Gender Performance Research Articles

O105: Evaluating Surgical Approaches in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Lobectomy vs Sublobar Resection

Abstract Background Lung Cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for 85% of cases. Lobectomy has long been regarded as the gold-standard treatment for early-stage NSCLC. A shifting paradigm towards lung-sparing procedures such as sublobar resection, may benefit patients with limited respiratory reserve or high comorbidity index. This study aims to compare survival outcomes between patients undergoing lobectomy and sublobar resection. Methods This was a tertiary retrospective cohort study comparing disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS) and postoperative outcomes in lobectomy and sublobar patients between 2013 and 2023 (n=3983). Propensity matched analysis was employed to adjust for treatment selection bias, calculated using a logistic regression model and incorporated eight covariates (n=528). Baseline, post-operative, and survival data were extracted from the hospital database. Comparison of baseline and post-operative characteristics involved Wilcoxon rank sum test, Fisher’s exact test and Pearson’s Chi-squared test. Kaplan Meier estimates and Multivariate Cox Regression were used to evaluate survival. p<0.05 was considered significant. Results No significant inter-cohort differences were observed in either DFS (log-rank p=0.32), OS (log-rank p=0.47), or 90-day mortality (log-rank p=0.78). Sublobar resection exhibited shorter post-operative length of stay (p<0.05). Conversely, both approaches demonstrated comparable resection margins and complication rates. Significant predictors of survival were age, gender and low Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (p<0.05). Conclusion These findings further support the non-inferiority of sublobar resection to lobectomy for stage 1 lung cancer. Additionally, improved perioperative outcomes may make sublobar resection more desirable for higher risk patients.

Hanfu catwalk shows: A performance of Chinese femininities

This article analyses the complex relationship between the construction of gender identities among young Chinese females and the practice of dressing up in Hanfu attire. The study employs the perspectives of dress as a situated embodied practice, the performativity of gender and the catwalk as a form of performance art. By drawing on an ethnography of self-defined Hanfu fans in Beijing, China, the authors investigate how the female participants construct femininities through performing on Hanfu catwalks. The ethnographic findings are that, first, the Hanfu catwalk mediates the intricate interplay of Chinese aesthetic norms and gender expression between performers and the audience. Second, wearing Hanfu is an embodied practice unifying the Hanfu costume style, gender construction and corporeal acts, situated in China’s sociopolitical context. Third, Chinese femininity is complex, with both flexibility and internal conflicts, reflecting China’s paradoxical modernization.

Unveiling the interplay of psychological capital, family business, and gender on firm performance during COVID-19

This study examines the complex relationships between Psychological Capital, family business, ownership, gender, and firm performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study examines the effects of these variables on firm performance and explores the empirical interaction effects. The findings reveal that Psychological Capital positively influences firm performance, supporting the hypothesis that owners with higher Psychological Capital contribute to better business outcomes. Additionally, family business and ownership significantly impact firm performance, indicating that family involvement and concentrated ownership drive organizational success. Surprisingly, the results indicate a negative impact of gender on firm performance, suggesting that firms managed by women are perceived as less successful. The study also explores the interaction effects and finds that the positive relationship between Psychological Capital and firm performance is amplified in family businesses. However, gender does not moderate this relationship, indicating that women Owners face challenges in translating their Psychological Capital into firm performance in the emerging economy of Ecuador. The results provide insights into the complex dynamics within family businesses and underline the need to address gender disparities and promote inclusive Ownership practices. Implications are discussed.

Influencing Factors and Prevalence of Anxiety in Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: While current research highlights student anxiety globally, limited data exists on the specific situation of Vietnamese medical students. This study addresses this gap by investigating the prevalence and contributing factors of anxiety within this population, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of their mental health experiences.
 Methods: Utilizing a convenience sampling technique, 400 medical students from Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine & Pharmacy were surveyed using the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and a custom questionnaire assessing factors contributing to anxiety. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation.
 Results: Findings revealed mild to moderate anxiety levels among medical students (M = 49.68 ± 11.54), with significant differences based on gender, academic year, and academic performance. Males (M = 51.27 ± 12.26) and senior students (M = 53.18 ± 12.50) reported higher anxiety levels. Key contributors to anxiety included financial concerns, major examinations, and discrepancies between perceived and desired academic performance. Notably, a strong positive correlation was found between academic performance discrepancies and anxiety levels (r = 0.888, p < 0.001).
 Conclusion: The study highlights a potentially higher prevalence of anxiety among medical students than previously reported, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions. Understanding the multifaceted nature of anxiety and its contributing factors is crucial for fostering a supportive learning environment, ultimately nurturing well-equipped and resilient healthcare professionals.

Teaching is a Drag! Performing Gender as a Queer Secondary English Teacher

ABSTRACT In light of recent protests at Drag Queen Story Hour events, this essay offers a critical examination of the role of gender performance in secondary schools and English lessons through a personal exploration of how I perform gender as a queer English teacher. I show that schools perpetuate a model of gender that is binary and heterosexist; that teachers and students perform gender in complex ways; that reading in English requires queer performances of gender; and that the professional is always personal when it comes to teacher development.

Loud, Proud, and All Around Hilarious: Queer Humor in Contemporary Graphic Novels as a Method of Interpersonal Affirmation and Awareness

ABSTRACT Despite the prevalent humor in political, performative, and personal means of expression throughout American LGBTQ+ history, there is not yet an academic analysis on the overlap between queer theory and humor theory. In this article, I explore the ways in which LGBTQ+ writers use humorous techniques to highlight aspects of queerness to establish a theory of queer humor. I rely on three contemporary graphic narratives as a platform for humorous expression and for challenging social expectations, specifically in regards to LGBTQ+ identities and experiences. Through these close readings, I find queer humor exposes cultural policings of gender performativity by promoting queer experiences over normative assumptions and building solidarity with the reader regardless of their identity. These methods encourage acknowledgments and accommodations of queer existence within a heterosexist society.

Gender qualities, creativity and performance in geosciences in a sustainable university system for global capacity building

Contributions of women to global politics, policy making, education and community development in the contemporary world despite their active familial roles and declining economy has led to sustainable global development. Their prominence has not been felt in geosciences to harness endowed earth’s treasures. Women academic geoscientists play vital roles investing into the future of countries for improved human lives. This study focuses on imbalanced gender structure of staff and students of Earth Sciences in a university system with intention to promoting gender inclusiveness in geosciences. The study employs sex-based counts of students (males and females) and women academics in Earth Sciences to investigate the reason(s) for low proportion of women in academic career in Nigerian university system. Data acquired from 2018 - 2023 academic sessions, revealed that < 13% female students defended their final year projects in a male dominated academic staff department that has one female in the staff gender composition. Thus, emphasis on employment of more female lecturers in geosciences in university system’s policy and other establishments would add value to their roles in global capacity building. This would advertently boost female students’ enrollment because of gender inclusiveness and performance of female folks at all levels of their academic pursuit. It guarantees quality in moulding and training students, enhances gender equity in the system by motivating them to take up academic careers, and as role models to emulate. This promotes women diversification in Earth Sciences, thus motivating and boosting their informed participation, creativity and improved solutions to their environment.

Resistance to Heteronormative Laws and Homophobic Religions in Selected Short Stories from Sub-Saharan Africa

This article explores the resistance exhibited by queer characters against homophobic legislation and religious norms within the framework of gender performativity in selected short stories from Sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis focuses on narratives from diverse regions, including Stanley Kenani’s “Love on Trial” and “In the Best Interests of the Child” (Malawi), Monica Arac de Nyeko’s “Jambula Tree” (Uganda), Davina Owombre’s “Pelican Driver” (Nigeria), Emil Rorke’s “Poisoned Grief” (Zimbabwe), and Dolar Vasani’s “All Covered Up” (Tanzania). The article argues that the queer protagonists featured in the chosen short stories actively resist societal pressures towards compulsory sexuality and assigned gender roles. Within the sociopolitical contexts of the characters, laws and religious doctrines prescribe and enforce a heteronormative framework that homosexual characters are compelled to adhere to. The theoretical framework guiding this analysis draws from Judith Butler’s gender performativity, which challenges the assumption of a direct alignment between biological sex and gender identity. According to Butler, being biologically male or female does not dictate one’s gender identity, and the same principle applies to sexuality. The article examines how heteronormative laws and homophobic religious doctrines contribute to the construction of mandatory sexuality and assigned gender roles. Through the lens of characterisation, the article analyses how queer characters in the selected stories actively challenge and denounce the homophobia perpetuated by these legal and religious structures. This exploration sheds light on the nuanced ways in which gender performativity theory manifests in the lived experiences and narratives of queer individuals in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Bison in the Room: Hunting, Settler Colonialism and Gender Performance on the American Frontier, 1865–1895

ABSTRACT This article explores the relationship between outdoor sports and the age of empire on the American frontier using the lens of gender performance. Focused on the years from the mid to the late nineteenth century, it provides an exploration of hunting as a vector of imperial masculine journey and a physical and imaginative pursuit where hunters stalked and shot the iconic animals of the western states on behalf of settler colonialism. In the first part of the paper, contemporary testimonies are used to plot the ways in which hunting desires to own the animal body fuelled a powerful homosocial culture grounded in ideas of primal pageantry. Sport and game in this context represented essential elements of a performative leisure economy in which pursuit and capture dictated the terms of human-animal engagement and refracted broader impositions of colonial political authority. From here, it turns to dynamics of community on the game trail where the primacy of the sporting hero was confirmed and recalibrated along racial, class and gender lines, before travelling indoors to examine how the afterlife of the hunt (expressed in taxidermy) allowed the authority of the victorious hunter to be performed in the ‘great indoors’ and for colonial claims over space to be materially and symbolically affirmed. Today, the stories of the imperial hunter elite and their taxidermy trophies represent traumatic historical artefacts. However, they also denote important remnants of empire whose complicated provenance helps to explain how mutually supportive mechanisms of masculinity and colonialism operated to sanction the killing and (later) the conservation of game species. Offering a closer look at ‘the bison in the room’ and its embodied story of pursuit and capture, this paper provides valuable insights into the dynamics of sport in colonial space and the value of performance as a useful category for contextualising human-environmental relations in the age of empire.

Beyond the masculinity of kingship: The making of a modern queen in early second millennium Sri Lanka

AbstractModern historians have repeatedly cast Sri Lanka’s historical female monarchs as ‘queens’, without critically reflecting on the conceptual limits and nuances of that term. Through a close examination of sources from the early second millennium, and their reception by scholars from the colonial period onwards, I demonstrate that Sri Lanka’s female monarchs—particularly Līlāvatī of Poḷonnaruva (r. 1197–1200, 1209, and 1210)—engaged in a more creative and subversive performance of gender than modern ‘queenship’ allows. In particular, I argue, a discourse of kingship’s inherent masculinity, advanced in literary and didactic texts written primarily by male monastics, was too-willingly accepted by colonial-period scholars. Closer attention to the material evidence of Līlāvatī’s reign, however, challenges this discourse and further suggests a politics of gender beyond the binary.

Between Androgyny and Drag: Dzi Croquettes on the Brazilian Theatre Stage, 1972 / 2012

Abstract: In the 1970s, Dzi Croquettes was an all-male troupe that revolutionized Brazilian theatre and dance at a time of dictatorial military ruling and increased censorship. Branding themselves as “androgynous,” they mixed cross-dressing, comedy, and cabaret aesthetics that pushed the limits of gender performance, which eventually led to their exile in Europe. In 2012, Ciro Barcelos, one of the surviving members, created a tribute musical of the same name, Dzi Croquettes. I analyze the work by Dzi Croquettes in the 1970s and Barcelos’s musical to offer a diachronic approach to the study of androgyny and drag as political performance. I introduce the term dzi androgyny to describe an embodied dramaturgy and philosophy particular to the one Dzi Croquettes performed as they faced censorship. Repurposed forty years later, Barcelos’s musical evidences a “re-presentation,” meaning a re-introduction, of a historically grounded aesthetic that puts Dzi Croquettes in conversation with contemporary forms of drag.

Total Frat Moves: Assessing Enactments of Masculinity on Fraternity Instagram Accounts

Society has expectations that dictate “acceptable” gender portrayals for men and women. Societal expectations are often produced and reinforced by the media. Using content analytic methods, the present study examined masculinity as gender performance among fraternity Instagram pages. A total of 393 Instagram posts were analyzed across five dimensions of masculinity. Our results indicated that more than two-thirds of the posts had at least one dimension of hegemonic masculinity. Furthermore, there were dimensions of hegemonic masculinity that occurred more frequently than other dimensions. Additionally, there were significant differences between the number of the likes received for posts with specific indicators of masculinity. Future research and theoretical implications regarding these dimensions of masculinity are discussed.

Dossier—Negotiating Urban Spaces: Access, Care and Confinement in Contemporary Gendered Performance

This dossier explores the ways in which theatre and performance practitioners across the globe have addressed the deeply gendered modes of differential access to public spaces, institutional support, and resources through their creative as well as activist work, during the pandemic and its aftermath. In the last three years, the pandemic has transformed experiences of urban space globally. Access to public space has always been gendered as well as shaped by geographical location, race, caste, class and sexual identity. These traditional modes of differential access have been radically reorganized by the isolation and uncertainty engendered by the global pandemic. While ‘working from home’ was certainly not an option for everyone (most notably, care-workers in an overwhelmingly feminized profession), confinement to domestic space also meant escalating incidents of gendered violence for others. Additionally, the lack of sustainable income opportunities meant, as contributions to this dossier will demonstrate, the stripping away of roofs from over the heads of vulnerable citizens, whether impoverished artistes in want of state support or migrant workers on an uncertain daily wage. Staying at home was no longer an option, because ‘home’ often ceased to exist as a viable shelter, whether literally or by implication. For performers and theatre-workers all over the world, it was a time of intensified precarity: not only a loss of employment and income, but also a growing sense of artistic and professional purposelessness. While some were able to reorient this bewilderment through virtual and digital performances, for many grassroots performers, especially in the global South, access to these modes of public engagement were limited. In countries like India, street theatre activists felt unable and unwilling to switch to the digital space, while the prohibition on public assembly struck an irrevocable blow to women's protest movements.

What Multi-Level Solutions Can Enhance the Financial Literacy of Healthcare Professionals in Kenya?

Financial literacy is a crucial asset within the human capital pool, whether individuals are working within or outside the hospital setting. Professionals in various fields benefit from financial literacy, and the main recipients include individuals, the broader economy, businesses, and the overall financial system. In the context of medical professionals, the expectation is often that they make informed business decisions and effectively manage healthcare facilities. However, a notable challenge is the potential lack of essential skills in financial literacy among these professionals. In Kenya, a considerable number of healthcare professionals face a deficiency in financial literacy skills, hindering their ability to proficiently handle even small businesses in private practices and oversee financial matters in hospital departments, both in public and private healthcare facilities. Consequently, the objective of this study is to present healthcare professionals with a roadmap to identify and address gaps to enhance their financial literacy. A survey was conducted from June to July 2023, involving 339 doctors, including medical doctors, dentists, and pharmacists. The findings were interesting concerning gender performance and global comparisons. Unlike previous studies, female doctors demonstrated a higher financial knowledge, behavior, and attitude, suggesting a well-rounded financial proficiency compared to their male counterparts. At the global level, the descriptive analysis revealed strong financial knowledge, positive attitudes, and prudent financial behaviors among the Kenyan participating doctors compared to the OECD global averages. For example, unlike the OECD global average of 52.5% in financial knowledge and literacy, the findings for the Kenyan counterparts stood at 77%; while the OECD global average for financial attitude was 70%, that of the Kenyan counterparts was at 75%; and compared to the OECD global average of prudent financial behavior of 59%, that of the Kenyan counterparts was 69%. It seems that socio-demographic factors, coupled with financial knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors, intricately influence the financial literacy of healthcare professionals. The findings highlight the importance of implementing multi-level solutions to enhance overall financial literacy among healthcare professionals. These solutions include tailored financial programs, self-paced online courses with interactive elements, and the integration of financial literacy into medical undergraduate and postgraduate training curricula. Keywords: healthcare professionals, financial literacy, Kenya, multi-level solutions

“Live like a Man:” Analysing The White Tiger’s Balram Halwai in a Patriarchal India

Gender, as a socially constructed role that societies assign to individuals based on their perceived sex, has been significantly influenced by social and cultural norms throughout history (Connell 1987, 70). In patriarchal societies like India, the concept of masculinity is particularly shaped by the prevailing social and cultural factors. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of masculinity through the character of Balram Halwai in Arvind Adiga’s The White Tiger (2008). The primary focus of this study lies in exploring how rigid gender roles contribute to the perpetuation of child abuse and child labour under the guise of upholding “masculinity.” By employing R.W. Connell's theory of masculinities, Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity, structural functionalism perspectives on gender, the paper delves into the character of Balram Halwai to investigate the profound impact that social expectations and gender roles have on his psyche. Furthermore, the paper investigates the extreme measures Balram undertakes in his pursuit of embodying the societal ideals of being a “man.” This study offers an intricate multidimensional exploration of masculinity in a patriarchal Indian context, uncovering the ways in which social expectations and gender roles can profoundly impact individuals’ lives.

Prevalence of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder in Medical Students

Objective: Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is a cluster C personality disorder, and the most prevalent one. It is mainly characterized by perfectionism and can cause distress and functional impairment in the individual. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of OCPD in medical students, investigate the effect of this disorder on students’ academic performance, and discover any possible related factors.
 Methods: This cross-sectional observational study consisted of 508 medical students enrolled at the University of Jordan in 2021. It utilized a questionnaire that enquired about their sociodemographic information, academic information, and study habits. It also contained questions about the diagnostic criteria of OCPD from the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) and questions from the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) to assess the presence of the rigid perfectionism personality trait.
 Results: Fifty-one percent of the studied sample either fulfilled the DSM-5 criteria or showed moderate or high expression of rigid perfectionism, according to the PID-5. More than two-thirds of the students able to be diagnosed with OCPD reported being overwhelmed with anxiety and stress at times of exams, and 41.5% stated that they skip sleep before exams even though they have finished studying.
 Conclusion: The reported prevalence of 51.18% in medical students is ten times the prevalence of OCPD in the general population. There was no association between OCPD and the students’ gender or academic performance. Students affected by OCPD seem to experience overwhelming amounts of stress and may need mental health support in the form of regular check-ups and counseling services.

Physical training in professional boxing

Professional boxing is a sport popular all over the world, and thanks to its spectacle, it arouses considerable interest from both spectators and experts. It is a high-intensity sport that requires a number of well-adapted physical and physiological characteristics to ensure maximum efficiency and competitiveness in matches. Punches are intended for both offensive and defensive actions, as well as for combining quick blows with the whole body with the speed of strength development. The resulting arm momentum and isometric muscle activity contribute to powerful strokes. The use of multi-faceted exercises in order to improve the rotational range of motion, the speed of force development and the segmentation of the sequence is recommended for the development of an effective stroke. It is necessary to use different training methods to achieve maximum results. The medical aspects and potential health risks of participating in training and competition were discussed. However, there are no comprehensive sources of applied sports scientific research on the preparation of professional boxers for competition. A boxer who receives individual and reasoned recommendations at all stages of training is an athlete who enters the ring with a lower risk of serious injuries in the short and long term. A limitation of this approach is that body weight (category), gender, ethnicity, and individual performance standards must be considered. A number of studies on the preparation of professional boxers for competitions were analyzed. The scientific support of the research of professional boxing is especially important in the interests of the health of athletes, interesting for the international audience, mass media, as well as medical and scientific communities.

Power, policy, and transgender identities: A case study of gatekeeping by mental health professionals in accessing gender affirming surgeries in India.

Transgender individuals seeking gender-affirming surgeries (GAS) are often denied or delayed by mental health professionals (MHPs). Studies on the gatekeeping of GAS have been mainly conducted in the Global North and primarily focus on the perspectives of health professionals. This case study from India incorporates health professional, community, advocate, and activist perspectives to contribute new evidence about MHP gatekeeping in GAS. The study aims to examine the role of power and gender in MHP gatekeeping of GAS in India. A qualitative multi-method case study including thematic analyses of key informant interviews (n = 9) and policy analysis using the policy triangle framework. Health professionals and transgender persons participate in the construction, performance, and reproduction of gender indicating the persistence of gender normativity in India which enables gatekeeping by MHPs. However, evidence suggests some signs of a change from binormativity to a culturally intelligible and historically familiar "trinormativity". To understand MHP gatekeeping, there is a need to contextualise this example of biopower within the larger social construction of gender within which MHPs operate. A transition from binormativity to "trinormativity" enables MHP gatekeeping of transgender persons seeking GAS. This risks creating new forms of gender-related oppression, such as new hierarchies and class differences between the gender binary and the "third gender".

Changes in patterns of peer relationships in primary education classroom networks through cooperative learning.

We studied the impact of cooperative learning on positive peer relationships, that is, liking to work together, in classroom networks. Cooperative learning was implemented as part of the "Success for All" program. Longitudinal social network analysis was used to investigate the development of structures and patterns of relationships in 16 intervention and 16 control classrooms, including a total of 791 students. Results showed significantly less reciprocation and transitivity in the dynamics of the intervention networks, while the number of nominations in the intervention classes was at least not smaller than in the control classes, indicating less tendency toward the formation of small clusters or cliques. We did not find that peer relationships became more diverse with regard to gender, socioeconomic status, or academic performance through the implementation of cooperative learning. In intervention classrooms, children tended to nominate their teammates with whom they work together in cooperative learning activities; however, also in control classrooms, children tended to nominate children with whom they are seated in the classroom. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Spaces of in/formality in the Turkish humanitarian field: Spatial and discursive practices impacting refugee women

Drawing upon critical feminist theorising, this article intervenes in the debates about humanitarian aid organisations in the case of urban refugees to highlight the ubiquity of in/formal practices in their interlinkedness that increasingly shape aid distribution. By examining humanitarian enactments at three levels –the national, the district and the neighbourhood– in the case of Ankara, Turkey, the article advances theoretical discussions about how formality and informality are intertwined as spatial techniques and discursive practices are deployed justifying in/formality in practice. We argue that such spatial and discursive interventions have become normalised as local aid distributors seek legitimacy in a contested process to counteract their image as unregulated. By centring the experiences of urban refugee women and their engagement with in/formal humanitarian practices, we expose the gendered connotations underpinning these interventions at the three levels of humanitarian enactments as (1) detached paternalism at the national level creating refugee women’s alienation, (2) a culture of Islamic charity at the district level prompting gendered performances of victimhood and (3) patriarchal ideology of male saviours linked to Islam at the neighbourhood level disciplining refugee women and leading to their (sexual) exploitation. In doing so, we problematise spatial and discursive modalities of in/formality, which produce profoundly gendered precarities, causing refugee women’s subordination in multiple ways. Bringing attention to how in/formality− as a part of contemporary conditions of refugeehood− interacts with gender, and how legitimacy is attained through on-the-ground spatial techniques coupled with discourses, we contribute to a more sophisticated understanding of the humanitarian field.