Dimensions Of Women Research Articles

Investigating different dimensions of women’s childbirth experiences and its predictors among postnatal women: findings from a cross sectional study

Background and aimsChildbirth experience is an event in a woman’s life with short- and long-term effects on her physical and mental health. This study aimed to investigate different dimensions of women’s childbirth experiences and its predictors.MethodsThis cross-sectional study was conducted on 430 postnatal women with vaginal delivery in 2021 in Northern Iran. Data were collected using the Iranian women’s childbirth experience questionnaire (IWCEQ) and demographic and pregnancy-related characteristics questionnaire. Principal component analysis using Amos 24 and backward multiple linear regression using SPSS 22 were employed to analyze the data.ResultsThe mean score of childbirth experiences was 48.48 ± 19.09% out of 100 (95% CI: 46.68–50.28). The Principal Component Analysis revealed that the preparation (β = 0.84), positive perception (β = 0.78), and fear dimensions (β= -0.72) were the most important dimensions of women’s childbirth experiences. Moreover, education (B = -7.14, p = 0.001), spouse’s education (B = 7.40, p = 0.001), history of previous childbirth (B = 4.88, p = 0.001), obstetric problems of previous childbirth (B = − 7.73, p = 0.038), mother’s preferred type of delivery (B = 9.34, p = 0.001), the simultaneous delivery of another baby in the delivery room (B = -3.39, p = 0.017), and birth weight (B = -5.79, p = 0.005) explained 40% of the variance of the childbirth experience score.ConclusionChildbirth experience is a unique experience that influenced by positive and negative issues. More studies to identify related factors to dimensions of childbirth experience may have some insights for developing national and local- level health policies and clinical protocols.

Husbands and wives: power, peril and female participation in a Ugandan coffee cooperative

PurposeFemale smallholder farmers in low-income countries face barriers to accessing capital and commodity markets. While agricultural cooperatives provide services that contribute to the income and productivity of small-scale producers, evidence of cooperatives' social and economic empowerment of female smallholders remains limited. We apply Sen's capability approach to female entrepreneurs' socioeconomic empowerment to examine whether women's participation in a coffee and microfinance cooperative from rural western Uganda benefits their social and economic position within their household. First, we study the relationship between women's cooperative participation and their household coffee sales and savings. Second, we investigate the link between women's cooperative participation and their intra-household decision-making and whether the inclusion of the husband in his wife's cooperative strengthens or lowers women's decision-making power.Design/methodology/approachWe carry out a case study of a hybrid coffee and microfinance cooperative that promotes social innovation through the integration and empowerment of female smallholders in rural Uganda. Using a cross-sectional survey of 411 married female cooperative members from 26 randomly selected self-help groups of Bukonzo Joint Cooperative and 196 female non-members from the identical area, employing propensity score matching, this paper investigates the benefits of women's participation in a coffee and microfinance cooperative in the Rwenzori Mountains of western Uganda. We present and discuss the results of our case study within an extensive literature on the role of institutions in collective action for women's empowerment.FindingsOur findings provide new empirical evidence on female smallholders' participation in mixed cooperatives. Our results indicate that women's participation in microfinance-producer cooperatives appears to be a conditional blessing: even though membership is linked to increased women's intra-household decision-making and raised household savings and income from coffee sales, a wife with a husband in the same cooperative self-help group is associated with diminished women's household decision-making power.Research limitations/implicationsThe focus of this study is on female coffee smallholders in an agricultural cooperative in rural western Uganda. In particular, we focus on a case study of one major coffee cooperative. Our cross-sectional survey does not allow us to infer causal interpretations. Also, the survey does not include variables that allow us to measure other dimensions of women's empowerment beyond decision-making over household expenditures and women's financial performance related to savings and income from coffee cultivation.Practical implicationsOur empirical results indicate that female smallholders' cooperative membership is associated with higher incomes and coffee sales. However, husband co-participation in their wives' cooperative group diminishes wives' decision-making, which suggests that including husbands and other family members in the same cooperative group may not be perceived as an attractive route to empowerment for female smallholders. For these reasons, an intervention that encourages the cooperation of both spouses and that is sensitive to context-specific gender inequalities, may be more successful at stimulating social change toward household gender equality than interventions that focus on women's autonomous spheres only.Originality/valueWhile the literature thus far has focused on microfinance's potential for women's empowerment, evidence on agricultural cooperatives' affecting women's social and economic position is limited. First, our findings provide novel empirical evidence on the empowering effects of women's participation in a self-help group-based coffee cooperative in rural Uganda. Second, our data allows us to explore the role of husbands' participation in their wives' cooperative and SGH. We embed our hypotheses and empirical results in a rich discussion of female entrepreneurship, microfinance and cooperative literature.

Women Empowerment in Sustainable Tourism Development in Tenganan Pegringsingan Tourism Village, Karangasem, Bali

This research was conducted with the aim of identifying the dimensions of empowerment, especially in the Tenganan Pegringsingan Tourism Village and to see the relationship between the dimensions of women's empowerment and the elements of sustainable tourism destination development according to Tourism and Creative Economy Ministerial Regulation Number 9 of 2021 concerning guidelines for developing sustainable tourism destinations. The exploratory factor analysis method was used to analyze the data that had been collected using a purposive sampling technique with a total of 140 samples. The results of the research show that 7 (seven) new dimensions have been formed that can describe women's empowerment in Tenganan Pegringsingan Village. The seven dimensions formed have fulfilled the elements that can support the realization of a sustainable tourism destination in the Tenganan Pegringsingan Tourism Village in accordance with the guidelines for developing sustainable tourism destinations.

Breaking up male‐dominated collusive arrangements: Women's representation in bureaucracy and corruption

AbstractWe investigate the impact of women's representation in bureaucracy on corruption. In this study, we demonstrate how women bureaucrats' experiences in male‐dominated workplaces contribute to curbing corruption. To do this, we investigate three dimensions of women's representation (average share, average rank, and hierarchical dispersion) in South Korean regional governments. Empirical evidence shows that the higher women bureaucrats are ranked, the more bureaucrats are disciplined against misbehaviors and the lower the corruption risks are in public procurement. The findings imply that having women bureaucrats at higher ranks reduces corruption risks because they disrupt male‐dominated collusive arrangements and abide by ethical standards to legitimize their leadership.

(026) LOWER SEXUAL FUNCTIONING AND, IN PARTICULAR, SEXUAL PAIN IS ASSOCIATED WITH MORE FREQUENT USE OF ALCOHOL AND RECREATIONAL SUBSTANCES WITH SEXUAL ACTIVITY IN YOUNG WOMEN

Abstract Introduction Research on the relationship between alcohol use and women’s sexual functioning has varied, with some studies showing that alcohol use increases self-reported sexual arousal and others showing alcohol-induced decreases in genital arousal (George, 2019). As such, expectancies tend to be self-fulfilling for subjective effects of alcohol, regardless of the physiological effects (Lee et al., 2014). Most research on sexual functioning and alcohol use has failed to look at the intentional use of alcohol to enhance sexual activity, despite the common use of recreation substances with sexual activity (sex-linked substance use, SLSU) in college age populations (Willis et al., 2021; Herbenick et al., 2018). One study found that while drinking was related to fewer problems with sexual function, SLSU was associated with lower sexual functioning for arousal, lubrication, orgasm, and satisfaction but not sexual pain (Witting et al., 2008). It has been proposed that women may engage in SLSU for different reasons such as to overcome inhibitions or to increase pleasure; however, it is unclear how these intentions are related to sexual dysfunction and relationship status. Objective To investigate how patterns of SLSU for different purposes are related to different dimensions of women’s sexual function. Methods We surveyed 701 women (mean age 20.42, SD = 2.55) in the Midwestern US. Participants reported their frequency of SLSU within the last month to “feel less sexually inhibited”, “increase your sexual desire or arousal” and “increase your sexual pleasure, or to make it easier to have an orgasm”. SLSU was measured as a total factor across the three intentions and as individual subfactors. Participants also completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI; Rosen et al., 2000) and demographic measures including relationship status. Using independent multivariate general linear models, we examined how subfactors of the FSFI, particularly pain, were related to frequency of SLSU. Results Our results indicate that among young adult women, higher use of SLSU broadly was associated with FSD as measured by the FSFI. Specifically, lower sexual functioning was associated with more frequent SLSU to feel less sexually inhibited and to increase sexual desire/arousal, but not SLSU to increase sexual pleasure/have an orgasm. Additionally, when considering relationship status, there was an interaction between SLSU and FSD such that women in a relationship without FSD reported the lowest SLSU compared to women in a relationship with FSD and compared to single women without FSD. Single women who did not meet criteria for FSD reported the highest levels of SLSU. When investigating subfactors of the FSFI and SLSU intentions, contrary to prior findings, women with more sexual pain reported more frequent SLSU to feel less sexually inhibited and to increase sexual pleasure/have an orgasm, but not to increase sexual desire/arousal. Conclusions Our results indicate that sexual functioning and in particular, sexual pain functioning, are related to frequency of SLSU. Further, our results suggest that both sexual function and relationship status interact in relation to SLSU. Clinically, these findings reinforce the value of discussing sexual pain and dysfunction alongside substance use intentions, particularly among young college aged women. Disclosure No.

Is it possible to broaden women's inclusive rights by improving their participation in the labor market? A new perspective at the global level

PurposeThe objectives of this study are twofold: (1) to investigate whether the increase in FLFP enriches women's inclusive rights (economic, social, and political), (2) whether the effect of FLFP on inclusive rights is different across different economics (developed vs developing).Design/methodology/approachThe study utilizes panel data encompassing 188 countries spanning the years 1981–2011. Discrete choice models, namely ordered probit and ordered logit, are employed, while also controlling for observable heterogeneity across countries, including factors such as inflation, income inequality, education, and human rights.FindingsWe find a positive association between FLFP and all aspects of women's rights (economic, social, and political). The results related to developed and underdeveloped countries are robust for women's political rights; however, the effect of FLFP on women's social and economic rights is insignificant for developing countries.Originality/valueThe need for continuous policy commitment to gender equality may be needed to bring about equality of inclusive rights (economic, social, and political rights) and to fulfill the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Therefore, the current study particularly adds value in existing research by investigating (empirically) the link between FLFP and different dimensions of women's inclusive rights.

Aortic dimensions in women with previous pre-eclampsia

BackgroundPre-eclampsia is a pregnancy related disorder associated with hypertension and vascular inflammation, factors that are also involved in the pathological pathway of aortic dilatation and aneurysm development. It is, however, unknown if younger women with previous pre-eclampsia have increased aortic dimensions. We tested the hypothesis that previous pre-eclampsia is associated with increased aortic dimensions in younger women. MethodsThe study was a cross-sectional cohort study of women with previous pre-eclampsia, aged 40–55, from the PRECIOUS population matched by age and parity with women from the general population. Using contrast-enhanced CT, aortic diameters were measured in the aortic root, ascending aorta, descending aorta, at the level of the diaphragm, suprarenal aorta, and infrarenal aorta. Results1355 women (684 with previous pre-eclampsia and 671 from the general population), with a mean (standard deviation) age of 46.9 (4.4) were included. The pre-eclampsia group had larger mean (standard deviation) aortic diameters (mm) in all measured segments from the ascending to the infrarenal aorta (ascending: 33.4 (4.0) vs. 31.4 (3.7), descending: 23.9 (2.1) vs. 23.3 (2.0), diaphragm: 20.8 (1.8) vs. 20.4 (1.8), suprarenal: 22.9 (1.9) vs. 22.0 (2.0), infrarenal: 19.3 (1.6) vs. 18.6 (1.7), p ​< ​0.001 for all, also after adjustment for age, height, parity, menopause, dyslipidemia, smoking and chronic hypertension. Guideline-defined ascending aortic aneurysms were found in 8 vs 2 women (p ​= ​0.12). ConclusionsWomen with previous pre-eclampsia have larger aortic dimensions compared with women from the general population. Pre-eclampsia was found to be an independent risk factor associated with a larger aortic diameter.

Multiple scripts, multiple institutions: Introducing complexity into the understanding of women’s empowerment

Partial enactment of women’s rights is at the crux of this analysis, which identifies factors associated with the adoption of some global women’s rights scripts but not others. Women who partially enact global principles are an important group, and focusing on them provides clues into when, where, and how institutionalized scripts are in competition. To explore this issue, Demographic and Health Survey data from 25 low- and middle-income countries across two time periods are used, with a focus on two dimensions of women’s empowerment: a woman’s household decision-making power and her attitudes toward intimate partner violence. Multinomial regressions reveal that exposure to global culture is associated with dual enactment of the two dimensions. Among partial adopters, enactment privileging physical integrity is mediated through local community institutions, including religions, whereas partial-enactment privileging decision making is associated with women’s household bargaining power.

Peran dan Kedudukan Perempuan Dalam Laskar Hizbullah Pada Masa Resolusi Jihad Sebagai Wawasan Sejarah Lokal

The Jihad Resolution period in Indonesia was an event where Muslims agreed to defend Indonesia's independence. At this time, almost all elements of society took part, including women. The role of women during the Jihad Resolution period included supporting Laskar Hezbollah. This role of women cannot be separated from women's organizations, mothers, wives, and other individuals. However, the role of women during this period is less discussed in history, especially through the dimensions of women's femininity itself. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to present the role of women in the perspective of struggle in general and women's historiography through the dimension of femininity. In examining this research, a historical qualitative research type with a historical or historiographic approach is used with data collection methods through interviews and literature studies. So that the results of the research show that women have a role in the front line through the perspective of the struggle at that time, and have a role in the back line through the dimensions of women's femininity that are set aside by the patriarchal culture at that time which views how the act of struggle should be. Women contributed directly or indirectly, consciously, or unconsciously participated in the struggle through the things they could and used to do. Things that women did that were seen as not important, but had a chain effect on Indonesia's independence. And how women's actions are synonymous with gentleness which becomes a strength for them to support fighters who need that side amid the chaos of war. Thus, the role of women became complex in times of war, not only on the front lines and rear lines but in society emotionally, socially, and morally.

Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, and Burkina Faso

There are multiple tools to measure women’s economic empowerment but limited information exists about their cross-cultural validity and reliability. This study assesses the psychometric properties of ten questions measuring two dimensions of women’s economic empowerment. It uses cross-sectional data from six low-and-middle-income settings: Kinshasa and Kongo Central (Demographic Republic of Congo), Kenya, Lagos and Kano (Nigeria), and Burkina Faso. The first dimension, household decision making, was proxied by women’s power to decide household purchases on large items, daily needs, medical treatment, and clothes. This dimension was valid and reliable in all settings. The second dimension, financial autonomy, was proxied by whether women had savings, knew where to obtain financial information, and had financial goals. This dimension was valid and reliable in Kenya, Lagos, and Kano. These findings can inform future surveys aiming to measure women’s economic empowerment. HIGHLIGHTS Given gaps in WEE measurement, this study aims to identify a set of items measuring dimensions of WEE that are consistent and reliable across cultures and over time. Specifically, the study seeks to measure women’s power in household decision making and financial autonomy that would be consistent across six settings in four African countries. By summarizing dimensions of WEE into seven questions, it supports efficiency of current and future population surveys measuring women’s empowerment. The findings for women’s household decision making are consistent across settings suggesting they can be generalized to other, similar contexts.

Armed conflict, insecurity, and attitudes toward women's and girls' reproductive autonomy in Nigeria

BackgroundArmed conflict and insecurity have been linked to deteriorations in reproductive health and rights globally. In Nigeria, armed violence has taken a significant toll on women's and girls' health and safety. However, knowledge is limited about how conflict shapes attitudes surrounding their ability to make autonomous decisions on relationships and childbearing. Drawing on a socioecological framework and terror management theory, we aimed to investigate the association between conflict, insecurity, and attitudes toward women's and girls' reproductive autonomy in Nigeria. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study using data from two sources: the World Values Survey (WVS) and the Uppsala Conflict Data Program-Georeferenced Event Dataset (UCDP-GED). Nationally representative data on attitudes of 559 men and 534 women was collected by WVS in 2017–2018. Linear probability models estimated the association between attitudes toward five dimensions of women and girl's reproductive autonomy (contraception, safe abortion, marital decision-making, delayed childbearing, early marriage), respondents' perceptions of neighborhood insecurity using WVS data, and geospatial measures of conflict exposure drawn from UCDP-GED. ResultsExposure to armed conflict and perceived neighborhood insecurity were associated with more supportive attitudes toward access to safe abortion among both men and women. Among women, conflict exposure was associated with higher support for contraception and the perception that early marriage can provide girls with security. Conflict-affected men were more likely to support a delay in girls’ childbearing. ConclusionOur findings suggest that conflict and insecurity pose a threat to, but also facilitate opportunities for, women's and girls' reproductive autonomy. Contraception, abortion, early marriage, and postponement or childbearing may be perceived as risk-aversion strategies in response to mortality threats, livelihood losses, and conflict-driven sexual violence. Our findings foreshadow changes in fertility and relationship patterns in conflict-affected Nigeria and highlight the need for health programming to ensure access to contraception and safe abortion services.

The Female Dimension in the novel "Perempuan Berkalung Turban" by Abidah El Khalieqy: A Study of Feminist Literary Theory

This research aims to describe the dimensions of women in the family aspect depicted in the novel "Perempuan Berkalung Turban" by Abidah El Khalieqy, using a feminist literary theory approach. The research method used is qualitative research, in which the data is analyzed descriptively based on the theory of Feminist Literature. The research results from the novel Perempuan Berkalung Turban illustrate that Mrs. Annisa is a wise person, a mother who loves her child, Nisa, who never gives up on learning to ride a horse. Nisa is a good woman. Nisa is a woman who likes to help. Nisa is a woman who loves her Lek. Nisa is an intelligent person. Nisa is a strong woman and an excellent mother to her child. Nisa is a patient woman. Nisa is a tough woman, and even though Samsudin treats her harshly, she remains patient and steadfast. Nisa is a woman with a soft heart. The implication of this research is to show that women's dimensions in the family aspect include social roles involving maturity, the role of wife, and the role of housewife. This opens up insight into the importance of more profound recognition and understanding of the roles and contributions of women in the family structure and society at large.

Foreign Aid and Corruption: Do Women Make the Difference?

AbstractThe longstanding debate on the effectiveness of foreign aid has largely concluded that corruption is one of the major reasons for the failure of aid to sustain development in recipient countries. This paper investigates whether greater involvement of women in recipient countries' political and economic life enhances the effectiveness of foreign aid by reducing the corruption that usually accompanies massive foreign aid. The hypothesis is tested by cross-country empirical analysis, addressing the potential endogeneity of aid and women’s participation using an IV approach. We provide robust and causal evidence that greater women’s political and labor market participation does reduce the corruption associated with foreign aid, especially when the aid targets sectors that enhance women’s well-being. Moreover, we find that while all the dimensions of women's social participation are effective in reducing corruption, the greatest effect derives from the political dimension.

Effect of Female board member on firm Performance: Evidence from Pakistan

This study examines the impact of women on boards as corporate governance on corporate performance, with a focus on evidence from Pakistan. The study used a sample of 100 non-financial corporations listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange, selected using a dedicated sampling methodology and covering the period from 2010 to 2019. The results of the survey shown that women board members have a significant impact on the company's performance, indicating that women have effective management skills in asset management and related activities. The literature unanimously supports the idea that the presence of women on boards of directors has a significant impact on company performance. The importance of this study lies in the fact that it explores the different dimensions of women on boards of directors as aspects of corporate governance, providing valuable insights into the decision-making process of investors. In particular, the study contributed to the literature by addressing gaps associated with emerging economies, particularly in Pakistan, as most existing research focuses on developing countries.

Changes in attachment dimensions during the treatment of acute post-traumatic stress disorder in sexually assaulted Brazilian women.

Attachment patterns are established during early childhood; however, extreme experiences throughout life may change this structure, either toward attachment security or insecurity. We analyzed changes in attachment dimensions in women with acute post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following sexual assault, that were randomized to a 14-week treatment with either the medication sertraline or Interpersonal Psychotherapy. Seventy-four adult women who presented significant reduction in PTSD symptoms across the trial responded to the Revised Adult Attachment Scale at baseline, on week 8 of treatment, and at the end of the trial, on week 14. We fitted a generalized linear model to explain the attachment anxiety and avoidance scores at baseline. A generalized linear mixed model investigated how attachment dimensions changed over time. Socioeconomic data, treatment type, history of childhood trauma, and PTSD severity over the 14-week period were the considered covariates. At baseline, attachment anxiety was associated with a history of early trauma. Attachment anxiety remained stable during the follow-up. Attachment avoidance, on the other hand, significantly increased from baseline to week 14. Higher avoidance was observed in patients with higher total PTSD scores and on the cluster of hyperarousal symptoms. Races other than White (black, mixed-race, or Asian) and younger age were associated with higher attachment avoidance. Contrary to our expectations, attachment avoidance increased during follow-up, indicating changes in the interpersonal realm beyond the symptoms of PTSD.

Influences of women empowerment indices on demand for childcare services: Evidence from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Surveys.

This study examined the effect of various dimensions of women's empowerment on childcare use in Nigeria, utilizing information from five rounds of the National Demographic and Health Surveys. The analysis made use of both binary and multinomial logistic regression. The findings show that women who share household choices with their spouses were more likely to undertake postnatal care for their babies in either private or public hospitals compared to self-medication/others/traditional. Also, women who owned houses and those who participate in economic activities are significantly more inclined to use postnatal services for babies in health facilities. By implication, women empowerment is a significant factor to consider in improving childcare services in Nigeria. This suggests that in order to improve the health of children, women's inputs in household decision-making should be accommodated, while efforts should be made to enhance household socioeconomic position, and support mothers to have formal education. The findings also suggest that promoting women's empowerment can play a crucial role in increasing the demand for formal childcare services.

The impact of sociodemographic factors and work-family conflict on the relationship between organizational support and women’s burnout

Women’s burnout affects not only the individuals suffering from this condition but also those around them and the organization they work for. This phenomenon spills over into their personal lives and increases the likelihood of work-family conflicts. Organizational, personal, and family circumstances can affect women’s burnout. This study aims to determine the influence of perceived organizational support on burnout at work while mediating work-family conflict and moderating sociodemographic factors such as age, romantic relationship status, and number of children. The quantitative study involved 404 employed women aged 18 to 64. A structured questionnaire was distributed via social media or e-mail targeting employed women in Lithuania’s public and private sectors. IBM SPSS and a special PROCESS macro were applied to perform a mediation-moderation analysis. The study showed that the direct effect of perceived organizational support is greater than the indirect effect in mediating work-family conflicts. This is true in the case of both general burnout and its separate components. The significant moderating effect of age revealed that younger women aged 18 to 34 experience more burnout than older women. The number of children demonstrated a significant moderating effect between perceived organizational support and burnout and its dimensions for women with two or more kids. No moderating effect of romantic relationship status on the interconnection between perceived organizational support and women’s overall burnout or its individual dimensions was found.

Dimensions of women’s mobility, livelihoods and vulnerability in artisanal and small-scale mining-induced local economy

Dominant artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) narratives highlight the invisibility of women’s livelihoods and gendered struggles in the sector. Indeed, livelihood practices in ASM, how daily mobilities facilitate these practices and the specific vulnerabilities women face are still understudied and undertheorised. Drawing on qualitative research in Prestea-Bondaye mining area (PBMA), Ghana, we explore the livelihood dimensions, forms of mobility and vulnerabilities of women in ASM from an open rural economy perspective where ASM serves as a centrifugal force that pulls or drives the emergence and sustenance of both farm and other off-farm livelihood activities. Our findings highlight two forms of mobility (i.e. outside the mining communities to ASM spaces, and to/within the mining communities) that are tied to different livelihood practices and vulnerabilities. From our inquiry, women build livelihoods in an ASM-induced local economy in three different forms: permanent, temporary, and indirect. The indirect livelihoods women build in an ASM-induced local economy include: 1) ‘san ban ho’ (side-work livelihood based on credit conditions), 2) petty-trading in ASM spaces, 3) home-based trading, 4) market-day trading, 5) commuting trading, and 6) underground pit ‘ghetto’ sponsorship. The findings show that while daily mobility shape the viability of livelihood-building efforts in an ASM-induced local economy, in most cases women experience different social and economic vulnerabilities that impact their health and livelihood benefits. Implications of our findings for policy and practice are further discussed.

Perceived 'Glass Ceiling' Dimensions of Women's Career Advancement at Higher Education Institutions: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Over the last few decades, the Indian higher education sector is witnessing a significant rise in the number of women in faculty positions. However, their career progression in the academic hierarchy appears to be slow. They tend to remain concentrated toward entry-level positions. The present study aims to identify the perceived 'Glass Ceiling' barriers hindering the career advancement of women faculty members at higher education institutions (HEIs). Secondly, this study attempts to find the impact of perceived 'Glass Ceiling' barriers on the career advancement of women faculty members at HEIs. Using a purposive sampling method, responses from 252 women faculty members designated as assistant professors, associate professors, and professors at HEIs of Jaipur City (Rajasthan, India) were collected through a structured questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis has been applied to identify the 'Glass Ceiling' barriers, followed by a structural equation model using AMOS to study the impact of the barriers on career advancement. The findings of the study exhibit barriers recognized as gender stereotypes, attitudinal aversions, family and organizational factors which create a 'glass ceiling' effect for women and restrict them to rise in their career progression. The identification of multiple barriers offers a substantial contribution to the policymakers of Indian HEIs.

Comparative characteristics of uterine size in the frst period of adulthood and old age according to ultrasound examination

The aim of the study was to carry out a comparative analysis of the linear size of the uterus in women during the frst period of adulthood and old age according to ultrasound examination data. Material and methods. The study was based on the results of ultrasound examination of 53 women with normal pelvic dimensions who were examined at the gynecology department of the Perm Krai Clinical Hospital during the period from 2021 to 2022. All the women consented to the examination, which was performed according to the indications in order to exclude probable pathology of the reproductive system. The ultrasound examination consisted of measuring the longitudinal (length), transverse (width) and anteroposterior (thickness) dimensions of the uterus using transvaginal access. Women were divided into two groups: the frst group consisted of 27 subjects of the frst period of mature age (22 to 35 years), the second group included 26 subjects of advanced age (75 to 88 years). Results. When comparing the indicators of uterine size, their statistically signifcant decrease from the frst period of adulthood to old age: uterine length decreased by 54.5 % (p &lt; 0.001), width – by 57.8 % (p &lt; 0.001), thickness – by 67.8 % (p &lt; 0.001). We believe that this pattern can be substantiated by the onset of postmenopause and a decrease in estrogenic hormone content from reproductive age to senile age. Conclusions. The obtained results of the intravital comparative analysis of the uterus linear dimensions in women of the frst period of adulthood and old age expand the scientifc ideas about age-related features of this organ of the reproductive system, are the basis for further research and can be used by physicians of clinical specialties such as gynecology, gerontology, ultrasound diagnostics.