Gender Hierarchies Research Articles

A feminist cybersecurity: addressing the crisis of cyber(in)security

Abstract This article draws on feminist security studies (FSS) to construct a more inclusive cybersecurity. We ask: What can a gendered lens do for cybersecurity? Methodologically, this exploratory piece brings FSS insights to bear on studies in cybersecurity (both traditional and critical) to better conceptualize the risks and benefits embedded in the cybersphere, as well as the role of gender in cyberspace. We propose incorporating a gendered lens (an intersectional approach) to shed light on violence and insecurity online. Without recognizing gendering in the cyber realm, including how gender intersects with other systems of oppression, cybersecurity scholars and policy-makers cannot fully understand what we term the crisis of cyber(in)security. Additionally, we challenge simplistic solutions that rely solely on human rights protections in cyberspace. Such approaches often reinforce existing gender and power hierarchies through protectionist discourse. Our FSS-based understanding of cybersecurity has important policy implications. It calls for increased access and diverse participation in cybersecurity policy-making and diplomacy, and promotes a more thoughtful approach to human rights protection to address a broader range of cyber-based insecurities and forms of violence.

Tawaifs, All India Radio, and the Gendered Politics of Nationalism: Retracing the Tawaifs Against the Emergence of the Twentieth-Century Radio Culture

ABSTRACT This article attempts to historicize the experiences of the Indian courtesans, called the tawaifs, as radio performers against the gendered politics of nationalism, and the consequent subjectification of their music, the problematic positioning of their body and their voice within the emergent radio culture of the twentieth century, from the 1930s to the 1950s. The article problematizes the socio-cultural locale of women performers like the tawaifs within the gender hierarchy integral to nationalist narratives and probes into the centrality of the woman’s body and her sexuality to the discourses of respectability with which the AIR chose to regulate its policies.

Cultural Barriers to Women's Progression in Academic Careers: A France-Brazil Comparison Through the Lens of the Queen Bee Phenomena.

Despite significant improvements, women are still underrepresented at high levels in academia. Most research on these inequalities is conducted within a specific national academic system, without taking into account its cultural roots. The aim of the present study was to analyze the extent to which the cultural context acts as a barrier on women's career progression. Specifically, we focused on psychological processes described under the metaphor of Queen Bee Phenomenon that may reflect the ways in which female academics conform to male-gender roles encoded in androcentric social and academic culture. Two samples of women academic, one French (N = 73), the other Brazilian (N = 88), were compared through the lens of two dimension of the Queen Bee Phenomena: self-group distancing and gender hierarchy legitimation. Brazilian women identify more with their female peer group than their French counterparts. French women are more hostile to quotas and more inclined to adhere to meritocratic discourses than their Brazilian counterparts. Both academic contexts tend to perpetuate gender inequalities, but in different ways: by maintaining gender-stereotypical expectations in Brazil and meritocratic ideology in France. The implications for policies to promote a more egalitarian university context are discussed herein.

“Why Won’t You Let Me Hit On You?”: Sexual Harassment in Fieldwork as Data

The aim of the article is to introduce and demonstrate a research strategy which incorporates experiences of sexual harassment in the field into analysis. Violence in the field, while discussed more frequently after #MeToo, is still often referred to in separate descriptions, usually articles with the function of breaking the taboo, cautioning and giving advice. In the article a different approach is proposed, namely, regarding difficult encounters in the field as data, providing important information about the field of research. Three situations of sexual harassment by male research participants are analyzed. First, as their strategies to gain control and power in interview situations. It is possible because gender hierarchies prevail in the research set up. Second, as indicators in a broader context: the organizational culture of an institution, of the interviewee’s life situation and strategies, and of the power dynamics of a couple.

Transition and change: opportunities and challenges of CHW programme reform for community health systems and vertical disease programmes in Liberia

BackgroundGlobally, community health worker (CHW) programmes are critical to addressing health worker shortages and have been recognised as critical pillars within the drive towards universal health coverage (UHC). In 2016, the Liberian Ministry of Health launched the National Community Health Services Policy 2016–2021, which included significant CHW programme reform to address ongoing health workforce capacity gaps in the country. However, little consideration was given to the impact of such reforms on ongoing health interventions that rely heavily on the use of CHW cadres. Our study explores how CHW programme reform in Liberia influenced performance of CHWs involved in the delivery of Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD) programmes to elucidate how health systems reform can impact the delivery of routine health interventions and vice versa.MethodsWe used a qualitative case study approach conducted between March 2017 and August 2018. Our instrumental case study approach uses qualitative methods, including document review of five CHW and NTD program-related policy documents; 25 key informant interviews with facility, county, and national level decision-makers; and 42 life and job histories with CHWs in Liberia. Data were analysed using a thematic framework approach, guided by Kok et al. framework of CHW performance. Data were coded in QRS NVIVO 11 Pro.ResultsOur findings show that CHW programme reform provides opportunities and challenges for supporting enhanced CHW performance. In relation to health system hardware, we found that CHW programme reform provides better opportunities for: formal recognition of CHWs; strengthening capacity for effective healthcare delivery at the community level through improved and formalised training; a more formal supervision structure; and provision of monthly incentives of 70 US dollars. Efficiency gaps in routine intervention delivery can be mitigated through the strengthening of these hardware components. Conversely, supervision deficits in routine CHW functioning can be supported through health interventions. In relation to systems software, we emphasise the ongoing importance of community engagement in CHW selection that is responsive to gendered power hierarchies and accompanied by gendered transformative approaches to improving literacy.ConclusionsThis study shows how CHW programme reform provides opportunities and challenges for health system strengthening that can both positively and negatively impact the functioning of routine health interventions. By working together, CHW programmes and routine health interventions have the opportunity to leverage mutually beneficial support for CHWs, which can enhance overall systems functioning by enhancing CHW performance.

Capturing the voices of working Arab mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A quick content analysis of their messages on Twitter (X)

Introduction: Working mothers from different cultures have been heavily challenged during the different phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Infectious disease outbreaks increase women’s missions, which challenge their abilities to balance time among the different tasks. The purpose of this study was to capture the voices of working Arab mothers through their posts on Twitter to explore the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to understand how working Arab women’s lives were affected and how the pandemic’s burden interacted with existing challenges in Arab women’s lives, such as gender hierarchies and patriarchal social structure. Methodology: Arab mothers’ posts on Twitter during the first 3 months of the pandemic (March–June 2020) were extracted manually. The search strategy followed included a combination of terms searched in Arabic, with each keyword being searched separately with one of the fixed terms (COVID-19 or Corona) in the search engine. Keywords searched for are work, mother/s, worker/s, working mothers, children, kids, husband, online teaching, cleaning, tired, pressure, and home chores. Only 40 posts were relevant and included in the current study. Conventional content analysis was followed to analyze the mothers’ posts on Twitter. Results: The findings showed that these mothers struggled to manage family, household, and children’s online learning (N = 14); work from home and/or be at the worksite (N = 12); the negative consequences on mental and social wellbeing (N = 17); and the financial crises during the pandemic (N = 4). They were disappointed with the insufficient support provided by husbands (N = 2) and the government’s response in addressing their needs as working mothers during the pandemic (N = 7). Conclusion: Recognizing the extent to which disease outbreaks affect women is a fundamental step to understanding the effects of health emergencies on them and creating effective policies and interventions. Public health policies, measures, and media are needed to promote better self-care for families, especially mothers, to avoid future tensions in the healthcare system during and after the pandemic.

Female sexism and religion linking to value and cultural norms

Instances of sexism, a widespread manifestation of gender bias, frequently lead to the belief that one gender is superior or inferior. This is evident through attitudes, behaviors, and institutional procedures that support gender hierarchies and sustain unequal treatment. The entertainment sector, by virtue of its extensive impact, intensifies these biases by molding public attitudes towards women. Through the lens of Glick and Fiske's ambivalent sexism theory, this study investigates the sexism Kim Kardashian encounters on social media sites, namely Instagram, by analyzing both hostile and benevolent sexism. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the recurring victimization of the Kardashian family based on sexist ideologies. This study uses a qualitative research approach, specifically case study approaches, to investigate the phenomenon of sexism encountered by Kim Kardashian. Investigators will collect data using interviews, questionnaires, live observations, and a comprehensive review of relevant papers, journals, and prior studies. The main objective of this study is to gather data from social media platforms, focusing specifically on evaluating commentary that exhibits sexism, hate speech, patriarchy, misogyny, discrimination, and related subjects on Kim Kardashian's Instagram account. Through the lens of The Ambivalent Sexism Theory, this study reveals that Kim Kardashian evokes both angry and pleasant sexist behavior in Instagram comments.

The transformative power of practitioner inquiry: collaborative autoethnography, norm critique and research circles in Swedish education

ABSTRACT This article builds on the social justice and critical and emancipatory dimensions of practitioner inquiry in education. The aim is to demonstrate the potential and challenges of collaborative autoethnography for institutional change, transformative learning and norm critique. Taking Jack Mezirow’s and Paulo Freire’s theoretical framework as a starting point, I analyse four autoethnographic cases conducted by Swedish teachers. I demonstrate the ways in which autoethnography may help teachers realise their own silence and unresponsiveness regarding oppression related to ethnicity, gender, professional role and generational hierarchies in preschools and schools. The collaborative autoethnography also instigates teachers’ realisation of space-time dynamics and other institutionalised constraints and their constitutive power over practices, feelings, understandings and social relations. The transformative learning that has emerged from collaborative autoethnography has led us to recognise the necessity and challenges of conducting empirical analysis, engaging in self-reflection and dialogue, and transforming institutionalised and personal practices and norms. While bringing about institutional change has been challenging, individual and relational transformation has been more achievable. I argue that top-down initiated practitioner inquiry with colleagues and superiors at one’s workplace may be more challenging, and I also argue for the benefits of engaging in practitioner inquiry with people outside one’s own organisation.

The Value of Work: The Gendered Outcomes of Organizational Wage Reforms

ABSTRACT This study explores the influence of organizational practices on gender in/equality in a unique setting: the reformed Israeli kibbutz. The transition of the kibbutz from all members receiving an allowance to waged labor provides an opportunity to explore the impact of wage determination systems on gender pay inequality. The study uses a mixed-method approach: descriptive statistics of administrative data, in-depth interviews, and a focus group with kibbutz management. The findings demonstrate that a “market-based logic,” embedded with gendered preconceptions of “women’s work,” can seep into an organization through a shift in the wage determination system, and increase gender inequality. The findings also highlight the lack of organizational awareness about the gendered consequences of this shift, or even their uncritical acceptance of the “value hierarchy” as ordained by the market. The study thus supports the theory positing gender as a hidden but integral aspect of reward systems in contemporary labor markets. HIGHLIGHTS The choice of a wage determination system is critical for gender inequality. “Women’s work” is valued higher by analytical job evaluation systems, which reduce gender biases. Market-based wage determinations introduce biases and increase organizational gender inequality. Management prefers market-based wage determinations due to competition and costs. The “free market” not only obscures gender hierarchies but also legitimizes them.

Association between sexual violence and depression is mediated by perceived social support among female university students in the kingdom of Eswatini

BackgroundGender-based violence is a tool that primarily functions to maintain gendered power hierarchies. Manifestations of gender-based violence, sexual assault and street harassment have been shown to have significant effects on mental wellbeing in the global North, however there is little research centering the experiences and consequences of gendered harassment in the Africa region.MethodsWe analyzed a cross-sectional random sample of 372 women attending a major university in Eswatini in 2017 to measure the prevalence of street harassment among female university students and assess the relationship between experiences of sexual assault, sexualized street harassment, and mental health outcomes in this population.ResultsWe found that in the previous 12 months, women reported experiencing high levels of sexual assault (20%), street harassment (90%), and depression (38%). Lifetime sexual assault, past 12 months sexual assault, and street harassment were all significantly associated with symptoms of depression. We created a structural model to test hypothesized causal pathways between street harassment, previous experiences of sexual assault, and symptoms of depression, with social support as a potential mediator. We found that a history of sexual violence significantly mediated the association between street harassment and depression, and that social support mediated a large proportion of the association between both forms of gender-based violence and depression.ConclusionSexualized street harassment is associated with increased depressive symptomology for nearly all women, however the effects are especially pronounced for women who have previous experiences of sexual violence. Sexualized street harassment functions as a tool to maintain gendered power hierarchies by reminding women of ongoing threat of sexual violence even in public spaces. Social support and solidarity among women is a potentially important source of resiliency against the physical and mental harms of all forms of gender based violence.

Anxiety of Influence: Reading Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence and Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady

Edith Wharton’s literary relationship with Henry James has been a subject of much critical debate wherein Wharton is often positioned as James’s devoted follower. This paper reflects upon this relationship by reading Wharton’s The Age of Innocence and James’s The Portrait of a Lady and examines how, while sharing various thematic interests, both the authors depart significantly in their aesthetic and social concerns. Wharton, undermined and trapped under James’s shadow, diverges from James’s psychological introspection of the self and interior lives of his characters. Her interests are centred on broader social contexts, critique of social convention, and gender hierarchies. The paper tries to assert her autonomy and show how her writing is distinct from James’s, despite their similar literary preoccupations.

‘When I walk through the stadium’s gate, I have to be a man among the others’: doing gender by female Tunisian football fans

ABSTRACT Focusing on female fans of professional football teams in Tunisia, this article highlights the ways in which gender is performed within the specific context of football fandom. Based on a qualitative sociological study conducted through 23 semi-structured interviews with a group of women who identify as football team fans, this article analyses fandom's feminine performance. By examining the behaviours of women in the stands, a space dominated by male fans, the article explores the values, language, and gestures they adopt (and do not adopt) in reference to the characteristics valued in Tunisian society. The existing patterns of male dominance are reinforced by the various dimensions of the fans’ gender performance in this ‘male bastion’. Although women seem to accept male dominance and gender hierarchies in order to be recognized as authentic fans, the results show that women both construct and deconstruct their gender, highlighting the kaleidoscopic nature of gender.

Peripheral Embodiment: Polish Women Rebuilding Their Lives After Domestic Violence Through Their Bodies.

In deeply Catholic Poland, domestic violence (DV) is often denied, downplayed, or justified, hindering its recognition as a pressing societal issue. This study addresses the scarcity of research on the experiences and recovery of Polish women from DV. Through feminist interviews with 13 women in Norway and Poland who survived DV, our findings reveal a complex entanglement of embodied experiences with history, religion, society, and gender hierarchies during their recovery processes. Participants emphasized the significance of "body works," such as running and using makeup, as essential for empowerment and regaining control of their battered bodies and minds.

Madmen and Matriarchs: Gender, Race, and the Reimagining of Creole Identity in Johnelle , by Alfred Mercier

Abstract: Still relatively overlooked, Johnelle by Alfred Mercier is an intriguing meditation on societal collapse and resilience. Shaped by Mercier’s personal experiences and political leanings, the novel delves into motherhood, fatherhood, heredity, and mental illness, and links infanticide to the demise of Francophone Creole culture. It positions female characters as pivotal to Louisiana’s future, contrasting them with male figures whose relevance fades in the aftermath of the American Civil War. This essay examines how Mercier challenged nineteenth-century literary conventions by using gender both as a narrative device and an ontological framework. To a white, crumbling patriarchy, he opposed a multi-racial matriarchal system, and introduced a gender-non-conforming character, inviting readers to envision new possibilities for the future. Ultimately, Johnelle presents a radical vision that questions racial and gender hierarchies and advocates for alternative social structures in postbellum Louisiana.

Social Norms: A Missing Ingredient of Programs Seeking to Foster Women’s Agency in Nutrition

Social expectations play a crucial role in shaping dietary practices among women and children. However, despite significant attention to promoting social and behavioral change in nutrition-focused programs and research, the influence of social norms on women’s agency in enhancing nutrition practices is often overlooked. In this perspective, we advocate for a paradigm shift by incorporating a “norms aware” approach. This underscores the importance of recognizing, measuring, and addressing the societal constraints and barriers that women and children encounter in their journey to improved nutrition. Drawing on insights from the United States Agency for International Development-funded Kulawa project in Niger, we highlight the implications of using social norms diagnosis tools to understand the contextual dynamics within child-feeding practices, informing intervention design, and targeted populations. Integrating a norms perspective into nutrition programming and research does not require an overhaul, but rather a nuanced application of understanding of contextual drivers, such as social norms and agency, that have been underemphasized. We delve into the role of the socio-ecologic system, underscore the importance of addressing power imbalances related to gender and social hierarchy, and emphasize that programs targeting norms should aim for community rather than individual-level change. We provide guidance for programs and research integrating a norms perspective, as well as examples of how tools, such as the Social Norms Exploration Tool and Social Norms Analysis Plot framework, can be applied to identify and prioritize social norms, facilitating the design of “norms aware” programs. Additionally, we highlight the critical role of community engagement and discuss the value of using qualitative and quantitative approaches to document the process and outcomes of social norms research, program design, and implementation. When we recognize the role of social norms in nutrition as a missing ingredient in nutrition research, programming, and social and behavior change strategies, we create opportunities for more effective and contextually relevant research and interventions that address the complexities of enhancing nutrition practices among women and children.

Women and the War on Drugs: A Decolonial Feminist Reading of Coca Growers’ Everyday Experiences

ABSTRACT This article challenges the 'War on Drugs' narrative by exploring the lives of Colombian women coca growers through a decolonial feminist lens. It uncovers the intersecting oppressions they face—colonialism, racism, militarism, and gender hierarchies—and emphasizes listening to their stories. The article advocates rethinking peace and drug policies by centring these women's experiences and their knowledge to inform anti-drug strategies and peacebuilding approaches beyond Western and neoliberal paradigms.

Human-centered design for flexible and inclusive housing

ABSTRACT Studies on collective housing rarely adopt a human-centered perspective. This study introduces a model for designing and analyzing residential buildings based on the user experience (UX) of apartments. The analysis focuses on two areas: a morphological review of the conditions of flexibility and adaptability of fundamental areas of households and a UX analysis with a functional evaluation of basic daily uses of the apartments, displayed through a graphic assessment during the project definition stage. Applied to residential projects in Barcelona, this analysis shows endemic defects in housing design, such as dimensional deficiencies, a lack of spatial versatility, and unforeseen functionalities, which pose a risk to gender hierarchies at home.

Being an au pair in London: Young Spanish women’s employment trajectories and strategies in regimes of gender and precariousness

The global economic crisis that began in 2008 led to major cuts to the welfare state in Spain and across Europe (Gambino, 2018), affecting key areas such as health, education, social care and youth employment. This was accompanied by drastic reductions in public spending and welfare benefits, which affected women particularly severely. Through ethnographic fieldwork with a gender and feminist perspective, this paper attempts to cast light on the trajectories of young Spanish women who emigrated to London in the ambiguous ‘au pair’ category. The figure of the au pair is interesting because it is an ad hoc, liminal, ambiguous, transient construction configured in such a way that it is ‘between’ categories, spaces and bounds, responding to the domestic care needs of English families’ offspring as part of a commodification of care brought about by a lack of regulation and resources from the state. The employment trajectories and strategies of young Spanish women are embedded in a context of precarious employment, in which young women with secondary and higher education seek financial and personal autonomy but are compelled to negotiate gender norms in order to overcome structural inequalities that increasingly devalue care work. The naturalisation of care and its attribution to women, as well as the ongoing association of women with the ‘good mother’ model, serves to reinforce gender hierarchies.

Redefining Catholic Sisterhood: Intersections of Autonomy and Religion in Sacrilege and Nunsense

Feminist Catholic sisters epitomize progressive and autonomous women who defy the stereotyped sisterhood, confronting the gender hierarchy within the patriarchal Catholic Church. The religious reforms post-Vatican II and the desideratum of inclusivity for avowed women in decision-making roles have contributed to the emergence of a feminist theological movement that thwarts the erasure of women from religious histories. Delving deep into the feminist theological tenets mirrored in Diane Shaffer’s Sacrilege: A Drama in Two Acts and Dan Goggin’s Nunsense: A Musical Comedy, the present study aims to examine the thespian representation of religious reforms post-Vatican II, exploring the strategies Catholic sisters adopt in their struggle for autonomy. The study contends that the representations of the radical and feminist sisters in the plays potentially challenge the rigid ecclesiastical hierarchy and uphold the deconstruction of sisterhood.

Insights from the EQUALS4COVID19 study on migrant mental health in Portugal: a cross-sectional mixed-methods approach

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic and related disruptive consequences in the economic, health, and educational sectors have impacted people’s lives, contributing to a context of increased economic and social vulnerability. The pandemic has revealed and accentuated social inequalities and discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin. This study aimed to contribute to the promotion of the mental health and well-being of migrant populations living in Portugal via the definition of an analytical framework and recommendations emerging from the EQUALS4COVID19 project.MethodsTo gather information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and resilience determinants among immigrants, a mixed-methods approach was implemented in 2022, combining a cross-sectional survey targeting immigrant adults in Portugal, focus groups with immigrants, focus groups with healthcare professionals, and in-depth individual interviews with stakeholders involved in the implementation of measures related to mental health and well-being during the pandemic. The analysis followed an integrated framework; quantitative data informed the script of qualitative data collection methods, and qualitative analysis informed the reinterpretation of quantitative data.ResultsThe survey with 604 Brazilian and Cape Verdean immigrants revealed that gender (being a woman) was associated with both psychological distress and depression-related symptomatology and that the perception of discrimination was a major risk factor for psychological suffering, while perceived social support and individuals’ resilience characteristics were protective factors. Qualitative data provided deeper insights into these findings, revealing the ways mental health is affected by social structures, such as gender and ethnic hierarchies. Migrants tend to work in precarious jobs requiring physical presence, which, together with dense housing conditions, puts them at higher risk of infection. The deterioration of the economic conditions of the general population has also increased the perception of ethnic-racial discrimination, which was found to be related to the increase in insecurity and anxiety-related symptomatology among the migrant population. Newly arrived migrants, with reduced support networks, experienced a greater sense of insecurity as well as concern and anguish regarding relatives who live far away, in their home country. Migrant women reported greater family-related distress, including work-life balance problems.ConclusionsProposals to address mental health inequalities should be considered in the context of the necessary global changes both at the societal level and in the delivery of mental health services. Additionally, they should be considered with the active involvement of migrants, families, and communities in the design and delivery of mental health promotion and care processes.