Gender Relations Research Articles

Women on the move: Understanding the female face of migration to develop targeted policies

Women migrants and refugees are playing an increasingly important socio-economic role in our societies. As gender has an impact on their experience and on their integration process, it is necessary to develop a gender-sensitive, targeted approach, which enables their contribution to society to be fully appreciated. Female migrants and refugees may face stronger, and double, discrimination and experience further barriers to integration in their host countries. Yet, the societal inclusion of women is key for their families; has multiplier effects; and can stimulate changes in social norms, gender relations and discriminatory practices. Furthermore, investing in women contributes to economic growth, social cohesion and stability. Therefore, promoting gender mainstreaming in migration policies is both a social and an economic necessity. It must not be overlooked.

Reimagining Feminism and Gender Relations in Saudi Arabia: A New Theoretical Framework

Reimagining Feminism and Gender Relations in Saudi Arabia: A New Theoretical Framework

The Effect of Watching Turkish Series on Gender Harmony in Jordanian Society

The study aimed to reveal the impact of Turkish series on gender harmony in Jordanian society, by identifying the nature of these series and the most widespread and followed ones, and identifying the motives for watching them, and the extent of their impact on both gender in Jordanian society. In terms of their understanding of their roles and responsibilities towards each other. The study also sought to provide recommendations on how to create a balance between the two genders’ enjoyment of watching Turkish series and preserving the basic principles and social values of Jordanian cultural identity. The study used a quantitative approach on a random sample of (514) individuals from Jordanian society. The study tool was the questionnaire that was distributed to the study sample electronically. In his study, the researcher reached a number of results, the most important of which are: The convergence of the reality of Turkish series with the reality of Jordanian society reflects the great demand for watching these series, due to their dealing with common issues in Arab societies and Jordanian society in particular, such as issues of love, marriage, and family conflicts. Watching Turkish series has a clear impact on the relationship between the genders in Jordanian society, especially series that present stories of gender relations in a broader and open way, which leads to a change in beliefs, perceptions, and social behaviors, as well. As a change in opinions, attitudes and orientations among members of Jordanian society. The researcher recommends the need to educate members of Jordanian society about the dangers of these series and the customs, traditions and cultures they carry that conflict with the cultures of the Arab peoples, and to activate the supervisory role of the concerned authorities over the presented materials. In these series to avoid exacerbating its harm and negative effects. It is also recommended that Spreading awareness that these series are not a reference for members of the same gender to rely on in dealing with and influencing the opposite gender. 

Equal Representation: Challenges and Opportunities

This article explores the contours of the highly politicised and gendered spaces in Kenya that female aspirant leaders still struggle to overcome in order to participate fully as citizens. It aims to highlight the exclusionary nature of the political and democratic space in Kenya, notwithstanding constitutional and legal provisions for gender equity. We argue that enjoying a simple majority in terms of overall population figures (50.1%) has not necessarily translated into political capital for Kenyan women, who are perpetually locked out of meaningful political participation due to entrenched patriarchy and sexism. The introduction of political affirmative action through the two-thirds gender rule augmented female representation in parliamentary and other public and legislative offices. This was also meant to regulate the monopoly of any one gender in the occupation of political and public positions. The article utilises secondary data and related theories in supporting the argument that the insignificant number of female parliamentarians is, inter alia, a result of entrenched and skewed power relations. Outdated cultural practices, gender stereotypes, negative rhetoric and ethnicity, patriarchy, and a lack of economic and social capital have indeed adversely affected women’s trajectory in politics. Results of the past two elections (2013 and 2017) have indicated that gender skewing in parliament and other competitive positions in the public service is still an issue to reckon with. This, we observe, is tantamount to non-compliance with constitutional and legal provisions that were geared toward achieving an equal society. We suggest the implementation of the gender rule as envisaged in the 2010 Constitution. A conducive legal framework, coupled with collaborative efforts of relevant state and non-state actors, is paramount. A significant and current discussion should encompass new realignments aimed at disrupting and deconstructing the pervasive gendered relationships.

Comparison of Singh’s index in view of osteoporosis in patient with in tertrochanteric fracture and intracapsular fracture

Background: Osteoporosis is a progressive, systemic, skeletal disease with low bone mass. Diagnosing osteoporosis in practice is a major challenge, where resources are limited and costly. Measurement of osteoporosis through Singh’s index in proximal femur fracture patients is consistent with Bone Mineral Density estimation like DEXA scan. Singh’s index is a reliable, reproducible and easily available investigation for osteoporosis. The aim of this study is to evaluate the Singh’s index of the patients with inter-trochanteric and intra-capsular fracture. Methods: A retrospective observational study of 20 IT and IC fracture each. Singh’s index evaluated from the X-rays at time of fracture presentation. Other required information collected at presentation. Results: Out of 40 Patients, 6 had Singh's Index Grade 1 (15%), 11 had Grade 2 (27.5%), 10 had Grade 3 (25%), 7 had Grade 4 (17.5%), 6 had Grade 5 (15%), 0 Patients had Singh’s index Grade 6. There was no noticeable significant variation in relation of gender with the type of fracture. Patients with higher age tend to have a lower grade of Singh’s index. Conclusions: Singh’s Index indeed represents bone quality and a fall in the grades predisposes to fractures. Inter trochanteric fractures are common in the older age group with poor Singh’s index (<3) compared to the relatively younger age group with Singh’s index around 3. Gender, exercise, history of hypertension and diabetes, sunlight exposure, etc. has no significant impact on Singh's Index. Age is deciding factor for Singh’s Index.

Rethinking “Transition” in Central and Eastern Europe and the Former Soviet Union Through the Lens of Disability

ABSTRACT The concept of disability can serve as a valuable lens through which a host of established subjects can be revisited in a new light. These include welfare and “welfare dependency,” unemployment, gender relations, social movements, and grassroots activities, the impact of international norms such as human rights and their application in local contexts, and the impact of neoliberal reforms. Despite this potential, disability, unlike the concepts of class, “race,” sexuality, and ethnicity, has yet to make inroads into the field of postsocialist studies. It is precisely this lacuna which our special issue seeks to address.

Young children’s expression of gender and sexuality a multimodal research method

ABSTRACT Despite flourishing gender studies over the last decades, gender equality continues to reflect imbalance, with the dominance of gender binary thinking, lacking an emphasis on a more fluid approach where children themselves are active participants. The aim of this study was to explore young children’s perceptions of gender roles and sexuality. The research applied a poststructural feminist theoretical framework as well as a research method inspired by the story completion method and the mosaic approach. The children’s views were underpinned by heteronormativity, but they occasionally diverged from that framework to refer to non-heteronormative families and characters. We argue that our findings demonstrate the considerable impact of heteronormativity on gender relations in preschools and the need to take that influence into account when creating a gender-sensitive pedagogy. Valuing children’s agency, supporting children’s power by listening to their perspectives might be the way forward, towards finding balance to promote gender equality in preschools.

The Truth(s) of Western Civilization in Julian Barnes’ A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters

A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters (1989) promises a history of the world, however, it only provides its readers with subjective perceptions of various Western characters. Barnes’ collection of vaguely connected stories depicts the world as a hegemonic Western space in which the Western definition of universal truth is used as a tool of cultural imperialism. The connections between the stories might seem oblique but meticulously structured patriarchal, religious, and artistic elements seem to expose the multiplicity of the definition of truth while simultaneously revealing how truth is used as a tool to create a specific and an exclusive understanding of civilization that is reserved for the West. This study explores how gender relations, religion, art, and perceptions towards cultures outside the Western civilization are narrated in A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters to reveal how Barnes reinstalls the very dynamics of the Western civilization he aims to deconstruct. The study starts with an exploration of the truths that are narrated in Barnes’ novel in order to demonstrate how Barnes attempts to deconstruct the fundamental values of civilization in his work through his stories offered from subjective points of view that are exclusively Western. The second part of the study defines the main ideals of the Western civilization and correlates these ideals with Barnes’ narrative which offers a seemingly deconstructive discourse while simultaneously reinstating hegemonic undertones. The third part of the study focuses on how Barnes reinstalls a fundamentally exclusive Western understanding of patriarchy, religion and art through his stories.

The Hundred: A sociological analysis of gender relations and the (semi-) professionalisation of women's cricket in England

In this article, we adopt a critical sociological perspective to understanding gender relations and cricket, through the lens of The Hundred – a new, short-form tournament, described by the England and Wales Cricket Board as being part of its long-term commitment to making cricket a gender-equal sport. The Hundred is the first sporting tournament in the world which, from the outset, featured fully aligned competitions for both men's and women's teams, including equal prize money, but not equal pay, which the recent Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket condemned. Drawing on concepts of professionalisation as a gendered process we discuss data from interviews with 33 people working in cricket to consider how gender relations continue to impact opportunities for women in cricket. This article further supports the need to conceptualise professionalisation in sport as gendered by considering the ways The Hundred facilitates opportunities for men's and women's cricket differently.

Идеология российского феминизма в свете гендерных процессов (анализ феминистского дискурса)

The article delves into Russian feminism from the perspective of an ideological discourse field that has a coer-cive effect on the participants covered by this field. In modern conditions, the leading actor of discourse for-mation is the blogosphere. Analyzing a number of sites and online videos has shown that apologists of Russian intersectional feminism tend to absolutize the constructivist component of social differences between men and women, which allegedly determine the structure and viciousness of gender relations. However, this thesis de-termines the whole logic of feminist discourse. The functional side of Russian feminism is the emphasis on a critical approach to a number of social facts and phenomena, which allows for a more in-depth understanding of their real and potential problems. Feminism’s socio-economic and legal demands adequately reflect the problems at hand. Far less adequate is feminism on the socio-cultural sphere, where aesthetic norms are actu-ally replaced by naturalism, and politically, feminism is a tool of the diffuse influence of the Western political correctness project, aimed at cultural degradation, anomization and fragmentation of Russian society.

Das Problem der Kolonialität des Geschlechts

Abstract In this article, Breny Mendoza examines and critically discusses María Lugones’ concept of the “coloniality of gender.” Lugones’ influential thesis asserts that the binarity of gender was introduced in the colonies as part of colonial rule and displaced previously predominant egalitarian systems of gender relations. As Mendoza outlines, this thesis has been challenged in recent years by Latin American and indigenous feminisms (such as the Argentinean anthropologist Rita Segato, and indigenous feminists from countries such as Bolivia, Guatemala, and Mexico). In light of these new perspectives, Mendoza expounds and acknowledges Lugones’ ideas, while also pointing out their pitfalls and limitations, since such an approach can lead to a romanticisation of pre-colonial orders, presenting them as the “absolute other” of colonial violence. In contrast, drawing on the analysis by Bolivian Aymara feminist Julieta Paredes, Mendoza argues that the imposition of gender can only be understood as an “entanglement of patriarchies.” Finally, Mendoza applies these discussions to issues surrounding sexualised violence, i.e., feminicide, in Latin America proving them to provide a fruitful framework for understanding and addressing these current forms of violence.

Work in IT for women: The realities of Ukraine


 
 
 The article presents a study conducted on gender equality in Ukraine in the field of information technology. The problem of gender inequality still exists throughout the world. The purpose of the article is to study the working conditions of women in IT, to discuss the possible use of stereotypes, and to identify the reasons for women’s lack of interest in working in this field. Formally, there is no prohibition for women to work in the IT industry. However, there are a number of reasons in Ukraine that affect the possibilities of pursuing a career in this direction. The article analyzes the available statistical data and the results of a survey among representatives of the IT sector. It is worth noting the problem of data collection during the war in Ukraine. The importance of the sphere for the country’s economy as a whole and the relevance, demand for specialists, as well as the ratio of women and men employed in this area are considered. Global trends in gender distribution in the field of IT were analyzed. The main stereotypes and situations that constitute obstacles for women in this area are considered and the features inherent in Ukrainian society are also highlighted. Based on the statistical data of Ukraine the number and structure of female students, including foreigners, in recent years were analyzed. It was revealed that the structure of the gender ratio of men and women in education is changing with the formation of the labor market of Ukraine and the distribution by employment status. The ratio of working women and men is approximately the same, but the structure by employment status is different. In Ukraine the IT sector is largely based on individual entrepreneurs. Despite the martial law, the IT community is actively developing and new companies are being created. Training is actively carried out in paid and free courses. Surveys were conducted among students, and it was found that the beginning of a career in the field of information technology is already determined by certain stereotypes of society. Based on the conducted research, the structural gender relations in the field of IT and the main stereotypes that hinder the development of women in this area are analyzed. Recommendations for overcoming gender inequality in the field of IT in Ukraine are presented. Based on the information received, conclusions were drawn: the number of women and men studying technical and mathematical sciences in Ukraine is approximately the same. But in the future, in professional activities, women in many cases prefer to occupy weaker positions, leaving leading positions to men. The main reason for this dynamic is the generally accepted stereotypes and the actualization of the role of women in other areas.
 
 

The semantics of gender, politics, and religion in Tsitsi Dangarembga’s This Mournable Body

Zimbabwean literature produced after the attainment of independence has been predominantly engrossed with thematisation of the postcolonial subaltern subjects’ existential conditions, enunciated together with gender politics, religion and socio-economic environment that frame politics of difference, and sites of suffering or resistance. These tropes remain absorbing and critical even in contemporary female-authored novels that also engage with a deeply fractured modern-day Zimbabwe. Tsitsi Dangarembga’s novel, This Mournable Body, offers important site to debate the enduring concerns of gender inequalities, politics, and religion. A stylistic approach is adopted to identify the semiotic construction of the text and discuss the different styles that are deployed to foreground central tropes in the novel. The adoption of stylistics as an underlying conceptual model locates this current study in the interdisciplinary research which brings together gender, applied linguistics, poetics, politics, and religion, in order to provoke new ways of reading the dialogic and polyphonic elements of the text. The study contends that the politics of difference is an unsettling subject that profoundly impacts on gender relations and religio-political practices in a milieu where precarity is a major defining feature of the subaltern sections comprising women and the marginalised poor. Thus, the novel’s title figuratively foregrounds the (un)mournable bodies of the people, who are both dehumanised and heavily burdened by surviving at the margin.Contribution: Tsitsi Dangarembga’s novel, This Mournable Body demonstrates a deep concern with the plight of the subaltern people in a gendered society and how their conditions of the Othered bodies are further amplified by both religion and politics in present-day Zimbabwe. Thus the study contributes to the mounting discourses about politics of fragmentation and binary practices, and the ensuing agony suffered by the sidelined persons. The adopted stylistic reading of the focus novel underscores the interdisciplinary urgency to literary interpretative process.

Digital alcohol marketing and gender: A narrative synthesis.

Alcohol marketing on social media platforms is pervasive and effective, reaching wide audiences and allowing interaction with users. We know little about the gendered nature of digital alcohol marketing, including how women and men are portrayed, how different genders respond and implications for gender relations. This review aimed to identify how males, females and other genders are targeted and represented in digital alcohol marketing, and how they are encouraged to engage with digital alcohol marketing content. A narrative synthesis approach was employed. Academic literature and research reports were searched for studies on digital alcohol marketing published within the previous 10 years with a range of methods and designs. We reviewed the studies, extracted data relevant to gender and synthesised findings thematically. The review included 17 articles and 7 reports with a range of designs and methods, including content analyses of digital material, interviews, focus groups and surveys. Our analysis identified three conceptual themes that captured many of the gendered results, namely: (i) leveraging a diversity of idealised femininities; (ii) amplifying hegemonic masculinity; and (iii) infiltrating everyday gendered life. Alcohol marketing on social media is highly gendered and is designed to embed itself into everyday life in agile ways that reinforce traditional and evolving gendered stereotypes, activities, lifestyles and roles. Gendered engagement strategies are widely used to link alcohol to everyday gendered activities and identities to encourage alcohol purchase and consumption. This marketing normalises alcohol consumption and reproduces harmful gender norms and stereotypes.

Expanding the youth discourse: everyday precarity through a young South Korean woman’s autoethnography

ABSTRACT This study expands the youth discourse in South Korea through an autoethnographic account. The concept of precarity is explored through multifaceted attributes such as subjective feelings, subjectification, and daily practices. Through an examination of feminist critiques, which argue that gender is another primary aspect of precarity, this study reflects upon gender blindness in existing research and explains the youth’s anxiety based on modern gender relations. It employs the author’s first-person account to describe and analyse the mechanisms of everyday precarity in the labour context and coping strategies as a young woman. The analysis revealed that everyday precarity operates across generations and genders, beyond class struggles, manifesting in individualized coping strategies. This result asserts how female youth, thus far marginalized subjects, offer a new horizon in youth research.

Towards Gender Harmony Dataset: Gender Beliefs and Gender Stereotypes in 62 Countries.

The Towards Gender Harmony (TGH) project began in September 2018 with over 160 scholars who formed an international consortium to collect data from 62 countries across six continents. Our overarching goal was to analyze contemporary perceptions of masculinity and femininity using quantitative and qualitative methods, marking a groundbreaking effort in social science research. The data collection took place between January 2018 and February 2020, and involved undergraduate students who completed a series of randomized scales and the data was collected through the SurveyMonkey or Qualtrics platforms, with paper surveys being used in rare cases. All the measures used in the project were translated into 22 languages. The dataset contains 33,313 observations and 286 variables, including contemporary measures of gendered self-views, attitudes, and stereotypes, as well as relevant demographic data. The TGH dataset, linked with accessible country-level data, provides valuable insights into the dynamics of gender relations worldwide, allowing for multilevel analyses and examination of how gendered self-views and attitudes are linked to behavioral intentions and demographic variables.

Economy of production: A theory of household labor organization and material reuse

AbstractHousehold economic studies of preindustrial societies have overlooked one very specific and common material aspect: thrift. This article introduces a theory of economic production for household analysis that focuses on the economic use of materials, space, and labor. This framework is especially integral to understanding emergence of hierarchies. In emerging hierarchies, craft production at the household level can play a key part in the accumulation of power because the scale and type of craft production are moderated by the availability and abundance of material, space, and labor. Control of craft production can mean control of material, space, and labor, and thrifty control can increase production; this is key to emerging economies, particularly those located in a frontier area. Because women are often most associated with household labor, examining cultural definitions of thrift and waste provides a more complete understanding of household gender relations and reframes the importance of women's labor. Using an example from a 14th‐century Mississippian frontier site in Virginia, I show that women engaged in craft production and that by using materials, space, and labor economically, they increased their power over time. An economy of production theoretical perspective highlights a significant factor, thrift, in household organization and agency.

Political masculinities as an analytical category? Rethinking the concept

This article critically reviews the concept of political masculinities that has been developed and applied across disciplines over the last ten years. I reflect on its future use across disciplines and, in particular, political science. In arguing for its continued utility, I suggest that, rather than existing as a category or configuration of gender practice, it acts as a useful lens through which to view the variably implicit and explicit practice of gendered power relations. This allows us to navigate what has been recognised as the ‘multifariousness and decentredness’ of different categories or configurations of gender practice and makes the varying politicalness of these practices visible as a basis for equitable gender change. In developing the concept further, I define what is ‘political’ in political masculinities and examine its relation to other categories or configurations of masculinity practices, such as hegemonic, dominant, marginalised and subordinate masculinities.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' INTERNET ADDICTION LEVEL THROUGH TELEPHONE USE AND 2D:4D RATIO

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the 2d:4d ratio of university students' internet addiction level through phone use. Methods: 322 students were questioned about their demografic data, dominant extremity, and the device while using the internet. Hand width (HW), length (HL), grip strength (HGS), 2d:4d measurements were taken. Young Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS) was used for internet addiction, Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Form (SAS) was used for smartphone addiction. Results: In men, it was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of Right-Left HL, Left HGS, Right/4d, YIAS and SAS values. In addition, it was determined that the device preference, HL right, HL left, HGS left and Right/4d parameters originated from normal and dependent groups. It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the groups in women in terms of Left HL, Right/2d, Right/4d, Left/2d, Left/4d, Young and SAS values. It was determined that the device preference was due to individuals falling into the normal group of Left HL according to the YIAS, and the statistical difference of the Right/2d, Right/4d, Left/2d and Left/4d parameters. It was determined that there was a moderately strong negative correlation between SAS and Right/2d, Right/4d, Left/2d, Left/4d parameters in addicted men. Conclusion: The gender relations of the accepted scales regarding phone and internet addiction may be due to the length of the left hand and the movement function of the right 4d to provide control in phone use, rather than the 2d:4d finger ratios.

The Formal and Real Subsumption of Gender Relations

Abstract Attempts to unify Marxist and feminist social critique have been vexed by the fact that ‘patriarchy’ predates the advent of capitalism (its transhistorical status). Feminists within the Marxist, socialist, and materialist traditions have responded to this point by either granting patriarchy a certain autonomy relative to capitalism (the ‘dual/triple systems’ approach), or by suggesting that patriarchal relations have a foundational and necessary status in the history of capitalist development (which we term the ‘origins-subsistence’ approach). This paper offers an alternative account of the relationship between capitalism and the transhistorical status of ‘patriarchy’. In aid of a ‘unitary theory’ of Marxist Feminism, we argue that the transhistorical status of patriarchy is better understood through an application of Marx’s concepts of formal and real subsumption. A modified version of these concepts can illuminate not only capitalist appropriation of antecedent social and economic forms, but also its capacity to produce new forms of gendered exploitation and oppression.