Gender Relations Research Articles

Gender Relations between Men and Women in Village Government Decision-Making

study aims to examine the dynamics of gender relations in decision-making in Pesagi village, Kayen sub-district, Pati district. The main focus of this research is to understand the extent to which women are involved in the decision-making process and how to improve the role of women in line with the enactment of Law No. 6 of 2014 on Villages, which provides new opportunities for women's participation. This research uses a qualitative approach with the methods of in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis to obtain a comprehensive picture of women's participation in village decision-making. By testing the validity of the data using the Triangulation technique, namely comparing and reviewing the degree of trust in information obtained through different times and tools in qualitative research. The results show that despite formal recognition of women's role in village governance, their active participation is still limited. Women tend to be involved in domestic and community issues, such as health and social welfare, while men dominate areas of physical village development. Deep-rooted gender stereotypes and inequalities in access and opportunity are also factors inhibiting women's participation, and decision-making by women is often influenced by men. Based on the explanation from the analysis of men's and women's gender relations in decision-making in Pesagi village, to increase women's participation in village decision- making, a comprehensive strategy is needed, including training and capacity building, setting quotas for women's representation, and active support from the female village head. So that women can contribute more significantly to village development and ensure gender-equitable policies.

Producing Space(s) Through Poetry: Geofeminism in Contemporary Romanian Poetry

This paper aims to analyse recent tendencies in contemporary Romanian poetry from a geofeminist perspective. This specific form of feminism emerged within humanistic geography and socio-spatial theories as a response towards the “masculinist particularism” (Michèle Le Dœuff) of western geography as an academic discipline. By denouncing the postulated exhaustive nature of geographical knowledge, geofeminism’s programme is to rearticulate the traditional social space from the perspective of a cartography produced by flexible gender relations and performances. For its geopolitical position within the globalising phenomenon powered by uneven influences, the Romanian literary scene appears to be urging to consolidate the post-communist void regarding feminist theory through manifesto-texts and queer poetry. I rely my study specifically on poetic works from the frACTalia publishing house, due to their affirmed left-wing feminist consciousness. By following the factors involved in producing a space for the post-socialist Romanian queer experience, I undertake an analysis of the specific methods through which geofeminism is rendered in accordance with the need of a new poetic vocabulary and praxis.

СОВЕТ БИЙЛИГИНИН АЛГАЧКЫ ЖЫЛДАРЫНДАГЫ КЫРГЫЗСТАНДЫН БИЛИМ БЕРҮҮ СИСТЕМАСЫНДАГЫ ГЕНДЕР МАСЕЛЕСИНИН СОЦИАЛДЫК-ФИЛОСОФИЯЛЫК АНАЛИЗИ

In this article, the problem of gender in the education system of Kyrgyzstan in the first years of Soviet power was analyzed from a socio-philosophical point of view and presented to the scientific community interested in the topic of gender. It can be argued that the study of gender relations in the sphere of education in the Soviet society is of special interest, and its comprehensive study is one of the topical tasks. The main purpose of the scientific article is to substantiate that the education system is an important tool of education and propaganda of the young generation and to present the facts about the problems of gender equality and inequality in the early years of the Soviet period. The results of scientific analysis allow us to analyze gender stereotypes in the education system of Kyrgyzstan in the first years of Soviet power and identify the contours of gender stereotypes. The article uses the method of theoretical analysis and on the basis of gender philosophy of scientist M.M. Edilova conducted gender analysis in socio-philosophical aspect. The study shows that the public discourse in the education system of Kyrgyzstan in the early years of Soviet power was accompanied by internal contradictions in the assessment of the status of men and women. The unqualified success of Soviet power made it difficult to introduce equality of civil rights of women and men into public consciousness. Stereotypical gender roles remained in the life of Kyrgyz society, and the image of a Kyrgyz woman was mainly associated with the private sphere rather than the public sphere. In realizing the set goals and objectives, the methods used in writing scientific papers were used and the principles were fully observed.

Gender and resources' role in parents' time with children in South Korea and the United States

AbstractObjectiveParental time with children varies across cultures but has mostly been studied in a European context. In this paper we estimate whether the association of work and gender with parental allocation of time is different in South Korea and the United States.BackgroundWe suggest that household level characteristics are associated with the time parents spend with their children, but that these associations are more gendered in South Korea than in the United States.MethodWe used data from the 2003–2018 American Time Use Survey (n = 38,562) and 2004–2014 Korean Time Use Survey (n = 12,828). Using ordinary least squares, we estimated the association of the intersection of gender and work in predicting parental time with children.ResultsGender is an important factor in time allocation in South Korea, where education was positively associated and working hours were negatively associated with mothers', but not fathers', time spent with their children. In the United States, resources and work have a dominant role, as both parents tend to spend more time with their children if they have higher education and income and work fewer hours.ConclusionIn South Korea, a gendered regime is associated with the allocation of parental time only; mothers are influenced by their spouses' time allocation and resources. The United States follows a trade‐off regime, where resources are associated with time spent with children, whereas gender plays a smaller role in parental time allocation.ImplicationsStudying parental time allocation should account for the intertwined relationship of culture, resources, and gender.

“Our advice is to break up”: Douban’s intimate public and the rise of girlfriend culture

To date, insufficient attention has been given to the role of social media in navigating romantic relationships in China. This article analyzes the Douban Breakup Advice Group (豆瓣劝分小组), a popular digital platform, particularly among young women, for sharing failed love stories and seeking relationship guidance. Based on netnography and interviews, this study investigates how the group navigates the intricacies of romantic relationships and fosters distinct feminist sensibilities. The findings reveal that this group creates an intimate public, offering solace for love experiences in a therapeutic manner. It also functions as a feminist pedagogic space, promoting the reconstruction of gender relations based on egalitarian norms. These practices nurture a girlfriend culture where participants cultivate a commonality toward heterosexual romance within a feminist framework. This article contributes to the scholarship of mediated intimacy by examining the mutual influence of digital practices and popular feminism.

Changing Trends of Marriage: Emerging Complication, Paradoxical Thinking and Social Transformation

Marriage is one of the most ancient, indispensable, significant and universal social institution in all societies and cultures which has constructed since the beginning of human civilization. Marriage is a universal social phenomenon and it is a permanent bond between husband and wife which is intended to fulfill the economic, social, cultural, biological and emotional goals. Similarly, marriage establishes a new family which supports in giving facilities for the reproduction and upbringing of children. In changing context, individual freedom is greater matter rather than marital burden and partner’s ambiguity. In this modern era, there are various marriage allied complications, contradictions and changing trends. Sociological observations of marriage have brought out multifaceted marriage systems and its challenging transformations. Similarly, the change in gender relationship and independence between men and women has resulted in a considerable rise in the instability of marriage and its implication in the society. In this circumstance, this paper tries to analyze the conceptual and rational debates of orthodox and customary established marriage, marriage practice and its social, cultural, biological and emotional implications. Likewise, this study provides an analysis of contradictory thinking and declining trends of marriage in this contemporary society.

Relational gendered dimensions of emotions in heterosexual cisgender Men’s intimate partnerships

Illuminating relational gendered dimensions of emotions in heterosexual cisgender men’s intimate partnerships, this study addresses a significant knowledge gap in masculinities, emotionality and health work. Thematic analyses of individual photovoice interviews with 92 men from diverse locales and ethnocultural backgrounds revealed a trilogy of men’s practices regarding emotions. Emotional restraint was embodied by men withholding rather than freely expressing emotions, wherein participants justified diverse practices as the by-product of not understanding women partners’ emotionality and working to balance emotions in the relationship. In coached emotions men spoke about needing to unlearn suppressing their emotions while relying on women partners’ expertise for becoming more emotionally expressive and available. This included work around reading and accommodating their partner’s emotions. Emotionally orientated men positioned themselves as relationship ready, whereby they were equally or more emotional than their partners. This emotionality was claimed as an asset and strength integral to building contemporary intimate partner relationships. The findings highlight most men as operating across the three themes, revealing how wide-ranging socially constructed emotions are influenced by gender relations and a plurality of masculinities. Also afforded by these results are directions for working with heterosexual cisgender men to advance gender equity in heterosexual intimate partner relationships.

Gender Roles and Practices in Land Access, Ownership and Utilization in West Usambara, Tanzania

Tanzania's land laws protect and guarantees gender equality in access, ownership, and utilization of land. However, the extent to which these legal frameworks have enabled gender equality in the country regarding access, ownership, and utilization of land is not well known. This paper assessed gender relations in access, ownership, and utilization of land in West Usambara Mountains Lushoto District, Tanga Region, North Eastern Tanzania. A purposive sampling of 100 respondents (49 men and 51 women) was obtained to participate in the study. A structured questionnaire was used to interview respondents and focus group discussions with key informants were conducted. Qualitative data were analyzed through content analysis techniques including thematic analysis of texts and indexing. Results show that despite a progressive legal framework, women are still marginalized in land access, ownership, and utilization. This is because of the co-existence of dissimilar structures (traditional, formal and religious land laws), as well as long-established traditional that continue to perpetuate gender disparity. It is proposed that efforts should be made to empower women to use the existing legal structures to demand and promote own land rights.

Reframing: a feminist reflection on Alan Fox

PurposeThis paper contributes to the broad aim of this special issue, reflecting on the relevance of the writing of Alan Fox to the contemporary industrial relations field. It offers an original reflection from a feminist perspective on Fox’s classic insights around frames of reference.Design/methodology/approachWe concentrate on Beyond Contract, Work, Power and Trust Relations (1974a) and Man Mismanagement (1974b, 1985) as the texts setting out Fox’s influential frames of reference theory, before moving on to subsequent literature in the field making use of Fox’s frames. In undertaking this review from a feminist perspective, we specifically look at the extent to which work considers standpoint, gender relations and political engagement. We draw further on wider feminist scholarship within industrial relations, critical race theory and intersectionality perspectives.FindingsDespite the concept of inequality forming the core of Fox’s analyses, there is a lack of attention to gender or to other diversity strands in his work and, notwithstanding the weight of feminist scholarship within the industrial relations field since, this neglect has been carried forward into subsequent use of Fox’s work. We argue there is space for the frames to be interpreted and used in ways that leave space for attention to feminist concerns and call on academics to approach their use of Fox from a more critically-informed perspective.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper’s argument has implications for the field of industrial relations in terms of conceptual understanding and methodological approaches. With space, it would have been useful to apply our revised understanding of Fox’s key concepts to empirical cases.Practical implicationsGreater clarity in what constitutes “unitary” and “pluralist” perspectives and categories will help employment relations actors.Originality/valueWe present a novel feminist re-framing of Fox’s work, providing new understandings of the strengths, weaknesses and applicability of the frames of reference within contemporary industrial relations research and practice. We advocate for methodological and scholarly approaches which advance theoretical and empirical justice in the field, moving beyond gender to draw on critical race theory and intersectionality frameworks.

Cut From the Same Cloth? The Problem of Male Supremacy and Deradicalization

In this short essay, we show that, despite the recent turn to including masculinity and male supremacist ideology into Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism programming (P/CVE), current deradicalization approaches often remain based on ideas about male victimhood and gender hierarchies that are eerily similar to those that are at the core of male supremacist ideology and (interpersonal and political) misogynist violence. We argue that to effectively address male supremacist radicalization, P/CVE approaches must challenge and disrupt their own underlying male supremacist views of gender relations.

Positioning gender in time-travel: time-travel TV dramas as dialogic resources for constructing and re-imagining identity among Mainland Chinese postgraduates in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT Time-travel television dramas have recently gained tremendous popularity worldwide. Defying stereotypes of romance TV dramas as women’s genres, time-travel romance TV drama genres seem to have attracted young men and women of different walks of life. Informed by positioning theory and Bakhtin’s heteroglossic dialogism, this study investigates a group of bilingual Mainland Chinese, heterosexual postgraduate students’ consumption of a Chinese time-travel TV drama, Scarlet Heart. It is found that well-educated Mainland Chinese women and men are still confronted with dilemmas of gender role boundaries and pressure to subscribe to traditional gender values. However, the time-travel TV drama has enabled the interviewees to negotiate new gender relations when they assign different positions to the female protagonist and themselves in the discussion. It is therefore proposed that time-travel TV dramas can be appropriated as dialogic resources for ideological becoming and critical literacy activities for facilitating construction of alternative subject positions and identities.

Configuration of Man’s Position within Patriarchal Structure in Nepalese Society

Patriarchy is a powerful philosophy and structure of male domination and supremacy. It is not new, nor is the recognition of women’s demoralized existence well-established patriarchal system and it embraces that there is an inferior position of women since historical period. Patriarchy is a social system in which men use, abuse, control, oppress and exploit women. The concept of patriarchy highlights the interconnection of different aspects of gender discrimination and women are often underprivileged in many areas of social existence. Theories and philosophies of patriarchy explore the division of interests between most men and women formed by the social system of gender perceptions, practices and relationships. Gender is a relationship of power and inequality and not merely of variation. There are various supplementary expressions that have extremely related meaning to patriarchy. These incorporate gender command, gender arrange, gender display and sex-gender formulation. They are comparable in pointing to the powerful interconnection of various sphere of influence of gender discrimination. Analyses of patriarchy differ as to whether men's position as head of the household and family or society or state entity is recognized as the key to their potentiality to rule and oppress, or whether the institutional features of men's supremacy are pictured and imagined. In this context, this study provides an analysis of the understanding and accepting of man's position within existing patriarchal structure in Nepalese societies inside the background of gender standpoints and different educational status. It also tries to explore the common judgments and ruling ideologies on patriarchy and its practices and social insights of gender relationships.

Gendered Uptake of Sustainable Intensification Practices among Maize Commercializing Smallholder Farmers in Eastern Districts of Uganda

Commercialization of food crops, such as maize can dynamically shift control over productive resources or accrued income from women to men. This can restrict women’s ability to access or buy productive inputs. However, scanty information is available on how changing gender roles and relations can affect smallholder farmers’ use of sustainable intensification practices. This study described how gender inequalities in access to resources and appropriation of gains affect the uptake of sustainable intensification (SI) practices among maize commercializing farmers in eastern Uganda. Qualitative Survey data collected from a random sub-sample of 72 (36 women and 36 men) maize farmers from 584 maize commercializing smallholder farmers survey participants, was subjected to thematic content analysis. It was intended to follow up four unique profiles of farmers; those who did not use SI practices, the ones who used only intensification (improve maize varieties and fertilizers) or sustainable practices (organic manure and maize-legume intercrop), and those who used joint, one or more sustainable intensification practices. Findings revealed all four profiles to be highly gendered. Only women did not use any SI practice, and only men used intensification practices due to gender roles, responsibilities, and tasks shaped by traditions that give men terminal control over productive assets and gained resources. Both men and women used sustainable and sustainable intensification practices because of the negotiation process and opportunities that gave women more rights over resources. Thus, social-cultural histories and values constrain married women from implementing innovations such as SI practices because these values restrict women’s authority over productive resources. It is recommended that for inclusive transformative interventions to be introduced successfully in rigid patriarchal contexts, it is vital to enhance the negotiation skills of women.

Gender Identity and the Myth of the “Great Patriotic War” in Svetlana Alexievich’s The Unwomanly Face of War

Abstract Nobel Prize winner Svetlana Alexievich’s first book U voiny ne zhenskoe litso (The Unwomanly Face of War), a “novel in voices” based on oral histories, challenges the heroic narratives of the late Soviet myth of the Great Patriotic War by depicting the ordinary lives of Soviet women soldiers. Alexievich contends that war is “unwomanly” and downplays the overt challenges to traditional gender roles that women soldiers posed. Nevertheless, she includes episodes that undermine her own assertions about women’s difference from men and their desire to preserve life, creating ambiguity in her message and offering glimpses of an alternative gender order lurking under the surface. These alternative possibilities of understanding gender threaten both the war myth and the norms of Soviet gender relations.

5 - Institutionalizing Gender-Based Violence Within African Democracies

Even though international legislation recognises the eradication of gender- based violence as a crucial target for the promotion of human rights and the achievement of the sustainable development of the world, violence against women has received little intellectual attention and scholarly intervention from academia. In the African region, where diverse sociocultural and institutional gender discriminative factors often mean unequal power relations between women and men, the prevalence of gender-based violence is particularly critical. This article examines the institutional implications of violence against women by comparing South Africa and Botswana, two countries that adopted democratic systems after gaining independence from the United Kingdom. It highlights the importance of the Constitutions of both countries and the representation of woman in politics. The divergence between the two states’ legal and political approaches to gender equality and human rights underscores the role of gender-specific institutions in the prevalence of violence against women. This article also uncovers the limitations of existing strategies and proposes a better understanding of inequality within gender relations and its reflection within the frame of institutions to find a way to resolve violence against women and achieve gender justice.

Succession and gender dynamics in family firms – A systematic literature review and future research agenda

The influences of gender relations and gender dynamics within family firm succession have been widely studied in recent decades. However, there have been few attempts to synthesise existing results in the field. Thus, this article aims to provide a systematic literature review focusing exclusively on the gendered issues related to family firm succession processes. A comprehensive analysis of 57 journal articles extracted from the Scopus database was conducted. As a result, (1) the topics of gendered influences on daughter’s succession in family firms, (2) gender and succession processes in family firms, and (3) gender and intra-family relationships in family firm succession are identified as the central areas. Based on these findings, a future research agenda is outlined. The paper contributes to the field of family firm research by highlighting the research trends in the gendered analysis of family firm succession, and by pointing out under-researched areas that merit further exploration.

Anthropological Critique and the Karamoja Question: Reflections on the Post Disarmament Livelihood Sources and Gender Disparities in the North East Region of Uganda

It is presumed that the Karamoja question is due to an anthropological lack of post-disarmament development strategies. This specifically applies to the mismanagement of gender relations. The paper concludes that the Karamoja Question persists because the post-disarmament development organisations prioritise women as change agents. This approach created gender disparities that resulted in a masculinities crisis. Consequently, gender as a social structure became dysfunctional and women have ended up being overwhelmed with both productive and reproductive roles while men are grappling with alcohol, violence, and social lethargy. These conditions cannot enable sustainable development. Anthropologically, gender is a vibrant social structure that determines the system of community governance and management of resources. Therefore, development interventions ought to analyse and incorporate accepted gender relations if they are to succeed in their programs. To resolve the Karamoja question, it is recommended that development agencies integrate social norms to enable hybrid approaches that are socially acceptable. This is because all matters of the Karamojong lifestyle revolve around participation and respect through dialogue and consensus

Cash Cows and Dogs with Dentures: Prostheses for Animals in Nineteenth-Century British Culture

Abstract This article shows how the history of prostheticized animals is much deeper and richer than one might think. Investigating the interest in fitting animals with prostheses throughout the nineteenth century in Britain, this article explores the emergence of animal prostheses in bovine agriculture through to their use in late Victorian pet keeping. The key concern of this piece is the varied responses to prostheticized animals in print culture. As this article shows through an analysis of magazine and newspaper contributions, reactions to animal prostheses varied from admiration and amazement to annoyance and disgust. By analysing this coverage, the article reveals how representations of animal prostheses brought into collision a surprising variety of important social discourses, including those related to economic productivity, prosthesis access, food adulteration, professional recognition, social norms, class hierarchies, and gender relations. Animal prostheses proved a novel yet apt image that distilled a wide variety of societal concerns. Redirecting the critical momentum established by recent scholarship that unites disability studies and critical animal studies, this article uses nineteenth-century animal prostheses as a case study to demonstrate how the concepts of disability, ableism, classism, and misogyny have been extended by humans across species boundaries and how our approaches to nonhuman care are impacted by them. It therefore establishes a new field of inquiry within Victorian studies for scholarship on the interface between discourses of disability and nonhuman animals.

Gendered economic inequalities: a social policy perspective

AbstractThis commentary addresses gender inequalities from a social policy perspective. It extends the analysis by Andrew et al. in this collection; focuses on lower incomes and social security; and recognizes both individual financial autonomy and interdependence as central. The commentary discusses labour market issues, including how to improve security and in-work progression for women in particular. Policy proposals are also made to limit the disruptions to women’s working lives by care for elderly or disabled people. More broadly, the commentary argues that a key question for any policy is whether it will help transform gender roles and relationships, to allow both sexes to fulfil their capabilities to the full. In addition, both male disadvantage and inequalities and economic dependence within households require more attention. Impact analysis should therefore explore not only distribution between households at the time but also potential effects on individual women and men over the life course. A balance is needed between moves towards economic independence and recognition of past, and continuing, inequalities. Policies can potentially tackle gender inequalities directly, and norms and values that may affect them indirectly. Proposals are put forward for changes in ‘family policy’, including towards second earners, parental leave and childcare. Finally, the commentary argues that the combination of a focus on autonomy and agency for all with awareness of our interdependence as a society and wider world means that gender issues must be central to the Deaton Review, not just for their own sake but also in a broader context.

Defining women’s incomes: household disruptions and gendered resolutions

Abstract Women increasingly work for pay, disrupting cultural expectations and relational dynamics tied to men’s breadwinning. Scholars have examined how women’s incomes impact measures of domestic gender inequality, yet there is limited research on the mechanisms underlying that relationship, including how households define and spend women’s wages. Adopting economic sociology’s relational work approach, this study shows how tandem processes, relational accounting of feminine consumption and relational obfuscation of women’s earnings, shape the meaning of women’s work—processes that extend beyond marital dyads to involve siblings, children, and parents. Drawing from interviews with sixty-four Emirati women and men, I show how households leverage contradictory feminine consumption norms to designate women’s wages as communal resources, while at the same time, they conceal women’s financial contributions and disproportionately recognize men’s breadwinning. I call these relational adaptations to the breakdown of patriarchal bargains predicated on men’s provision gendered resolutions, because they illustrate processes through which women’s wages may paradoxically uphold unequal gendered arrangements. This study offers a framework to understand shifting gender relations during periods of economic change.