Intersectional Approach Research Articles

Decoding the role of genetically-distinct sensory nerves in controlling cardiopulmonary reflexes

Activation of airway sensory nerves causes respiratory and autonomic reflexes. The majority of the airway sensory afferents are only sensitive to noxious stimuli, such as inflammation, irritants, and pollutants. Activation of these nociceptive afferents evokes protective mechanisms such as apnea, cough, and bradycardia. These reflexes may contribute to disease morbidity when excessively activated. Airway nociceptors, largely projecting from the vagal ganglia (nodose and jugular ganglion), are heterogeneous with respect to gene expression and neuroanatomy, and our objective is to characterize the reflexes evoked by activation of specific afferent subsets using chemogenetics. To selectively activate vagal afferent subpopulations in vivo, mice were exposed to nebulized selective stimuli such as capsaicin (transient receptor potential (TRP) vanilloid 1 (V1) agonist), allyl isothiocyanate (AITC, TRP ankyrin 1 (A1) agonist), and clozapine-N-oxide (CNO, selective agonist for the designer receptor exclusively activated by designer drug (DREADD) stimulatory receptor hM3Dq). hM3Dq expression by ROSA26-loxP-STOP-loxP mice was selectively expressed in sensory subpopulations by breeding with Cre recombinase-expressing mice: TRPV1 (all nociceptors), Tac1-Cre (peptidergic/jugular-originating nerves), and P2X2-Cre (nodose-originating nerves). An intersectional approach using TRPV1-flp mice and the above Cre mice combined with bilateral vagal injections of an AAV delivering dual recombinase-dependent DREADD constructs was used to express hM3Dq in afferent populations defined by two genes (e.g. TRPV1+ and P2X2+). ECGS were recorded via radiotelemetry, and respiration was measured via whole-body plethysmography. CNO administration in TRPV1-hM3Dq mice, P2X2-hM3Dq mice, and Tac1-hM3Dq mice evoked bradypnea and bradycardia. When CNO was administered in the dual recombinase-dependent ConFon (Cre-On/Flp-On) Tac1-Cre/TRPV1-Flp mouse (selectively activating the vagal jugular nociceptors), a significant bradypnea was evoked; however, when CNO was administered in the dual recombinase-dependent ConFon P2X2-Cre/TRPV1-Flp mouse (selectively activating the nodose nociceptors), no bradypnea was observed. Our preliminary data suggest that functionally-distinct nociceptive subpopulations differentially regulate the cardiopulmonary reflexes. NIH R01: 152219, NIH T32: HL160529. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Dissecting the interaction of pain and respiration at the level of the rostral ventromedial medulla via cell-type specific manipulations

Opioid drugs are highly effective for pain management, but they also cause respiratory depression. This life-threatening side-effect of opioid use occurs due to the interacting and/or overlapping neuronal circuits that regulate pain and breathing. Understanding the brain regions and cell-types that link pain and breathing will be essential to develop safer pain management strategies. Opioid analgesia involves altered firing patterns of neurons within the rostral ventromedial medulla (RVM). Although the RVM is known for its role in descending pain modulation, local administration of opioids within the RVM induces potent respiratory depression in addition to analgesia. The RVM has two main classes of neurons identified based on their firing response to pain stimuli. As their name suggests, “ON-cells” are activated during pain and “OFF-cells” are inhibited. Pharmacological and electrophysiological studies have shown that ON-cells express the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) and respond directly to opioids. Moreover, it is thought that the activity of ON-cells facilitates pain and respiration, and that opioid suppression of ON-cells contributes to respiratory depression. In contrast, OFF-cells do not appear to express MOR; however, activation of these neurons is required for opioid-induced analgesia. Therefore, changes in OFF-cells activity may more selectively affect pain thresholds. Due to a lack of selective pharmacological agents, directly testing these predictions has not been possible. Moreover, ON-cells can be excitatory or inhibitory, whereas OFF-cells are mostly inhibitory, adding another layer of complexity to their proposed functions. Here, we dissect these RVM subpopulations using modern intersectional genetic approaches to selectively manipulate RVM neurons based on expression of Oprm1 (the gene encoding MOR), as well as genetic markers for excitatory (Vglut2) or inhibitory (Vgat) neurotransmitter phenotypes. To examine the functional effects of Oprm1+ RVM neurons, an AAV designed to express Cre-dependent ChR2 was injected into the RVM of Oprm1Cre mice, followed by the implantation of an optical fiber. Respiratory activity of awake mice was then recorded using plethysmography during optogenetic stimulation of Oprm1+ RVM neurons. Consistent with the expected effects of ON-cells, breathing rate was increased to 5-6 Hz for the duration of the stimulation, and mice exhibited flinching and freezing behavior at light onset. In a second set of experiments, double transgenic Oprm1Cre; Vglut2FlpO mice were injected with an AAV that expresses ChR2 only when FlpO is present but Cre is absent (i.e. FlpO NOT Cre). Using this strategy, we were able to selectively target excitatory RVM neurons that do not express MOR. Optogenetic stimulations of these neurons during plethysmography revealed no changes in breathing or notable behavioral responses. However, paw withdrawal thresholds tested using Hargreaves’ method suggest that optogenetic activation of these neurons increases pain sensitivity. Our ongoing work will expand on these preliminary findings by using this approach to specifically manipulate Oprm1+;Vglut2+, Oprm1+;Vgat+, and Oprm1-;Vgat+ neurons to assess the roles of these RVM subpopulations in the regulation of pain and breathing. (NAB) R00HL145004; R01HL166317 (RSP) K01DA058543. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Prefrontal-medullary Circuitry Impacts Sex-specific Microvascular Function Following Chronic Stress

Vascular dysfunction is a prominent factor underlying cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Additionally, chronic stress contributes to cardiovascular pathologies in a sex-dependent manner. However, the neurobiological mechanisms mediating the sex-specific impact of chronic stress on vascular function are not known. Our previous studies found that the prefrontal infralimbic cortex (IL)-rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) circuit inhibits sympathetic and endocrine responses to stress; therefore, the current study tested the hypothesis that the IL-RVLM circuit is necessary to mitigate microvascular dysfunction following chronic stress. To this end, an intersectional genetic approach was used to induce Cre-dependent expression of tetanus toxin light chain and inhibit neurotransmitter release from RVLM-projecting IL neurons in male and female rats. Rats were then exposed to 2 weeks of chronic variable stress (CVS) or remained unstressed. Left ventricle structure was assessed by echocardiography and microvascular function was subsequently assessed by resistance arteriole pressure myography. Arteriole myogenic tone, endothelial-independent vasoconstriction, as well as endothelial-dependent vasodilation and vasoconstriction were determined at both normotensive (70 mmHg) and hypertensive (120 mmHg) pressures. Our results indicate that heart size and ventricular thickness were impacted in a sex-dependent manner. Circuit inhibition increased heart index in females regardless of stress. In males, circuit inhibition reduced ventricular wall thickness in diastole. Microvasculature also exhibited sex-dependent function. Following CVS, males had increased myogenic tone compared to females. Circuit inhibition also differentially impacted vasodilation in males and females. In chronically stressed females, circuit inhibition increased endothelial-dependent vasodilation at both normotensive and hypertensive pressures and normotensive endothelial-independent relaxation. These changes indicate that chronic stress leads to female microvascular dysfunction that is exacerbated by IL-RVLM inhibition. Chronically stressed males had no changes in normotensive vasodilation. However, with elevated pressure, circuit-inhibited CVS males had increased endothelial-dependent vasodilation. In contrast, unstressed males with circuit inhibition had decreased endothelial-dependent vasodilation at 120 mmHg, indicating that the male IL-RVLM circuit may be necessary for vascular function during acute hypertensive events. Broadly, these results support the hypothesis that the IL-RVLM circuit is necessary for appropriate vascular function and that circuit inhibition and chronic stress lead to sex-specific responses that may differentially impact the progression of cardiovascular disease. NIH R01 HL150559 (B.Myers) NIH F30 OD032120 (C. Dearing). This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Intrahousehold empowerment patterns, gender power relations, and food security in Uganda

AbstractThis study examined (a) the relationship between women's empowerment, men's empowerment, and food security within households and (b) the effect of gender power in households on the food security status of women and men in Uganda's fishing villages using NutriFish project data (N = 762). An inaugural intersectional gender analysis approach applied the project‐level Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index (pro‐WEAI), categorizing indicators into five domains: decision making, labor sharing, resource access, norms and beliefs, and gender parity within households. Binary logit models were computed, including interactions between the empowerment of women and men, controlling for individual‐ and household‐level characteristics, and stratified by gender and occupation (i.e., fishing vs. non‐fishing) to account for context differences. Results showed that empowering women in non‐fishing groups enhanced food security for both genders, regardless of men's empowerment. In fishing groups, women's food security improved most when their partners were already empowered, while men's empowerment remained relatively unaffected. Notably, the norms and beliefs domain was strongly linked to food security, except for non‐fishing men. Context‐specific gender interventions and analyses are vital to address food security disparities and critical to informing project implementers and policymakers in gender‐ and nutrition‐sensitive development projects to target the most vulnerable groups.

Comparing gender equality policies in the Swedish and Spanish film industries: Defining the problem beyond the male norm

Gender equality measures are now common in the policies of European film industries and can be an important tool for rendering visible gender inequalities. Recent research, however, indicates that top-down institutional gender mainstreaming might mean better conditions for some women in certain aspects, but structural inequalities tend to remain, including lack of an intersectional approach. In this article, these issues are addressed by analysing gender equality policies currently implemented in the Swedish and Spanish film industries. Following Carole Lee Bacchi’s argument that the way in which a problem is represented must be analysed backwards, by looking at the solutions suggested, we unpack what inequalities gender equality measures render visible and, in so doing, highlight the aspects that remain invisible. We also discuss how such problem representation plays out for women in the film industries of both countries and consider the counter-practices women deploy to cope with continuing gender inequality in the film industries of Spain and Sweden. Our main argument is that Swedish and Spanish gender equality policies, despite having increased the presence of women film workers, still fail to render visible the structural basis of inequalities cemented by androcentric film governance structures and a male norm around which the film industry has been built.

Intersectionality approach to mental health for Black men in student affairs

AbstractNavigating higher education can be a challenging experience for Black men. Among these, Black men often face unique mental health challenges stemming from systemic racism, cultural expectations, and societal pressures. Addressing their specific needs requires a comprehensive approach. However, supporting Black men's mental health in higher education involves a multi‐faceted approach. By actively recognizing their challenges and ensuring resources cater to their specific needs, we can create an environment where all Black men can thrive in student affairs services. In this article, we used Chapman‐Hilliard and Adams‐Bass's theoretical framework of Black Liberation Psychology to guide our analysis of the mental health challenges that Black men face in student affairs.

Reading Between the Lines: Maternity Benefit Law in India and Whom It Truly Benefits

The gendered and performative role of motherhood, an ideal of patriarchy, has been codified into the letter of the law. A feminist lens has been applied to understand how motherhood and patriarchy interact within the maternity benefit law in India, which is primarily regulated by the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, as amended in 2017. An attempt is made to determine whether the extant law truly benefits all women equally without discrimination. It is critically examined, using an intersectional approach, to ascertain whether it ensures the welfare of all women or is yet another systemic attempt to further the patriarchy. The progress of the law is evaluated and corporate maternity benefit policies in India are analysed to assess whether the law requires revisions and of what type to achieve its true objective.

Clarifications on the intersectional MAIHDA approach: A conceptual guide and response to Wilkes and Karimi (2024)

Intersectional Multilevel Analysis of Individual Heterogeneity and Discriminatory Accuracy (MAIHDA) has been welcomed as a new gold standard for quantitative evaluation of intersectional inequalities, and it is being rapidly adopted across the health and social sciences. In their commentary “What does the MAIHDA method explain?”, Wilkes and Karimi (2024) raise methodological concerns with this approach, leading them to advocate for the continued use of conventional single-level linear regression models with fixed-effects interaction parameters for quantitative intersectional analysis.In this response, we systematically address these concerns, and ultimately find them to be unfounded, arising from a series of subtle but important misunderstandings of the MAIHDA approach and literature. Since readers new to MAIHDA may share confusion on these points, we take this opportunity to provide clarifications. Our response is organized around four important clarifications: (1) At what level are the additive main effect variables defined in intersectional MAIHDA models? (2) Do MAIHDA models have problems with collinearity? (3) Why does the Variance Partitioning Coefficient (VPC) tend to be small, and the Proportional Change in Variance (PCV) tend to be large in MAIHDA? and (4) What are the goals of MAIHDA analysis?

Exploring the Experience of Healthcare-Related Epistemic Injustice among People with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a chronic, disabling yet clinically “contested” condition, previously theorised through a lens of epistemic injustice. Phenomena conceptually close to epistemic injustice, including stigma, are known to have deleterious consequences on a person’s health and life-world. Yet, no known primary studies have explored how people with ME/CFS experience healthcare through a lens of epistemic injustice, whilst a dearth of research explicitly exploring healthcare-related injustice from a patient perspective has been noted. This qualitative study seeks to address this gap. Semi-structured interviews and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) were used to explore the experiences of five people with ME/CFS in the UK, vis-à-vis healthcare-related epistemic injustice. One superordinate theme is presented, “Being de-centred in patient-centred care,” alongside two sub-themes: “Struggling for epistemic-existential validation” and “Negotiating socio-epistemic hierarchies, politics and ‘power’.” Findings suggest that healthcare-related epistemic injustice may differentially impact according to the patient’s social positionality (here, notably gender), and that a potential pathway of existential harm operates through threats to identity and personhood. Findings also indicate that cultural and political factors may further epistemic injustice in healthcare. Finally, epistemic injustice impacting as a chronic stressor cannot be ruled out and is worthy of further research. The experience of healthcare-related epistemic injustice can carry far-reaching yet varied consequences for patients. Future research should consider drawing upon more socio-demographically diverse samples and an intersectional approach is recommended. Further exploration of structural drivers of epistemic injustice may highlight a need for politically and socio-culturally cognisant clinical approaches.

Stories of social and emotional resilience among pregnant Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan migrant women during COVID-19 lockdowns in Victoria, Australia: A qualitative study using photo-elicitation.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted family and community support systems that typically nurture pregnancy and birth experiences of migrant Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan women in Australia. Very little is known about how COVID-19 lockdown measures impacted Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan pregnant women living in Australia during the pandemic. Using an intersectional and resilience thinking approach, we explored the social and emotional resilience of Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan pregnant women living in Victoria, Australia during COVID-19 lockdowns. Semi-structured photo-elicitation interviews were conducted in English, Tamil and Bangla and audio-recorded in-person and virtually. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse the visual and oral qualitative data produced. Twenty-five Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan-born women were interviewed. Three key themes emerged from data analysis: challenges exacerbated by COVID-19, sources of social resilience, and sources of emotional resilience. Participants were negatively impacted by closed international borders, care for children, financial pressures of temporary residence and their physical and mental health was impacted. Primary sources of social resilience were derived from family, community and healthcare professional support. Photo data produced by participants depicted patterns of emotional resilience to overcome the challenges of social isolation during their pregnancy in lockdown. The visual and oral data highlighted that participants were significantly impacted by social isolation during COVID-19 lockdowns in Australia. Findings from this study can contribute to understanding how social support networks influence maternity during a pandemic and how culturally safe maternal health practices can be reinforced to support the motherhood of migrant women regardless of visa status.

Disrupting the gender and development impasse in university teaching and learning spaces

ABSTRACT Gender and development (GAD) is coming under increasing scrutiny for its entanglements with hegemonic systems of governance, policy, and knowledge. This article argues that GAD programs and/or development studies programs with teaching provision on gender have not sufficiently responded to the imperatives of race and intersectionality most recently intensified by COVID-19 and the decolonising of the curriculum and Black Lives Matter movements. The article explores the ways in which GAD frameworks have resisted rather than embraced paradigmatic critiques. We argue that this resistance to the imperatives of intersectionality has resulted in a GAD impasse which is reproduced and perpetuated through pedagogy and teaching, which shapes teaching and learning spaces in the UK. Despite the potentials for teaching to question dominant paradigms and frameworks, the impasse has hindered the field of GAD from adopting an introspective, intersectional, and transformative approach.

Threads of Rebellion: Indigenous Gender Dynamics among Nahua, Purépecha, and Totonac women in the Mexico State, Mexico

This comprehensive research investigates the complex nexus of agency, power dynamics, cultural nuances, resistance, and indigenous perspectives, with a particular focus on feminist theories and insights from Sherry Ortner. This research focuses on the perpetuation of traditional gender roles among Nahua, Purépecha, and Totonac women and girls migrating to rural-urban areas in the State of Mexico, specifically San Francisco Tepojaco, Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico State, Mexico. It examines how ethnic cultural frameworks and the prevalence of gender-based violence contribute to these roles, utilizing Pierre Bourdieu’s habitus theory. The study advocates for contesting and reforming entrenched gender norms to achieve genuine gender parity. Adopting a materialist and transnational lens, the study underscores the critical need to redefine notions of agency, tethering them to a critique of neoliberal capitalism and confronting the entrenched gender binary prevalent in the neoliberal epoch. It underscores the paramountcy of active and quotidian agency, advocating for an intersectional approach that grapples with the multifaceted dimensions of gender oppression, inclusive of the unique experiences of Nahua, Purépecha, and Totonac communities. Moreover, it underscores the efficacy of collective agency in challenging habitus and reshaping deeply ingrained cultural norms. Within this framework, the paper delves into the perpetuation of traditional gender roles among Nahua, Purépecha, and Totonac women and girls migrating to rural-urban areas in the State of Mexico.

Outlook for Offshore Wind Energy Development in Mexico from WRF Simulations and CMIP6 Projections

This study presents a comprehensive assessment of the offshore wind energy potential in Mexico across 40 years (1979–2018) of numerical simulations using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model and data from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6). The WRF identifies three regions with moderate to good wind potential: off the north coast of Tamaulipas (Zone I), the northwest coast of Yucatan (Zone II), and the Gulf of Tehuantepec (Zone III). The analysis involves comparing 47 CMIP6 climate models with the WRF results and selecting the best performing models to obtain future projections for the short term (2040–2069) and the long term (2070–2099). Two ensemble-based strategies were implemented. The first one, which uses an intersection approach from which four CMIP6 models were considered, reveals positive percentage differences in Zone II for both future projections, especially for the long-term one. In Zones I and III, positive values are also observed near the coast, mainly for the long-term projection, but they are considerably lower compared to those in Zone II. The second ensemble strategy uses weight assignment through the Mean Absolute Percentage Error, so that a greater weight is given to the model that performed better in each particular zone, potentially providing more accurate results. The findings suggest the likelihood of increased offshore wind energy in these three zones of Mexico, for both short- and long-term future projections, with positive percentage differences of up to 10% in certain areas.

Safety Evaluation of Dual Left-Turn Lane Installations in North Carolina

Crash modification factors (CMFs) were calculated for the conversion of a single left-turn lane to a dual or double left-turn lane (DLTL). Despite their proliferation throughout urban and suburban traffic networks, the safety performance of intersection approaches with DLTLs has not been thoroughly investigated and documented within the library of transportation safety research. To date, no published research has been completed that recommends a CMF for DLTL installations. This research effort lays a foundation for the understanding of the before-after safety effect of this countermeasure. A sample of 36 signalized intersections in North Carolina were investigated that received DLTLs between 2004 and 2021. Of these intersections 18 received their DLTLs with no other accompanying geometric changes and were operating with protected left-turn phasing along the treated approaches before and after their DLTL installations. A before-after evaluation of these 18 sites using an empirical bayes methodology yielded the following CMFs: 0.974 (total crashes), 0.844 (fatal-and-injury crashes), 1.010 (property damage only crashes), 0.831 (frontal impact crashes), 0.951 (rear end crashes), and 1.241 (sideswipe crashes). This research recommends that the CMFs for fatal-and-injury crashes and property damage only crashes be used in future cost–benefit calculations when planning DLTL installations.

Examining meaning-making and decolonial resistance in Pakistani women's stories of navigating coloniality and gender

Although Pakistan attained independence from the British colonial rule in 1947, the effects of colonial violence endure in the psychosocial realities of Pakistani people. Centering the stories about coloniality of two women leaders working in nongovernmental organizations, this article examines how psychological processes of meaning-making and decolonial resistance manifest in women's engagement with (de)coloniality in Lahore, Pakistan. I draw from transnational and decolonial feminisms and critical psychologies to highlight how two women's contextually shaped realities reflect colonial legacies interlaced with local and global inequities, and to document the ways women construe and resist coloniality-driven gender injustices. Using thematic narrative analysis, findings show that these women make sense of and resist coloniality through an intersectional approach, historical counter-narratives, and reimagination. The article discusses how context-specific decolonial strategies demonstrate women's agency and resistance within transnational feminist praxis, contributing to pluralistic and justice-enhancing approaches. The findings contribute to decolonizing psychological research by documenting Pakistani women's psychological processes and advancing non-Eurocentric knowledge and practices.

Tracing the origin of alveolar stem cells in lung repair and regeneration

Alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells are stem cells of the alveolar epithelia. Previous genetic lineage tracing studies reported multiple cellular origins for AT2 cells after injury. However, conventional lineage tracing based on Cre-loxP has the limitation of non-specific labeling. Here, we introduced a dual recombinase-mediated intersectional genetic lineage tracing approach, enabling precise investigation of AT2 cellular origins during lung homeostasis, injury, and repair. We found AT1 cells, being terminally differentiated, did not contribute to AT2 cells after lung injury and repair. Distinctive yet simultaneous labeling of club cells, bronchioalveolar stem cells (BASCs), and existing AT2 cells revealed the exact contribution of each to AT2 cells post-injury. Mechanistically, Notch signaling inhibition promotes BASCs but impairs club cells' ability to generate AT2 cells during lung repair. This intersectional genetic lineage tracing strategy with enhanced precision allowed us to elucidate the physiological role of various epithelial cell types in alveolar regeneration following injury.

Equity and Justice in Family Medicine Clinical Care and Teaching Must Incorporate a Reproductive Justice Framework.

Since European settlement, the United States has controlled the reproduction of communities of color through tactics ranging from forced pregnancies, sterilizations, and abortions to immigration policies and policies that separate children from their families. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (or questioning), asexual, intersex, and gender diverse people (LGBTQIA+) have been persecuted for sexual behavior and gender expression, and also restricted from having children. In response, women of color and LGBTQIA+ communities have organized for Reproductive Justice (RJ) and liberation. The Reproductive Justice framework, conceived in 1994 by the Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice, addresses the reproductive health needs of Black women and communities from a broad human rights perspective. Since then, the framework has expanded with an intersectional approach to include all communities of color and LGBTQIA+ communities. Notwithstanding, reproductive injustice negatively impacts the health of already marginalized and oppressed communities, which is reflected in higher rates of maternal mortality, infant mortality, infertility, preterm births, and poorer health outcomes associated with race-based stress. While the impact of racial injustice on disparate health outcomes is increasingly addressed in family medicine, Reproductive Justice has not been universally incorporated into care provision or education. Including the RJ framework in family medicine education is critical to understanding how structural, economic, and political factors influence health outcomes to improve health care delivery from a justice and human rights perspective. This commentary describes how an RJ framework can enhance medical education and care provision, and subsequently identifies strategies for incorporating Reproductive Justice teaching into family medicine education.

“I like the way I am”: invisibility and activism in children’s picture books with fat protagonists

PurposeEarly childhood and early elementary are key times when children develop internal and external antifat attitudes; thus, it is necessary to better understand the available children’s literature around fatness.This paper aims to examine children's picture books with fat protagonists to better understand the current landscape of children's literature. Drawing on relevant literature around fat characters and the fat studies movement, this critical content analysis considers five children’s books featuring fat protagonists.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses critical content analysis to analyze texts featuring fat protagonists, including two rounds of initial reading and analysis. Using lenses of critical literacy and critical multicultural analysis, the author looks for common themes, silences and absences in the texts, images and peritext.FindingsThis paper identifies themes of characters initially internalizing antifatness, then pushing back against antifat bias toward existing with joy and without stigma. Several of these texts even draw on the history of fat activism, highlighting societal critique and a potential activist component of children’s literature with fat protagonists.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has a small number of books, due to the limited number of texts that fit the study parameters.Practical implicationsThe paper concludes with examples of scaffolding for teachers and parents to have conversations with young children about antifat bias while also acknowledging notable absences, particularly boy protagonists.Social implicationsThese themes illustrate the power of young children to push back against antifat bias and critique oppressive social structures.Originality/valueThere have been very few studies looking at antifatness in children’s picture books. With more books with fat protagonists coming out in the 2020s, this study offers an understanding of the themes present, while also emphasizing the need for an intersectional approach to literature with fat protagonists.

You Can Knock on the Doors and Windows of the University, but Nobody Will Care: How Universities Benefit from Network Silence around Gender-Based Violence

This paper exposes the role of universities in creating silence around gender-based violence in higher education, drawing on narratives from 39 qualitative interviews with victims/survivors and bystanders about reporting incidents and experiences. In this paper, we extend concept of ‘network silence’ around sexual harassment to other forms of gender-based violence. Our research applies three components of the theoretical model of network silence, namely, self-silencing by victims/survivors, silencing, and not hearing by others, and analyses their contextual manifestations through the reporting experiences of victims/survivors and bystanders. This helps to identify the traits of the informal organisational structures and power dynamics, gendered attitudes, actors, and factors which facilitate silencing. The intersectional approach in our analysis of organisational contextual traits contributes to the research on inequality regimes in universities. The findings suggest that universities are making limited efforts to address silence around gender-based violence. We conclude that shared beliefs among the leadership about the reputation and prestige of the university facilitate the endurance of silence in universities. Our findings indicate reasons why universities fail to create spaces that are safe from gender-based violence.

Comprehending ICT for gender empowerment in an aging context: digitalization of marginalized female elderly in the Global South during COVID-19

ABSTRACT Focusing on the low-income elderly women in the Global South, our study situates the discussion on ICT for gender empowerment in an aging context. We aim to explore the role of aging as a biological and socio-cultural factor affecting digital adoption and usage by women in the lower rungs of their societies in developing countries. Grounded in an intersectionality approach, this study maps the dynamic and complicated landscape of their digital practices that are negotiated at the intersection of gender, aging, socioeconomic status, and local digital management policies. Through in-depth interviewing and digital ethnography, we particularly give avoice to the low-income elderly women in China, illuminating their constraining, yet empowering digitalization process during COVID-19. The findings reveal a distinctive understanding of ICT for gender empowerment from aging women’s perspective, shifting away from the personal advancement that typically dominates the agenda of their younger counterparts.