Directions For Women Research Articles

Guest editorial: From intent to action: new directions in women and leadership research

Guest editorial: From intent to action: new directions in women and leadership research

Symposium 02: Current Directions in Women’s Neuropsychology Research

Summary Abstract:A longstanding trend of underrepresentation of women in pre-clinical and clinical research limits our understanding of women’s issues across several scientific fields, including neuropsychology and related disciplines. Highlighting this trend is the fact that only 2-6% of studies across major neuroscience journals over the last decade were conducted exclusively in women/females. This pattern of research limits our understanding of how women’s unique physiological, hormonal, psychiatric, and psychosocial presentations contribute to their brain health. Inclusion efforts aimed at increasing the study of more diverse populations have resulted in a nascent understanding of sex differences across several neuropsychological conditions, with implications for identification, prevention, and intervention efforts unique to women.In this seminar, we highlight current efforts by neuropsychologists to expand research of women in order to enhance our understanding and clinical care of this population. Of note, we use the standardized term “women” to describe a biological category (females) and/or a self-identified gender trait, which varies depending on the scope of the research and data availability. We highlight five lines of women’s-focused research spanning epilepsy/seizure disorders, traumatic brain injury (TBI), Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and neurotoxicant exposure. In Dr. Sullivan-Baca’s presentation, ongoing lines of research into the clinical presentations of women with epilepsy are discussed. Findings highlight substantial psychiatric burden and unique medical factors to consider in women within this population. Dr. Jak’s presentation expands on concussion outcomes in women using the national FITBIR database and highlights a sex difference in postconcussive outcomes, with increased cognitive and somatic symptoms in women compared to men. Dr. Rapport and colleagues focus on the experience of menopause after TBI and discuss validation of a menopause symptom survey for TBI survivors. Dr. Sundermann’s presentation covers findings on women’s unique preclinical Alzheimer’s Disease trajectories. Dr. Krengel focuses on health trajectories for women Veterans exposed to neurotoxicants during the Gulf War and underlines sex differences in neuropsychological test performance. Through these presentations, our goal is both to inform and to inspire. Overall, we seek to orient members of our field to current directions in women’s research so they can better understand how women are differentially affected by neurological conditions. Clinically, we hope this knowledge will encourage neuropsychologists to understand how their women patients’ unique experiences of sex and gender contribute to their brain health. For researchers, we hope that attending this symposium will encourage pursuit of women’s-focused lines of inquiry. Furthermore, we hope to inspire training institutions to integrate this type of research more systematically into graduate student didactics and training, particularly for those students in neuropsychology-focused training.

Abstracts of the 12th International Charité Mayo Conference on "Global Perspectives and Future Directions in Women's Cancer".

Abstracts of the 12th International Charité Mayo Conference on "Global Perspectives and Future Directions in Women's Cancer".

Споры относительно допуска женщин к диаконскому служению в Церкви Англии

In the history of the Anglican Church the top-ranked issue of the second half of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century was disputes on women’s priesthood. As a result of these debates, the Anglican Church began to ordain women as deacons, then as priests, and finally as bishops. In Orthodox view, it was the radical change of the doctrine and the deviation from the apostolic tradition, though at the beginning of the 20th century the Anglican Church was considered as one of the closest churches to Orthodoxy. The first critical step in the direction of women’s priesthood was the opening the diaconate to women. Both in Russian and Western theological science little attention has been devoted to the analysis of this first step, since historically the hottest theological discussion was on the issue of women’s priesthood and women’s episcopate. However, the decision on women’s diaconate was very important since it actually opened the way for all subsequent decisions on women’s priesthood in the Anglican Church. This article offers an analysis of the historical processes and theological discussions that brought the Church of England to the appearance of deaconesses and then women deacons. The article considers the revival of sisterhoods and monastic communities in the Church of England in the middle of the 19th century, the initiative to revive the rank of deaconesses in 1862 and subsequent official decision of the 1920 Lambeth Conference, as well as the relevant reports of the Commissions of 1897, 1908, 1919 and 1935. Then we analyze the discussions about the functions of the deaconess, as well as additional factors that influenced the decision to allow women to be ordained as deacons. One of these factors was the general crisis of the diaconal ministry and the desire to strengthen the role of the laity in the life of the Anglican Church. As a result, the 1968 Lambeth Conference opened diaconate to all laymen remaining in secular occupations (both men and women). The Church of England turned out to be one of the most conservative churches in the Anglican Communion – it introduced women's diaconate almost 20 years later, in 1987. Conservative groups were concerned that this decision would put the Church of England on a "slippery slope" towards women's priesthood and women's episcopate. Subsequent history proved that these fears were completely justified.

WOMEN IN OLYMPICS

The adverse topic of women in sports stems from society's disregard to viewing women as persons. Women were, and in other parts of the world continue to be viewed as property of men and have no significant role in society. Being allowed into the Olympics was a step in the right direction for women across the world, but it was meager attempt equality. Women were still restricted by what events they were allowed to compete in, how they were trained and coached and even limited as to what they could wear. This article will evolve around the subject of female integration and participation in athletics in the Olympic Games, analyzing the initial difficulties they encountered, the role played by sports institutions as well as international federations and the Olympic International Committee.

The textual terrain: developments and directions in women's writing, 1500–1700

AbstractThis article assesses our much-expanded view of the texts produced by early modern women in Ireland, surveying what is available to present-day researchers and considering emerging methodologies for the analysis of early modern female voices. The range of genres with which we now know early modern women engaged owes much to feminist literary historians’ capacious approach to defining literature, expanding beyond traditionally elite genres (drama, poetry, fiction) to encompass writing in all its forms. Thus, the present corpus includes letters and petitions, life writing, devotional prose, legal depositions, as well as all kinds of verse and song, in multiple languages. Moreover, where the primary evidence in Ireland sometimes seems sparse, international perspectives have illuminated the currents of women's writing. Interpretative paradigms from other fields — book history and the history of reading, culinary and medical history, network analysis — are being applied to yield fresh insights about this material. The question of how early modern Ireland was experienced by women has been explored in studies that address such texts as articulations of subjectivity, in the light of the history of emotions. The wide range of situations and genres of women's writing in early modern Ireland is now firmly evident, inspiring a host of new approaches.

Women's Life Experiences and Shifting Reports of Pregnancy Planning.

Unplanned pregnancy is associated with adverse consequences for women. Yet, these associations are typically based on women's reports of pregnancy planning provided post birth. Therefore, women's recollection of their pregnancy planning may be influenced by their adverse life circumstances following the pregnancy, artificially driving these associations. To understand how post-birth experiences pattern women's recall of their pregnancy planning, we conducted 17 in-depth interviews with young women (24-34 years old) enrolled in a longitudinal study in southern Malawi. Respondents who were pregnant at the time of data collection in 2015 answered close-ended questions about the planning of their pregnancy. During in-depth interviews three years later, women discussed their life experiences since the pregnancy and were re-asked a subset of the same questions about the planning of the 2015 pregnancy. We thematically coded respondents' narratives about their relationships, parenting, and economic situations in the three years following their pregnancy and mapped these onto changes in women's pre- and post-birth reports of their pregnancy planning. More than one-half of respondents recalled their pregnancy planning differently than they did pre-birth-some as more planned, others as less planned. The presence and direction of women's changing reports were patterned by the quality of their relationship with the child's father, the father's involvement as a partner and parent, and their economic situation. Women's life experiences following a birth correspond with changes in their pregnancy planning reports, emphasizing the limitations of using retrospective measures to study the consequences of unplanned fertility.

Lipid peroxidation biomarkers associated with height and obesity measures in the opposite direction in women.

This study aimed to investigate whether and how lipid peroxidation markers are associated with height and obesity measures. In two independent samples of women (Study 1: n = 1,005; Study 2: n=1,158), systemic levels of lipid peroxidation were assessed by urinary markers F2 -isoprostanes (F2 -IsoPs) and its major metabolite (F2 -IsoP-M), with gas chromatography/negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry assays. Anthropometric parameters were directly measured and genetically estimated, and they were used in the primary analysis and in a Mendelian randomization analysis in relation to lipid peroxidation, respectively, with general linear models. After adjusting for potential confounders, it was found that measured adult height was inversely associated with levels of F2 -IsoPs (β = -0.89, p < 0.001) and F2 -IsoP-M (β = -0.71, p = 0.003), whereas obesity measures were positively associated with F2 -IsoP-M (β = 1.81, p < 0.001 for BMI; and β = 0.77, p < 0.001 for waist circumference). Results were consistent between the two study samples. The opposite associations were further replicated when using genetically determined measures of height and obesity in the Mendelian randomization analysis. Moreover, analyses mutually adjusted for height and obesity measures suggested that these associations were independent of one another. This study, for the first time, to our knowledge, reveals that a shared biological process (lipid peroxidation) is associated with both height and obesity measures but in the opposite direction.

Історіографічний аспект дослідження ролі жінок – учасниць державотворення періоду Української революції

The article examines the state of research on the role of women as participants in the state-forming process of the period of the Ukrainian Revolution, covering the period of 1917–1921. The main works of researchers of the Soviet period, independent Ukraine and the work of authors of the diaspora are outlined. The article analyzes which global and domestic processes influenced one or another type of research. The demands of the time require a deeper consideration of the aspects of interaction between women and political institutions. For a long time in the domestic historical science, this issue has been ignored by historians because of ideological reasons. Isolated attempts to appeal to the participation of women in the events of 1917–1921 were also observed in Soviet times, but this was covered only from the position of communist ideology. Diaspora scholars approached such topics more unbiased, although they did not have a complete documentary base. It should be noted that in modern historical science there is an intensification of research in the direction of women’s studios. Only during the independence of Ukraine, through the prism of numerous sources and documents, a more objective and impartial study of both the era of the Ukrainian Revolution and its aspect such as the role of women in that process it became possible. Based on the analysis of historiography on this topic, a conclusion is made about the state and prospects of research on the role of women in the events of this time.

New directions in Women, Peace and Security

New directions in Women, Peace and Security

Looking Like a Million Dollars: Does Attractiveness Priming Increase Altruistic Behavior in Experimental Games?

The emergence of altruistic behavior constitutes one of the most widely studied problems in evolutionary biology and behavioral science. Multiple explanations have been proposed, most importantly including kin selection, reciprocity, and costly signaling in sexual selection. In order to test the latter, this study investigated whether people behave more altruistically when primed by photographs of attractive faces and whether more or less altruistic people differ in the number of sexual and romantic partners. Participants in the general population (N = 158, 84 F, 74 M) first rated the attractiveness of photographs of 20 faces of the opposite (sexually preferred) sex and then played the Dictator and Ultimatum Games (DG and UG). The photograph rating acted as priming; half the participants received photographs of people rated as more attractive than average in an earlier study, and the other half received photographs previously rated as less attractive. The attractiveness-primed participants, especially men, were expected to behave more altruistically—signaling that they are desirable, resource-possessing partners. We also expected altruists to self-report more sexual and romantic partners. The observed difference between altruistic behaviors in the attractiveness- and unattractiveness-primed groups occurred in UG offers, however, in the opposite than expected direction in women. The number of sexual partners was positively correlated to minimum acceptable offers (MAOs) in the UG, in line with expectations based on the theory of costly signaling.

ATTITUDES TOWARDS WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

Globally, in the last four decades, the number of women in the job market has increased significantly. More women are entering into positions of managers and leaders. However, despite the laws in many countries aimed on advancing women to the top positions of the companies, the "glass ceiling" phenomenon still continues. Research in the direction of women in leadership positions shows a series of challenges that women face during the process of advancing into higher positions. Research on the attitudes towards a woman as manager shows that male subordinates have negative attitudes and stereotypes towards a woman leader and that successful leaders and managers are still imagined as men. Stereotypes are even more pronounced in patriarchal and traditional societies. As a result, because of these attitudes and prejudices women face obstacles in dealing with their male counterparts, which contributes to being perceived as being less effective in the role of a leader. The aim of this research is to see the differences between men and women in the Republic of Macedonia in attitudes toward a woman manager. The results taken from ae survey showed that there are differences in attitudes towards a woman manager between men and women, where women are somewhat positive, while men are neutral. What is worth noting is that the attitude of the women themselves towards the manager is not completely positive.

Analysis of menstrual and reproductive function in women with infertility and varicose gonadic veins

The problem of reproductive health in Ukraine over the last decade has become very important. The greatest clinical interest is infertility, which is accompanied by a violation of the ovulatory function of the ovaries due to hypothalamic-pituitary-ovarian failure. Sustained anovulation for a long time, as well as the lack of adequate correction of menstrual disorders, lead to the development of endocrine-dependent gynecological diseases, the manifestation of which is primary or secondary infertility. Increased flow of venous blood through the ovarian veins is accompanied by phlebostasis and phlebohypertension in the venous sector of the internal genital organs. Increasing the viscosity and rheological properties of blood that occurs at the same time leads to a deterioration of transcapillary metabolism and transport of oxygen to tissues. In the ischemic ovary, degenerative changes in the follicular apparatus, yellow bodies, followed by spreading to all the ovarian structural elements, which leads to its atrophy and reduced functional properties. Considering the importance of venous blood flow in the development of hormonal imbalance as a result of a violation of the endocrine function of the ovaries, the purpose of our study was to assess the menstrual and reproductive function of infertile women against the background of varicose veins. The reproductive function of women with infertility and varicose changes in ovarian veins is represented by a significant percentage of unauthorized miscarriages (41.9%) in the period of pregnancy after 6 weeks (30.6%). In patients with varicose veins in the ovaries, there was a tendency to increase the duration of infertility compared with patients without varicose dilatation of ovarian veins, which may indirectly indicate more significant functional and structural changes in the reproductive organs. In women, both the primary and the comparator groups are predominantly the late and early menarche, but the rates in groups differ slightly in their direction in women with infertility and varicose veins in the ovaries, although they do not reach statistically significant values. The menstrual function of women in the main group is characterized by a regular menstrual cycle (77.5%), regular duration (43.6%) with excessive blood loss during menstruation (54.8%) and a duration of more than 6 days (50.1%) with acyclic uterine bleeding (37.1%), dysmenorrhea (56.4%) and premenstrual disorders (51.6%), which significantly impairs the quality of life of women. At the same time, the violation of the menstrual cycle in the form of its shortening of 16,1% and acyclic uterine bleeding — 6,5%, was gradually increasing with age and was statistically significant against women from the comparison group. Conclusion in the analysis of clinical characteristics, the more significant percentage of changes in the menstrual cycle, reproductive function in women with functional infertility and varicose veins of the ovary compared with patients with infertility without structural changes in ovarian veins indicates the significant importance of venous hemodynamics in the functional properties of the ovary.

Gender Diversity and Ownership Structure of Malaysian Firms in the Real Estate Sector

This study aims to examine the relationship between gender diversity and real estate companies’ performance in Malaysia, whereby in 1985, the Government of Malaysia formulated a National Policy on Women as a guide for women’s participation. Panel data analysis was used to examine the gender diversity and real estates’ performance in an unbalanced panel of 549 observations for the years 2012-2015. The authors utilised an agency theory to inform the discussion of this paper’s findings. This study finds that the woman directors in the real estate companies are dominated by family-companies. The existence of block holders enhances the firm governance by monitoring the board activities which in turn increase their effectiveness and efficiency that lead to a higher firm performance. Both the managerial ownership and the institutional investors are significant in determining the firm’s performance. The reason may be due to higher ownership controlled by managerial and investor which makes them have a say in a company and try to pursue their objectives rather than the stakeholders’ interests. The findings have contributed to the body of knowledge especially on the women participation in Malaysia, and their contributions. Gender diversity does not destroy the firm performance; in fact, Malaysian companies should focus on the right combination of men and women on the board, rather than the presence of at least a woman on a board of directors. The findings outlay the scenario of women’s involvement in the real estate companies in Malaysia. There is a positive direction for women’s involvement in the board, but it is still a long way to go. Very limited studies delved on gender diversity and real estate companies in Malaysia, even though there is a policy by the Government on women involvement in Malaysia.

Relationship transitions and change in health behavior: A four-phase, twelve-year longitudinal study

RationaleExtensive scientific evidence shows an association between involvement in social relationships and healthy lifestyle. Prospective studies with many participants and long follow-ups are needed to study the dynamics and change in social factors within individuals over time. ObjectiveOur aim was to determine whether a change in relationship status (single, married, divorced, widow, cohabiting) is followed by a change in health behavior (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and body mass index). MethodsWe used data from 81,925 healthy adults participating in the prospective longitudinal Finnish Public Sector Study in the period 2000–2013. We analyzed 327,700 person-observations from four data collection phases. Missing data were multiply imputed. A within-individual methodology was used to minimize the possibility of selection effects affecting the interpretation. ResultsAll four health behaviors showed associations with relationship status. The effects were very similar and in the same direction in women and men, although there were gender differences in the magnitudes of the effects. The end of a relationship was followed by a decrease in body mass index, increased odds of being a smoker, increase in physical activity, and increase in alcohol consumption (widowed men). The effects were reverse when forming a new relationship. ConclusionA change in relationship status is associated with a change in health behavior. The association is not explained by socioeconomic status, subjective health status, or anxiety level. People leaving or losing a relationship are at increased risk of unhealthy behavior (smoking and alcohol consumption), but at the same time they have a lower BMI and show higher physical activity compared to the time they were in a relationship. It is not clear if the cumulative health effect of these health behavior changes is positive or negative.

Perempuan dan Karir

Woman is a figure who often get second class predicate, because deemed not have ability as men. Women are deemed incompetent in their career because of their basic nature. While career is the right of every individual is no exception women, and this does not violate the principle of the creation of women. The direction of women's career development should be tailored to the nature and character of women who are known to be feminine. One of the career development and decision-making efforts is through a career counseling service with Trait and Factor approach carried by Frank Parson. This effort is done so that women can still work in accordance with the nature and nature of the basic that has, so it can complement the role of men.

Food insecurity and homelessness in the Journeys Home survey

Homelessness not only deprives people of comfort, safety, and dignity but may also cause other problems, including food insecurity. This study uses data from the Journeys Home survey, a large national longitudinal survey of disadvantaged Australians who were homeless or at risk of homelessness, to estimate multivariate behavioural Rasch models of the association between homelessness and food insecurity. The Journeys Home survey includes an extensive set of measures of people's circumstances that we include in our models. We also estimate dummy endogenous variable specifications. All our specifications indicate that homelessness is associated with higher (worse) food insecurity for men. We find unconditional associations in the same direction for women, but these become statistically insignificant when we include extensive sets of observed controls in our models or estimate dummy endogenous variable specifications. Finally, we investigate how homelessness is related to food consumption, meal consumption, and food expenditures. Food expenditures are negatively associated with homelessness for men in all our specifications; however, the other food outcomes for men and women do not show consistent, statistically significant associations.

Possible ways of decline of infantile death rate are in the separate regions of Russian Federation

This article considers the level of infant mortality - one of the most important criterion of “demographic prosperity “in the state. Here is brief historical characterization of demographic processes since the end of 20th century till the present in Russia. Nowadays, the level of infant mortality in Russia much higher than in most European countries. Information about the factors that affect the level of infant mortality and which ones can be controlled will help to understand why infant mortality levels are so different in Russia, European countries and USA for example. First factor is direct causes of infant mortality, the second one is medical care system responsible for pregnant women and children. Today causes of neonatal mortality and ways of eliminating these causes are analyzed. Countries with low level of infant mortality have a successful three-tier model of perinatal care. Russia is also undergoing modernization care system for children and pregnant women and the transition to a three-tier system of assistance. The main objective of the three-tier system is the direction of women in high-risk groups in the establishment of the level that has the capacity to provide them with necessary assistance. Three-tier system in different regions of Russia have different features so we have various coefficients of infant mortality. Some regions have high rates; some ones have similar level to the European countries. Such differences lead to the conclusion that we need to develop regional patterns of medical care which will take into account the specificities of each region.

‘A Glass Half Full’? Women's history in the UK

ABSTRACTThis article offers an overview of the development of women's history in the UK over the last twenty years or so. It is noted that over this period women's history has expanded massively, an expansion that has cut across national boundaries and drawn in scholars from other disciplines than History. Eight themes in women's history are identified as being prominent during this time—a focus on the modern period (post 1780), a strong empirical bent, a questioning of the dominance of a separate spheres discourse, a ‘spatial turn', an interest in life stories and biographies, an interest in the women's suffrage movement, a ‘religious turn’ and a ‘transnational turn’. Lastly, consideration is given to the influence of the digital revolution on the development and direction of women's history.

Stepping Through the Looking Glass: the Future for Women in Sport

Although the opportunities for women in sport in the USA have grown exponentially since Title IX became a law, there are areas of significant loss and persistent stalls in women’s advancement in sport as the papers in this issue further discuss. Our title, Stepping Through the Looking Glass, suggests that we need to go beyond conventional discussions of female athletes and uncover new directions for women in sport and physical activity in countries around the world. Only then can we discover the future for women’s sport. The papers in this special issue presented a variety of topics including nine papers that address gender issues in sport, microaggessions that take place in sport for women, the media’s role in reporting the status of sport for women and sexual identity in sport.