Women In Higher Education Research Articles

Maternal educational inequalities about adverse pregnancy outcomes observed in a rural area of a province of China during a time period (2010–2018)

BackgroundThe relationship between maternal education and adverse pregnancy outcomes is well documented. However, limited research has investigated maternal educational disparities in adverse pregnancy outcomes in China. This study examined maternal...

Toward a Cooperative Paradigm for the History of Women’s Education in the United States: An Overview

Historical research on women’s education in the United States has shifted from focusing on policy initiatives to internal dynamics of schools and classrooms. The additive nature of the new writings of women’s education causes concern that it has been increasingly challenging to write women’s education in a way unfettered by the established, sometimes ideologically dominated, paradigm of historical research. In response to this claim, I examined and evaluated historical writings on women’s education in three historical periods in the United States: the antebellum era from the 1780s to the 1860s, the progressive era from 1860s to 1920s and the era of World Wars and Cold War from the 1920s to 1980s. I argue that most of the “additive” works in the history of women’s education are based on an integrative understanding and examination of socio-economic forces that shaped the landscape of education for all. The agency of women in higher education, as reflected in these historical studies, has gradually transformed the history of women’s education. An innovative research paradigm that synthesizes the divided, sometimes contradictory, historical scholarship is needed to better reveal the history of women’s education.

Столкновение традиционного и нового: гендерное равенство в системе высшего образования Южной Кореи

This study examined the idea of gender equality in higher education in non-Western countries using the example of South Korea. As a result of globalization, there is a conflict of traditional values and Western ideas (for example gender equality issues), even in countries with stable cultural traditions. The main purpose of this study is to identify the gender-related challenges in higher education that are relevant to Korean society. Moreover, it is important to find out the ways how Korean society meet the challenge. In order to achieve this goal, the discourse analysis was chosen in poststructuralist interpretation. The authors also use gender stereotyping analysis in advertising to assess the situation of women representation in higher education in the Republic of Korea. The reason of this analysis is the fact that in advertising there is the most common and recognizable view on representation of women in different spheres and on traditional “female” gender role which do not include the necessity of higher education and career success. The achievement of gender equality in higher education in South Korea has been an important part of public policy over the past 30 years. The article addresses issues such as accessibility of higher education for men and women, the women’s realization of their education in the labor market and the professional employment of women in higher education.

The role of women in higher education: The connection between the opera artist and the vocal pedagogue in the period of Yugoslav socialism

The subject of this paper relates to the research on the role of women in higher education in the context of Yugoslav socialism (1945-1990) with a focus on creating an opera artist through education and professional experience to vocal pedagogue at the Faculty of Music in Belgrade. In this sense, the paper will cover the period in which future primadonnas trained their voices (1950s), built their domestic and foreign opera careers (from the 1960s to the 1990s) and then their pedagogical work (from 1990s). For the purposes of the research, it was necessary to collect and systematize material that includes biographies and testimonies of primadonnas, from which conclusions were drawn about vocal music practice, ie. solo singing at the Faculty of Music, and about the opportunities that education provides to young students for affirmation in this vocation. The aim of the paper is to place the life stories of the primadonna of the Belgrade Opera in the context of the Yugoslav socialist society, with the intention of shedding light on educational, career and pedagogical development, as well as the conditions that contributed to their artistic and later pedagogical vocation.

Knowledge of human papilloma virus (HPV), HPV-vaccine and pap smear among adult Saudi women.

ABSTRACTBackground:Saudi Arabia has no screening program for cervical cancer (CC). Few studies have explored the level of knowledge among Saudi women regarding CC screening and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination against CC. We investigate the awareness and knowledge of HPV and its Pap smear screening tool among Saudi women of reproductive age.Methods:This was a national online cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey of adult Saudi women. A snowball sampling technique was adopted used. The first section includes questions regarding the socio-demographic data of the participants. The second section inquired about the knowledge of the women regarding CC, PAP smear test, and HPV (11 questions). The third section inquired about practice of the women regarding the PAP smear test (3 questions).Results:The study included 755 Saudi adult women; 64.5% heard of CC (69% from social media and the internet and 29.8% from healthcare workers. Only 21.2% showed adequate knowledge regarding CC, its vaccine, and Pap smear testing. Education and employment were associated with better knowledge. Most of the participants (81.1%) expressed a positive perception toward the importance of Pap smear, particularly higher educated women and women who got their information about CC from lectures or healthcare workers. Almost one-fifth of the participants (21.1%) reported performing of Pap smear and only 1.9% reported actual HPV vaccine uptake.Conclusion:Overall, women’s level of knowledge regarding CC, its prevention, and screening was adequate, and their attitude was positive. PAP smear and uptake of HPV vaccine was suboptimum.

Ain’t I A Woman: Black Women’s Endurance in Higher Education, the Implications of Linked Fate, and the Urgent Call for Greater Cultural Responsiveness

National data on Black women in higher education has typically been presented through a deficit lens. General interpretations have suggested that in ‘comparison’ to white women, the rate at which Black women enroll in college or secure faculty appointments is less than ideal. While this data is intended to highlight systemic inequities in opportunities for Black women in higher education, too often it is (mis)used to justify the intellectual inferiority of the group. However, the same data—when examined through a critical lens—reveals something much more complex; which the present article attempts to unpack. Given the abounding obstacles Black women in academia experience due to the confluence of racism and sexism (and other interlocking systems of oppression), their perseverance, though painful at times, is rather remarkable and reason to pause and reflect; here’s why. Black women’s persistence is emblematic of our collective resistance to anti-Black structures, ideologies, and practices that are historically and deeply ingrained in institutions of higher education—namely, though not exclusively, predominately white institutions (PWIs). Beyond data points, Black women represent a collection of untold stories of struggle, advancement, and linked fate. When shared, stories provide strength, hope, and healing, and the courage to transform old systems and reimagine new academic spaces that recognize the humanity and value of Black women and their contributions to the academy. Given the importance of (counter)storytelling, the research highlighted within this current issue provides varied narrative and autoethnographic accounts of the lived experiences of Black women in higher education. Across each article are points for reflection and clear recommendations for action. More implicit, but nonetheless present, is an urgent call for greater cultural responsiveness in higher education. A topic that is introduced and explored briefly here in this opening article.

State of Domestic Violence Against Ever Married Women In Nepal

This study entitled “State of Domestic Violence Against Ever Married Women In Nepal” was carried out on secondary data of Nepal Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), 2016. This study tried to identify outline of domestic violence against of ever married Women in Nepal. It has looked into the domestic violence such as physical, emotional, sexual and any kinds, of age 15-49 years of ever married women with respect to different socio-economic and demographic variables. The finding let out that physical violence increases sharply with age, from 17.7 per cent among women age 15-24 to 24.8 per cent among age 30 and above. About 36 per cent of women have experienced physical violence on other caste & ethnicity followed by Dalit (31.7%), Janajaties (20.4%) and Brahmin & Chhetri (12.2%). This study has assessed that experience of emotional violence is higher in middle class family in rural areas. Finding revealed that there is strong relation between experience of domestic violence and education level. Higher educated women were less exploited from any kinds of domestic violence in comparison to women with low level of education.

Madheshi Women's Struggle for Higher Education in Nepal

This article adopted a qualitative approach to explore the practices and problems faced by Madheshi women in higher education. Though the traditional world has changed, and women in Madhesh are still struggling for equality and empowerment. For achieving higher education, they are accepting all the challenges that rise in front of them; but the established traditional norms and values in their socio-cultural life have become the main barriers playing role in keeping them away from higher education. In this study, the primary data were collected via in-depth interview with the participant with prolonged engagement in the field. The interpretation and analysis of the data helped to reach the conclusion from the perspective of the participant. The finding revealed that tit-bits of Madheshi women are receiving higher education but lots of them are away from education; engaged in household works, rearing children, feeding the family members; and socio-cultural beliefs have suppressed them a lot.

Critical Co-Constructed Autoethnography: Reflections of a Collaborative Teaching Experience of Two Black Women in Higher Education

Within this paper, two Black women teaching at a predominantly white institution of higher education utilize critical co-constructed autoethnography to reflect on their experiences of using a Womanist approach to co-teach two capstone courses during a global pandemic. Womanism is an epistemology focused on the experiences and concerns of Black women. Using this collaborative inquiry technique, we explore how forms of systemic racism within predominantly white institutions affects our ability to teach and grow as researcher in our specific fields. Critical co-constructed autoethnography is a methodology steeped in critical theory, critical pedagogy, and critical race theory that reflects the tempo, uncertainty, and complexity of research relationships that creates spaces for collaborating researchers to work across differences. We conclude this paper by highlighting the value of using co-constructed autoethnography as a method of articulating the voices of those who have traditionally been underrepresented in academia. This method also allows for the congruency of voices, which is a limitation within traditional autoethnography.

Women and Pensions in Italy: Gender Imbalances and the Equalization of Retirement Age.

This paper examines the age at retirement for men and women in Italy. Despite the expansion of women’s educational attainments, they still display lower employment rates, are frequently engaged in involuntary part-time jobs and have more fragmented careers. As a consequence, the mean age at which women receive a pension is higher than that of men. Using Labour Force Survey (2006 and 2012), the authors test the hypothesis that women’s higher age at retirement is determined by a selection bias towards more educated and work oriented women. A Heckman selection model has been developed. Results show that the main disadvantage is suffered by women with medium and low levels of education who show the highest estimated age at retirement, whereas higher educated women retire on average before men with the same level of education. The authors argue that pension policies, without interventions in the field of work-life balance policies, end up penalizing women with lower levels of education.

Effect of Vermicomposted Vegetable and Fruit Wastes on the Vegetative and Yield Parameters of Lablab [Lablab Purpureus (L.) Sweet

Background: Organic farming are degradation of organic materials and less use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Vermicomposting is the process of introducing earthworm species into the compost. It behaves as eco-friendly manure and gives good health to soil. Methods: The present study was conducted at Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for Women, Coimbatore over a period of 3 months from March to May 2019. There are 8 treatments namely T1-T8 and control. The effect of incorporation of vegetable and fruit wastes biocompost on the vegetative parameters such as shoot length, root length, number of leaves, fresh weight and dry weight on 15, 35, 55 DAS and yield characters i.e. number of pods/plants, number of seeds/pods, pod length, weight of the seed, pod fresh weight and dry weight on 75 DAS in Lablab [Lablab purpureus (L.) Sweet] were analysed. Result: The results from study revealed that T8 treatment showed significant increase in shoot length (113.7, 124.5 and 135 cm), root length (13.2, 18.5 and 27 cm), number of leaves (22, 39 and 48), fresh weight (4.911, 15.693 and 21.244 g) and dry weight (0.652, 2.156 and 3.234 g) on 15, 35, 55 DAS and yield parameters such as number of pods/plants (40), number of seeds/pods (6), pod length (13 cm), weight of the seed (4.060 g), pod fresh weight (7.425 g) and dry weight (1.382 g) on 75 DAS in Lablab over control. The study concluded that T8 treatment is an effective manure which can be used to enhance plant growth, provide better yield which will be beneficial for farmers.

Mental health services use for depression: socioeconomic status, needs perception and affordability

Abstract Objectives There is no clear evidence about the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and mental health services (MHS) use. Those with lower SES may be less prone to recognize they need MHS, but they may access free health services. This study aims to assess the link between SES, needs perception and affordability of MHS, among depressed persons. Methods Data from the 2019 Portuguese National Health Survey were used. Among those depressed (N = 3,807; Personal Health Questionnaire-8 ≥ 5), we used gender-stratified logistic regressions to model perception of need and affordability (unfulfilled MHS needs due to financial constraints), as a function of education and income quintile, adjusting for age group and marital status. Health insurance was used as a mediation variable. Results Compared to low education, high-educated men lad lower perception of need (17.2%, OR = 0.46, 95%CI=0.44-0.47) and high-educated women had higher (31.3%, OR = 1.06, 95%CI=1.04-1.07). Men in the first income quintile were more likely to recognize need (34.2%, OR = 1.26, 95%CI=1.23-1.29). Among those with self-reported needs, affordability constraints were more likely among men with higher education (61.9%, OR = 16.9, 95%CI=16.0-18.0), and less-likely among high-educated women (24.2%, OR = 0.88, 95%CI=0.86-0.91). Those in the poorest income quintile were more likely to report affordability concerns (66.5%, OR = 16.3, 95%CI=15.4-17.3 among men; 51.5%, OR = 4.66, 95%CI=4.51-4.81 among women). After adjusting for health insurance, the disadvantage of those in the poorest income quintile decreased among men (OR = 14.9, 95%CI=14.1-15.8) and increased among women (OR = 5.00, 95%CI=4.84-5.17). Conclusions High-educated men seem more likely to report low perceived need and affordability concerns. Low-income individuals' concerns about affordability question universal mental healthcare and may contribute to wider health inequalities. Key messages High-educated men seem more likely to report low perceived need and affordability concerns. Affordability concerns are more likely among low-income men and women. That questions universal mental healthcare and may contribute to wider health inequalities.

Gender issues and revival of inequalities

In Slovenia, the share of the female workforce is one of the highest in the world, with almost 90 % of employed women by generation in some age groups in active years. COVID-19 syndemic has affected women far more than men in their daily working practices. We could observe higher educated women have been working from home in 36 %, in comparison to higher educated men (22,2 %). The difference is even bigger in lower educated women, working from home in 32 %, in comparison to mail workforce (14,7 %). That could mean they were taking care for children, supporting them in distance learning. At the same time, women are reporting on more intensive worsening of their financial situation in the last three months during COVID-19 syndemic - among higher educated women, 26,2 % report on worsen financial situation, in comparison to men with the same education (18,2 %). Comparable results we could observe in lower educated female (33,1 % with worsened financial situation) and male respondents (25,6 %). Women are also more doubtful and are refusing vaccination (33,9 %) in higher share than men (21,3%), putting themselves to higher risk for COVID-19 infection. It is of upmost importance for the governments at any level to consider the gender equity and female perspective of any measure, adopted in the recovery phase.

Sex differences in the effect of family stress on risk of myocardial infarction and stroke in population 25–64 years: WHO program MONICA-psychosocial

Abstract Purpose To determine the influence of family stress on the risk of cardiovascular diseases (myocardial infarction and stroke) in an open population aged 25–64 years in Russia / Siberia. Methods Within the framework of the III screening of WHO's MONICA-psychosocial program, a random representative sample of the population of both sexes of 25–64 years of Novosibirsk in 1994 (men n=657, mean age 44,3±0,4y, response 82.1%; women: n=689, mean age 45,4±0,4y, response 72.5%) was examined. The screening included: socio-demographic data, the definition of the family stress. New-onset cases of MI and stroke in women - 15 and 35 cases and in men - 30 and 22 cases, respectively detected in the cohort over follow-up period in frame of budgetary theme # AAAA-A17–117112850280–2. Results In the open population aged of 25–64 years the prevalence of high family stress was higher in men (31.5%) than women (20.9%). The risk of myocardial infarction in men and women experiencing stressful situations in the family was 5.9 and 5.58-fold higher, respectively over 16-year period. The most significant risk factors for the development of myocardial infarction were divorce (HR = 3.9) and widowhood (HR = 6.3). The risk of developing a stroke was 3.45-fold higher in men and 3.52-fold higher in women with family stress. The risk of developing stroke was higher among those with high school and elementary education levels, both in men (HR = 3.9 and HR = 6.3) and women (HR = 2.87 and HR = 3.33). Conclusion Stress in the family is more common in men within the working-age population. Family stress increases the risk of developing both myocardial infarction and stroke among men and women. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding sources: Other. Main funding source(s): This survey was performed within the framework of the budgetary theme NIITPM - branch of the ICG SB RAS Reg. No. AAAA-A17-117112850280-2, Gov.Task No. 0324-2018-0001.

Divergence of perspectives on women and higher education leadership? In conversation with men in leadership

Literature on the challenges and marginalisation of women in higher education and leadership has focused mostly on the voices of women in understanding their experiences. The structural and cultural milieu of the higher education landscape has continuously been put forward as part of a complexity of contributing factors to the challenges. In exploring literature, the author found little that brings men’s voices to the discourse. Seeking the voices of men in leadership, was with the understanding that in occupying positions of power and influence, they are strategically positioned and have agency in transforming the structural and cultural milieu. The article focuses on challenges experienced by women on a trajectory to the highest levels of higher education leadership, and engages with men’s perspectives on the higher education structural and cultural milieu. The focus is on areas that women have highlighted as barriers within this milieu. The article engages with the conversations with men, including vice chancellors, undertaken as part of a research project, to explore whether there is a common view and understanding of the higher education environment and women’s experiences and challenges in this context. Further, whether men in leadership exercise their agency in influencing and challenging the status quo. The article concludes that though there may not necessarily be a divergence in perspectives regarding the milieu and women’s experiences therein, this may only be at an empirical/observed level. The deeper, underlying structures and mechanisms that retain the status quo have neither been recognised nor engaged. There is also the danger of complacency and lack of exercising agency in disrupting the status quo, which may contribute to the lack of change. The findings also foreground a wrestling with a myriad of challenges as experienced within the higher education sector, contributing to the lack of prioritising a focus on women towards leadership.

Online Dating Is Shifting Educational Inequalities in Marriage Formation in Germany.

Digital technologies govern a large part of our social lives, including the pursuit of a romantic partner. Despite recent inquiries into the social consequences of meeting online, what remains unclear is how the link between education and union formation varies in online versus offline meeting contexts, particularly on the backdrop of growing educational gaps in marriage. Using 2008-2019 pairfam data from Germany (N = 3,561), this study ran a series of Fine-Gray competing risks models to assess how online dating shapes the transition to marriage for partnered adults with nontertiary and tertiary education. Results reveal that irrespective of education, men in online-formed couples had greater chances of marrying than men in couples established offline. Highly educated women who met their partner in nondigital ways were less prone to marry than lower-educated women; for women in couples initiated online, however, the pattern was reversed. The internet dating marriage advantage of well-educated women was partly related to better matching on marriage attitudes and gender ideology. Facing a scarcity of eligible partners offline, high-educated women draw on more abundant online options to select more egalitarian-minded men. This study overall suggests that internet dating fosters an uneven distribution of opportunities for marriage, highlighting the role of digital partner markets in the social demography of union formation.

Maria Mitchell

Maria Mitchell was a pioneer in many aspects: first observer of a comet with a telescope, she received the Gold Medal from the King of Denmark and became the first female astronomer and astronomy professor in the United States of America. But she also got involved in feminism, participating in the foundation of the Association for the Advancement of Women in 1873 as well as promoting the access to higher education for women and their inclusion in science.

Reversed socioeconomic pattern in the costs of caring regarding well‐being and paid work among women in Sweden

AbstractThis study analyses the role of gender and educational attainment in the extent and perceived consequences of family caregiving in middle age in Sweden, using data on persons aged 45–66 years from a nationally representative postal survey (n = 3630) conducted in 2013. The results confirm previous research regarding the role of gender and contradict it regarding the role of class. Among female caregivers, higher education is associated with lower well‐being, work performance and labour force participation relative to lower educated caregivers. When controlling for care intensity and other characteristics, these associations mostly remained. No significant associations were found among men. The results are discussed in the light of deteriorating working conditions in welfare service occupations in which many higher educated women work, and how service decline and increased fragmentation of eldercare increase the need for managerial caregiving (i.e., coordinating and handling contacts with authorities and care providers). For Swedish women, managerial caregiving increases risks of negative impacts on well‐being and work performance to the same extent as providing personal care. More research is needed to understand these surprising results. Tentative conclusions are that higher educated women experience more strain from combining paid work with family care, as their caregiving is more demanding and they more frequently work full‐time in high strain jobs. As they also have higher incomes, they both need and can afford to decrease their work hours to a greater extent.

Rising prevalence, and improved but suboptimal management, of hypertension in South Africa: A comparison of two national surveys

AimTo examine the changes in prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension between 1998 and 2016 in ≥15-year-old South African men and women and the sociodemographic characteristics associated with those changes. MethodsIn nationally representative surveys in 1998 and 2016, multi-stage sampling was used to select, interview and collect blood pressure and anthropometric measurements in ≥15-year-old adults. Logistic regression analyses evaluated the independent effects of selected sociodemographic characteristics on hypertension management. ResultsAmong 13,217 participants in 1998 and 7830 in 2016 (59–60% women in both surveys), hypertension prevalence increased from 27% to 45% in men and 31% to 48% in women. Hypertension increased equally in participants with and without obesity and in daily cigarette smokers vs. their counterparts. Prevalence of awareness among participants with hypertension increased from 7% to 18% (men) and from 17% to 29% (women). Among those aware, hypertension treatment improved markedly from 8% to 85% (men) and from 12% to 82% (women). Hypertension control among those on treatment increased from 17% to 26% (men) and from 21% to 30% (women). Increasing age and survey year were consistently associated with higher prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension. The richest vs. poorer women, and lower vs. higher educated women were more likely to be treated for hypertension. ConclusionsThe high and rising hypertension burden together with suboptimal awareness and control levels warrant greater attention to curb hypertension-related morbidity and mortality in South Africans. Novel strategies involving community-based or workplace hypertension programmes may overcome some barriers to optimal care.

Regional education and wealth-related inequalities in malnutrition among women in Bangladesh.

This paper examines the associations of socio-economic and demographic correlates with malnutrition among women and investigates education and wealth-related inequalities in malnutrition among women by region. We utilise a two-level mixed-effects logistic regression model to evaluate the associations and employ the concentration, Wagstaff and Erreygers's correction indices to measure socio-economic inequalities in malnutrition among women. Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey data. Non-pregnant women aged 15-49 years. We find evidence of a significant cluster effect in the data. Women's age, marital status, total children ever born, education level, husband's/partner's education level, residence and wealth index appear to be significantly associated with women underweight and overweight/obesity status. Underweight status is higher among less-educated women and women from poor households, whereas overweight/obesity is more concentrated among higher educated women and women from wealthy households. The southwestern region of the country demonstrates lower education and wealth-related inequalities in malnutrition among women. In contrast, the central and the northeastern areas apparently experience the highest education and wealth-related inequalities in malnutrition among women. The regional differences in predicted probabilities of being underweight shrink at higher education level and the richest quintile, whereas the differences in overweight/obese diminish at the primary education level and lower quintile households. Our findings strengthen the evidence base for effective regional policy interventions to mitigate education and wealth-related inequalities in malnutrition among women. There is a need for developing regional awareness programmes and establishing regional monitoring cells to ensure proper health and nutrition facilities in underprivileged regions.