Gender Lens Research Articles

Climate Change Induced Migration: A Gendered Conceptual Framework

An emerging body of research explores the relationship between climate change and migration. Much of this literature has been gender-blind, but where gender has been considered, the literature suggests that migration responses have differed between men and women. Existing theoretical approaches to migration do not provide a conceptual framework for understanding these differences. In this paper, we ask how existing conceptual frameworks explaining migration might be combined and extended to specifically incorporated gendered climate impacts and responses, and we propose such an extended conceptual framework. Specifically, this paper does three things. First, it critically reviews existing theoretical frameworks on migration through a gender lens. Bringing insights from feminist economics and related empirical research to bear on existing frameworks explaining migration, we identify five pathways through which gender differences can influence climate-induced household decision-making about migration. Building on this, we propose a gender-aware conceptual framework to explain the gendered decision-making processes behind climate change-induced migration.

Gender and equity considerations in AMR research: a systematic scoping review.

Research on gender and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) beyond women's biological susceptibility is limited. A gender and equity lens in AMR research is necessary to promote gender equality and support the effectiveness, uptake, and sustainability of real-world AMR solutions. We argue that it is an ethical and social justice imperative to include gender and related intersectional issues in AMR research and implementation. An intersectional exploration of the interplay between people's diverse identities and experiences, including their gender, socio-economic status, race, disability, age, and sexuality, may help us understand how these factors reinforce AMR risk and vulnerability and ensure that interventions to reduce the risk of AMR do not impact unevenly. This paper reports on the findings of a systematic scoping review on the interlinkages between AMR, gender and other socio-behavioural characteristics to identify priority knowledge gaps in human and animal health in LMICs. The review focused on peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 2017 and 2022. Three overarching themes were gendered division of caregiving roles and responsibilities, gender power relations in decision-making, and interactions between gender norms and health-seeking behaviours. Research that fails to account for gender and its intersections with other lines of disadvantage, such as race, class and ability, risks being irrelevant and will have little impact on the continued and dangerous spread of AMR. We provide recommendations for integrating an intersectional gender lens in AMR research, policy and practice.

Rohingya students’ voices on the experience of inclusion/exclusion in the non-formal schooling: How do issues about being displaced, with(out) disability, having behavioral problems, and gender itself matter?

Utilizing intra-categorical intersectionality and a feminist gender lens, this study delved into the nuanced inclusion/exclusion experiences of 20 Rohingya students in Kutupalong camps. Employing individual interviews, focus groups, and photo-elicitation methods, it unveiled diverse responses among boys, reinforcing privileged masculinity for some, while others, labeled with behavioral issues, faced distinct challenges. Disabled girls encountered dual marginalization through bullying and stereotyping. Findings underscores the imperative for tailored interventions and inclusive policies, emphasizing teacher sensitization training. Future research on longitudinal displacement impacts and cross-context comparisons is recommended. Despite context-specific findings and subjective self-reporting, the study informs policymaking, emphasizing intersectional lenses in education.

Excessive, flexible and (still) seen as gender neutral: Journalists’ perceptions about their job during the Covid-19 pandemic

Mainstream newsroom routines have faced significant shifts in the last decades. Regardless of its nature, these changes can be seen from a gender perspective and framed within neoliberalism, seen as a structural force affecting people’s lives and an ideology of governance that shapes subjectivities. In this paper, we aim to discuss how neoliberalism influenced the implications of the Covid-19 pandemic on newsrooms and journalists’ working conditions from a gender lens. For this purpose, thirty semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted between October and December 2021 with Portuguese female and male junior and senior journalists of different levels of hierarchy working in mainstream media. Their perceptions of the pandemic impact on news production show the intersections of sexism and neoliberalism in the newsroom settings. Journalists accept as part of the job the long working hours and the personal cost of health protection material and essential equipment to work from home while normalising the work-home conflict as a private woman’s matter. These findings are discussed as reflecting how neoliberal logic has made the impacts of the pandemic heavier, especially for women.

Gender equality: opportunities and challenges for the OR community

There is a research gap on understanding gender equality issues in the OR discipline, and on the role of gender in OR participation and career progression. We apply a gender lens to the literature on the history of OR, reflecting on the origins of OR, the OR community, and the theory, methods and practice of OR. A gender lens aims to uncover hidden gender dimensions to bring gender issues into sharper focus. The review shows that women are largely invisible in the recorded history of OR. We use a survey instrument to capture the current OR community and extract insights on their careers by gender. Using a decision tree to understand factors that affect participation in OR, our findings are consistent with other studies: women perceive barriers to their participation and career progression, but the barriers are not as apparent to their male peers. Our paper offers novel contributions including a reflection on the history of OR through a gender lens, insights on the role of gender in OR careers, and a critical discussion of our findings. We aim to stimulate a conversation and encourage a discussion on the next steps toward innovative and cross-disciplinary research and applications at the gender/OR nexus.

Working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic and gender differences: a case of construction workforce in Australia

PurposeThis study aims to explore the gender differences in working from home (WFH) experiences during the pandemic from the Australia’s construction workforce perspective. Specifically, it explores gender differences in terms of: (1) the respondents’ family responsibilities during the pandemic; (2) their WFH experiences prior to and during the pandemic; and (3) their perceptions of the impacts of challenges associated with WFH on their work activities and performance along with their self-reported work performance when WFH, overall satisfaction with WFH and preference for WFH post-COVID.Design/methodology/approachThis study adopted a survey design to reach the targeted sample population, i.e. construction workforce in the Australian construction industry who has had experienced WFH during the pandemic. Data was collected using an online anonymous questionnaire survey.FindingsThe results show notable gender differences in various aspects including family responsibilities, workplace arrangements and perceptions of the impacts of the challenges associated with WFH on work activities and performance. Also, statistically significant associations are detected between gender and the respondents’ self-reported work performance when WFH, overall satisfaction with WFH and preference for WFH post-COVID.Originality/valueEven prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about WFH experiences among construction workforce due to the low prevalence of regular and planned remote working in the industry. This is the first study sheds light on construction workforce WFH experiences using gender lenses. The findings have implications for construction-related firms continuing with WFH arrangement post the pandemic, which may include the formulation of policy responses to re-optimize their present WFH practices.

Environment, Slavery and Agency in Colonial Uruguay, 1750–1810

Abstract In colonial Uruguay black slaves could supervise the work of white creoles and even hold the power to have their wages docked. To most historians this might seem puzzling and almost fictional in the context of the colonial Americas. This article makes sense of the puzzle by examining interactions between the economy and the environment on the Río de la Plata frontier. It argues that the natural world (soils, topography, climate, crops and animals) contributes to explain why this labour system existed, and also why it was efficient, contrary to the historiographical commonplace that enslaved workers would be unable to oversee free labourers effectively. Looking at the experience of both women and men through the lens of gender uncovers the parallels between the authority of these enslaved foremen over free male workers on the open range and their domestic authority over free women, whom they could marry. Their stories invite historians of other places and periods to foreground the environment in the set of structures that can either limit workers’ autonomy or give them strength.

Populists’ struggle for epistemic hegemony and anti-gender attacks on higher education in authoritarian contexts: the case of Turkey

ABSTRACT Focusing on the gendered modalities of the illiberal attacks on universities under the Justice and Development Party (AKP) rule, this article explores the ways in which illiberal actors’ anti-genderism and their quest for scientific authorization intersect in contemporary Turkey, leading to a paradigm shift towards illiberal science perspectives. It analyzes 3 modes of discursive-institutional interventions into higher education (HE) that display gendered modalities: 1. Reversal of gender-sensitive policy frameworks, 2. Alternative politics of knowledge cultivated through new epistemic institutions, 3. Suppression of students’ LGBTI+ activism and visibility on university campuses. It argues that AKP’s gendered attacks on HE operate both as a backlash drawing on repressive strategies that dismantle gender equality perspectives, as well as an alternative form of politics of knowledge with proactive strategies and new institutions replacing critical gender lenses. As a result, the article contributes to the scholarship on populism, politics of knowledge, and anti-gender politics with a focus on three points: 1. Anti-genderism as a key epistemic field in illiberal populist politics of knowledge, 2. Combination of repressive and oppressive strategies as an effective strategy of mainstreaming anti-gender knowledge in HE, 3. the opportunistic synergy between illiberal state actors and anti-gender academia, media, and civil society.

Gay & Gray XI: Somewhere Over the Rainbow - Aging with Pride!

Having previously tackled topics such as LGBTQ military sexual trauma, revisiting aging populations and HIV, and the intersectional experience of black queer older adults, Gay & Gray this year will focus on the transitional process of aging itself. While seniors cope with life changes as they grow older, LGBTQ seniors face specific challenges that may be especially burdensome. Often, older LGBTQ adults “have to make a hard choice at the end of their lives: Go ‘back into the closet’ or accept inferior care and discrimination” (CBC). This predicament embodies “a fear of loss of autonomy, identity, and freedom of sexual expression,” and often results in compromise “in order to feel safe during a period in which they anticipate… being vulnerable and lacking in power” (Wilson, et al.).In this session, we will discuss powerful issues including the threat of isolation while aging, healthcare access, and moving to long-term housing through the lens of gender and sexual minorities. First, we will explore how older LGBTQ adults are often more isolated than their heterosexual counterparts, with higher rates of living alone, fewer sources of family and social supports, and greater stigma among their peers (SAGE “US Army Vet”, Progress Lifeline). We will also consider reasons why LGBTQ adults may be hesitant to disclose their sexual orientation and gender identity to healthcare providers, fearing inadequate care and even outright discrimination. Afterwards, we will discuss how LGBTQ adults’ transitions from independent living into assisted living and nursing homes are further complicated by concerns about experiencing physical and verbal harassment, as more and more LGBTQ individuals fear “being forced back into the closet” and “conceal… their true selves” in order to access services and avoid harassment (Wilson, et al.). Lastly, we will evaluate potential solutions to promote community and enhance access to safe housing for aging LGBTQ individuals.

A Korean Picture Bride as an Immigrant Woman Entrepreneur: Gender, Mobility, and Hawaii's Lodging Businesses

This article aims to analyze the autobiographical records left by Chun Yun‐hee, who came to Hawaii in 1915 as a Korean picture bride, through the lenses of gender, family, labor, and entrepreneurship. First, this article examines the motivations and causes for her transcountry mobility during Korea's Japanese colonial era and subsequent local‐level relocations within the Hawaiian Islands. Second, it sheds light on her labor and economic activities in the period after her migration to the United States, particularly focusing on her involvement in Hawaii's lodging business. It examines why and how she entered and operated lodging businesses, specifically in terms of capital, labor, and customers; how gender and geographical conditions affected her entrepreneurial activities; and how she interpreted the meaning of her work. It is expected that this study will contribute to an improved understanding of not only immigrant women entrepreneurs in general but also the economic adaptation processes and the role of social networks among Korean picture brides in particular.

Extractivism and the engendering of disasters: disaster risk creation in the era of the Anthropocene

PurposeThis paper argues that extractivist logic creates the environmental conditions that produce “natural” hazards and also the human conditions that produce vulnerability, which combined create disasters. Disaster Risk Creation is then built into the current global socio-economic system, as an integral component not accidental by-product.Design/methodology/approachAs part of the movement to liberate disasters as discipline, practice and field of enquiry, this paper does not talk disasters per se, but rather its focus is on “extractivism” as a fundamental explanator for the anthropogenic disaster landscape that now confronts us.FindingsApplying a gender lens to extractivism as it relates to disaster, further highlights that Disaster Risk Management rather than alleviating, creates the problems it seeks to solve, suggesting the need to liberate gender from Disaster Risk Management, and the need to liberate us all from the notion of managing disasters. Since to ‘manage’ disaster risk is to accept uncritically the structures and systems that create that risk, then if we truly want to address disasters, our focus needs to be on the extractive practices, not the disastrous outcomes.Originality/valueThe fundamental argument is that through privileging the notion of “disaster” we create it, bring it into existence, as something that exists in and of itself, apart from wider socio-economic structures and systems of extraction and exploitation, rather than recognising it for what it is, an outcome/end product of those wider structures and systems. Our focus on disaster is then misplaced, and perhaps what disaster studies needs to be liberated from, is itself.

Dis/re-orienting design through norm-critical gender lenses: an educational case in Turkey.

Design, as a practice of developing solutions beyond products, and increasingly services and policies, inevitably poses an impact on gender (in)equality which remains largely unrecognized by design practitioners. This paper advocates the urgent need for adopting gender lenses in design education for sustainable cultural transformation through proper recognition of the complexity of any societal and cultural issue, power relations and inequalities, and introduces an initial attempt through a graduate-level educational design project. Throughout the project, students critically reflected on existing orientations in designing to develop norm-critical gender lenses, contained the resultant disorientation emerging from the contrast between their critical approaches and local contexts, and explored novel directions as reorientation to address four different societal and cultural issues and develop 11 design outcomes aiming at gender equality, social justice-oriented empowerment, and cultural transformation. The authors analyzed the design processes and outcomes to reveal opportunities and challenges for developing and deploying norm-critical gender lenses in tackling complex, intersecting socio-cultural and political issues, under three themes: gender stereotypes, norms, expectations, and roles; intersectional power relations and inequalities embedded in the social structure; and social justice-oriented empowerment beyond the market-oriented individualistic neoliberal order. A shift in the perceptions of the role of designers, from creator/problem-solver to facilitator/participant, and design outcomes, from absolute solutions to intermediaries of sociological and political imaginations, is found crucial in this endeavor, which requires safe spaces for future designers to reflect on existing orientations, contain disorientation with negative capability, and explore novel ways through reorientation.

Centring intersectionality and decolonisation in an online undergraduate gender and development course in Canada

ABSTRACT Despite the growing acknowledgement by development academics and educators of the need to decolonise the study and teaching of development, and to apply an intersectional gender lens to development issues, there has been little discussion and few examples of how this can be achieved in an online undergraduate gender and development (GAD) course. A scan of undergraduate GAD course syllabi from Canadian universities revealed an absence of intersectionality and decolonisation as concepts and approaches, minimal linkages between GAD theory and practice, and an uncritical focus on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In this practice note, I share several approaches to centre intersectionality, promote critical and decolonial perspectives, and bridge theory and practice in a newly created online course at the University of the Fraser Valley, BC, Canada. Drawing upon themes that emerged in online discussion posts and course evaluations, I also discuss students’ views.

The role of gender theories in choosing a profession and building a career: a brief review of foreign literature

Modern societies strive for greater gender equality and inclusivity, so it is crucial to study the impact of gender on career guidance in order to develop more effective interventions and support systems. Recognizing the uniqueness of the problem and experience faced by people of different genders can increase the effectiveness and relevance of career guidance activities. By studying various aspects of career growth through a gender lens, science contributes to a better understanding of how gender shapes career choices, experiences, and counseling needs of individuals. The article examines the features of professional choice and career building from the perspective of gender theories. It is concluded that they help to explain the formation and strengthening of gender stereotypes, the impact of discrimination on psychological well–being, choice of profession and career trajectory, as well as the interaction of gender with other social identities.

Gender, agricultural risk perceptions, and maize seed systems: A case study of drought-tolerant maize varieties in Uganda

CONTEXTDrought-tolerant maize (DTM) varieties and other agricultural technologies can play an important role in maintaining crop production and livelihoods, yet their uptake remains low. Most research on risks in agriculture only considers climate risks as a barrier to adopting agricultural technologies. Farming communities face other agricultural risks related to health, finances, markets, and institutions. These risk perceptions may be different for male and female farmers. OBJECTIVEWe explore the agricultural risk perceptions of male and female smallholder farmers, assessing gender roles and norms and their influence on risk perceptions. Subsequently, we discuss the implications of these perceptions and gender roles and norms on the uptake of drought-tolerant maize varieties in Uganda. METHODSWe conducted a qualitative study with men's and women's focus groups in twelve villages in three districts in Uganda. We used participatory rural appraisal tools with each group to structure the discussions. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONSProduction risks, health risks, social norms, and financial constraints may play an important role in smallholder agricultural decision-making. These risks are inseparable and different for men's and women's groups. Women tend to prioritize climate and crop management risks, while men place more weight on financial constraints. The perceived impact of health risks, risks related to social norms, and market risks vary across men and women in different districts. Dokolo reflects more traditional gender roles, while Iganga and Masindi note more contested gendered power over maize cultivation. The risk and concern ranking in Dokolo shows more similarity between men and women compared to Iganga and Masindi. Women tend to have less access to DTM varieties in the formal seed system, while they tend to have fewer resources to mitigate health and crop production risks. To reach and benefit more women with DTM varieties, we draw attention to access to information, bringing seed closer (potentially subsidized), gender transformative interventions, and investment in open-pollinated varieties disseminated through the informal seed system. SIGNIFICANCEOur research emphasizes the importance of considering multiple risks in agriculture when promoting resilient farming systems rather than focusing solely on climate risk. We also show the importance of applying a gender lens to these risks and the uptake of DTM varieties. Serving as an inclusive and pro-poor risk management technology, DTM would benefit from ensuring that the technology becomes available to male and female farmers in multiple seed systems, including formal seed systems (primarily hybrids) and informal seed systems (primarily open-pollinated varieties).

Do female and male family forest landowners think alike? A qualitative analysis from Georgia, United States

Family forest landowners own approximately 55 % of the state of Georgia's forestlands (24.6 million acres). Female forest ownership has grown in recent years and is expected to increase even further. Literature on forest landowners’ viewpoints about forestry in Georgia, in general, and about female forest landowners, in particular, is very limited. To address this research gap, we aim to investigate the viewpoints of family forest landowners regarding forestry in Georgia with a gender lens, i.e., the differences and similarities in how male and female family forest landowners view forestry-related issues in Georgia. Content analysis of responses to an open-ended question, which was in turn part of a mail survey, revealed six prominent themes, i.e., foresters/outreach, timber market, programs/resources/taxes, needs/suggestions, concerns, and desire to learn more. In general, a lower number of female responses fell under the foresters/outreach, programs/resources/taxes, needs/suggestions, and concerns themes, compared to their male counterparts. No female responses fell under the timber market theme, whereas the majority of male responses did. The desire to learn more theme received nearly equal number of responses from females and males. Our key findings indicate that 1) women require more assistance from foresters and need outreach opportunities to learn more about forest management, including topics such as timber markets, programs/resources/taxes; 2) males reported the timber market value is low and should increase; 3) males expressed more resources and programs are required for forest landowners to manage their forestlands (including tax incentives); 4) males and females suggested more public education about logging, expanded use of technology, and youth involvement in forest management; 5) women are concerned about invasive species and men about land development. These results are important to inform policymaking for supporting family forest landowners in Georgia, especially female forest landowners who are a rising segment of forest landownership in the state.

Gender lens review of adolescent health care services: a mixed methods study in Bangladesh

Background The application of a gender lens enables the identification of gendered power dynamics that are deeply embedded within structures and institutions. This study delved into a comprehensive analysis of gender norms of male and female adolescents in terms of their health needs, the type of health services offered to them, the barriers and facilitators for utilization of health services at the adolescent-friendly health services (AFHS) across different tiers of government health facilities through a gender lens. Methods The study was conducted at 23 health facilities across four districts of Bangladesh from February 2022 to June 2022. The study design was cross-sectional with a mixed methods approach. A total of 304 adolescents completed the survey, and 28 adolescents participated in in-depth interviews (IDI). Key-informant interviews (KII) were conducted with 48 key stakeholders, including parents, teachers, health service providers, facility managers, and health managers. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results Adolescents have different needs for information about services, types of services provided, and use based on gender. There was a significant association between the marital status of adolescents and the need for different types of health services (P<0.05). Female adolescents receive tetanus-diphtheria (TD) vaccinations and iron folic acid (IFA) tablets, while male adolescents can receive them upon request. TD immunization is common among married female adolescents (14.9%) compared to unmarried female adolescents (11.8%) and unmarried male adolescents (1.1%). Unmarried female adolescents (36.1%) seek help more frequently for menstrual problems, while unmarried male adolescents (24%) are more likely to seek services related to puberty. Parents, teachers, and health service providers have different gendered perceptions of male and female adolescents’ health needs and use of health services. These perceptions contribute to understanding male and female adolescents’ utilization of services. Conclusions This study reveals that gender norms influence adolescents’ health needs, types, and utilization of services. This is probably due to differences in gendered perception of the critical stakeholders for adolescents, who sometimes face barriers in the utilization of health services at the facilities.

Maternal/paternal migration, delinquent friendship, and depressive symptoms among left-behind children in China

Massive internal migration in China has greatly disadvantaged children who are left behind. This study unravels the mechanism underlying the association between parental migration and children’s mental health through the lenses of social networks and gender. Using data collected in Sichuan, one of the provinces with the largest number of left-behind children in China, this study finds that maternal and paternal migration differ in their associations with left-behind children’s depressive symptoms. While paternal migration is not associated with children’s mental health, maternal migration is found to be significantly correlated with children’s depressive symptoms. Moreover, the negative association is also detected in children with mothers who returned from migration destinations. However, such an association does not vary between sons and daughters. We also find that the negative association between maternal migration and left-behind children’s mental health is partly explained by children’s delinquent social ties. Children who have experienced or are experiencing maternal migration are more likely to make friends who exhibit delinquent behavior. Such friendships are further associated with left-behind children’s vulnerability to depressive symptoms. This demonstration of the intersectionality of social networks and gender contributes to the literature on family, migration, and health.

A crisis of recognition: gender, race, and the struggle to be seen in pre-modernity

ABSTRACT It used to be said that shame culture waned in early modernity, but there is a growing body of historiography on the vital role that recognition and the opinion of others continued to play. Honour mattered; for some it was the mark and the maker of your true self. While philosophers like Hobbes, Locke, Mandeville, Hume, Smith, and Rousseau disagreed in their evaluations of the phenomenon, they were united in thinking that the great engine of recognition whirred like furious clockwork through human society. When one listens to voices from the margins of power, however, to formerly enslaved black women and men, and white women, one hears a different story – that the machine is broken. I argue that, albeit from incomparable positions, they articulate a theory of misrecognition in the face of systematic power. Sensitive to the entanglements of epistemology and naturalised inequality, they offer a politics of vision that deconstructs the punitive lenses of gender and race which render people invisible and misunderstood, and in so doing they try to write themselves into view. They offer an account of the mysterious intractability of hegemonic ways of seeing that poses a challenge to both the putatively laissez-faire economy of recognition of their enlightened contemporaries, and to the emancipatory teleology of modern recognition theorists.

The spectre of Ma Phyu? Loyalty, competence, and the spatial dynamics of imperial administration in colonial Burma

AbstractThis article explores the spatial dynamics of imperial administration in colonial Burma through the lens of gender, bureaucracy, and frontier. Focusing on the story of Hugh Ernest McColl, a British administrative officer in Burma who struggled for promotion as a result of his marriage to a Burmese woman, the article sheds light on the spatial dynamics regarding loyalty, competence, and political priorities in the imperial administration of frontiers. Such spatial dynamics were most clearly manifested in the diverging attitudes between central authorities and local governments towards McColl’s case. Drawing on archival sources and secondary literature that contextualize McColl’s case within the broader textures of colonial governance, this article argues that McColl’s case reveals the internal contradiction of the imperial administration, which saw a constant tension between the ideological imperatives of control and the practical demands of how to control. McColl’s story is therefore a story of broader significance—of the inherent structural contradiction of colonial rule and its inability to overcome it.