Gender Studies Research Articles

Language, Neuter, and Masculinity: The Influence of the Neuter-Male in the Reiteration of Social Models, A Philosophical Analysis Starting with Cavarero, Irigaray, and Butler

Gender studies has generated numerous questions around “neutral” forms, such as the concept of “Self”. The aim of this analysis is to highlight how “neutral” forms are central to the reiteration of the binary model and the dominance of “man ”. Historically, man is the archetype, placing his supremacy as part of the natural order of things. Inserted into this model, many thinkers have considered the male as the transcendental gender, so, elevating the masculine as universal, a-sexed and decorporealised. In this way, man has convinced himself that he’s not conditioned by his masculinity and can speak for all humanity, becoming the logos through which he declines the rest. Man, therefore, has made himself “neutral” – both in the conceptual sense and in the grammatical structure (particularly of binary languages such as Italian) – by taking control of language. Through it, he orders and constitutes the world, developing dichotomies and signifying anatomical bodies. In this research, it is intended to work on language and the relationship between “neutral” and power, emphasizing how that relationship is central to the reproduction of the patriarchal model. Through a critical philosophical reflection, which sees a logical-linguistic and historical-processual methodological structure, the discourse of the I-neutral will be crossed, pointing out how that “neutral” is in truth male. The concluding goal will be to, through “fluid” visions, build the basis for a language that is truly neutral and ready to embrace multiplicity, without relations of domination; a language really inclusive and not a reiterator of the patriarchal model.

Differences In Quality of Life of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients at Rsi Sultan Agung Semarang Observational Analytical Studies in Age, Gender, and Stage of Cancer

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a malignant tumor in the head and neck area of squamous cell type located in the nasopharynx. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Indonesia is the 4th most malignant cancer and is considered one of the most malignant tumors with high mortality and morbidity. This study aims to determine the difference in quality of life in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with characteristics (age, gender, and stage of cancer) nasopharyngeal tumors. The research method was carried out with analytical observational through a cross sectional approach. The measuring instruments used in the form of EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires were used to measure the quality of life of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients at RSI Sultan Agung Semarang. The data were analyzed using a binary logistic regression test. The results of the study of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients according to the characteristics at RSI Sultan Agung Semarang based on 13 respondents were dominated by male patients totaling 8 people (61.54%), aged 45 years as many as 8 people (61.54%), and cancer stages were divided into 6 people (≥46.15%) and 7 people (53.85%) in the early and advanced stages. The results of the Wald Test did not significantly differ in the quality of life of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients at RSI Sultan Agung Semarang with each sig intention. The independent variables were age (p = 0.187), gender (p = 0.227), and cancer stage (p = 0.558). The independent variable that most affected the level of quality of life of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients was gender with a value of Exp(B) = 5.394. The conclusion of this study is that there is no difference in quality of life in nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients with characteristics (age, gender, and stage of cancer) nasopharyngeal tumors.International Journal of Human and Health Sciences Vol. 08 No. 02 Apr’24 Page: 151-156

The effect of long-term alendronic acid treatment on Modic changes in the lumbar spine: a gender and age-matched study

BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) affects a significant proportion of the adult population. Potent anti-resorptive drugs such as intravenous zoledronic acid have been demonstrated to reduce Modic changes (MCs) upon magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spine and concomitantly decrease associated LBP. It is uncertain whether oral alendronic acid has a similar effect.Methods82 subjects were recruited in this case-control study. Treatment subjects (n = 41) received oral alendronic acid treatment for at least 1-year and were matched by gender and age (± 2) to control subjects (n = 41) not receiving any anti-osteoporotic medication. The prevalence, type, and extent of MCs were quantified upon T1 and T2-weighted MRIs of the lumbosacral spine.ResultsTreatment subjects received oral alendronic acid for 124.0 ± 62.1 weeks at the time of MRI assessment and exhibited a lower prevalence of MCs over the lumbosacral spine (18/41 vs. 30/41, p < 0.001) as compared to control subjects. Amongst both groups, type 2 MCs were predominant. Quantification of type 2 MCs in treatment subjects revealed a significant reduction in area (113 ± 106 mm2 vs. 231 ± 144 mm2, p < 0.01) and volume (453 ± 427 mm3 vs. 925 ± 575 mm3, p < 0.01) affected by type 2 MCs in comparison to matched controls.ConclusionOral alendronic acid may be useful in the treatment of MC-associated LBP in patients with concomitant osteoporosis.

Election violence in Africa: Using John 1:1 ‘Eν ἀρχῇ’ as a remedial solution

Whilst the term ‘elections’ insinuates some democratic space within a given electorate, elections on the African continent have often displayed an opposite trajectory as they tend to thwart that democratic space. Many a time, they have been characterised by sharp divisions leading thus to violence and atrocities of every kind. It is a great concern for unity in our motherland, Africa, which generates interest in this article to proffer a roadmap that can help address challenges that threaten to swirl the continent into a state of constant chaos and locus known for manslaughter. Using a hermeneutic of identification or cultural hermeneutics whereby readers identify themselves with the biblical characters and culture, we make reference to John 1:1 ἐν ἀρχῇ, which speaks unity in the Godhead as our roadmap. The text shows that unity is one of the intrinsic values of the community born out of their ontological unity. In the same way, disciples of the community of God must be characterized by unity while they are still in the world. It is thus our argument that Africans in their interpersonal relationships, including their political interactions, need to mirror the oneness of the Trinity and not follow the dictates of their societies plagued by social classifications.Interdisciplinary implications: The issue of violence is by definition of multi-disciplinary interest. This contribution addresses the ever-recurring problem of election violence in Africa, which is also of significance within multiple disciplines including biblical studies, gender studies, political theology as well as even history.

Debt on the Ground: The Scholarly Discourse of Bankruptcy and Financial Precarity

A rich literature uses law and social science methods to better understand household financial distress and overindebtedness both inside and outside of bankruptcy. This scholarship contributes to several ongoing scholarly conversations, such as those on income and wealth disparities across race and class, how people live in circumstances of financial precarity, why people turn to the legal system to solve their problems, and how to improve access to justice so people can get the help they need. We first review the current literature about who files bankruptcy, the contributors to people's need to file bankruptcy, what happens to them in bankruptcy court, and what happens after their bankruptcy cases conclude. We then outline a research agenda of low-hanging fruit that will contribute to broader sociological and sociolegal research agendas, including economic mobility, aging, gender studies, health studies, family studies, social psychology, and policy work.

Artificial intelligibility: the role of gender in assigning humanness to natural language processing systems

ABSTRACT In place of ‘Artificial Intelligence’, this article proposes artificial intelligibility as the more accurate term for describing the mistaken assignment of humanness to non-living objects. Artificial Intelligibility is manifested when a user assumes an object has capacity to understand them simply because it is understandable to them. Relatively simplistic Natural Language Processing systems may perform genres of humanness in conversational interactions to the degree that they are imagined to be sentient, as ‘Artificial Intelligence’. However, decolonial scholars have observed that humanness developed as a mutable, sociogenic construct. Decolonial gender theorists have further derived the role played by heteronormativity and repronormativity in upholding this power. Equating the intelligible performance of a gendered genre of humanness with intelligence risks obfuscating this interplay while reinforcing eugenic stratifications of life. This article reframes behavioural measures of ‘intelligence’ to gendered ‘intelligibility’ to explore the role of gender in enabling entry into the symbolic order of humanness. It presents three key findings from my doctoral thesis to question how and why some gendered, NLP-incorporating devices can be imagined to have lives that matter within the same economy of value that renders some humans and animals killable.

Teaching Family? Care/Work Policy in Selected Family Courses in Canada’s Research-Intensive Universities

To what degree is explicit care/work policy taught in family courses in Canada’s leading research-intensive universities? We analyze family courses in sociology departments and in political studies and women’s/gender studies programs in Canada’s 15 R1 universities to make a contribution to the scholarship of teaching and learning. This national scan marks a methodological innovation from curriculum studies that generally adopt a single-program or single-site focus. From a Canadian universe of 74 family courses, we identify 15 whose formal course calendar description explicitly addresses care/work family policy (measures to reconcile caring for young children with employment, through early learning and childcare, parental leaves, and child benefits). Sociology predominates among courses where family policy is taught, yet care/work policy content is not common. Given growing concerns about the care crisis and the care deficit in Canada, the low profile of care/work family policy content in family courses is significant. This study sheds light on the value of national postsecondary education curricular reviews and suggests that family curriculum renewal is warranted.

FORMATION OF GENDER COMPETENCE IN THE PROCESS OF TRAINING FUTURE SOCIAL WORKERS

The article highlights the need to develop gender competence in future social work professionals and the use of an integrated approach in this field. The study aims to theoretically substantiate the peculiarities of gender competence formation in future social workers. The implementing possibilities for the Strategy of Gender Equality in Education until 2030 have been identified. The availability of gender studies in institutions of higher education has been analyzed. It is stated that domestic training programmes have the gender component included in curricula of various specialities. The studies in the field of gender equality and social work demonstrate that although there are specific disciplines that include aspects of preventing discrimination and violence against women, they need updating and adapting to modern challenges. The article analyses training and scientific programmes in the speciality “231 Social Work” in terms of content and specifics of preparing specialists to perform their duties taking into account the requirements of gender equality. It has been found that most of them are based on the requirements of state standards for the formation of competencies in human rights and anti-discrimination. It is emphasized that Pavlo Tychyna Uman State Pedagogical University has established Gender Centre that is a member of the All-Ukrainian Centre for Gender Education in Ukraine. Training future specialists in the specialty “231 Social Work”, forming their ability to carry out professional activities in compliance with human rights and the principle of gender equality, and developing competencies in preventing and combating gender discrimination are among the Centre’s main tasks. The author substantiates the need to form gender competence in future social workers by including a gender approach in the educational process as specialised disciplines revealing applied aspects of gender equality and participation in non-formal education play an important role there.

The Negative Effects of Cultural Identity on Preschool Girls in Bong, Lofa, and Nimba Counties of Liberia

This paper probes into the multifaceted issues surrounding violence against women and challenges to girls' education in Liberia. Coomaraswamy's 2002 research underscored the role of cultural behaviors in family structures contributing significantly to violence against women. King and Winthrop's 2015 study explored factors such as poverty, gender norms, and cultural expectations, contributing to discussions on fair educational opportunities. Cunningham et al.'s 2023 research delved into gender disparities across economic, educational, healthcare, and political spheres, employing a women's empowerment perspective. Theoretical frameworks rooted in gender and social norm theories were employed to understand the impact of cultural identity on preschool girls' education in Liberia. The study focused on evaluating negative effects on preschool girls in Bong, Lofa, and Nimba counties, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions to create a supportive environment. Coomaraswamy's 2002 insistence on rejecting the use of cultural considerations to justify violence against girls resonates globally. The study also highlighted disparities in girls' primary school enrollment rates in the region compared to the global average, emphasizing the urgency of addressing educational inequalities. Overall, this paper contributes valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and communities, advocating for positive change in Liberia's educational landscape and women's empowerment.

Women's Identity Construction and Identity from the Perspective of Gender Theory: Examination of Gender Discourse based on the Film Barbie

The Barbie film directed by Greta Govig became a new milestone in feminist cinema when it set a box office record in 2023. The film not only presents the portrayal of women in a patriarchal society, but also critiques gender stereotypes with humour, triggering a global feminist discussion. This paper focuses on the construction of women's identity and the representation of women's identity in the film Barbie from the perspective of gender theory and in four parts. The first part is the introductory section, mainly covering the research background and significance of this paper; The second part explores the female identity construction of Barbie from the aspects of appearance and social image; The third part explores the female identity of Barbie from the perspectives of male and female; The fourth part mainly combines and summarizes the previous content, and at the same time, combines social scholars' and film critics' interpretations of the film to deepen readers' understanding of the modern portrayal of women on screen.

The Body as a Social Construct: The Kosovan Context on ‘Beauty’ and ‘Look’ from the Perspective of Women and Girls in Kosovo

The inclusion of the study of the human ‘body’ in sociology abandoned the view that ‘nature’ constitutes the absolute premise that explains human interactions and social phenomena. The sociological perspective offered a new project of conceptualising the body, which enabled its reshaping and modification. In the new context of understanding the body, “the life of the body” was transformed from a technical and reproductive mechanism into a way of living, as well as an identity. This paper will address the main theoretical approaches to the study of the body, which at the same time reveals the context of the social realities that built the epistemology of sociological and gender studies in researches related to the body. Further, the paper introduces the results of an empirical research carried out with women and girls in Kosovo regarding the understanding and appreciation of the body, including their position about the image of the body that will help deconstruct the standard of the idolised body of women and girls in Kosovo. The research methodology applied is focused in two main parts: the online survey with 350 women and girls aged between 16 and 65 coming from both urban and rural areas, through a structured questionnaire technique compose of three parts with a total of 42 questions. Data collection and processing were done through the application of the SPSS program No. 24 and Excel. The second part of the research included the qualitative approach, by utilization of two focus groups with 14 girls of different ages and coming from different geographical areas of Kosovo. The research will highlight their attention and sensitivity towards ‘beauty’ as predefined by social, cultural, and the economic context. The overall results of the research show that 55.5 percent of the respondents agree that beauty plays a roles in the success of a woman/girl's life in Kosovo, whereas 22 percent neither agree nor disagree with this, whilst 33 percent do not agree that beauty plays any role. Additionally, approximately 55 percent of the respondents indicated that beauty influences a woman/girl's success in life, 60 percent believe that beautiful women/girls find it much easier to get hired, and about 70 percent stated that beauty affects self-esteem in both women and girls.    Received: 4 January 2024 / Accepted: 9 April 2024 / Published: 5 May 2024

Negotiating Heteronormativity: Transgender Women Navigating through Ulwaluko: The Rite of Passage to KwaXhosa Manhood

This qualitative study explores how five transgender Xhosa women navigate identity negotiations and cultural belonging within the profoundly gender-regulating ritual of ulwaluko KwaXhosa, male initiation to manhood. Data generation employed semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis. Despite acute violence enforcing masculine heteronormativity, findings reveal remarkable resilience as participants subtly expand gender pluralisms during the ritual through quiet defiance and feminine self-expression. Their profound liminality reveals fluidity within the ritual space. Analysing lived negotiations at the crossing lines of cisheteropatriarchy complicates Western gender theory and signals possibilities for radically inclusive African epistemologies recognising pre-colonial legacies of fluid gender diversity. Findings recommend that cultural gatekeepers foster compassionate pluralism and collective courage to transform exclusionary rituals towards radical inclusion.

Exploring Genomic Patterns to Identify Drug-Resistant TB: A Comprehensive Study of Age, Gender, Lineage, and Outcome

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a prevalent bacterial infection caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), primarily affecting the lungs, with rising incidence rates. Drug-resistant TB strains, including multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) types, pose challenges with poor treatment success rates and increased mortality. Demographic factors and genomic patterns contribute to drug resistance, emphasizing the need for new drugs targeting specific genomic patterns.Methods: This study analyzes the impact of demographics, treatment outcomes, and genomic mutations on drug-resistant TB using pattern identification techniques and whole-genome sequencing to discover therapeutic targets. This study primarily focused on the identification and analysis of MDR and XDR strains, considering various demographic characteristics and treatment outcomes. A dataset comprising 2,602 observations was utilized, and pattern recognition techniques were employed to identify significant features. Additionally, the study employs the whole-genome sequencing (WGS) pipeline to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that result in new mutations in drug-resistant Mtb strains.Results: The findings of the study revealed that XDR and MDR non-XDR TB were the most prevalent types of drug resistance, and they were associated with unfavorable treatment outcomes, including death or treatment failure. Males exhibited a higher susceptibility to both XDR and MDR non-XDR TB compared to females. The age of onset for both types of resistance was approximately 40 years. Among the observed variants in 31 commonly occurring genes,Conclusion: These findings introduce a novel set of therapeutic targets specific to MDR and XDR Mtb types, which warrant further investigation for potential therapeutic interventions.Keywords: Tuberculosis; Drug Resistance; Multidrug resistance; Demographics; Dataset; Gene; Mutations

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.

Certainty of implementation of assessor’s office mandates: The case of Jolo Municipal Government

Philippine local governments (LGUs) rely on real property tax (RPT), however its implementation varies. This study evaluates Jolo, Sulu's real property tax system as perceived by municipal government personnel. Purposive sampling yielded 100 employee-respondent survey responses. Study findings: Jolo Municipal Government employee-respondents illustrate a gender gap. Employee-respondents have a positive perception of the Assessor's Office and its mandates, rating it agree in all three areas: Timeliness of Property Assessment, Accuracy of Property Valuation, and Customer Satisfaction. However, the study also shows that the length of service affects employee-respondents' perception of the Assessor's Office depending on their work experience, specifically those with under 10 years of service and those with 21-30 years, or vice versa; and the analysis of correlations among sub-categories under the extent of office mandate implementation shows significant correlation between office performance aspects. There are strong positive relationships between property assessment timeliness, valuation correctness, and client satisfaction. This study advises: Jolo Municipal Government may a gender study of its workforce and implement local government gender equality and diversity policy. Jolo Municipal Government may offer training, mentoring, or scholarships to employees with higher education or longer service to improve their skills and abilities. The Jolo Municipal Government may regularly survey and consult property owners and other stakeholders to improve assessment services and processes. Mixed methods study may examine how the Assessor's Office requirements affect the Jolo Municipal Government's economic, social, and environmental consequences from property owners and other stakeholders.

A decolonial analysis of religious medicalisation of same-sex practices in South African Pentecostalism

Same-sex practices are commonly medicalised in various global spaces. Some societies view same-sex practices as some form of disease that needs to be cured. In Africa, the influence of Christianity has prompted many communities to conclude that there are spiritual forces behind same-sex orientations and practices. Therefore, same-sex practices are demonised, and those identifying with these sexualities and gender identities are viewed as sick, or as having some form of mental illness. As a fast-growing and influential movement in South Africa, Christianity plays a critical role in this narrative. Against this backdrop, this article examined how some Pentecostal pastors in South Africa use God-talk to propel the narrative that medicalises same-sex practices and how these pastors claim to have miraculous powers to heal these practices. Consequently, the gender and sexuality commonly accepted within African religiosity and spirituality are pushed to the peripheries. Therefore, it is argued in this article that the colonial-missionary discourses regarding African sexualities and genders are at play within the religious medicalisation of same-sex narratives. Thus, there is a need to problematise and transform this narrative. This act can contribute to delinking African genders and sexualities from Western repressions and subjugation agendas. The discussion moved from the premise of decoloniality while adopting a multidisciplinary approach that incorporated theology, gender and sexuality studies, psychology, health, and socio-political sciences. Again, the article used secondary literature analysis to examine this phenomenon and to gain a thorough understanding of how African Pentecostalism continues to use God-talk to medicalise same-sex practices in contemporary South Africa and the repercussions thereof.Contribution: The study contributed to the existing knowledge that addresses religious challenges faced by people identifying with non-normative sexualities and genders in Africa. This can contribute to the transformation of religious medicalisation of same-sex practices in South Africa, and elsewhere.

The Influence of Gender on Academic Performance and Psychological Resilience, and the Relationship Between Both: Understanding the Differences Through Gender Stereotypes

AbstractNumerous studies have shown that psychological resilience is a key capability for students to succeed in an academic setting, but few of them have analyzed this connection from the perspective of gender. With the hypothesis that resilience and academic performance correlations are displayed differently across genders, we used the RESI-M questionnaire and academic grades to analyze this assumption. The results showed that there are gender differences in terms of the relationship between psychological resilience and academic performance. While we found that for women some factors of psychological resilience did correlate with their grades, no relationship between any of the factors and academic performance was found in men. As gender theory has claimed, men and women show differences in their behavior due to gender socialization and through the influence of gender stereotypes. Concerning these differences, our results demonstrate that while women make use of their resilience capacity in the form of planning skills and social support to perform better in higher education, men do not. Using our theoretical framework, these results are consistent with how women are socialized to make more effort in the academic setting. Men, on the other hand, tend to be less involved, since trying academically would make them “less of a man”. These results have some important implications for gender equality.

Restoration of gender inequalities through anti-abortion reforms: Can Teubner’s “anonymous matrix of communications” help feminists?

Abstract This article is a response to the new wave of legal changes restricting access to abortion in several countries across the world, which have substantially undermined the global advances in the field of reproductive rights observed in recent years. To address this problem, the article derives insights from two important bodies of literature that are usually perceived as theoretically and ideologically counterposed, namely feminist legal studies and systems theory. In juxtaposing two important academic literatures, the article exposes gaps in both, and it demonstrates the conceptual potentials inherent in this juxtaposition. The article engages with the work of Drucilla Cornell and Gunther Teubner, who – despite their very different intellectual backgrounds – provided progressive interpretations of systems theory. It further critically examines whether societal constitutionalism can help feminists explain the recent developments in abortion law across the world. It engages critically with Teubner’s arguments concerning the role that human rights play in constraining the expansive tendencies of social systems, such as politics and religion, revealing the limitations of Teubner’s arguments in relation to reproductive rights and justice. At the same time, the article helps restate the contemporary relevance of systems-theoretical approaches in atypical fields like reproductive justice and gender studies.

Understanding the Experiences and Counseling Needs of Black Women with Infertility

ABSTRACT The lack of acknowledging infertility in the Black community often leaves women bewildered about their situations and the availability and influence of counseling support. In addition to these perplexities, counseling scholars have not fully documented the intersectional experiences of Black women experiencing infertility challenges. Utilizing an intersectionality approach, this study makes meaning of the interpretations surrounding mental health and Black women experiencing infertility challenges. The data analysis of 13 interviews captures how Black women reflect on infertility experiences, narrate mental health and coping responses, and explain counseling needs and barriers. Findings from this study suggest that self-concept and internal understanding may draw upon historical racial contexts of femininity and reproductive value and the societal expectation to shoulder personal responsibility for challenges. This study provides counselors with ways to conceptualize this population through race, gender, and feminist theory while sharing strategies to guide clients toward healing gendered and race-related challenges.

Socio-psychological aspects of gender asymmetry: concepts

In the framework of gender psychology, gender identity is studied, comparative characteristics of men and women (cognitive, emotional, behavioral, motivational, etc.) that determine the social behavior of people. Since gender identity arises as a synthesis of biological and sociocultural factors, the study of gender studies in the context of social psychology gives more effective scientific results.