Gender Rights Research Articles

Unveiling discrimination

This article examines the historical and legal marginalization of the hijra, a third-gender community in South Asia, with a particular focus on the Indian subcontinent. Utilizing a postcolonial theoretical framework, the article analyzes contemporary lawfare dynamics between hijra and transgender activists in India and Pakistan. The study integrates gender and class analysis to explore key legal developments, drawing on examples from both colonial and contemporary legislation in India and Pakistan. The article argues that despite increased legal recognition of transgender rights, hijra remain marginalized as transgender activists seek acceptance as members of the middle class, often at the expense of hijra communities. By exploring legislative interventions and the narratives around activist endeavors, lawfare is analyzed at two levels, legislative and social, demonstrating how transgender activism can perpetuate discrimination against hijras in both Pakistan and India. The analyses underscore the complexity of alliances within genderqueer groups in postcolonial South Asian societies, challenging the assumption that these groups are natural allies. Ultimately, the article reveals the complex intersection of gender, class, and legal strategies, critiquing the role of lawfare in perpetuating social divisions and calling for more inclusive approaches to gender rights.

Research on the Right of Women in the Bar Space

In China, the current behavior of going to bars shows a trend of degendering, and women also begin to enter bars to consume. In recent years, many female-friendly or female-only bars have emerged. As the emerging consumers of bar-related industries, female groups are growing, putting forward their needs to society, in order to let society hear their voices and give women equal rights and space to men. Based on Chinas current bar culture and gender-related social background and phenomena, this paper adopts the participatory observation method and semi-structured interview method to analyze the observed phenomena and interview contents, and finds that women are subjected to many explicit or implicit unequal treatment in bars, and further discusses the main causes of gender discrimination in bars. Through the analysis of the unequal treatment faced by women in bars, it is concluded that the cause of the discrimination against women is the deep-rooted pressure of male power in China, and the social root of this pressure is the inequality of gender rights and the shackles of traditional Chinese concepts. This paper finally attempts to discuss the solution of this inequality: female self-consciousness against traditional ideas.

Muslim women as “double ambassadors” of Islam: breaking stereotypes in everyday life and Muslim communities

ABSTRACT Drawing on interviews with Muslim female activists in Spain and Italy, we explore their role as ‘double ambassadors’. On the one hand, as van Es (2019) has shown in the Dutch case, Muslim female activists act as ambassadors of Islam in European societies by challenging gendered stereotypes. On the other, by analysing their feminism-related narratives, we suggest that they can also be interpreted as ambassadors of gender rights and feminism in Muslim communities.

Keeping Score

Sexual assault victims often experience various degrees of re-victimization if they go through the process of reporting or seeking support for the crime. This autoethnographic essay explores, from the perspective of a gender scholar and gender rights activist, how the power of socialization impacted her rape-reporting process, despite having worked in and researched power-based personal violence her entire career. Drawing from scholarly studies of gender norms, politeness, emotion work, and rape support, this piece unpacks the twenty-four hours following a sexual assault to highlight the gendered perspective that caused one victim to let her rapist walk free. Looking at the power of socialization, readers are shown how, despite the education and experience of the victim and her support network, she also struggled to navigate the barriers that prevent all victims from feeling safe and heard.

Times They Are A-Changin’? Evolving Representations of Women in the Assassin's Creed Franchise

This study analyzes representations of women—protagonists and NPCs—in Assassińs Creed games between 2007 and 2024, to explore the impact of the last decades’ work for gender rights on the English language AAA game industry. Through close playing, we explore game bodies with attention to the surface level of narrative, graphics, sound, and underlying mechanics of actions and reactions. Through netnography, we add promotional material, retail sites, and social movements of importance to the analysis. Results show four eras for female protagonists: nonexistent, protagonists in side games, defined by their male coprotagonists, and choose your gender. Over the 17 years studied, women are more present, and NPCs are more complex. Though female protagonists remain sidelined or shallow representations as female skins on male characters. We discuss how discrepancies and conflicts between artistic visions, marketing, and brand choices impact how women are represented, and the impact on representation by external cultural events, for example Gamergate/Metoo, during this period.

Patriarchy in Southern Africa and war in West Africa: Twin impediments to sustainable social development in Africa

<p>Close to 4 decades post the publishing of the Brundtland Report, a global blueprint that emphasised on multilateralism and interdependence of nations as the basis for a tenable sustainable development, gender inequalities and untenable development persist in Africa. There is need to continuously redefine the pathways for eliminating poverty and gender inequalities, as the basis for sustainability. A better understanding of the causes of gender inequality, as well as an acknowledgement of the fact that gender equality and sustainable development are inseparable is also imperative. This review study, through a desk review of available literature, explored three central issues; why gender inequality and sustainable development must be addressed together in everyday theory and practice, how patriarchy and war cause gender inequalities and untenable sustainability in Africa and how these twin pandemics must be confronted to ensure achievement of the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs) and their 86 targets, drawing from case studies of Southern and West Africa. Focusing on a number of social determinants of well-being, including good health for all, sexual and reproductive health services, education for all, quality of employment, gender rights and basic requirements such as food and portable water, the review study argues that development efforts in Africa have proved gender unequal and thus unsustainable. The review study advanced arguments for a holistic view to sustainable social development, contending that market focused indicators of development that disregard social determinants of well-being misrepresent reality. Market focused neo-liberal patterns of growth neglect human needs and compound poverty and under-growth. On the other hand, integrating a people centred approach to growth helps understand the connections, ruptures and trade-offs between dimensions of gender equality and sustainability in a way that facilitates holistic growth.<strong></strong></p>

Gender rights of citizens in Russian legislation and law enforcement practice

Human rights and freedoms are the highest value in the Russian Federation, and their observance and protection is the responsibility of the State. Despite the constitutional consolidation of this provision, the equality of rights of men and women, as well as the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sex, Russian legislation distinguishes the constitutional rights of women and men in certain aspects, taking into account the physiological characteristics of the former exclusively. Thus, legislators grant more rights and freedoms to some categories of people, and in some cases this preference imposes certain restrictions. In particular, the restriction of women's rights to work. The subject of the study is the norms of constitutional, civil and administrative law, other normative legal and judicial acts defining gender equality and inequality of citizens in the Russian Federation. The purpose of the study is to compare legislation and law enforcement practice in relation to men and women. In the course of the work, the following methods were used: dialectical, logical, systemic, functional, formal-legal, comparative-legal research methods. The study analyzes the basic constitutional rights of men and women, as well as the application of a gender approach in law enforcement. The novelty of the conducted research is the differentiation of gender constitutional rights of citizens, a comparison of the application of legislation to men and women depending on physiological characteristics, as well as a comparison of law enforcement practices applied to them in homogeneous processes. The analysis of the conducted research allowed us to establish that some of the legislative acts have gender discriminatory provisions. This is directly related to the fact that legislators take into account only the physiological characteristics of the female body, while the characteristics of the male body are ignored. Law enforcement practice in the gender aspect implies that men's rights are derived from the rights of women (whose rights are prerogative). In this regard, there is a need both for the development of law enforcement approaches and for the adoption (amendment) of legislative acts themselves, which should be based on the principle of equality of citizens' rights.

From the Courts, to the Streets, to the University: Fighting to Save Gender Studies in Pakistan, 2018–2023

Abstract: This article traces the recent growing contestation leveled against the discipline of gender studies in Pakistan. In 2020 a petition was filed in Lahore High Court against the teaching of gender studies in higher education institutions across Pakistan that should be seen as part of the national backlash initiated against feminist struggles/movements in Pakistan. Documenting the narratives of five founding heads of WGS departments through in-depth interviews, I have analyzed how WGS has not only historically but also in contemporary times encountered challenges at various levels. In addition to those interviews (primary data), I also relied on secondary sources to unearth those contestations against WGS. It is reflected in this research that WGS has journeyed through different phases, encountering antagonism and resistance, and eventually received acceptance as a field of study in a society like Pakistan, which is highly patriarchal. Though it has gained acceptance over the period, the struggle experienced by the practitioners and scholars of WGS has remained constant. They are labeled as anti-culturalists and anti-religious and stereotyped as "Westerners" toeing the Western philosophy being part of WGS. These allegations are augmented by the arguments around the scope and marketability of WGS reflecting the systemic realities of the neoliberal economic order, where education is valued on its market and commercial basis. Though the Aurat March of 2018, as theorized by feminist scholars, started the fourth wave of women's rights activism in Pakistan, it faced a huge backlash from the state and society alike. Since WGS vehemently supports women and gender rights activism and movements in general, in Pakistan the backlash was also directed against WGS. It is argued and theorized that the growing contestation and backlash to the Aurat March and WGS in Pakistan should be seen in a global context in recent years where anti-gender discourses (coupled with transphobia) are widely shared and disseminated. This article, therefore, situates these challenges faced by WGS within these local and global realities.

The Good Disobedient Citizen? Students’ Perspectives on Good Citizenship in the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study 2016

Scholars of democratic citizenship and citizenship education have long discussed whether willingness to commit civil disobedience (CD) is an important attribute of citizens to defend and enforce democratic and human rights. In light of the youth protests of recent years, this article examines whether 14-year-old students consider CD important for being a good citizen. Using representative Danish, German, Dutch and Norwegian samples from the International Civic and Citizenship Education Study 2016, this study investigates dimensions of students’ concepts of citizenship and their relatedness to civic knowledge and support for equal rights. Confirmatory factor analysis established CD as a distinct dimension of good citizenship whose scale is metrically invariant across countries. However, linear regressions showed a negative impact of civic knowledge and support for equal gender rights on CD attitudes, raising the question if the empirical pattern of students supporting CD fits with theoretical assumptions of critical or transformative citizenship education.

Traditions, Rituals and Policy on Gender Discrimination in Nepal

This research investigates the impact of cultural traditions on gender discrimination in Nepal, particularly through the lens of sex-selective abortion. Despite some progress, deeply rooted cultural practices continue to influence policy-making and implementation, especially regarding gender issues. These traditional customs persistently shape childbirth practices, educational opportunities, and basic rights, perpetuating gender discrimination. This study examines how entrenched cultural norms both support and hinder the advancement of gender equality in Nepal. Focusing on the interaction between cultural traditions and gender-related policies, the research explores how these customs affect birthing practices and healthcare policies. It also analyzes the cultural norms that dictate educational expectations for women and girls and evaluates the broader implications for gender rights. The study highlights how ritualistic childbirth practices and gender-specific educational expectations create disparities and challenge the effectiveness of gender equality initiatives. Recent reforms and cultural shifts in Nepal reflect efforts to address these gender imbalances. This study emphasizes the need for policy frameworks that respect cultural traditions while promoting gender equality. By integrating primary qualitative data with secondary sources and using descriptive and analytical methods, the research provides a comprehensive view of the challenges and opportunities in aligning tradition with modern gender equality goals. Ultimately, the study advocates for ongoing reform and cultural adaptation to effectively combat gender discrimination and ensure equal rights for all individuals in Nepal. It underscores the importance of developing policies that acknowledge and integrate cultural contexts while striving for genuine gender equality.

The issue of legal provision of gender equality in labor relations in Ukraine during the war

The article deals with current issues of legal provision of gender equality in labor relations in Ukraine, in particular, in the conditions of martial law. It is noted that the basis of Ukrainian legislation regulating the issue of gender equality in labor relations is international legal documents, which define approaches to the establishment of equal gender rights. In particular, the national legal framework on issues of gender equality in labor relations consists of: the Constitution of Ukraine, the Code of Labor Laws of Ukraine, laws of Ukraine "On ensuring equal rights and opportunities of women and men”, "On employment of the population”, "On the principles of prevention and countering discrimination in Ukraine”, "On wages”, "On holidays”, "On labor protection” and others, as well as resolutions of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and decrees of the President of Ukraine in this area. It was concluded that in order to achieve gender equality in Ukraine, it is necessary not only to establish the principle of equality by adopting the relevant legal norms, but also to create an effective mechanism for the implementation of these norms. Since the formation of an effective organizational mechanism for ensuring the implementation of gender policy, that is, an effective policy of equal rights and opportunities for women and men, is a mandatory condition for the operation of a democraticindependentlegal state,thedevelopment of an informed civil society and the perspective of European integration. It was established that even today international organizations emphasize the relevance of gender issues in Ukraine, despite the presence of international and national legal acts designed to solve the problems of gender inequality in the labor market. The lack of consistency, systematicity and coordination of joint efforts of state institutions and civil society organizations prevents the achievement of significant changes in overcoming gender inequality. It has been established that today, in the conditions of a full­scale war, the state is already taking certain steps in this direction, which are aimed, first of all, at adapting the sphere of work and labor relations to the present. In particular, the Ukrainian authorities, together with public organizations and international partners, intensified work on building a system for responding to and countering any type of violence, helping victims of war and ensuring equal opportunities for women and men.

Effects associated with the devaluation of women in a rural parish in the province of Loja

The devaluation of women has become a problem that has been manifested and evidenced by various events that reflect contempt, constant questioning and the violation of the rights of the female gender in various scenarios. In Ecuador, at the rural level, gender violence has affected approximately 62% of women. This article was proposed with the objective of analyzing the effects associated with said devaluation on the political, social and economic dimensions. At a methodological level, a scientific and synthetic method was applied, a qualitative approach, and 72 women were taken as the population to whom interviews and focus groups were applied. The results of the interviews reflected that unanimously in the San Lucas community there is inequality in relation to men, a product of a sexist environment, this despite the economic and social continuation that women carry out at the local, national and international level in the economic context. From the focus group, it was identified that women perform traditional roles mainly associated with household chores and family care; occasionally these roles were combined with agricultural work that they performed without receiving remuneration. It was concluded that devaluation has not only had an impact on the limited participation of women at an economic, social and political level, so the lack of presence in this last aspect also has an impact on the lack of actions to counteract the problem of their devaluation.

From Weinstein to Kavanaugh: Shifting coverage of sexual violence and the #MeToo movement across U.S. news media

ABSTRACT This study explores the framing strategies and language features of U.S. news coverage surrounding sexual violence and gender issues across the ideological media spectrum at two pivotal phases of the #MeToo movement: (1) during its initial rise as a hashtag-driven social movement in 2017 and (2) during the Kavanaugh nomination and confirmation in 2018. Using structural topic modeling, community detection, and feature extraction, we reveal a heightened employment of political framing during the Kavanaugh accusations. Topical prevalence and language use in news treatment also showed clear partisan differences, consistent with theories of moral foundation and issue ownership. Implications for research on news coverage of gender rights and framing of social movements are discussed.

Bringing gender and religion in: Right-wing networks and “Populism and Civil Society”

In this contribution, Andrew Arato and Jean Cohen’s Populism and Civil Society is confronted with current gender studies research on populism. This research mainly focuses on right-wing populism and highlights strong links between right-wing populists and the religious right, which are to a large degree organized by “anti-gender,” a stance both against social constructivist notions of gender and against basic gender rights, especially in the fields of reproduction and of LGBTIQ concerns. Against the backdrop of this literature, I argue that in Populism and Civil Society, right-wing populist anti-gender politics are not addressed in a way that takes account of their full complexity; and that these politics furthermore suggest to treat right-wing populism and left-wing populism as phenomena that do not only differ in content, but also in form.

Making universal education a priority for sustainable development: The EU, Vietnam and education

AbstractThis article highlights the need to bring education to the forefront of EU policies to promote sustainable development in Vietnam. The EU is increasingly concerned with promoting sustainable development worldwide. It does this in its aid policies, and since 2010, it has included in its trade agreements provisions on labour, environmental and gender rights. But what about education rights? This article analyses the role of the EU and the Vietnamese government in the field of education. It argues that both actors could pay more attention to education, and in particular to the problem of unequal access to education for poor and minority children in Vietnam. To improve educational opportunity, both direct funding for the system and contextual support for students are needed. In remote and poor areas, Vietnam and the EU should provide increased salaries for teachers to reduce corruption, funding to support families, local social enterprises and improved local infrastructure. The article ‘double‐decenters’ the study of European foreign policy by (1) focusing first on education policy issues in the targeted state and then on EU policy and (2) listening not only to the government but also the citizens of Vietnam.

Failing women and girls during Covid-19: The limits of regional gender norms in Africa

How do we account for the ability or otherwise of regional organisations in the global South to enable equitable and inclusive responses to the COVID-19 pandemic? We answer this question with a focus on Africa and in relation to the rights of women and girls. Drawing on theoretical insights from Feminist Global Health Security and from data on the African Union, other regional organisations in Africa and from non-governmental organisations, local activists and medical centres, we show that regional organisations acted quickly to identify the gendered socio-economic and health needs of women and girls and alerted member states to their responsibility to consider gender rights in their policy responses. But weak gender norms led to a disconnect between this early recognition of the importance of policies to protect women and girls and the behaviour of regional organisations, which could not lead a gender sensitive response or engineer one in member state governments.

Fighting the Patriarchy: A Feminism with Chinese Characteristics

This paper examines the status and challenges of feminist movements in 21st century China. While the state has implemented laws and policies promoting gender equality, traditional patriarchal ideology persists in fostering discrimination against women. Through a socio-historical lens, the paper traces Chinese feminism from early 20th century reforms to current issues. It contends that the internet has enabled tech-savvy young activists to initiate theatrical protests against gender violence, catalyzing China’s #MeToo movement in 2018. However, structural barriers inhibit working-class and marginalized women from speaking out. Moreover, censorship, online harassment, and anti-feminist rhetoric have stifled the movement’s progress. Recommendations include public education campaigns to engage male allies, counteracting stereotypes that stigmatize feminists. Greater representation of women in the political sphere is required to enact substantive reforms protecting gender rights. In conclusion, the paper emphasizes interdependence and collective organizing as central tenets for Chinese feminism to overcome patriarchal constraints and achieve enduring social change.

Protecting the Gender Rights of Healthcare Professionals in the Digital Workplace

<p>數位科技發展迅速，增加民眾生活的便利性、擴展資訊與學習的無限性、縮短人際互動距離、豐富生活，物聯網或科技裝置於醫療場域及照護器材的使用更是日益普及。然而，數位科技及網路的發達，也使有心人藉由網路、資訊媒介或數位環境而產生的網路跟蹤、監視、騷擾、蒐集、窺視、貶抑、威脅等新興性別暴力樣態多元、層出不窮，對隱私權、人身安全造成巨大衝擊、傷害，更對社會產生廣泛的影響。在醫療照護場域中，因疾病、創傷等需要被照護者，受專業醫療或護理人員之專業悉心照護後而心生敬慕、追求甚或追蹤騷擾之案件並非少見，尤其醫護照護體系現仍以女性為多的情形下，認識數位網路科技帶來的性別暴力議題、維護醫護人員職場及生活中性平權益、專業尊嚴，實值重視，亦是醫護職場安全的重要指標之一。</p> <p> </p><p>The rapid advancement of digital technology has increased the convenience of people’s daily living, expanded the possibilities of information and learning, shortened the distance between people in interpersonal interactions, and enriched people’s lives. The Internet of Things and technological devices have been increasingly applied in medical settings and equipment. However, people with bad intentions have inflicted various forms of gender-based violence using Internet, media, or digital environment, including cyberstalking, monitoring, harassment, collecting personal information, voyeurism, disparagement, and threatening, causing serious damage to privacy and personal safety and affecting society broadly.Incidents of patients admiring, pursuing, or even stalking and harassing healthcare professionals after receiving their care are not uncommon, particularly under the circumstance that most nursing professionals are women. Understanding the issues of gender-based violence brought about by digital and Internet technologies and safeguarding the gender equality and dignity of healthcare professionals at work and in life are critical for maintaining the safety of healthcare workplaces.</p> <p> </p>

Gendered Practice of Naga Customary Laws: A Critical Analysis

The Nagas are culturally and linguistically a diverse society situated in the North-eastern part of India. One of the common characteristics that Nagas share in culturally diverse region is the practice of customary laws although each tribe differs in varying degree of its usages and practices. Overall customary law act as a keeper and binds the community together. However, customary laws are not always conductive to modern development especially with regards to gender rights. Under customary laws, the distribution of power, status and resources have always been male centred. It is a male dominated arena based on discriminatory rules that invariably pose a great constraint on women to progress equally in the society. Accordingly, against this background, the paper critically analyses Naga traditional and customary law practices from gender perspective and examine its implication on women rights. It evaluates some of its intricate dimension of gendered meaning attached to certain symbolic function in the traditional practices of the Nagas which inadvertently constructed men as naturally superior and thereby resulted in the subjugation of women. Further, the paper attempts to address the impeding gender issues by offering feminist perspective of constructivist approach to culture as a means of alternative solution in the face of conflict between gender rights and customary laws.

Community health workers as rights defenders: the Mitanin experience in India

ABSTRACT Women community health workers from a government-run program in India have been uncommonly successful in combining rights-based advocacy (accountability to their communities) with (nominal) paid work on healthcare tasks by the state. Over two decades, 70,000 Indigenous women Mitanins or community health workers have advanced community health and gender rights of the broader communities they are part of, and their own labour rights. Being able to strategically advocate for both types of rights is an experience unmatched by their global counterparts. This Note focuses on two elements of the Mitanin pre-emptive learning strategy, the movement-building approach of a government run program to empower frontline community health workers , and the role of a hybrid agency in prioritising social mobilisation by these workers to improve healthcare delivery.