Gender Myths Research Articles

Engendering leadership in the Indian workplace – a framework on cross-level linkages

PurposeGender inequality is a critical economic challenge. A need to conceptualize and understand gender-based issues is of utmost importance to frame policies and processes for healthy workplaces. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachThis study attempts to capture the nuances of “gender diversity” issues at the Indian workplace from a grounded theory perspective by highlighting the viewpoints of women leaders and their organizations in the Indian context.FindingsThe findings reveal certain important themes. Indian organizations which have eliminated stereotyping and sex typing (stereotypical categorization of people according to conventional perceptions of sex) in roles and have implemented gender neutral policies and processes have become preferred employers and achieved better business results.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has proposed a linkage framework (Figure 1) and has suggested ways to understand an organization’s gender imbalance and lack of gender leadership with factors in the micro and macro environment. Organizations may use this model to gain perspective and adapt and invent policies and processes to have more gender diversity at workplace, for sustainable business results. Organizations should deepen their understanding of how “engendering leadership” should be embedded into the macro, micro and meso levels of an organization.Practical implicationsOrganizations that have created gender neutralism by procreating a performance and talent-driven culture find themselves creating positive business results. This was made possible by involving all stakeholders in the efforts to remove and negate gender myths and biases. A false sense of complacency, by creating rules and policies which were never implemented in spirit, proved to be detrimental.Social implicationsThis research attempts to investigate gender diversity’s coherence with the other features of the broader social context.Originality/valueTo gain perspective of how this phenomenon is manifested in reality in the Indian organizations, the authors conducted a qualitative study to gain deep immersed insights. This research has attempted to contribute and enrich the literature on gender leadership using a grounded theory approach. None of the earlier gender-related studies have applied grounded theory as a methodology.

“Eyes a man could drown in”: Phallic Myth and Femininity in John Fowles's The French Lieutenant's Woman

Abstract This paper is a psychoanalytic study of “gender myths” as presented in John Fowles's famous novel The French Lieutenant's Woman (1969). It begins by describing Fowles's interest in Freudian psychoanalysis and his use of psychoanalytic ideas in constructing fictional characters. The paper subsequently explains how the concept of “postmodern indeterminacy” as found in Fowles's text needs to be read in connection with the “enigma” as embodied by Sarah Woodruff, the female protagonist. An attempt is then made to make sense of the “enigma of femininity,” a critical concern among the psychoanalysts. Elaborating on Lacanian developments and critique of Freudian ideas, this paper uses the psychoanalytic notions related to the truth of the feminine, fictionality of the masculine, jouissance, and sexual non-rapport to offer an analysis of the enigma of Sarah Woodruff, the failures of Charles Smithson the male protagonist, and the inconclusiveness of Fowles's narrative. The discussion highlights the link between feminism and Lacanian psychoanalysis on the question of construction of gender identities.

Gender myths in global health – Authors' reply

We thank Sarah Hawkes and Kent Buse for their remarks on our Comment.1Talib Z Burke KS Barry M Women leaders in global health.Lancet Glob Health. 2017; 5: e565-e566Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (28) Google Scholar They are correct in saying that men in post-transition countries bear a greater global burden of disease and live shorter lives than that of women. However, the reverse is true in the poorest of countries where, for example, maternal mortality remains very high.2World BankWorld development report 2012: gender equality and development.https://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2012/Resources/7778105-1299699968583/7786210-1315936222006/Complete-Report.pdfDate: 2012Google Scholar Moreover, although women live longer, they tend to have more debilitating chronic conditions, and self-reported health is worse in women worldwide.3Boerma T Hosseinpoor AR Verdes E Chatterji S A global assessment of the gender gap in self-reported health with survey data from 59 countries.BMC Public Health. 2016; 16: 675Crossref PubMed Scopus (105) Google Scholar, 4Rieker PP Bird CE Rethinking gender differences in health: why we need to integrate social and biological perspectives.J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2005; 60: 40-47Crossref PubMed Google Scholar Our statement on the burden of disease also reflects the disproportionate social burden women have as caregivers.5Berg JA Woods NF Global women's health: a spotlight on caregiving.Nurs Clin North Am. 2009; 44: 375-384Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (35) Google Scholar Even for diseases that affect men or boys, it is often women who are the caregivers. The Women Leaders in Global Health conference, to be held on Oct 12, 2017, at Stanford University, CA, USA, will be an opportunity to continue this discourse on gender parity, particularly as it relates to upward mobility for women in the field of global health.5Berg JA Woods NF Global women's health: a spotlight on caregiving.Nurs Clin North Am. 2009; 44: 375-384Summary Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (35) Google Scholar We declare no competing interests. Women leaders in global healthIt is disappointing and rather ironic to note the lack of gender parity in leadership positions in the field of global health. Women carry a disproportionate burden of disease, comprise a large portion of the global health workforce, and in many leading universities make up the majority of global health students, even up to 84% as reported by one university.1,2 Yet, among the top 50 universities in the USA, women hold just over a third of global health faculty positions and a quarter of directorships in global health centres. Full-Text PDF Open AccessGender myths in global healthWe commend The Lancet Global Health and in particular Zohray Talib and colleagues (June, 2017)1 for drawing attention to the paucity of women leaders in global health and the agenda they advance to achieve gender equality. Nonetheless, the authors lead with a persistent “gender myth”2 when they claim that “women carry a disproportionate burden of disease”. Full-Text PDF Open Access

Myths of Sexual Economics Theory

The authors of sexual economics theory (Baumeister & Twenge, 2002; Baumeister & Vohs, 2004) argue that sex is a female commodity that women exchange for men’s resources; therefore, women (not men) are responsible for the cultural suppression of sexuality, ostensibly to preserve the value of sex. In this article, I describe the central tenets of sexual economics theory and summarize a growing body of research contradicting them. I also explain the negative implications of the claims of sexual economics theory for gender equality and heterosexual relationships. Researchers, clinicians, and educators engaged in understanding human sexuality may use the arguments provided in this article to counteract gender myths. This article also serves as a case study of how feminist scholars can employ empirical evidence to weaken a popularized, patriarchal theory.

Contraceptive utilization and associated factors among women of reproductive age group in Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples\u2019 Region, Ethiopia: cross-sectional survey, mixed-methods

BackgroundThough contraceptive utilization has comprehensive benefit for women, it was one of underutilized public intervention in Ethiopia and in the study area. Thus, assessing status and factors affecting contraceptive utilization among women of reproductive age group was found key step for program improvement.MethodsCommunity based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April, 2015 in Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples’ Region, Ethiopia. A multistage stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 3205 study subjects. Study used both quantitative and qualitative methods. Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20 was used to analyze quantitative data. The association between variables was determined using odds ratio at 95% confidence interval.ResultsContraceptive utilization was 53.3% among women of reproductive age groups. Nearly three fourth, (73.6%), of current users were using short-term contraceptive methods. Factors associated with contraception utilization were overall knowledge of and attitude towards contraceptives, age, residence, number of alive children, experience of child death, marital status and deciding number of children. Contraceptive utilization was also affected by various misconceptions.ConclusionContraceptive utilization was below national Health Sector Development Program IV target. Program implementers need to address socio-cultural barriers. Gender myths and specific roles and power inequalities that can function as a barrier to contraceptive utilization should be assessed.

Gendering Resilience: Myths and Stereotypes in the Discourse on Climate‐induced Migration

AbstractThe research article critically investigates recent European policy proposals that promote migration as an adaptation strategy to increase the resilience of communities vulnerable to the environmental crisis. Such proposals have been welcomed for breaking with alarmist discourses that framed climate‐induced migration as a threat to national or international security. The present article seeks to contribute to this ongoing debate by bringing in a fresh perspective that has so far been neglected: the perspective of gender. Drawing on a poststructuralist perspective on gender the article reveals that policy debates on climate‐induced migration take place within highly gendered discourses. Applying this perspective to recent policy reports on climate change, migration and resilience, the article helps to paint a more nuanced picture of the highly criticized notion of resilience. The analysis shows that, on the one hand, resilience thinking helped overcoming a masculinized discourse of security as control. On the other hand, it reproduces a series of ‘gender myths’ about the role of women in the so‐called Global South.

Gender, Sexuality and Development: Revisiting and Reflecting

This article looks at how the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) has participated in, contributed to, and been shaped by debates around gender and sexuality. Through interviews with key participants in the gender and sexuality research story of IDS, we explore certain periods and themes over the last four decades. These are the introduction of gender research at IDS in the 1970s, the development of the MA Gender and Development (GAD) in partnership with the University of Sussex in the late 1980s; the co-construction of knowledge with the development of BRIDGE in the 1990s; and the Pathways of Women’s Empowerment programme, gender myths and sexuality, and the emergence of work on men and masculinity from 2000. These selected stories highlight the particular strength of IDS’ convening role in creating the spaces for academics, activists and others to come together to politicise the dialogues by revealing normative assumptions often taken for granted in gender and sexuality.

Mythoform and the Misovire Consciousness: A Gender Conceptual Renewal Strategy in Werewere Liking’s It Shall Be of Jasper and Coral

This paper underscores the need for new plausible myths that redefine gender relations in an attempt to revalue female assertion, ethical values, and human development. This creative process presents a different perspective from the views of some feminist theorists who have seen myth as a regressive and oppressive structure. The focus, in this paper, is to illustrate how in her chant-novel It Shall Be of Jasper and Coral Liking appropriates the productive force of myths through the misovire consciousness and ritual structure for her gender politics and for promoting ethical values and the culture of human development. In this regard, she decodes existing negative myths and reconstructs new gender myths that redefine gender relations, celebrate what she calls women’s “cosmic force” and through ritual cleansing, reinvents a new language of beauty and a new race of Jasper and Coral. Thus, guided by the tenets of deconstruction and the gender relations frameworks, this paper defends the thesis that Liking’s chant-novel through myth invention and revision combines and fuses traditional and modern aesthetics, thematic and structural elements that she uses to deconstruct social and gender relations. The contention is that in negotiating plausible gender relations for men and women in Africa, Liking’s story and structure incorporate the cleansing, cathartic effect of Bassa ritual performance into the narrative.

The Roles of Traditional Gender Myths and Beliefs About Beating on Self-Reported Partner Violence.

The aim of the current study was to investigate the roles of beliefs about beating, traditional gender myth endorsement, ambivalent sexism, and perceived partner violence in determining an individual's own reported violence toward his or her partner. The sample consisted of 205 (117 women; 88 men) Turkish and Turkish Cypriot undergraduate students, aged between 16 and 29 years. Participants completed measures of beliefs about beating, traditional gender myth endorsement, and ambivalent sexism and rated the extent to which they experienced abusive behaviors from their partner as well as the extent to which they were themselves abusive to their partners. Results showed that positive beliefs about beating, endorsing traditional gender myths, and experiencing partner abuse were all predictive of self-reported abuse to one's partner. Furthermore, the relationship between myth endorsement and self-abusive behavior was mediated by beliefs toward beating-only in men. Results are discussed in light of the traditional gender system evident in Turkish societal makeup.

Debunking gender myths in heart care

Consultant Editor Jenny Tagney RN, PhD, NFESC Cardiology Nurse Consultant, University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust Acting Editor Aysha Mendes bjcardn@markallengroup.com Editorial Manager Rowan Dennison rowan.dennison@markallengroup.com Display Sales Executive Barry Maguire barry.maguire@markallengroup.com Group Classified/ Product News Manager Rachel McElhinney rachel.mcelhinney@markallengroup.com Circulation Director Sally Boettcher sally.boettcher@markallengroup.com Production Manager Jon Redmayne Production Assistant Larry Oakes Associate Publisher Julie Smith Publishing Director Anthony Kerr Managing Director Jon Benson Chief Executive Officer Ben Allen

Rape Myths and Gender Stereotypes in Croatian Rape Laws and Judicial Practice

In this paper I examine the presence of rape myths and gender stereotypes, and the norms of sexuality they reflect and reinforce, in Croatian rape laws, as exemplified by the recent practice of the Zagreb County Court. I begin with a general discussion of the gendered myths and stereotypes that have shaped the content and application of the criminal law of rape everywhere. I then briefly introduce the definition of rape under the 1997 Croatian Criminal Code which was in force at the time of my research, after which I proceed to the critical analysis and the assessment of the Zagreb County Court practice. Next, I turn to the changes in the new Criminal Code to see how they address the identified problems. I offer a model of an affirmative consent standard, based on a communicative model of sexuality, which values reciprocal responsibility, communication and mutuality of sexual desire. I argue that this standard has greater potential to challenge rape myths and gender stereotypes and to promote sexual freedom and gender equality.

‘Sugar, Sugar’: questioning the sexual division of labour on Jamaica's sugar plantations in Sistren's The Case of Miss Iris Armstrong and Sweet Sugar Rage

Through an analysis of Sistren Theatre Collective's play The Case of Miss Iris Armstrong and the Collective's documentary film Sweet Sugar Rage, this article looks at the way the sexual division of labour on Jamaica's sugar plantations during the 1980s was based on the following gendered myths: women's labour capacity is lower than their male counterparts; and men are the breadwinners for their families. The article also critiques the sexism in the Jamaican union movement which did not support female workers and actively kept women's wages lower than men's on the plantations.

An exploration of human papillomavirus‐related cervical cancer prevention experiences among college women: a descriptive qualitative approach

To enhance understanding of young women's experiences of human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer prevention in Taiwan. High-risk types of human papillomavirus are a key aetiologic factor behind cervical cancer. Recently, human papillomavirus vaccination is considered an effective approach to prevent vaccine-specific typed human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer in women. However, several controversial issues still arise about routine administration of human papillomavirus vaccines, and the literature on young women's protection against human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer is limited. A descriptive qualitative design categorised responses into themes. Sixteen sexually active college women (aged 20-22 years) were recruited via purposive and snow-ball sampling in Southern Taiwan. Every participant underwent an in-depth interview which was audio-recorded and fully transcribed. Analysis of the interview material was inductive and followed a thematic analysis approach. Procedures to confirm confidentiality, credibility and consistency were considered. This article provides an insight into the college women's experiences in the obstacles to and striving towards breakthroughs of human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer prevention. The obstacles include inadequate health literacy, financial difficulty, negative medical experiences and gender myths. The striving towards breakthroughs consists in self-protection and knowledge support. College women experience difficulties with human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer prevention. They desire to have a publicly funded human papillomavirus immunisation programme, friendly medical environments, sufficient knowledge and open-minded society to maintain their health. Such reflection information is helpful to design effective human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer prevention campaigns. Young women do not know how to protect against human papillomavirus infection, although human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer prevention methods are definite. This study provides useful information for health care professionals to assess the intervention education and health care to develop a thorough human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer programme. To have control of human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer for young women, personal health care management, prophylactic medicine and Pap tests should be integrated into human papillomavirus-related cervical cancer campaigns.

Gender Roles in Cotton Production and Management of Related Organizations in Benin

Women’s productive roles have generated important debates, heuristic as well as practical, in the scientific and development community. In Benin, women farmers are playing a key role, particularly in agriculture and cotton production, where they are involved throughout the production process. However, only a handful of them are involved in the management of farmer organizations. This article aims to identify factors that constrain or enable women’s representation in the management of cotton organizations. It uses survey data and the life history method to meet its objectives. The life history method was applied to two women leaders who are exceptions to the rule, to document their experience as board members of organizations. Both were cajoled into their positions, and then ousted unceremoniously. The results suggest that gender myths and stereotypes still determine the involvement of women in managing organizations. And the male motive in involving women in management continues to remain questionable.

Anne-Julia Zwierlein (ed.). Gender and Creation: Surveying Gendered Myths of Creativity, Authority, and Authorship

Anne-Julia Zwierlein (ed.). Gender and Creation: Surveying Gendered Myths of Creativity, Authority, and Authorship

Confronting the Gender Myth

Research on family violence has overwhelmingly focused on a patriarchal model, which inaccurately depicts men as exclusively perpetrators and women as exclusively victims of abusive family acts. In addition, empirical research on sibling abuse in families has been significantly absent from the professional literature. This exploratory study used a survey instrument based on an altered version of the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) to investigate the question of whether significant gender differences exist in the experience of sibling abuse as a child, either as perpetrator or victim. MANOVAs (multivariate analyses of variance) indicate that there are no gender differences related to surviving sibling abuse or perpetrating emotional and physical abuse, whereas it was found that women had a significantly higher rate of perpetration related to sibling sexual abuse. Specific results related to the gender variance of perpetrators are explored. Limitations as well as implications of these findings on treatment, counselor education, and future research are discussed.

Sexuality and gender: change through reflection and action

Gender and sexuality inequalities lie at the root of poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH). An India-based non-governmental organization (NGO) implemented a field-based methodology to integrate gender and sexuality into existing SRH projects in two states. Personal and organizational change occurred through critical analysis and experiential exercises which normalized topics on sexuality for program staff and communities. Staff learned how biases prevented them from engaging with communities. Community women came to understand sexual pleasure as an important aspect of strengthening the family and community. Mapping women's mobility revealed the link between sexuality, mobility and family honour. Gender myths, portraying men as oppressors, made explicit the narrow and biased picture of men that perpetuates through social norms maintained by staff and not only by communities in which they work. Methods improved social relations and prompted both behaviour and social changes at the community level.

The Construction, Composition and Idealization of the Female Body in Rabbinic Literature and Parallel Iranian Texts: Three Excursuses

Body studies have been a focus in Jewish Studies at least since the publication of Daniel Boyarin’s Carnal Israel (1993), while the Babylonian Talmud’s Iranian context has been a preoccupation of talmudists as a result of Yaakov Elman’s massive decade-long project on this subject. In this article, I use parallels from Zoroastrian literature to shed light on three developments found in rabbinic attitudes toward the female body: the androgynous formation of the first human couple; the etiology of menstruation; and the rabbinic discourse about the ideal contours of the female body. First, in light of the Zoroastrian myth of the first human couple and its Indo-European parallels, I suggest that Genesis rabbah ’s androgynous reading of Genesis 1–2 should not be interpreted as a direct subversion of the Middle Platonic adaptation of the classical Greek androgyne myth (as Boyarin suggested), but rather as participating in the production of a widely diffused gender myth in late antiquity. Second, I demonstrate that the view which sees menstruation as a punishment for Eve’s sin is a wholly Babylonian rabbinic invention, and it parallels a Zoroastrian etiology that ties menstruation to primal, demonic evil. Finally, I show how the Babylonian Talmud adapts material from the Tosefta to create an extended discussion regarding the aesthetics of the female breast that parallels developments in Zoroastrian literature from the Avesta to its Sasanian Middle Persian adaptation.

Rethinking Gender Politics in Laboratories and Neuroscience Research: The Case of Spatial Abilities in Math Performance

What does it mean to practice socially responsible science on controversial issues? In a fresh turn focussing on the neuroscientists’ responsibility in producing knowledge about politically charged subjects, Chalfin et al. (Am J Bioethics 8(1):1–2, 2008) caution neuroscientists to be careful about how they present their findings lest their results be used to support unfounded biases, social stereotypes and prejudices. Weisberg et al. (J Cogn Neurosci 20(3):470–477, 2008) discuss the allure of neuroscience explanations and demonstrate how laypersons easily accept dubious claims as long as (even non-relevant) neuroscientific descriptions are provided. Fine (2010) exposes the use of scientific evidence in propagating outdated gender myths by popular writers and discusses the infiltration of these prejudices into popular belief, folk culture and lifestyle. This paper discusses ways in which the ‘neuroscience of gender difference’ itself inadvertently contributes to normalising socially constructed theories about sex difference in cognitive performance. This unpremeditated effect has evident implications on the structuring of society because gender relations cut across social, political and economic boundaries. We present a theoretical reflection of factors that could interact with the scientists’ attempted objective evaluation of the subject, the methods and some principle problems, and we engage a science studies approach as our methodological tool. Our object of critique is drawn from the research on spatial abilities that articulate the dissention pertaining to sex differences in intellectual capacity.

Is Emo Metal? Gendered Boundaries and New Horizons in the Metal Community

This article examines debates in Kerrang! magazine around emo’s position in the metal community. The author asks: Why is emo vilified and rejected in British metal magazines, what can debates around emo reveal about the gendered nature of metal, and what potential for new envisionings of metal do they encapsulate? As the only British weekly magazine to focus on metal and hard rock, Kerrang! fulfils a pedagogical role in the metal community, establishing a canon of musical works, and a history and ideology of the genre. Fans are vividly represented in its letters pages, their words and images used to disseminate Kerrang!’s ideology of metal. The reported increase in female readership in 2006 has been attributed to the coverage of “emo” bands, such as My Chemical Romance, who have a majority of women fans. This coverage has provoked debate and censure in the magazine’s letters pages, debate that illuminates gender relations and allows new consideration of the gendering of the metal community. Inspired by Barthes’s Mythologies, the author performs a semiotic reading of Kerrang!’s June letters pages between 2000 and 2008 in order to understand the gendered myths forged and propagated by the design, images, content and editorial treatment portrayed. Employing Thornton’s concept of the gendered mainstream, the author delineates the implications of Kerrang!’s myths for female fans, arguing that the influx of female emo fans reading Kerrang! has caused a revolt amongst fans of more established metal bands, who represent the magazine and emo as feminised, akin to the mainstream. The author concludes that whilst debates around emo are rooted in the metal community’s conservative ideas about gender, the presence of many vocal young fans open to ideas of fluidity of gender allows us to conceive of a more inclusive metal community in which gender boundaries are less constrained.