Gender Landscape Research Articles

Sex-typed or Androgynous: Gender Representations in One Sentence Is Ten Thousand Sentences and The Blind Assassin

Abstract Although the gender landscape has been experiencing a significant amount of change and flexibility in many parts of the world over the past few decades, societal messages regarding gender roles and expectations can still remain conventional. It is likely that such a perplexing paradox becomes reinforced while portraying male or female characters in fiction. Inspired by Sandra Bem’s gender schema theory introduced in 1981, this research aims to examine gender representations in the protagonists of two novels, namely The Blind Assassin and One Sentence Is Ten Thousand Sentences. Iris Chase and Yung Baishun (Wu Moxi) are analyzed according to a modified version of The Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BRSI) to see whether they’re sex-typed (masculine or feminine) or androgynous. The results calculated in an “androgyny ratio” (AR) indicate that while Atwood’s character is marked as feminine, Yung Baishun is characterized as androgynous according to BRSI.

Misogyny and Gender Conflicts in South Korea

As a nation renowned for its economic miracles and technological advancements, South Korea officially, the Republic of Korea is simultaneously grappling with deeply rooted gender conflicts that reflect a broader societal struggle. Despite its rapid modernization, South Korea remains deeply influenced by Confucian traditions that have historically dictated rigid gender roles, resulting in the ongoing patriarchy and systemic marginalization of women in many aspects of their lives. These entrenched norms have given rise to pervasive misogyny, a significant social issue that continues to shape gender relations and provoke conflicts in contemporary Korean society. The seemingly veneer of modernity belies the persistent influence of traditional Confucian and patriarchal values that continue to profoundly shape gender relations and power structures within the country. Ultimately, this study aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of South Korea's gender landscape, illuminating the connection between its modern strides and the enduring influence of its cultural heritage. By exploring this dichotomy, it seeks to inform policymaking, social discourse, and grassroots efforts to foster a more equitable and inclusive future for all Koreans, irrespective of gender.

Navigating Gendered Landscape: The Power of Female Agency in Anuradha Roy’s The Folded Earth

Women’s agency refers to the faculty of women to make independent choices and take actions based on their own desires, beliefs, and values. However, women's agency is not a uniform experience, as it can be influenced by factors such as race, class, ethnicity, culture, and socio-economic status. Various forms of discrimination and societal barriers can limit women's agency, requiring efforts to address systemic inequalities and create inclusive environments that promote women's autonomy and empowerment. Set in the remote Himalayan town of Ranikhet, Anuradha Roy’s The Folded Earth is an evocative tale that offers a sneak peek into the lives and experiences of the people living in the hills and explores their struggles and challenges. The story is narrated by its protagonist, Maya, a young woman who abandons her family to unite with the love of her life, only to lose him to a snowstorm. She moves to Ranikhet to begin a new life and closely witness the predicaments of the people, particularly women. The novel explores the diverse strands of love, memory, loss, ecological imbalance and its repercussions, capitalist greed, power politics, the patriarchal oppression of women, and the emergence of dynamic women who refuse to be subjugated. The proposed paper seeks to delve deeper into an array of issues faced by women that contribute to their subjugation and explores how the female characters battle the oppression and make a strong comeback by asserting their agency and autonomy, and even acting as an agent in uplifting others.

Poster 387: Are Our Actions Matching Our Words? A Systematic Review of the Literature Surrounding Diversity in Orthopaedic Surgery and Other Surgical Specialties

Objectives: Physician ethnic and gender diversity is known to be inextricably linked to patient outcomes, access to care and healthcare literacy in underrepresented patients. Despite this knowledge, the ethnic and gender disparities prevalent amongst physicians continue to contribute to inequalities in the American healthcare system. Recent data has demonstrated that surgeons, with orthopaedic surgeons in particular, are amongst the least diverse group of physicians. There has been an increased emphasis on promoting surgeon diversity as well as an increased emphasis on publishing literature regarding diversity. Through a systematic review of the literature regarding diversity throughout all surgical subspecialties, this study aims to determine whether this recent increased awareness has correlated to an increase in the number of publications on the matter. This study also aims to quantify the literary contributions of each surgical subspecialty and correlate this with each subspecialties respective demographic profile to identify areas that can be improved in order to continue to promote diversity. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were used to query articles from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature through April 1st, 2022. The search used a combination of keywords for the constructs of surgical subspecialties, residency training and diversity. The Rayyan Intelligent Systematic Review program was then utilized by three independent reviewers to screen articles. Broad inclusion criteria was utilized to include articles that discussed either ethnic or gender diversity as it pertained to any surgical subspecialty. Articles that only discussed diversity in non-surgical medical fields or articles that only discussed diversity related to religion, age, or sexual orientation were excluded. Articles were then categorized by surgical subspecialty, type of diversity discussed (gender, ethnic or both) and level of training. Results: The query resulted in 1429 total articles from 4 database searches. 408 duplicate articles were found and removed. Of the remaining 1021 articles screened, 701 were excluded with the remainder of the 320 studies included in the review (Figure 1). Orthopaedic surgery was the subspecialty with the highest number of publications regarding ethnic or gender diversity (n=73), followed by general surgery (n=56) (Figure 2). A majority of articles focused solely on gender diversity (n=144) with fewer articles focusing solely on ethnic diversity (n=39). A total of 137 articles analyzed both ethnic and gender diversity. Figure 3 illustrates the number of studies about diversity published by year dating back to 1998. A total of 109 studies regarding surgical diversity were published in 2021 compared to just 22 studies during a 10 year period from 1998 to 2007 (Figure 3). Two articles were published prior to 1998 and 17 articles have been published in 2022 prior to April 1st, 2022. A total of 221 reports discussed ethnic or gender diversity at the resident level, 41 studies at the fellow level and only 20 studies at the student level. Conclusions: The importance of promoting diversity in surgeons cannot be overstated. Improved patient satisfaction, better patient outcomes, greater access to healthcare and more transparent patient- physician communication are but a few of the tangible benefits of having a diverse workforce. Orthopaedic surgery is the surgical subspecialty with the most publications regarding diversity amongst surgeons. While orthopaedic surgery should be commended for this, it remains one of the least ethnically and gender diverse surgical subspecialties. This review highlights the need for orthopaedic surgeons to continue to promote diversity at all training levels. Furthermore, as the recent emphasis on promoting diversity has led to a rapid increase in published studies in recent years, close attention should be paid to how the ethnic and gender landscape of the surgical workforce changes over the coming years. There were more than ten times the number of articles discussing diversity at the resident level compared to at the medical student level. Should gender and ethnic diversity remain stagnant, surgeons may need to place increased emphasis on targeting a younger demographic and continue to implement more grassroots programs that promote ethnic and gender diversity.

Women's “timepass”

AbstractIn a poor neighborhood of Delhi, women try to cope with unemployment among male breadwinners, and in so doing they often frame their practices as a way of passing time. From the long wait at service points to contentious involvements in work and politics, they depict a host of different and seemingly contradictory activities as meaningless idleness. My analysis of these discourses uncovers a wider pattern of minimizing in which women sometimes internalize and sometimes quietly oppose the constraints that limit what they can do with their time. In a gender landscape where public waiting has usually been associated with men destabilized by a lack of opportunities, women's conversations about lost time become a playing field for alienation, resilience, and subversion, even as the practices that hide underneath allow us a glance into their untold public involvements.

How the Clinic Made Gender: The Medical History of a Transformative Idea by Sandra Eder

Gender is having a moment—still. Sandra Eder’s comprehensive and compassionate history of gender comes as the concept remains deeply embattled. On the one hand, feminist and queer critiques of gender binaries have opened up cultural space for myriad gender variations. Gender-bending, gender-fuck, and the ‘new androgyny’ have mainstreamed the dismantling of rigid identity categories. On the other hand, there is a furious backlash: physical violence and legislative attacks against LGBTQ+, and particularly transgender, communities; censorship of so-called gender theory in classrooms; and cruel harassment by anti-transgender activists of children’s hospitals who perform gender-affirming medical care. The gender wars, waged for decades, are all the more reason that How the Clinic Made Gender is a welcome and powerful contribution to histories of gender. Eder, a historian at the University of California, Berkeley, joins other scholars, particularly Joanne Meyerowitz, in telling her ‘uneasy origin story’ of how the ideas of gender and ‘gender role’ emerged and were put into medical practice in the mid-20th century. Focused on the Pediatric Endocrinology Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Eder historicizes her account within the complicated rise of a therapeutic society and the shifting cultural landscapes of sex, gender, and sexuality.

Deconstructing gender in brand, products and marketing

As society embraces diversity in gender, so too must companies. People are also expressing their opposition to the growing number of anti-LGBTQA+ legislative efforts, specifically those levied against the trans community. Research shows that a growing number of customers are expecting brands to move away from outmoded views of gender roles. Those brands that do not adapt to this shifting gender landscape will be left behind by the consumers of today and experience stunted brand growth and innovation. This paper explores how brands can navigate an all-gender approach to the social landscape as well as innovation, product development, marketing and communications. We will explore how companies can take a fresh look at gender — whether it be a decades-old organisations or a start-up — and the real challenges businesses face when rethinking stereotypical (and outdated) gender norms. It is time for companies to design, create and think beyond the binary: how does ideation, R&D and marketing look, feel and sound when brands embrace an expansive understanding of gender?

I See Her Face: Expressing Gender Variance through Contemporary Dance

I See Her Face presents kinetic commentary on gender, femininity, and traditional female socialization. The piece holds a deeply introspective mirror up to the audience so that they may see the power struggle between socialization and identity. It represents the choreographic process of representing personal conflict in dance, especially regarding gender representations in traditional dance and the changing gender landscape of dance. I See Her Face is a contemporary solo choreographed on dancer Molly Bagatto by Kennedy Cole. This work was premiered at The University of Akron Dance Company’s Fall 2021 dance concert. I See Her Face was subsequently selected by dance faculty to be performed at the East-Central Conference of the American College Dance Association in March 2022 and received highest recognition from the adjudicating panel of experts.

Articulating mobile gendered landscapes: Thinking with care cultures.

This paper relates work on global neoliberal gendered labor to geographies of care and it provides a tangible example of culturally specific dimensions of the relationship between health and place. The context is a temporary work migration pattern of Bulgarian women in Italy, who provide 24/7, live-in care to elderly, often dying patients. Through a longitudinal ethnographic fieldwork, this paper illustrates how mobile gendered landscapes are articulated and made meaningful by the research participants, offering a different reading of global care regimes. I argue that this articulation is a way of thinking with care cultures and showing how these are (re-)imagined by women who care in less than caring institutional/economic/familial landscapes. The paper contributes the concept 'care cultures' as a productive lens, through which to account for how place, people, ethics and care practices grow, merge and (mis-)align in attempts to construct and maintain meaningful lives.

Considering "Spheres of Influence" in the Care of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Transgender, and Queer-Identified Youth.

Working with lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, and queer-identified (LGBTQ) youth can present a uniquely challenging opportunity for clinicians given the rapidly changing landscapes of gender and sexuality and deficits in training and education. The goal of this article is to provide the most up-to-date trends and advances in the mental health care of LGBTQ youth to empower clinicians in delivering evidence-based care. We adapt the "Spheres of Influence" model to challenge the clinician to think more globally about our interventions. When LGBTQ youth are supported at every sphere, we give them the best chance to survive and thrive into adulthood.

The Geopolitics of Sex Tourism in Havana: Landscapes of Gender and Race in One Transnational Film and Two Songs of Despair

The Geopolitics of Sex Tourism in Havana: Landscapes of Gender and Race in One Transnational Film and Two Songs of Despair

Enacting Gender: An Enactive-Ecological Account of Gender and Its Fluidity.

This paper aims to show that genders are enacted, by providing an account of how an individual can be said to enact a gender and explaining how, consequently, genders can be fluid. On the enactive-ecological view we defend, individuals first and foremost perceive the world as fields of affordances, that is, structured sets of action possibilities. Fields of natural affordances offer action possibilities because of the natural properties of organisms and environments. Handles offer graspability to humans because of physical-structural properties of handles and the anatomical-physiological properties of humans. Although humans live in fields of bodily, action, and cultural affordances, our work focuses on cultural affordances, where action possibilities are offered to individuals because of the normative responses of individuals in that culture. Knocking on a door affords entrance because knocking provides cultured individuals on the other side of the door an affordance to which they themselves behave normatively. Usually, behaving normatively in response to cultural affordances brings about sequences of perception-action loops, which we will call “scripts”: for instance, closed doors afford knocking, which affords the individual inside opening the door, which affords an interpersonal meeting, which (may) afford entrance. Although the notion of script has a strong cognitivist flavor, one of the aims of the paper to provide an ecological account of scripts, to show that what cognitivists viewed as representations (or representational structures) are in fact environmentally structured perception-action loops. On our account of gender, gendered cultures build and maintain gendered cultural affordance landscapes, that is, landscapes in which the action possibilities individuals face are normed according to a specific body type or situation; most often (assigned) biological sex. Individuals enact a given gender when they come to perceive the affordances reserved for one gender by their culture and respond in the culturally normative way, thus enacting gendered sequences of perception-action loops (i.e., gendered scripts). With the shifting landscapes of cultural affordances brought about by several recent social, technological, and epistemic developments in some cultures, the gendered landscapes of affordances offered to individuals in these cultures have become more varied and less rigid, thus increasing the variety and flexibility of scripts individuals can enact. This entails that individuals in such cultures have an increased possibility for gender fluidity, which may in part explain the increasing number of people currently identifying outside the binary.

Hearing, Policing, and Using Gender Diversity: The Role of Institutional Gatekeepers in Researching Youth and Gender

This article comprises a critical reflection on our experiences of recruiting participants and organising focus groups through institutional gatekeepers for research about young people and changing gendered landscapes. We show how reflections on the research process can give (inadvertent) substantive insight into how gender is interpreted by gatekeepers in institutions – that is, gender as only about or for certain young people; gender as something to be contained by the institutional logics of equality and diversity; and how ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ views of gender diversity were understood through the nationalisation and racialisation of the student body. Crucially, we also trace how these institutional interpretations of gender diversity had epistemological consequences for the kinds of knowledge we were able to generate in the focus groups with young people, as meanings were re-framed and contested, and we were funnelled down particular routes. Furthermore, the article discusses how the act of research itself was leveraged by some institutions as institutional diversity capital and/or as part of classed enrichment agendas, highlighting new dimensions to both the co-option of research and the ‘doing’ of diversity work by institutions. Overall, the article provides empirical insight on gender and gender diversity in education and youth settings, and also key methodological insight into the social constitution of ‘Knowledge’ through gatekeeping, recruitment, and access.

Coping with Conundrums: Lower Ranked Pakistani Policewomen and Gender Inequity at the Workplace

Scholarship on gender and policing has frequently applied gendered organizational theory to understand how this type of organization and the men who run it produce gendered difference and inequity at the workplace. In this article, I draw on ethnographic research on lower ranked policewomen in Pakistan and contend that to fully fathom women’s marginalization at work, an analysis must not limit itself to the organization or the men who create the inequity but must also focus on women’s workplace behavior. My research sheds light on women’s anxieties about working with a large number of men and about people questioning their morality and character because they do so. I also demonstrate how their subsequent coping strategies can impede their professional development and reproduce their marginalization at their workplace. This woman-centric approach, which examines how policewomen navigate gendered landscapes in different patriarchal social spaces, therefore shows that workplace inequity is the collective result of the interplay between different actors and social structures, and leads to a more complex understanding of this phenomenon.

Professional roles of female urologists: A webinar-based survey of perceptions and obstacles to career development.

Urology, traditionally a maledominated specialty, keeping pace with the quickly changing gender landscape, has been characterized by waves of feminization. This study aims to understand the perspectives of women urologists on the obstacles to their career development, and the impact of such hurdles on their professional roles in urological education, practice, and leadership. 119 female urology residents/consultants were surveyed via a webinar-based platform, covering relevant questions on domains of Academia, Mentorship, Leadership, Parenting, and Charity. Statistical analysis was done using frequency distribution based on the responses. 46.8% of the respondents felt that there is an under-representation of women in academia. 'Having a good mentor' was the most important factor for a novice to succeed in academia (68%). The most important trait in becoming a good leader was 'good communication skills' (35%), followed by 'visionary' (20%). The greatest challenge faced by leaders in the medical field was considered as 'time management' (31.9%). Only 21.2% of the participants felt difficulty in having a work-personal life balance, whereas 63.8% of them found it difficult only 'sometimes'. As a working parent, 'the guilt that they are not available all the time' was considered the most difficult aspect (59.5%), and 'more flexible schedule' was needed to make their lives as a working parent easier (46.8%). 34% of the respondents were affiliated with some charitable organizations. The biggest drive to do charity was their satisfaction with a noble cause (72.3%). Need for increased encouragement and recruitment of females into urology, and to support and nurture them in their career aspirations.

“I Assumed It Was a Much Safer Place Than It Really Is”: Nonbinary Educators’ Strategies for Finding School Jobs

People who are nonbinary—one of many kinds of trans identity that do not fit neatly within a man/woman binary—face particular challenges when seeking employment in P–12 schools, which have historically been places where rigid gender norms are strictly enforced. This paper draws on semistructured interviews conducted in 2018 to explore how 16 nonbinary educators navigated the process of finding, securing, and keeping jobs in Canadian and American schools. I found that most participants were concerned about securing a job or potentially losing their job or their safety at work because others might be inhospitable to their gender identity or expression. At the same time, participants had strategies to ensure that they found and kept jobs they were comfortable with, such as investigating a school’s support for queer and trans people, forging positive relationships with administrators and staff, and presenting their gender in particular ways during the hiring process. This study illustrates the limitations of individualistic, tokenizing forms of trans inclusion and reveals the continued prevalence of gender normativity in schools, despite a rapidly shifting gender landscape. While trans inclusion, at least on the surface, may be a selling point for some schools, trans people continue to face barriers when the underlying structures that privilege White, middle-class, cisgender, and heteronormative gender expression remain intact. I argue that, if trans people are to be fully supported in the education workplace, an intersectional and broadly transformative approach to gender justice is necessary.

Exploring the masculinization of innovation practice within a municipality

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to generate an empirically informed theoretical framework which can be used to analyze the relationship between gender and innovation in the context of a municipality. The authors present and analyze three illustrative tales from a feminist perspective. The authors thus offer a more balanced approach to the conceptualization of gendered ascriptions with respect to the possible outcomes of innovation work in a public context.Design/methodology/approachAn ethnographic account which employed “shadowing” as a method of observation.FindingsThe article presents a debate on how the social construction of gender and innovation can be placed in the context of a municipal reality. Our analysis reveals how the complexities of a gendered work life within a municipality can create paradoxes. A constructionism approach was used in the identification of hidden and unspoken paradoxes that exist in public spheres.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors used empirical tales from a very specific context, namely a Swedish municipality. The central implication of this study is the recognition of innovation as being masculine-gendered within the feminine context. This implication thereby deepens our understanding of gender paradoxes in the public sector.Practical implicationsThis study provides insights to practitioners who intend to work with innovation in a public organization.Social implicationsThe social implications of this study is that when a male-gendered concept like innovation is implemented in a female-gendered context, like a municipality, it is of importance to contextualize the concept.Originality/valueThe empirical value of examples of a gendered work landscape at a Swedish municipality.

Overcoming Gender Stereotypes in the Process of Social Development and Getting Higher Education in Digital Environment

Social development and higher education are among the essential tools for overcoming gender stereotypes. The changes in education associated with the digitalization of learning and work, studies show, have little changed the gender landscape. Studying the opinion of students on the problem of gender relations and stereotypes is relevant in terms of the need to determine the impact of higher education in digital environment on changes in perceptions of behavioural patterns and social roles of men and women. This study examines the impact of gender stereotypes, manifested even in online learning and communication and when working in the new digital economy on student’s choice of a life path, profession, education. The research aims to study the influence of students’ social development in the learning process on the formation of gender stereotypes among them. An anonymous written survey was the most suitable method of the study. The survey involved 350 students of socio-humanitarian, technical and natural specialities (60% − women, 40% − men). It was found that getting higher education in digital environment is crucial to social development, as this stage of life helps individuals overcome gender stereotypes. Yet, gender stereotypes continue to dominate among students anyway. To which extent do students agree that the primary purpose of a woman is the role of wife and mother? Most students (44%) agreed with this view of a woman's role, with varying degrees of confidence. Besides, approximately one in four who answered this question (24%) expressed complete agreement with this statement. On the other hand, about a quarter of respondents (26%) strongly or somewhat disagree with this statement. The results of the study can be used in international practice to overcome gender stereotypes. Social development of a person through higher education in digital environment plays a more critical role in overcoming gender stereotypes than previously thought.

Masculine Vernacular Histories of Travel in Colonial India: The Writings of Satyadev ‘Parivrajak’

This article focuses on vernacular travel writings on America and Europe by Swami Satyadev ‘Parivrajak’ (1879–1961), one of the first persons to systematically write travelogues in Hindi. I argue that Parivrajak’s travel literature was part of a colonised nation’s attempt to reclaim a space of freedom, forged through the carving of ‘perfect masculine bodies’, which embodied his ideals of beauty and pleasure. It was a performative, political act that inscribed gendered landscapes with a dialogue between East and West, slavery and freedom. The Hindu male’s subaltern masculinity had to be overcome through diverse means, all of which metaphorically interacted to shape Parivrajak’s writings.

Gender justice paradox: Women in management positions in science and technological institutions in the central zone of Mexico

The past fifty years have witnessed intense local and international gender equity activism. However, the gender landscape has not transformed significantly to reflect a gender equal and just space. Men continue to occupy top influential political and economic positions. While current theoretical work on gender has developed incisive analytic tools which problematise gender essentialism, normative gender stereotypes persist and continue to dominate the institutional practices in many management positions in technological institutions in Mexico. The purpose of this study was to interrogate gender representation in key management positions in the state technological institutes of the central zone of Mexico. We analysed employment and recruitment documents available on the national database and compared the statistics on gender lines to establish the percentage of male and female managers in the science and technological institutes. The results showed that a greater proportion of management positions were occupied by men who were underqualified academically and professionally. Though there were few women in these posts, those women had appropriate and relevant qualifications. We conclude that gender difference may be used to explain the gender biased employment practices in key leadership positions in the technological institutes in Mexico. We also suggest possible research, policy and practical implications beyond the borders of Mexico.