Social Construction Of Gender Research Articles

The impact of intersectionality on nursing leadership, empowerment and culture: A case study exploring nurses and managers' perceptions in an acute care hospital in Aotearoa, New Zealand.

This study determines whether the culture within an acute care hospital empowers 'all' nurses to be leaders by exploring intersectionality and nursing leadership in the context of the social environment. Nurses practice leadership in their day-to-day activities as clinical leaders alongside traditional roles of management and leadership. However, some nurses do not acknowledge nursing work as leadership activity, nor is it seen so by others where hierarchical leadership approaches remain prevalent. Social constructs of gender and race are barriers to accessing formal leadership positions for some, while dominant power structures such as class diminish the value of bedside nursing work. Unexplored is the impact of the intersection of these and other social identities on nurses being leaders. An embedded case study design. Thirty-one participants participated in semi-structured interviews. Four levels of analysis including inductive and deductive approaches were applied to the data. The research complied with COREQ guidelines for reporting qualitative research. This study shows nurses do not identify themselves as leaders without an associated title and the pathway to leadership varies depending on intersecting social constructions. The impact of the organisational structures and the experience of navigating intersecting social constructions on nurses being leaders goes unseen, privileging some while disadvantaging others. Health organisations need to be aware of intersectionality in the workplace and explore equity in their structures to be genuinely empowering. Nursing leadership must examine strategies that challenge and decolonise the nursing profession. Bedside nurses should be given more power and respected as leaders of the patient experience, achievable through a renewed emphasis on the fundamentals of care and resonant leadership, which can neutralise a culture of managerialism. Intersectionality can inform the development of new nursing leadership roles that enable nurses to remain clinically active, widening opportunities.

'You don't look autistic': A qualitative exploration of women's experiences of being the 'autistic other'.

Most autism spectrum condition research addresses the neurological and biological causes of autism spectrum condition, focusing upon deficits associated with autism spectrum condition and behavioural interventions designed to minimise these deficits. Little is known about the lived experiences of adult women on the autism spectrum and how they navigate social expectations around gender, autism spectrum condition and gendered understandings of autism spectrum condition. The lived experiences of eight women on the AS will be shared here, with attention to how gendered expectations influence women's experiences of autism spectrum condition, their sense of self and well-being. Findings showed these women struggled to reconcile the expectations of others, particularly early in life. The women had difficultly conforming to stereotypical ideals of femininity, yet as they aged, they felt less need to conform, valuing their unique style and behaviours. The women also rejected deficit-oriented descriptions of autism spectrum condition generated by the medical community, preferring to focus on their strengths and unique characteristics. It is hoped this article helps psychologists and the wider community to understand and meet the needs of women on the AS.

INTERCONNECTION OF FASHION AND GENDER AS MECHANISMS OF SELF-EXPRESSION AND SELF-IDENTIFICATION IN MODERN SOCIETY

Problem setting. The problem is that modern society focuses on politics of multiculturalism and tolerance. The main reason of this tendency is globalization process that grows rapidly because of Internet development. In this situation, we consider that Institute of Culture changed the most. Nowadays, such phenomena as gender and fashion affect our global society more than it was at the past century.
 Recent research and publications analysis. Separately from gender, phenomenon of fashion have been considered from the 20th century to the present in the works of T. Veblen, G. Simmel, P. Blumer, P. Burdeau, R. Bart, J. Baudrillard. As well as phenomenon of gender considered separately from fashion in the works of E. Durkheim, T. Parsons, K. Bales, R. Connell and I. Goffman. As we can see, nobody from aforementioned didn’t connect fashion and gender in their works, ignoring obvious interconnection of these phenomena.
 Paper objective. The objective of the article is to identify the interconnection between mechanisms of fashion functioning and gender’s dimension of society that forms gender’s priorities of modern fashion.
 Paper main body. The classic paradigm of fashion as a socio-cultural phenomenon created by T. Veblen and G. Simmel doesn’t match modern challenges in society. Because of active development of mechanisms such as mass-market and digital technologies we can’t say that modern fashion is only for rich people. That’s why the most appealing concept to us is M. G. Pakhomova’s sight of fashion like “the mirror of epoch that shows us current mood dominating in society, socio-political situation and the level of production’s development”. Considering gender, in this article we focus on the concept of social construction of gender as a certain system of interpersonal actions that create understanding of “masculine” and “feminine” as a social order’s basic categories. Analyzing modern theories of fashion created by H. Blumer, R. Bart, P. Bourdieu and J. Baudrillard we came to idea that gender is an integral part of any fashion tendency. Nowadays, every tendency in fashion forms across mechanism of collective selection that include many social groups. One of these groups will become a referent for an individual. That’s why we should consider that this kind of social group has certain standards broadcasting specific norms and patterns of behavior that unite actors among themselves.
 Conclusions of the research. Thus, summarizing, we should note that fashion and gender in modern society are interdependent phenomena. Also, fashion includes the tendency for social subjects to demonstrate gender characteristics to some extent, deliberately emphasizing them and giving them the opportunity to realize their identity to the fullest, as they wish. Modern fashion is designed to provide an individual with a variety of choices, aesthetic pleasure, non-standard stylistic solutions, which provokes the individual to actively search for his place in this world and a unique way of socialization. In many ways, all of the above elements add up to a single gender system, which gives us full grounds to synthesize two areas of sociological thought: gender studies and the sociology of fashion.

Zebras showing their stripes: a critical sense-making study of women CSR leaders

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to reveal the gendered nature of social arrangements in order to bring to the surface the hidden discourses that mediate the opportunities of women leaders in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThe author uses critical sense-making (CSM) to analyze interviews with CSR leaders toward understanding the interconnected layers of influences they draw from as they make sense of their experiences.FindingsDespite the positioning of women as being untapped resources within CSR, the reality within CSR leadership indicates that resilient, stereotypical social constructions of gender are being (re)created. However, cues can disrupt the ongoing process of sense-making and create shocks that represent opportunities for resistance as discriminatory practices are revealed.Research limitations/implicationsApplying CSM as a methodology and to the field of CSR adds a component to CSR and gender scholarship that is currently missing. CSM as a methodology bridges broader sociocultural discourses and the local site of sense-making, making visible the structures and processes that enable some narratives to become legitimized by the formative context and protect the status quo.Social implicationsIf these leaders are able to use their discursive power to establish an alternate, dominant narrative throughout their organizations – a culture of emotional empathy within CSR – alternate meanings about the nature and purpose of CSR may emerge while highlighting the need for change.Originality/valueApplying CSM as a methodology and to the field of CSR adds a component to CSR and gender scholarship that is currently missing. CSM as a methodology bridges broader sociocultural discourses and the local site of sense-making, making visible the structures and processes that enable some narratives to become legitimized by the formative context and protect the status quo.

Men, masculinity and the new coronavirus: sharing gender issues in the first phase of the pandemic.

This article presents reflections on masculinity and the social construction of gender - based on the global phenomenon of the new coronavirus pandemic - produced by researchers who are part of the national research team on comprehensive health care policy for men in Brazil. From a gender-based standpoint, the article contends that it is necessary to note that cis heteronormative male socialization is guided by three core issues: 1) the submission to practices of care of self and others; 2) the rejection of preventive health practices, due to a distorted matrix of risk perception (and a certain sense of "invulnerability"); 3) the domestic dynamics marked by postures of command, order, and honor. These dimensions of everyday life were profoundly upset in this first phase of the epidemic, in which confinement became the most recommended alternative. These issues are configured as recurring (though not recent) repertoires that glorify the central model of a male order that needs to become an object of reflection, insofar as they endanger the health of men and women and, more broadly, of the status quo of the accepted tenets of domestic and social order.

Asian Children's Literature and Film in a Global Age ed. by Bernard Wilson and Sharmani Patricia Gabriel

Reviewed by: Asian Children's Literature and Film in a Global Age ed. by Bernard Wilson and Sharmani Patricia Gabriel Lucia Obi Translated by Nikola von Merveldt ASIAN CHILDREN'S LITERATURE AND FILM IN A GLOBAL AGE. Local, National, and Transnational Trajectories. Edited by Bernard Wilson and Sharmani Patricia Gabriel. Series: Asia-Pacific and Literature in English. Palgrave Macmillan / Springer Nature Singapore, 2020, 398 pages. ISBN: 978-981-15-2630-5 While postcolonial studies have long addressed the marginalization of non-Western literatures, the book market, which obeys the rules of global capitalism, still causes unequal circulation of children's literatures. There are more children's books on the Western market about Asia that perpetuate notions of "backwardness" and "exoti cism" than there are books from Asia itself that reflect the reality of contemporary Asian societies. Conversely, neocolonial practices, such as cultural appropriation and reinterpretation of "cultur ally authentic" non-Western sources, determine the flow of the commodity of "children's literature" from Asia. Research on Asian children's literature is also dominated by Western discourses and aesthetic concepts. It was high time for this book, whose authors present Asian children's literature and films as expressions of their specific cultures of origin, but also within the complex symbiosis of their local, national, transnational, global, and glocalized networks. The methodologically varied contributions cover diverse children's media from the Asian American diaspora, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan. The concept of "children's literature" rooted in national contexts and transporting collective ideological interests can certainly be observed in Asia. Even though "Asia" is not conceived here as a static, homogeneous entity, but rather as a heterogeneous space with many centers and peripheries, complex local cultures, and constant historical change in the wake of globalization, regional thematic emphases can be identified in the discussion of children's literatures. The book is organized to reflect this. The first chapter deals with East Asian literature from Taiwan, China, South Korea, and Japan, which focuses on changes in family structures and a redefinition of gender roles. Andrea Mei-Ying Wu looks at transnational cultural dynamics and the local appropriation of the term "child heart" (tongxin), which was adapted from romantic Western notions of childhood into Chinese literary theory and was influential in the development of Taiwanese children's literature in the postwar period. Xiangshu Fang and Lijun Bi reflect on the redefinition of the family shaped by Confucianism or nationalist political movements evident in Chinese children's books from 1978 to 2014. Three South Korean films presented by Sung-Ae Lee manifest similar social pressures through family structures. They are considered a metaphor for society as a whole, showing the negative consequences of nonconformity, but also the possibilities for change it can bring. A social transformation—a redefinition of family, away from heteronormative, monocultural, and patriarchal structures and binary gender roles—becomes more evident in contemporary Japanese children's literature presented by Yasuko Doi. Bernard Wilson sees in the Japanese anime version of Andersen's "Mermaid" a challenge to social norms with their social construction of gender. [End Page 97] The literature selections from South and West Asia, India, Sri Lanka, and Iran grouped together in the second chapter are presented by region, yet they focus on the globally significant children's literature theme of inequality and marginalization of young people due to their age, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. Sonia Ghalian traces concepts of childhood in Hindi films since the 1950s that reveal fundamental changes in Indian society. Suchismita Banerjee explores the question of representation of queer lifestyles in Indian heteronormative society through the new phenomenon of LGBTQIA+ literature for children and young adults. Neluka Silva addresses the demonization of alterity along ethnic and ideological lines in Sri Lankan society through two popular children's novels by author Prashani Rambukwella. Amir Ali Nojoumian and Amir Hadi Nojoumian analyze the aesthetic approach to the representation of childhood and child protagonists in films by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami. The third section of the book, with contributions on Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, focuses on apparently completely different Southeast Asian literatures that draw on local oral traditions or...

Gender and knowledge production in institutions of higher learning: an African context

This study focuses on the factors that contribute to the low production of knowledge by women compared to men in terms of the number of research outputs and recommends ways of narrowing the gap. Literature suggests that the social construction of gender and the consequent different gender roles and responsibilities of women or men inform this social phenomenon. This is because the social construction of what it means to be a man and a woman subordinates and confines women to the private sphere and men to the public sphere. These patriarchal discourses and practices of private and public spaces shape women�s roles in society, including their participation in the production of knowledge. A cross-sectional survey in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Kenya shows that gender indeed impacts knowledge production. The study found that women had limited access to research grants, limited exposure to higher institutions of learning, and also had limited mentorship by men as there were few women who could play the mentorship role. The study recommends full support for women researchers by providing funding, creating mentoring units, commercialising research outputs, engaging in advocacy, and crafting and implementing affirmative polices that support their work. This has a net effect of increasing the participation of women in knowledge production and in the development of national and global economies.

How Gender Stereotypes Impact Health Information Seeking Intention: Insights from an Implicit Association Test

The social construction of gender has profound implications on how individuals of different gender identities perceive health and formulate health-related decisions. An online survey experiment (N ...

Feminism and Gender-Neutral Language: Between Systems and Effects

The debate on language and gender in Slovenia raises the issue of gender-sensitive language use, which goes far beyond mere equality and inclusiveness in language use. While the establishment of (gender) identity in language is related to the theoretical question of the social construction of gender, ensuring gender equality in language is also a matter that requires social engagement in various fields, especially including various segments of the education system. As the first public debate on this issue – organised by the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana, on 23 October 2018, following attempts to reduce gender inequality in legal documents adopted by the Faculty – showed, the approach to language and gender will necessarily be interdisciplinary. Linguistic considerations call for a shift in emphasis from vocabulary and address code (available resources) to arguments of morphosyntactic form and, in particular, to the symbolic structure of linguistic signs, taking into account relevant contributions from other research areas that have understood the attribution of gender – even sex – as a socially determined decision (e.g. Butler, 2001 /1990/, 1993). Since we are, at this point, particularly interested in the impact of gender-sensitive language use on the discursive level, we argue that the essence of the effort to make language more inclusive – with an emphasis on discourse in education – is not to offer, authorise and institutionalise individual solutions and strategies under the auspices of the language authorities, but to understand gender-sensitive language use as a multiplicity of micro-politics and as a continuous process that leads us to re-examine linguistic “facts” in relation to a given social context.

Conditions for workplace learning: a gender divide?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine and discuss conditions for workplace learning in gender-segregated workplaces in the public sector, how social constructions of gender contribute to (or constrain) the workplace learning conditions within two workplace contexts. Design/methodology/approach The research was carried out through an interactive approach with data from 12 semi-structured interviews with workers and first-line managers from technical maintenance and home care in a Swedish municipality, validated at an analysis seminar with 27 participations, from both workplace contexts the Swedish Work Environment Authority and us researchers. Findings The results indicate that gender affects conditions for workplace learning and contributes to an enabling learning environment in the male-dominated workplace context and to a constraining learning environment in the female-dominated workplace context. The identified differences are created in both organisational structures and the organisations’ cultures. Research limitations/implications When analysing conditions for workplace learning from a gender perspective, the approach of comparative, cross-case analyses is useful. An interactive approach with women and men describing and analysing their work experiences together with researchers is a fruitful way of making gender visible. Practical implications The theoretical approach in this study illuminates how social constructions of gender operate and affect conditions for workplace learning and contributes to a deeper understanding of underlying causes to unequal conditions in different workplace contexts. Social implications The findings imply a gender divide which, from the theoretical strands, can be seen as an expression of asymmetrical power relations and where these gendered learning conditions probably also affect the quality of the services. Originality/value The findings contribute to existing gender theoretical literature by demonstrating that gender is essential to take into consideration when understanding working conditions in different workplace contexts. This study contributes to workplace learning literature by exploring the different ways in which social constructions of gender contribute to enabling and constraining learning environments.

"Women's issue" in Russia in the context of the methodology of social construction of gender

The article demonstrates that the gender approach is one of the important components of the methodology of socio-cultural dynamics, which allows analyzing cultural processes and mechanisms from the point of view of male and female constructs and their hierarchy in culture and society. The materials of the article can be used as a basis for building a methodology for gender research both in final qualification papers and in theses for the degree of PhD Candidate.

Who is seen to be doing business research, and does it really matter? Gender representation at academic conferences

PurposeGender inequality is evident in many academic practices, but research has often focused on the male-dominated science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. This study responds to calls for more work in the business disciplines which have been overlooked by comparison and focuses on academic conferences as a higher education practice. Conferences are manifestations of the research being conducted within the discipline, representing the type of knowledge that is considered valuable, and who the thought leaders are considered to be. This study investigates whether equal representation of women at such conferences really matters, to whom and why.Design/methodology/approachThe research was designed using a critical feminist theory approach. An online survey was disseminated to academic staff and postgraduate students in the 25 top ranked business schools in Australia and New Zealand. A total of 452 responses were received, and thematic analysis was applied to open-ended responses.FindingsEqual representation does matter, for two sets of reasons. The first align with feminist theory perspectives of “equal opportunity” (gender is neutral), “difference” (gender is celebrated) or “post-equity” (the social construction of gender itself is problematic). The second are pragmatic consequences, namely the importance of role modelling, career building and the respect and recognition that come with conference attendance and visible leadership roles.Social implicationsThe findings have implications in regards to job satisfaction, productivity and the future recruitment and retention of women in academia. Furthermore, in areas where women are not researching, the questions and issues that are important to them are not receiving the attention they deserve, and this gender data gap has consequences for society at large.Originality/valueThis study moves beyond simply identifying the under-representation of women at academic conferences in yet another field, to investigate why equal representation is important and to whom. It provides valuable evidence of the consequences of under-representation, as perceived by academics themselves.

Neural mechanisms of reward and loss processing in a low-income sample of at-risk adolescents.

Adolescence is a time of engagement in risky, reward-driven behaviors, with concurrent developmental changes within reward-related neural systems. As previous research has recruited mostly higher socioeconomic, European and European American participants, therefore limiting generalizability to the US population, especially for populations of color or low-income populations. The current study provided one of the first opportunities to examine the neural correlates of reward and loss functioning in a population-based sample of adolescents at increased risk for poverty-related adversities. The study investigated neural reward and loss processing and whether age, pubertal status and the social constructs of gender and race predicted individual differences in reward- and loss-related brain function. One hundred and twenty-eight primarily low-income adolescents (mean age: 15.9 years, 75% African American) from urban environments completed a modified monetary incentive delay task during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Consistent with the previous research, reward and loss anticipation recruited similar motivational circuitry including striatal, insular, thalamic and supplementary motor areas. Race and gender were not associated with reward- or loss-related neural reactivity. Age and pubertal development were associated with differences in neural reactivity to reward and loss, suggesting that older and more mature adolescents had increased activity in sensory and motivational circuits, but decreased activity in regions responsible for error detection and behavior modification.

Problemática psicosocial y de salud mental reportada por consultantes del servicio de atención telefónica Línea de la Vida, derivados a Centros de Integración Juvenil durante la epidemia de COVID-19

Introduction: in the context of the health contingency by COVID-19 pandemic and by an agreement of the Mexican Ministry of Health, Centros de Integración Juvenil has collaborated in Línea de la Vida telephone service conducted by the National Comission on Addictions in the care of people with mental health dissorders. Objective: to describe some aspects of the psychological and social problems associated with the epidemic, identifying intervening variables. Method: cross-sectional, comparative study, with a sample of 2,403 consultants from Línea de la Vida service, referred to CIJ between May and August 2020. Data included symptoms and risk conditions of COVID-19, mental health problems and daily circumstances during the epidemic. Comparative analysis were carried out by sex, age and date of consultation. Results: a third of the consultants reported symptoms of COVID-19, belonging to a vulnerable group or having contact with someone with the disease. The main mental health problems identified were anxiety/stress (67.6%) and depression (15.2%); 31.5% reported facing financial problems; 15.5% the loss of close people and around 10% having problems in the care of children, adolescents or other relatives; 5.6% reported domestic violence. Conclusions: the health, social, interpersonal and mental health problems associated with the COVID-19 pandemic reflect differences attributable to the social construction of gender, the life cycle of people and the development of the epidemic itself.

Working with gender in psychotherapy: A discursive analysis of psychotherapy sessions with women suffering from bulimia

Abstract Sociocultural factors are recognized as among the causes of eating disorders (EDs) in general and bulimia in particular. The social constructions of gender constitute a key factor among these causes and bulimia can then be construed as a response to a failure to meet the social (dominant and normative) expectations of what it means to be a woman, as females remain the majority of people suffering from EDs. This article – informed by a critical feminist perspective – uses the micro-analytic frameworks of conversation analysis and membership categorization analysis to qualitatively examine relevant extracts of three psychotherapy sessions with women suffering from bulimia. The audio-recorded sessions represent systemic and social constructionist therapies and were originally conducted in Polish and Italian. The analysis focuses on how gender and gendered propositions are invoked by the therapist and/or the patient and further worked with in the subsequent turns. The contents of gendered propositions will be identified as well as whether, and if so how, they are interactionally deconstructed in the local context of the interaction. The analysis demonstrates how the female patients rely on categorization work around gender in addressing their own issues. The findings call for therapists’ greater awareness and reflexivity as to their interactional handling of gender in view of patients’ individual experiences.

Shades in gender: Visualizing gender diversity through color palettes

Courses: Gender roles and communication, interpersonal communication, communication theory. Objectives: This activity introduces students to the social construction of gender, and asks them to consider gender diversity by understanding that shades of pink and blue exist within the binary. Specifically, students are given blue or pink color palettes to think of masculinities or femininities that they think fit the gradient, and through the processing of assigning meaning to colors, students are able to learn that bodies are not only visually marked but also gendered. Students ultimately take away that gender is contested, negotiated, or affirmed in social interactions. In other words, gender is under construction—being built, developed, destroyed—and fluid.

Rethinking Language and Gender in African Fiction: Towards De-gendering and Re-gendering

The recognition and acceptance of the social construction of gender and the coercive nature of gendered subjectivities has been at the centre of feminist discourse which challenges the subjugation of the woman. G.D. Nyamndi, therefore, in his Facing Meamba attempts to address these concerns and proffer feasible solutions. The representation of women in literature, the role of gender in both literary creation and literary criticism, as studied ingynocriticism, the connection between gender and various aspects of literary form in such genre and metre embody masculine values of heroism, war, and adventure. This androcentric stand has compromised the rights of the woman, resulting in her marginalization, alienation and exclusion from socio-cultural activities. She is maligned with a sense of inadequacy. The patriarchal centre prevails and dominates the woman who has been pushed to the margin of the society. In this regard, Nyamndi demonstrates that, the African woman still has a place within the postcolonial context even though the man is imbued with more powers than the woman. Informed by the postcolonial theory, this study argues that, gendering constitutes a grave danger to a harmonious existence between the two genders. The study revealed that, de-gendering and re-gendering can create harmony between the man and woman because the two concepts are basis for gender equality. To achieve this, language which constitutes a semiotic mould has been exploited to deploy themes like, gender inequality and cultural issues.

Mortalidad por accidentes de tránsito: su determinación social. Distrito Metropolitano de Quito, 2013

Introducción: los accidentes de tránsito (AT) constituyen una importante causa de mortalidad en el mundo, y en los últimos años han ocupado los primeros lugares en el Distrito Metropolitano de Quito (DMQ). Los marcos conceptuales clásicos para el abordaje de la mortalidad por AT han sido: el enfoque de salud pública, el modelo sistémico y la matriz de Haddon. Desarrollo: se describen las características de los modelos clásicos y, desde la mirada de la Epidemiología Crítica (EC) y de la teoría crítica del espacio, se analizan cuatro formas de reducción de la realidad: primero, la reducción de su explicación a la acción de una causa externa (fuerza cinética) ejercida sobre el cuerpo humano que supera la resistencia del mismo. Segundo, la mirada del espacio como mero continente físico o unidad administrativa. Tercero, la consideración del carácter social de los eventos de tránsito como sumatoria de los hechos individuales. Cuarto, la organización de los grupos sociales con criterios de estratificación y no con base en la clase social. Además, se describe cómo, mediante un estudio exploratorio de varias fases, que comprendió revisión documental, enlace de archivos, encuesta a un familiar de la persona fallecida y georreferenciación de la residencia de la persona fallecida, se analizó la mortalidad por AT en el DMQ, con base en las categorías de la Epidemiología Crítica: segregación social del espacio, clase social y perfil epidemiológico, en el contexto de la mortalidad por AT en el DMQ. Conclusión: el abordaje desde la EC permite una comprensión más integral de la mortalidad de los AT, como resultado de determinaciones socioeconómicas, de procesos de orden etnocultural y de construcción social del género, propios de los modos de vida de las diferentes clases sociales.

The Effect of Gender Role on Attitudes Towards Inequitable Gender Norms Among Malaysian Men

The Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) measure is the most frequently tested gender role instrument and one of the most investigated psychometric constructs in general. However, its application to the Malaysian setting as well as its relation to gender equality attitudes is rarely explored. Therefore, this research guided by the social constructionist perspective aims to examine the relationship between gender role (masculinity and femininity) and attitudes towards inequitable gender norms. A sample of 168 Malaysian men completed the two measures of Gender Equitable Men scale and the BSRI. Results showed that there was a significant relationship between gender role and attitudes towards inequitable gender norms. In contrast to the femininity gender role, masculinity gender role in men contributes to gender inequality attitudes. The findings in this study are largely supporting the theory that masculinity may be a key construct in the men’s negative attitudes about gender equality, which has been shown to be an important predictor of achieving women’s right and empowerment. In this article, we highlight the importance of socialization processes in context and consider how the social construction of gender affects attitudes about sexuality, reproductive health, gender roles and violence against women.

La episiotomía como práctica cultural de género: otro caso de mutilación genital femenina.

En la primera mitad del siglo XX la episiotomía se asentó como un procedimiento rutinario dentro del paradigma tecnocrático de atención al parto. Los estudios sobre su efectividad se iniciaron medio siglo después, sin encontrar beneficios en su práctica. En la actualidad la evidencia científica sigue sin apoyar su efectividad, sin embargo la episiotomía se practica de forma rutinaria en gran cantidad de países, especialmente en primíparas. Este artículo tiene por objetivo profundizar en la comprensión de la episiotomía como una Mutilación Genital Femenina moderna (MGF) analizando su práctica en relación a la construcción social del género y la maternidad como institución y vivencia. El análisis, desarrollado en base a una investigación bibliográfica, revela la episiotomía como una práctica de género constitutiva del patriarcado moderno, cuya génesis en el siglo XVIII se enmarca en la producción del dispositivo de sexualidad teorizado por Foucault. Finalmente, el análisis del doble discurso mantenido en relación a las MGF sitúa la práctica de la episiotomía como una tecnología disciplinaria de dominación colonial y de género.