Promote Gender Equality Research Articles

Pathways to Leadership: A Cross-cultural Analysis of Women Leaders in Pakistan and United States

This study investigates the experiences of women in leadership roles within higher education institutions in Pakistan and the United States. The main aim is to understand how women describe their experiences in attaining, advancing, and maintaining leadership positions in higher education. It contributes to theoretical understandings of women's leadership and highlighting unique challenges and opportunities in different cultural contexts. This study employs Mezirow's (2003) Critical Reflection Theory as a theoretical framework to guide participants' retrospective storytelling process. Through qualitative research methods including semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis of interview transcripts, the study explores how women navigate their journeys to leadership positions and the challenges they encounter. Despite cultural variations, female leaders in both countries face comparable obstacles such as gender bias and limited training opportunities. To empower these leaders, policies should prioritize formal leadership training, address workplace bias, and support work-life balance initiatives. Policy implications include the implementation of formal leadership training programs, addressing unconscious bias, and supporting family-friendly policies to empower female leaders. Advocacy for legislative measures promoting gender equality in leadership positions is crucial for creating supportive policy environments globally. Keywords: Cross culture, work life balance, leadership, gender gap, networking, and mentorship

Does the digital economy improve female employment? A cross-country panel data analysis

The digital economy has had an impact on the female employment rate over time. Currently, the researchers are more interested in investigating the impacts of the digital economy by focusing on its various aspects of female employment. The current study is motivated by this renewed interest to investigate the impact of the digital economy on female employment rates in Asian Developing Countries from 1990 to 2021. The digital economy is measured by several indicators such as fixed telephone subscriptions, fixed broadband subscriptions, mobile phone subscriptions, secure internet servers, and internet users. The Panel Autoregressive Distributed Lag (PARDL) model is used for analysis that reveals a positive relationship between female employment rates and the digital economy in both the short and long run. The control variables/factors, Education and GDP, also showed positive relationships with female employment. We suggest that governments prioritize funding for digital infrastructure and encourage fair access to technology, especially for women, based on our study. Furthermore, the positive effects of the digital economy on female employment can be strengthened through focused policy interventions, such as offering financial incentives to companies that hire and train women in digital skills. By utilizing these tactics, policymakers can guarantee that women are prepared to take advantage of the chances brought about by the quickly changing digital landscape, promoting gender equality and inclusive economic growth throughout Asian developing nations.

Fighting for Better Representation of Women in and on RTÉ: Women’s Work in Promoting Gender Equality at Ireland’s National Broadcaster, 1979-1981

This article examines the role that women’s activism and advocacy played in early Irish television and the opportunities for and representation of women in national broadcaster Radio Telefís Éireann (RTÉ). It focuses on two groups: RTÉ’s own Working Group on Women in Broadcasting, which reported in 1981, and the Women in Broadcasting Study Group of 1980, headed by Senator Gemma Hussey. Both investigated practices of employment of women and the roles that they undertook as well as the role of women in RTÉ programs and in television advertising on RTÉ. The article argues that, although there were tensions between the two groups and each group had different interests, different methodological approaches in their reports and were received in the public and by RTÉ very differently, they effectively worked together to compel RTÉ to implement their recommendations and take the issue of gender equality more seriously on a long-term basis.

Experimental Designs in Management Studies for Bias Assessment: Setting and Stimulus Material

This manuscript stems from an ongoing research project on gender inequality in Portuguese businesses, particularly concerning access to leadership positions. It aims to provide new insights into the constraints that limit women’s access to managerial roles – both from the worker/employee’s perspective, by exploring expectations, aspirations, and perceived barriers, and from the employer/hierarchy’s perspective, by analysing which biases in recruitment and promotion processes are likely to limit women’s rise to top management positions. Against this analytical background, this paper aims to provide a reflection on the inquiry protocol developed within the project, with particular emphasis on the quantitative approach based on an experimental design. A survey has been developed targeting professionals and directors of large, listed companies and large/medium unlisted companies, where the respondents are given the framework of hiring hypothetical applicants for a management position. The methodological protocol involves elaborating different fictitious CV profiles, representing hypothetical candidates. These profiles are constructed by varying attributes according to various dimensions, specifically gender, combined with educational and professional characteristics. Based on the process of designing the experimental setting, the aim is to reflect on the nuances, obstacles, and limitations in constructing a set of stimulus materials and manipulating the experimental conditions regarding the fictitious applicants’ characteristics (including gender), vertical segregation (‘glass ceiling’ in access to top management positions), horizontal segregation (i.e., associating candidates with typically female or male occupations) and measurement items/scales for assessing the applicants in different dimensions (e.g., perceived competence, job fit, promotion recommendation, etc.). Therefore, this paper aims to reflect on the methodological challenges and advantages of an experimental research design and data analysis strategy to address gender bias in hiring contexts and capable of sustaining an ongoing data observatory to support the definition of public policies and organisational practices aimed at promoting gender equality in top positions.

Empowering Afghan women: The role of the internet in advancing gender equality

Empowering Afghan women: The role of the internet in advancing gender equality

Women in Natural Sciences (WiNS) at ETH Zurich Celebrates its 10th Anniversary – A Retrospective and Outlook

For this CHIMIA special issue on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the coincidental 10th anniversary of the association of Women in Natural Sciences (WiNS) at ETH Zurich, there is no better opportunity to share what we have achieved in the last decade. WiNS was originally founded by female PhD students and PostDocs at the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences (D-CHAB) and has expanded to include three additional departments at ETH Zurich. Join us in celebrating our anniversary, reflecting on what we and other associations with the same mission have done to promote gender equality and reduced inequalities for all. We invite you to reflect on what yet has to be done to enact a systemic change towards achieving equal opportunities for all, rather than simply accommodating the female perspective to Switzerland’s predominantly masculine working culture.

Survey results of COVID-19 pandemic on female surgical trainees: New normal work environment

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on surgical training globally. We aimed to explore and identify the specific challenges faced by women surgeons during the pandemic and provide recommendations for improvement. MethodsA survey was conducted among trainee members of the Association of Women Surgeons, assessing various aspects of clinical training, mental well-being, and personal and professional life. ResultsThe respondents were distributed across the United States, with the majority (28%) from the Midwest and Northeast. Training settings were predominantly academic university hospital programs (85%). The majority (92%) were resident trainees and 32% were in research. General surgery, constituting 86% of the respondents, was the most common specialty. There was a decline in surgical cases, research, mental health, and quality of didactics. Limited learning opportunities and challenges in job search were reported. Although virtual conferences were deemed affordable, the lack of networking was noted to be significant. ConclusionThe study highlights the need for ongoing support and adaptation in surgical training programs. These programs include the optimization of virtual platforms, prioritizing mental well-being, and ensuring equal opportunities. Strategies to mitigate the impact of future disruptions and promote gender equality are essential. Further research and workflow changes are warranted for effective capacity building.

Studying the Factors Contributing to the Sexual Harassment of Women in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan: A Social Perspective

This research looked at the social causes of sexual harassment of women in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan, and discovered workable solutions. The study included descriptive analyses, content analysis, field-based data collecting, and a qualitative methodology. Semi-structured interviews with married women who experienced sexual harassment, offenders, and community members were used to gather qualitative data. Two hundred semi-structured interviews with a representative sample of married women in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan, were conducted as part of the survey research approach. This research examined the ways in which patriarchal attitudes, societal norms, dominant expectations, sexual perception, non-mahrams, cohabitation, excessive freedom, honor culture contribute to sexual harassment. The study, based on feminist theory, identified 20 societal factors contributing to sexual harassment, including social stigma, lack of knowledge, and negligent legal enforcement, and suggested preventive measures like community education campaigns and legislative changes. In Jalalabad City, Afghanistan, sexual harassment of women is a serious issue with societal contributing elements. Effective prevention of sexual harassment requires a holistic strategy that addresses societal norms, empowers women, and strengthens legal frameworks, while also considering cultural norms, inadequate enforcement mechanisms, and a culture of silence. In order to advance gender equality, provide safer surroundings, and stop sexual harassment of women in Jalalabad City, Afghanistan, this paper makes specific recommendations for legislators, non-governmental organizations, and local authorities. Based on these findings, this study recommends evidence-based prevention methods. These could involve advertisements for sexual harassment awareness, legal changes for better protection, and training for law enforcement on handling complaints more effectively.

Sisterhood in COVID-19’s she-cession: does stronger female representation mean weaker female discrimination?

PurposeGender equality is an important issue targeted all around the world, see, for example, the Gender Equality Strategy articulated by the European Union (EU). These goals were hindered by COVID-19, which caused a well-documented she-cession: females were hit harder than males. This paper shows that a “sisterhood behaviour” can mitigate the effects of the she-cession: female decision-makers were more likely to favour other females in recruitment and retention.Design/methodology/approachMotivated by theories from psychology and industrial demography, we hypothesise a so-called sisterhood effect or homophily: female decision-makers are more likely to favour other females in recruitment and retention. We use firm-level survey data from 19 European countries collected before and during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we apply a difference-in-differences methodology to test the hypothesised sisterhood behaviour.FindingsOur study finds that in firms where the top manager was a woman, gender discrimination was less likely or even not at all presented, i.e. COVID-19 did not decrease the proportion of female employees.Practical implicationsThe results suggest that promoting gender equality in leadership dimensions can also moderate discrimination at the level of the employees. Therefore, in a wider context, gender equality goals are interrelated.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this paper is the first attempt to analyse the existence of the theories mentioned before in a manager – employee relationship using firm-level data from the COVID-19 period.

The link of ESG performance and board gender diversity in European firms

AbstractThis study analyses the relationship between board gender diversity and the ESG scores for Spanish, French, German, and English listed companies. Previous academic literature shows controversial results regarding the benefits of female participation in boards of directors, however many studies have only used an aggregated indicator to measure performance or they do not have compared the results among countries. The empirical section of this research uses a sample formed by 205 companies from France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom for a period of 19 years (from 2002 to 2020). The results obtained through a panel data estimation confirm a positive and significant relationship between board gender diversity (BGD) and the social and the corporate governance score in all cases. However, the relationship between BGD and the environmental score is only confirmed in the case of Spain, France, and Germany. Therefore, even though in these countries, the actions to promote gender equality have been different and at different times, the results are mostly homogeneous.

On Schools’ Safe Spaces: A Review of Gender-Responsive Basic Education in the Schools Division Office of Imus City

This research investigates the implementation of the Safe Spaces Act (Republic Act No. 11313) in the public elementary and secondary schools of the Schools Division Office of Imus City. The study evaluates the extent of gender-responsive policy implementation in educational institutions, emphasizing the dissemination of policy information and the strategies employed to create a safe and inclusive environment for all students. Using a qualitative research design, the study employs thematic analysis to interpret the data collected from interviews with Gender and Development (GAD) focal persons. Key findings indicate that while integration into curricula, printed materials, and online platforms are common dissemination methods, there are significant challenges such as insufficient budget, lack of knowledge, and cultural resistance. The study highlights the necessity for cultural reform, adequate resources, and enhanced critical reasoning among stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the Safe Spaces Act. Recommendations include the extension of the study to other divisions, the incorporation of quantitative methods for broader validation, and policy improvements to foster a more inclusive educational environment. The ultimate goal is to safeguard learners’ rights and promote gender equality within the school system.

HPR80 Moving Towards Inclusion: A Review of Access to Oncologic Therapies in the Light of Global Efforts to Advance Gender Equality

HPR80 Moving Towards Inclusion: A Review of Access to Oncologic Therapies in the Light of Global Efforts to Advance Gender Equality

Promoting Gender Equality through International Law: Advancements and Challenges

Promoting Gender Equality through International Law: Advancements and Challenges

Intimate Partner Violence during pregnancy: Impact on women and children: A Review

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is one of the major causes of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder and can have a negative impact on the mother during pregnancy. This review aims to understand the health consequences of IPV on maternal mental health so that effective interventions and policies can be developed and implemented to provide support to victims, promote gender equality, and prevent adverse maternal outcomes. Methods: A systematic search was conducted as per the PRISMA guidelines. Computer database researches were conducted using the following databases: Google Scholar, Psych INFO, Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. The literature was screened by titles and abstracts and by applying keyword search. The following keywords were searched: women, violence, domestic violence, intimate partner violence, IPV, pregnancy, antenatal, conception, maternal health, child health, mental health, and maternal mental health. The literature search was done from 2014 to 2024. Results: IPV not only poses adverse effects on the well-being of the victim but also disrupts the stability of the environment of the home. It impacts the health, nurturing care, and overall development of the child. Children born to mothers exposed to violence during pregnancy may have lower birth weights and experience higher rates of mortality, preterm births, and lower Apgar scores. The negative effects of IPV on child health also extend beyond the child's cognitive development, impacting the academic performance of their peers. Conclusion: A vast majority of the incidents involving IPV go unreported due to fear, shame, stigma, or lack of awareness. This can affect the accuracy of the actual data of prevalence. In addition, societal norms, gender stereotypes, and male dominance may add to the effects of IPV, making it difficult for the victims to seek help.

Feminist Evaluation of Workplace Policies: Promoting Gender Equality in Pakistani Organizations

Feminist Evaluation of Workplace Policies: Promoting Gender Equality in Pakistani Organizations

Masculinity in Scandinavian tech entrepreneurship: male technology entrepreneurs negotiating gender (in)equality

PurposeBoth entrepreneurship and technology are significantly gendered, and when combined in technology entrepreneurship, they make up a fundamentally masculine field. This article investigates men tech entrepreneurs' negotiations of gender and gender (in)equality. The purpose is to gain knowledge on masculinity in tech entrepreneurship and to explore what role this might play in any change towards more gender-equal entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachSemi-structured interviews were conducted with ten Swedish and Norwegian male tech entrepreneurs in tech incubators. The interviews dealt with gender (in)equality and masculinity in tech entrepreneurship. The data were coded in NVivo and inductively analysed using thematic analysis. We apply a social constructivist understanding of gender.FindingsWe categorise the male entrepreneurs' views of gender equality along “privileged”, “paradoxical” and “potential” articulations of gender (in)equality. Building on these articulations, we discuss the potential entrepreneurial men and masculinities could have for changing gender inequality in the Scandinavian tech entrepreneurship context. The findings are applicable to several entrepreneurial contexts.Originality/valueThe study contributes to further the theoretical understanding of tech entrepreneurship as a gendered phenomenon, its dynamics and its potential for change, particularly in promoting gender equality in tech entrepreneurship. Empirically, it investigates the perceptions about gender (in)equality and gender as negotiated concepts amongst male tech entrepreneurs.

Assessment of realization of the social component of sustainable development: Experience of Russia and China

Aim. To analyze the implementation of the social pillar of sustainable development (SD) with a special focus on Russia and China, and to examine the progress made by both countries on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations (UN).Objectives. To assess progress in achieving the SDGs in such areas as poverty and hunger eradication, health and education development, gender equality, reduction of inequality both domestically and globally; to compare approaches and results achieved by Russia and China in the context of the SDGs; to identify common achievements and unique challenges faced by both countries in the process of realizing the social component of SD.Methods. The analysis is based on the comparison of official data, publications and reports on Russia's and China's successes in implementing SDGs. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to assess the degree of goal fulfillment in both countries, and comparative and analytical approaches were applied to identify and interpret the key factors influencing successes and obstacles to achieving sustainable social development.Results. Russia and China have made significant progress in realizing some of the SDGs, including poverty reduction, improving access to quality education and health care, and promoting gender equality. However, both countries face a number of challenges. Among them are inequality and internal regional differences. The article traces the differences in the approaches and strategies of Russia and China in realizing the social component of SD.Conclusions. Russia and China have made significant progress in realizing SDGs, but they still face a number of challenges. The comparative analysis reveals both common and unique strategies and problems in the realization of the social component of SD. Further progress on the SD path will require both countries to adapt their approaches to the emerging challenges and international cooperation within the global SD framework.

Helping women rise: Foreign venture capital and female entrepreneurship

Access to external funding is a primary obstacle for female entrepreneurs must overcome. We hypothesize that the alignment in risk preferences between foreign venture capital firms (VCs) and female entrepreneurs makes foreign VCs more likely to hedge their cross-border investment risk by selecting female entrepreneurs, who tend to be risk-averse. Using a sample of 6,168 investment events involving VCs from 43 countries and regions investing in Chinese startups, we find that purely foreign VCs are more inclined to invest in female-led startups than purely local VCs. Furthermore, the tendency of foreign VCs to invest in female entrepreneurs is particularly pronounced in early-stage startups. Additionally, we observe no significant difference between syndicates composed of both foreign and local VCs and those consisting purely of local VCs in terms of their likelihood of investing in female-led startups. This study sheds light on the remarkable contribution of foreign VCs toward fostering female entrepreneurship and promoting gender equality, thereby providing important implications for policymakers, VCs, and female entrepreneurs.

Evaluating the effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility programs in promoting gender equality and women empowerment at JP Morgan &Chase Co

Evaluating the effectiveness of Corporate Social Responsibility programs in promoting gender equality and women empowerment at JP Morgan &Chase Co

SDGs Adoption within Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for Sustainable Entrepreneurship

Abstract The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) a comprehensive and systematic approach to solving major global concerns. SMEs may help to eradicate poverty, promote gender equality, ensure sustainable production and consumption, and address other vital concerns by aligning their business plans with the 17 SDGs. Studies showed that SMEs account for 99% of businesses and employ 66% of Romania's workers, which emerge as critical tools for SDG implementation. Thus, the paper focuses on the adoption of SDGs within SMEs and strategically categorizes key factors into three dimensions: People, Profit, and Planet. The research was conducted with the help of a survey, which was analyzed using Microsoft Excel. The results revealed the need to encourage the promotion and adoption of the SDGs for future generations. The study can be a starting point of the analysis that is done by states, regions or at a national level.