevant journal articles published over the last 20 years (2000–2019). The review found four major research clusters: (1) gender roles and work culture; (2) glass walls and glass ceiling; (3) job satisfaction; and (4) gender diversity initiatives. Research on women in construction is scarce in the context of many developing countries, despite the fact that the majority of women workers and professionals live in these countries. Similarly, research on mentoring and training of women, migrant women workers, women entrepreneurs, women worker’s health and safety, and human resource practices concerning women have received less attention. The review also brings together the recommendations made by various researchers to highlight the need for a more holistic approach to address gender inequality in construction.

The challenge of treating Roma outpatients in the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace region of Greece.

The Roma people are one of the most unknown and interesting nations in Europe. Although they are severely marginalised within European societies, they have greatly influenced European culture. Despite this fact, there is a deep prejudice against them. In the region of East Macedonia and Thrace, a significant proportion of the population are Roma. Their marginalisation leads to many problems and also affects their mental health. Their psychopathological manifestations differ from the majority population. They express more somatic complaints and higher overall stress in a histrionic background. The main obstacles regarding their mental health issues and treatment appear to be the following: gender inequality, illiteracy and lack of cultural sensitivity in healthcare system. Although all of these obstacles must be removed, some are easier to remove than others. Cultural sensitivity could be applied by using more culturally sensitive diagnostic tools, improving overall training for mental health professionals and treating Roma wherever they seek help, because they often have a nomadic style of living. Telemedicine can be quite useful in serving this goal. Improving their educational status and addressing gender inequalities issues, on the other hand, are more difficult and long-term goals.

Disparities in pregnancy-related deaths: spatial and Bayesian network analyses of maternal mortality ratio in 54 African countries

BackgroundMaternal mortality remains a public health problem despite several global efforts. Globally, about 830 women die of pregnancy-related death per day, with more than two-third of these cases occurring in...