Gap In Women Research Articles

Which women win? Partisan changes in victory patterns in US House Elections

ABSTRACT A long line of research has shown that “when women run, they win,” but we know little about which women win. Based on a new dataset of US House candidates, this article examines partisan victory patterns among female candidates from 1980 to 2012. The relationship between party and election outcomes changes over time, yet Republican women face a much more difficult electoral environment than Democratic women. In addition, the electoral situation of Republican women has worsened in recent years, whereas that of Democratic women has improved. Democratic women candidates now dramatically outnumber Republican women candidates, and prospects for gender parity are further hindered by the dearth of Republican women who run. The partisan gap in women’s representation is likely to persist in light of the multiple ways in which Republican women are disadvantaged compared to Democratic women.

Patterns of Inter-Level Gender Gaps in Women’s Descriptive Representation

It is often assumed that women’s descriptive representation is higher at the local level than at the state or federal level. However, recent studies challenge this perceived pattern. Therefore, several alternative patterns of inter-level gender gaps in female representation across political levels are systematically introduced. Zooming in on the state-local gender gap, a number of explanations as to why such a gender gap can emerge are hypothesized. And the case of the U.S. is used to illustrate how women sometimes fare relatively better at state than local election.

Assessment of Dietary Intake and Nutrient Gaps, and Development of Food-Based Recommendations, among Pregnant and Lactating Women in Zinder, Niger: An Optifood Linear Programming Analysis.

Pregnant and lactating women in rural Niger are at high risk for inadequate intakes of multiple micronutrients. Thus, 24 h dietary recalls were conducted and analyzed for dietary intakes in this population (n = 202). Using linear programming analyses, micronutrient gaps in women’s diets were identified, food-based recommendations (FBR) to improve dietary micronutrient adequacy were developed, and various supplementation strategies were modelled. Energy intakes were below estimated requirements, and, for most micronutrients, >50% of women were at risk of inadequate intakes. Linear programming analyses indicated it would be difficult to select a diet that achieved recommended dietary allowances for all but three (vitamin B6, iron and zinc) of 11 modeled micronutrients. Consumption of one additional meal per day, and adherence to the selected FBR (daily consumption of dark green leafy vegetables, fermented milk, millet, pulses, and vitamin A fortified oil), would result in a low percentage of women at risk of inadequate intakes for eight modeled micronutrients (vitamin A, riboflavin, thiamin, B6, folate, iron, zinc, and calcium). Because the promotion of realistic FBRs likely will not ensure that a low percentage of women are at risk of inadequate intakes for all modeled micronutrients, multiple micronutrient supplementation or provision of nutrient-dense foods should be prioritized.

Birth Spacing and Family Planning: Implementation of enhanced education and training for Community Health Coaches


 Background: Indiana is ranked 43/50 for infant mortality in America. WeCare employs lay Community Health Coaches (CHCs) to promote positive behavioral changes in pregnant, postpartum and women of child-bearing age living in low-income, high-risk communities in order to reduce the risk of infant mortality. Infant mortality can be reduced in communities where birth spacing and family planning education are available. 
 Project Methods: The goal was to address the knowledge gaps in patient handouts and CHC training regarding birth spacing and family planning. Through extensive literature searches, case conferences with CHCs, and review of current training materials, five gaps in training were identified: (1) comprehensive knowledge of rapid repeat pregnancies (2) resources regarding contraceptive methods (3) contraceptive counseling in the antenatal and postpartum periods (4) joint decision-making models and (5) father involvement in family planning. 
 Results: With comprehensive literature reviews and collaboration with fellow WeCare members, the gaps in training were appropriately filled. The WeCare training manual for CHCs is updated with information regarding birth spacing and family planning, as well as with counseling techniques for contraceptive method decision-making. A gap in existing literature regarding father involvement in family planning was identified. 
 Conclusion and Potential Impact: By enhancing CHC education on birth spacing, family planning, and counseling techniques, we may begin to close the knowledge gap for women in low-income, high-risk populations. This has the potential to reduce the rate of rapid repeat pregnancies and unintended pregnancies. We have also opened a new avenue of research about father involvement in family planning in the US.

Quality of perinatal depression care in primary care setting in Nigeria

BackgroundEven though integrating mental health into maternal and child health (MCH) is widely accepted as a means of closing the treatment gap for maternal mental health conditions in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), there are not many studies on the quality of the currently available mental health care for mothers in these countries. This study assessed the existing organization of service for maternal mental health, the actual care delivered for perinatal depression, as well as the quality of the care received by affected women presenting to primary care clinics in Ibadan, Nigeria.MethodsThe Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) tool was administered to the staff in 23 primary maternal care clinics and key informant interviews were conducted with 20 facility managers to explore organizational and administrative features relevant to the delivery of maternal mental health care in the facilities. Detection rate of perinatal depression by maternal care providers was assessed by determining the proportion of depressed antenatal women identified by the providers. The women were then followed up from the antenatal period up until 6 months after childbirth to track their experience with care received.ResultsAll the facilities had ACIC domain scores indicating poor capacity to offer quality chronic care. Emerging themes from the interviews included severe manpower shortage and absence of administrative and clinical support for manpower training and care provision. Only 31 of the 218 depressed women had been identified by the maternal care providers as having a psychological problem throughout the follow-up period. In spite of the objective evidence of inadequate care, most of the perinatal women rated the service provided in the facilities as being of good quality (96%) and reported being satisfied with the care received (98%).ConclusionThere are major inadequacies in the organisational and administrative profile of these primary maternal care facilities that militate against the provision of quality chronic care. These inadequacies translate to a large treatment gap for women with perinatal depression. Lack of awareness by service users of what constitutes good quality care, indicative of low service expectation, may hamper user-driven demand for quality improvement.

Can’t Buy Them Love: How Party Culture among Donors Contributes to the Party Gap in Women’s Representation

Why do Democratic women seek and hold office more frequently than Republican women? We use an original survey of donors to party campaign committees and women’s political action committees to answe...

Postnatal cardiovascular risk after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (preeclampsia and gestational hypertension): Narrowing the knowledge gap for women and healthcare providers by applying tailored education

Postnatal cardiovascular risk after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (preeclampsia and gestational hypertension): Narrowing the knowledge gap for women and healthcare providers by applying tailored education

Public Debatable Position of Woman as Witnesses in Marriage: The Perspective of Islamic and Constitutional Laws

Position of women as witnesses in Islamic marriage procession is still debated till now. In Indonesian Muslim community, there are two contradictive ideas appeared; first, women have not been allowed to be witnesses not only in marriage process, but also in the divorce, and hudud; second, women could be the witnesses, as long as the number of double and accompanied by a man. This research compares the position of women as a marriage witnesses in the perspective of Islamic and Constitutional Laws. A normative legal method was applied in this Comparative Research. Data found showed that there was no gap for women to be witnesses in a marriage. As stated in the 25 th article of the Compilation of Islamic Law (CIL) of Indonesia which designates as the witnesses in the marriage ceremony are males. They are Muslim who are fair, adults (Aqeel/ baligh), uninterrupted memory and not deaf or hard of hearing. Therefore, this research recommends to renew the CIL, because in 25 th article of CIL provides an opportunity for women to be marriage witnesses. It is expected to President and law makers in Indonesia should consider for Judicial Review of CIL.

\u2018I didn\u2019t think you were allowed that, they didn\u2019t mention that.\u2019 A qualitative study exploring women\u2019s perceptions of home birth

BackgroundEvidence suggests that home birth is as safe as hospital birth for low risk multiparous women, and is associated with reduced intervention rates and increased rates of normal birth. However the home birth rate in the UK is low, and few women choose this option. The aims of this study were to identify what influences multiparous women’s choice of birth place, and to explore their views of home birth.MethodsFive focus groups were conducted with multiparous women (n = 28) attending mother and baby groups in a city in the UK with a diverse multi-ethnic population. Data were analysed thematically using the Framework Method, combining deductive and inductive approaches to the data.ResultsSeveral themes were developed from the data, these were: the expectation that birth would take place in an Obstetric Unit; perceptions of birth as a ‘natural’ event; lack of knowledge of what home birth looked like; and a lack of confidence in the reliability of the maternity service. Two themes emerged regarding the influences on women’s choices: clear information provision, particularly for those from ethnic minority groups, and the role of health care professionals. A final theme concerned women’s responses to the offer of choice.ConclusionsThere are gaps in women’s knowledge about the reality and practicalities of giving birth at home that have not been previously identified. Other findings are consistent with existing evidence, suggesting that many women still do not receive consistent, comprehensive information about home birth. The findings from this research can be used to develop approaches to meet women’s information and support needs, and facilitate genuine choice of place of birth.

Does marital status affect how firms interpret job applicants’ un/employment histories?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore whether single and married female job candidates’ un/employment histories differentially affect their chances of obtaining interviews through China’s internet job boards, and to consider whether firms’ discrimination against, and/or preference for, candidates who are un/employed vary with the duration of unemployment spells.Design/methodology/approachResumes of fictitious applicants are carefully crafted in terms of realistic work histories and educational backgrounds. Candidates’ experiences of unemployment and the revelation of their marital status are controlled. Over 7,000 applications are submitted to real job postings. Callbacks are carefully tracked and recorded. Linear probability models are employed to assess the roles of particular characteristics.FindingsThe marital status of female candidates affects how recruiters screen their applications. While current spells of unemployment, whether short or long term, significantly reduce married women’s chances of obtaining job interviews in the Chinese context, they strongly increase the likelihood that single women will be invited for interviews. Chinese firms appear to “forgive” long-term gaps in women’s employment histories as long as those gaps are followed by subsequent employment.Originality/valueThis paper is the first to explore how marital status affects the ways that firms, when hiring, interpret spells of unemployment in candidates’ work histories. It is also the first to explore the effects of both marital status and unemployment spells in hiring in the context of China’s dynamic internet job board labor market.

Women’s entrepreneurship policy research: a 30-year review of the evidence

This paper focuses on women’s entrepreneurship policy as a core component of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. We use a systematic literature review (SLR) approach to critically explore the policy implications of women’s entrepreneurship research according to gender perspective: feminist empiricism, feminist standpoint theory, and post-structuralist feminist theory. Our research question asks whether there is a link between the nature of policy implications and the different theoretical perspectives adopted, and whether scholars’ policy implications have changed as the field of women’s entrepreneurship research has developed. We concentrate on empirical studies published in the “Big Five” primary entrepreneurship research journals (SBE, ETP, JBV, JSBM, and ERD) over a period of more than 30 years (1983–2015). We find that policy implications from women’s entrepreneurship research are mostly vague, conservative, and center on identifying skills gaps in women entrepreneurs that need to be “fixed,” thus isolating and individualizing any perceived problem. Despite an increase in the number of articles offering policy implications, we find little variance in the types of policy implications being offered by scholars, regardless of the particular theoretical perspective adopted, and no notable change over our 30-year review period. Recommendations to improve the entrepreneurial ecosystem for women from a policy perspective are offered, and avenues for future research are identified.

The Women's Health Diagnostic Gap.

Pregnancy remains a significant health risk to women in both developed and underdeveloped countries. Worldwide, 10 to 20 million women have pregnancy complications including ectopic pregnancy, preterm birth, gestational diabetes mellitus, and hypertensive states, including preeclampsia. Despite advancements in women's health research, there is a large gap in the diagnostic tools available to screen, diagnose, and monitor these conditions. Herein, we examine existing diagnostic tools, such as the human chorionic gonadotropin discriminatory zone, cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin, sFlt-1:PlGF ratio, and glucose tolerance testing. We suggest specific objectives to improve diagnostic testing during pregnancy, including (1) developing high-quality biospecimen banks; (2) educating professionals on performance characteristics of screening tests for low prevalence diseases; (3) funding studies that address diseases unique to pregnancy; and (4) establishing trimester-specific reference intervals. Meeting these objectives could begin to narrow the diagnostic gap in women's health.

Closing the Awareness Gap for Women and Heart Disease

Closing the Awareness Gap for Women and Heart Disease

Women\u2019s views and experiences of two alternative consent pathways for participation in a preterm intrapartum trial: a qualitative study

BackgroundThe Cord Pilot Trial compared alternative policies for timing of cord clamping at very preterm birth at eight UK hospitals. In addition to standard written consent, an oral assent pathway was developed for use when birth was imminent. The aim of this study was to explore women’s views and experiences of two alternative consent pathways to participate in the Cord Pilot Trial.MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. A total of 179 participants in the Cord Pilot Trial were sent a postal invitation to take part in interviews. Women who agreed were interviewed in person or by telephone to explore their experiences of two consent pathways for a preterm intrapartum trial. Data were analysed using inductive systematic thematic analysis.ResultsTwenty-three women who gave either written consent (n = 18) or oral assent followed by written consent (n = 5) to participate in the trial were interviewed. Five themes were identified: (1) understanding of the implications of randomisation, (2) importance of staff offering participation, (3) information about the trial and time to consider participation, (4) trial secondary in women’s minds and (5) reasons for agreeing to take part in the trial. Experiences were similar for the two consent pathways. Women recruited by the oral assent pathway reported being given less information about the trial but felt it was sufficient to make a decision regarding participation. There were gaps in women’s understanding of the trial and intervention, regardless of the consent pathway.ConclusionsOverall, women were positive about their experiences of being invited to participate in the trial. The oral assent pathway seems an acceptable option for women if the intervention is low-risk and time is limited.Trial registrationISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN21456601. Registered on 28 February 2013.

Follow-up after gestational diabetes: a fixable gap in women’s preventive healthcare

ObjectiveGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a known harbinger of future type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension, and cardiac disease. This population-based study was designed to identify gaps in follow-up care...

Engaging Women: Addressing the Gender Gap in Women’s Networking and Productivity

ABSTRACT Women earn 40% of new PhDs in political science; however, once they enter the profession, they have strikingly different experiences than their male counterparts—particularly in the small but influential field of political methodology. For several years, the Society for Political Methodology, with support from the National Science Foundation, has attempted to address this gender gap through the Visions in Methodology (VIM) program. VIM features an annual conference that brings women together to present and discuss their research and to participate in professional-development sessions. Do programs like VIM have the desired impact? Using an original survey of political scientists, this study provides insights into the ways that bringing women together in small-group settings like VIM might facilitate networking and enhance productivity. In particular, the study finds that women who attend the VIM conference are better networked and more productive in terms of publication.

Evaluation of pharmacists’ knowledge of women’s issues in epilepsy: A cross-sectional study in Palestinian pharmacy practice

PurposePharmacists are key players in providing healthcare for patients with chronic diseases including women with epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to assess pharmacist’s knowledge of women’s issues in epilepsy in the Palestinian pharmacy practice. MethodThe study was conducted in a cross-sectional observational design using a 12-item test on women’s health in epilepsy. Demographic details were collected. Scores were calculated as percentage of correct answers for each pharmacist. ResultsThe sample consisted of 408 pharmacists. The median correct score was only 53.8% with an IQR of 30.8. Pharmacists who interacted with ≥10 patients with epilepsy per month were 1.61 (95% C.I of 1.04–2.49) more likely to score ≥60% in the test than those who interacted with <10 patients with epilepsy per month. The difficulty index ranged from very easy to difficult. Nearly 91% of the pharmacists answered correctly the question on the role of folic acid in reducing teratogenesis and only 46% answered correctly the question on exposure to valproic acid and the risk of giving birth to a child with autism. ConclusionAlthough pharmacists could be knowledgeable and in key position to provide essential information to patients with chronic diseases, there are many knowledge gaps in women’s health issues in epilepsy that need bridging. Greater exposure to and interaction with people with epilepsy might be helpful in enhancing knowledge of pharmacists of specific issues pertaining to women’s health in epilepsy.

Women's understanding of their Pap and HPV test results: Implications for patient–provider communication

ABSTRACTBackground: As changing guidelines for cervical cancer detection incorporate more human papillomavirus (HPV) testing along with Papanicolaou (Pap) smear testing (‘co-testing’) in clinical practice, there is a need to evaluate patient understanding of these two tests.Methods: Thirty women (mean age = 27.8 years; 90% African-American) with low SEC status were recruited for two clinical research visits; a Pap test and cervical HPV test were performed at the first visit and a doctor shared the test results (i.e. Pap and HPV test) at the second. Then, a semi-structured interview focused on participants’ recall of the discussion with the provider as well as their general understanding of the tests.Results: Findings revealed participants were familiar with the Pap test and were proactive about receiving the test, despite lacking accurate knowledge about the purpose of the test. On the other hand, when participants expressed confusion and anxiety about the HPV test, patient–provider communication helped to ease some of these concerns. Patients expressed a range of ability in reconciling how the two tests were connected, what the two results meant together, and why both are needed.Conclusion: This qualitative data suggests important gaps in women's understandings of Pap test and HPV test results, especially when used together in a clinical visit. There is a need to address this lack of understanding as the use of co-testing in clinical practice increases. Implications for improved communication strategies between patients and providers about how to share and interpret Pap test and HPV tests results in the clinical setting are discussed.

The socioeconomic within-gender gap in informal caregiving among middle-aged women: Evidence from a Japanese nationwide survey

Caregiving to older people with needs has been mainly dependent on informal care provision by female caregivers. Compared with the care burden gender gap, the within-gender gap in women's socioeconomic status (SES) has attracted less policy attention. We investigated the association between middle-aged women's SES and the likelihood of being a primary caregiver for elderly informal care, focusing on household income, women's marital status, work status, and educational background under the universal and public system of formal long-term care provision in Japan. We used repeated cross-sectional data from nationally representative household surveys conducted between 2010 and 2013 to obtain a sample of 2399 women aged between 40 and 60 years living in the same household as a care recipient. We conducted multiple logistic regression analysis to obtain odds ratios of being a primary caregiver in the household regressed on women's SES variables, adjusting for the characteristics of care recipients and household composition. The results showed that single women with lower education were likely to be primary caregivers when the care recipients had severe levels of care needs, whereas the association was null in the case of care recipients with milder conditions. The results indicated that women's low education and non-married status were related to a higher likelihood of becoming a primary caregiver of severely disabled elderly for reasons other than lower economic power.To emancipate socioeconomically vulnerable women from the care burden, a broader set of social, economic, and welfare policies are needed.

Explaining racial and ethnic inequalities in postpartum allostatic load: Results from a multisite study of low to middle income woment

BackgroundRacial and ethnic inequalities in women's health are widely documented, but not for the postpartum period, and few studies examine whether neighborhood, psychosocial, and biological factors explain these gaps in women's health. MethodsUsing prospective longitudinal data collected from 1766 low to middle income women between 2008 and 2012 by the Community Child Health Network (CCHN), we tested the extent to which adjustment for neighborhood, economic, psychological, and medical conditions following a birth explained differences between African American, Latina, and White women in an indicator of physiological dysregulation allostatic load (AL), at one year postpartum as measured by 10 biomarkers: Body Mass Index, Waist Hip Ratio, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, Hemoglobin A1c, high-density lipoprotein and cholesterol ratio, and diurnal cortisol. ResultsMean postpartum AL scores were 4.65 for African American, 4.57 for Latina and 3.86 for White women. Unadjusted regression estimates for high AL for African American women (with White as the reference) were 0.80 (SD = 0.11) and 0.53 (SD = 0.15) for Latina women. Adjustment for household poverty, neighborhood, stress, and resilience variables resulted in a reduction of 36% of the excess risk in high AL for African Americans versus Whites and 42% of the excess risk for Latinas compared to Whites. ConclusionsRacial and ethnic inequalities in AL were accounted for largely by household poverty with additional contributions by psychological, economic, neighbourhood and medical variables. There remained a significant inequality between African American, and Latina women as compared to Whites even after adjustment for this set of variables. Future research into health inequalities among women should include a fuller consideration of the social determinants of health including employment, housing and prepregnancy medical conditions.