Male Dominance Research Articles

The Protagonist's Exploration of Inner Space in Deshpande's Novel "Time Issue"

This paper seeks to work out the notion of 'inner space' followed by a brief discussion of the concept of 'self as its natural corollary. It shows how despite all odds, Shashi Deshpande's female protagonists constantly search for inner space. The way they resist and question their family situations characterized by gender discrimination, and male domination, and negotiate the socio-cultural and patriarchal setup, will be a special point of focus. The extent to which the protagonists succeed in procuring individual space for themselves will be ascertained on the basis of available textual evidence. An attempt will also be made to lucidly work out the stages of growth on the part of the protagonists in the process of their search for inner space (i.e. actualization of the self), which is completely infringed by patriarchal dictates and culturally prescriptive code evolved especially to tame, exploit, subdue and dominate women.

Conservative Muslim and textual interpretation of the hadiths in polygamy propaganda in Indonesia

The pro-polygamy movement in Indonesia demonstrates not only Islamic doctrine and identity but also the rise of conservative Islam which is legitimized by an understanding of particular hadiths. This article aims to describe polygamy propaganda carried out by conservative Muslim groups on social media which is based on a literal textual understanding of religious texts. This qualitative research used gender analysis to investigate male dominance in polygamous propaganda employing hadith to recruit polygamous class participants. Data for the study were gathered from social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube) as well as online news about polygamy mentoring programs. The polygamous traditions employed by two mentorship communities in Indonesia such as Dauroh Poligami Indonesia (DPI) and Forum Poligami Indonesia (FPI), were used in this study. Polygamy traditions have been selected and interpreted to support polygamy, viewed as mandatory for men, with conservative narratives that support the propaganda of how to marry four wives. It is regarded as a symbol of individual piety and an Islamic lifestyle, inextricably linked to the materialization of religion, which provides polygamy with social and spiritual bliss. Therefore, polygamy propaganda initiated debate among Muslim feminist movements to advocate for gender equality and women's empowerment in modern Indonesia.

Young people becoming intimate on social media: Digital desires and gender dynamics

Digital technologies are shaping young people’s intimate relationships in profound ways, yet we have little knowledge of these experiences from the Global South. Drawing from a qualitative study, this article examines how 16-19-year-old South Africans make meaning of gender and sexuality through digital intimate practices. The study finds that digital intimacies are facilitated through producing and sharing of sexual content through sexting, video calls, selfies, nudes and emojis. Together they serve as affective entities in enhancing intimate connections expanding what we know of young people’s online sexual activities. However, we also draw attention to enduring patterns of male dominance within digital practices where girls’ online activities are curtailed by heterosexual oppressive relations of power. We contribute to the emerging research in South Africa advocating for the need for greater emphasis on young people and digital sexual intimacies beyond the current framing of risk and danger in order to promote healthy young sexualities.

Paternity success for resident and non-resident males and their influences on paternal sibling cohorts in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) on Shodoshima Island

Reproductive success can be attributed to both resident and non-resident males in non-human primates. However, reproductive success of non-resident males has rarely been investigated at an individual level. As resident males achieve different degree of reproductive success with regard to various factors, such as male dominance relationships or female mate choice, the degree of reproductive success for non-resident males may vary between individuals. As male reproductive success is highly skewed towards specific individuals, the percentage of similar-aged paternal siblings within groups is expected to increase. However, the extent to which each male contributes to the production of cohorts of paternal siblings remains unclear. Here we examined the paternity of offspring born over five consecutive years in a free-ranging group of Japanese macaques Macaca fuscata on Shodoshima Island, Kagawa Prefecture. Genotypes of 87 individuals at 16 autosomal microsatellite loci were analyzed and paternity of 34 offspring was successfully assigned to a single candidate father. We quantitatively assessed paternity success for resident and a few non-resident males whose genetic samples were successfully collected. We quantitatively assessed the percentages of paternal siblings in the same age cohorts produced by those males. Non-resident males sired similar percentage of offspring compared to resident males. A large prime-aged non-resident male was the most successful sire among males in two of the five years. These results provide new insights that male reproductive success could be highly skewed toward a specific non-resident male. Subadult males had a lower percentage of paternity success, which may be because females may prefer physically mature males. Various males, including non-resident males, contributed to the creation of paternal sibling in the same age cohort. The overall results highlighted that not only resident but also non-resident males play an important role in shaping within-group kin structures.

EXPRESS: The Female Consumer Response Implications of Male Dominance in a Product’s Online Community

Does male dominance of a product’s online community deter female community voices? Does it affect product ratings and the nature of content produced too? How might female consumers’ brand attitudes and intentions be affected ultimately? Utilizing a large panel dataset of online customer reviews in the beer industry and three experimental studies, these questions are empirically investigated. This product category is highly male dominant, on average, but there is significant variation across products to enable degrees of male dominance to be empirically examined. Other theoretical accounts of simple majority, tie-strength, homophily, and cultural masculinity are empirically considered as well. The findings serve to complement prior work on online word of mouth (OWOM), demonstrating that male dominance of an online community can deter contributions from female reviewers and generate lower rating departure from community average sentiment by female reviewers. The type of content that is generated by female reviewers is also affected, with a reduction in the evocation of femininity themes and an increase in the evocation of masculinity themes. Downstream brand attitudes and trial intentions are also impacted. A resulting implication of high product community male dominance is the availability of less information for consumers when evaluating products.

‘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.

A Retrospective Analysis of Cultural Patriarchy in Majid Rafizadeh’s A God Who Hates Women: A Woman’s Journey Through Oppression

Cultural patriarchy is the male dominance practiced in the name of culture in a society. Majid Rafizadeh, an Iranian American author, businessman, political scientist, and academician, is known for his distinguished writings on gender equality in Middle Eastern regions. His famous novels are A God Who Hates Women: A woman’s journey through oppression and My Story of Child Marriage. The present study has chosen Majid Rafizadeh’s autobiographical novel, A God Who Hates Women: A woman’s journey through oppression, to determine a retrospective analysis of cultural patriarchy. The methodology of the present study uses textual analysis from qualitative research to analyze the selected novel. The current research emphasizes that the oppression of women is due to male dominance. Hence, the culture of that particular society instills this dominance in the minds of men. It is evident in the selected novel. Society’s culture determines the roles and performances of men and women in both private and public areas. Thus, culture influences people’s collective consciousness. Religion, on the other hand, instructs the people to follow a code of conduct to protect their cultural heritage. Furthermore, the current study analyzes the chosen novel using Judith Butler’s gender performativity theory and Raymond William’s dominant, residual, and emergent cultural concepts. The current research is an attempt to analyze cultural patriarchy to propose a solution for achieving gender equality in society.

Strengthening the effectiveness of community health system: Assessing the factors that enhance or constrain the delivery of health services within communities in Nigeria

IntroductionSub-optimal community health service delivery (CHSD) has been a challenge constraining community health systems (CHS) globally, especially in developing countries such as Nigeria. This paper examined the key factors that either enhance or constrain CHSD in Nigeria at the individual, community/facility and governmental levels while recommending evidence-based solutions for sustaining and improving CHSD within the framework of CHS.MethodsData were collected through a qualitative study undertaken in three states (Anambra, Akwa-Ibom and Kano) in Nigeria. Respondents were formal/informal health providers, community leaders and representatives of civil society organizations all purposively sampled. There were 90 in-depth interviews and 12 focus group discussions, which were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically using codes to identify key themes.ResultsFactors constraining community health service delivery at the individual level were poor health-seeking behaviour, preference for quacks and male dominance of service delivery; at the community/facility level were superstitious/cultural beliefs and poor attitude of facility workers; at the governmental level were inadequate financial support, embezzlement of funds and inadequate social amenities. Conversely, the enabling factors at the individual level were community members’ participation and the compassionate attitude of informal providers. At the community and facility levels, the factors that enhanced service delivery were synergy between formal and informal providers and support from community-based organizations and structures. At the governmental level, the enhancing factors were the government’s support of community-based formal/informal providers and a clear line of communication.ConclusionsCommunity health service delivery through a functional community-health system can improve overall health systems strengthening and lead to improved community health. Policy-makers should integrate community health service delivery in all program implementation and ultimately work with the community health system as a veritable platform for effective community health service delivery.

El Lugar de las mujeres y la familia en la historia del yacimiento estatal de Chuquicamata entre 1970 y 2020

Over a century of existence, Chuquicamata-CODELCO company in Chile has deployed strategies that strengthen identities and loyalties that underlie a hegemonic model of male dominance, so far without counterpoint in Chilean mining. In this article, we explore how the copper industry has shaped subjectivities, social relations and loyalties among workers at the Chuquicamata mine from a gender perspective. We explore the interaction between the concreteness of the copper activity and the process of subjectivation that has generated, on the one hand, shared identities and, on the other, particular social configurations. We also observe practices of constitution of masculinized mining bodies and the way in which they are linked to family and work identities developed in different domestic and productive spaces and controlled in different ways by the company.

Bringing men and masculinities into political science

Most politicians are men, yet there is a surprising lack of focus within political science on the causes and consequences of male dominance. This article outlines how political science could benefit from greater engagement with scholarship on men and masculinities. The concept of ‘political masculinities’ has focused on the importance of ‘the political’ to masculinities scholarship; we argue for extending this concept to analyse men and masculinities within political science. We identify insights from scholarship on masculinities that would deepen our understanding of power within formal political arenas. We consider how gender and politics scholarship could benefit from expanding its focus on men. We highlight feminist institutionalism as a tool for bringing masculinities into the study of political institutions. We then offer a framework for taking this research agenda forwards, showing how we can better understand male dominance by thinking about how men access, exercise, maintain and reproduce power.

Feminicide In Brazil: Reflections Of Inequalities And Culture Of Impunity

Violence against women in Brazil is a serious and persistent issue that goes beyond the boundaries of the most visible forms of physical aggression and homicides, deeply permeating social structure and affecting millions of women in various ways. Rooted in historical and structural gender inequalities, this violence reflects an entrenched culture of sexism that values male domination and devalues women, perpetuating a power hierarchy that keeps women in constant vulnerability. Impunity further exacerbates the problem, with many cases going unreported and judicial responses often inadequate. In addition to devastating individual consequences, violence against women has profound societal impacts, restricting women's personal and professional development and generating significant costs to public health and the economy. Effectively addressing this challenge requires a multifaceted approach including education, awareness, effective public policies, support for victims, and rigorous punishment of perpetrators. Investing in gender equality from basic education onward is crucial to promoting a culture of respect for women's rights and preventing future acts of violence. Combatting violence against women demands a collective commitment from all sectors of society, from governments to civil society organizations and individuals, to ensure that all women can live free from fear and violence, with their rights fully protected and respected

New perspectives on fighting violence against women.

Gender-based violence (GBV) and, more specifically, violence against women (VAW) are commonly considered a consequence of a patriarchal structure-a social system granting the senior male absolute authority over the family and the community as a whole. Anthropologists have documented that human male dominance is rooted in evolution, with male violent behavior observed among the great apes. Given that evolution is a continuous process, human progress over millennia has modified pre-existing behavior, demonstrating that humans can move beyond ancestral ways of life over time. Precisely because of the imperative to change and improve, at the global international level as well as in individual countries, strong movements are in action to eliminate GBV/VAW. FIGO has been and continues to be at the forefront of the battle for equality, with initiatives that cover many aspects of this, including the imperative to involve men, who-in the majority of cases-are the perpetrators. Since men are often the root of the problem, they must also be at the forefront of the battle to eradicate it. GBV/VAW comprises many facets, including selective female abortion, infanticide, femicide, honor killing, female genital mutilation, and child marriage. These deeply rooted forms of violence continue to perpetuate gender inequalities, remain major obstacles to health and societal progress, and violate the most basic human rights.

Shift in Traditional Masculine Role Amid COVID-19: A Comprehensive Overview From Bangladesh

Gender has been an essential category of analysis that has been culturally and historically embedded in society since the 90s century (Scott, 1986). Gender is not a set of defined traits of masculine and feminine roles;instead, it is connected to social, economic, and psychological aspects. This research intends to examine the changing pattern of conventional conservative masculinity amid the COVID-19 epidemic,which instigates male dominance and supremacy and prescribes an fundamental and objective manner of men's roles. Covid-19, a worldwide pandemic, brought immense health as well as socioeconomic crisis for both men and women.As men and women experience the catastrophes differently,a gendered dimension of assessing their condition due to such a pandemic is necessary. Consequently, this paper aims to explore men's miscellaneous experiences, including their socioeconomic crisis, struggle, and coping mechanisms in that outbreak period. Connell's theory of hegemonic masculinity, Talcott Parsons' functionalist theory, and Judith Lorber'sgender role theory were used to assess findings and to comprehend traditional masculinity. According to findings, men face a massive change in their way of living due to the pandemic, which brought both positive changes in their behavior as well as creating an extra burden to bear socioeconomic turmoil. However, men's involvement in family care work, participation in parenting, contribution to creating flexible conjugal relations, and agreement in the deterioration of precarious masculinity indicate a shifting prototype of traditional masculinity. Similarly, masculinity is not just a linear, homogenous, or rigid construction; it has multiple overlapping variables that evaluate the pandemic from a gendered dimension.

Gender Inequality and Media Representation: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Femicide Coverage in Indonesia

Femicide, recognized by the UN as the killing of women based on honor, sexual orientation, or gender identity, is a severe manifestation of gender inequality and sex-based violence. Often linked to domestic violence, sexual harassment, and ongoing trauma, femicide represents one of the most extreme forms of violence against women. In 2023, 159 cases of femicide in Indonesia were reported, with most committed by intimate partners (Komnas Perempuan). This study examines how femicide cases were reported by three major Indonesian online media outlets—Kompas.com, Republika.co.id, and Tirto.id—analyzing nine news articles focused on harassment, domestic violence, and murder. Using Sara Mills' critical discourse analysis (CDA), the research explores how these media portray gender injustice against women. The findings reveal that women are consistently depicted as weak and powerless, trapped in a patriarchal culture that normalizes violence against them. This portrayal reinforces gender stereotypes, weakening legal responses and perpetuating male dominance. The study underscores the need for more balanced and empowering media representations of women to challenge the deep-rooted gender inequalities in society.

On the Economic Origins of Concerns over Women’s Chastity

Abstract This paper studies the origins and function of customs and norms that intend to keep women from being promiscuous. Using large-scale survey data from more than 100 countries, I test the anthropological theory that a particular form of preindustrial subsistence – pastoralism – favored the adoption of such customs and norms. Pastoralism was characterized by frequent and often extended periods of male absence from the settlement, implying difficulties in monitoring women’s behavior and larger incentives to imposing restrictions on women’s promiscuity. The paper shows that women from historically more pastoral societies (i) are subject to stronger anti-abortion attitudes; (ii) aremore likely to have undergone infibulation, the most invasive form of female genital cutting; (iii) are more restricted in their freedom of mobility; and (iv) adhere to more restrictive norms about women’s promiscuity. At the historical society level, pastoralism predicts patrilocality, the custom of living close to the husband’s family after marriage, allowing them to monitor the bride. Instrumental variable estimations that make use of the ecological determinants of pastoralism support a causal interpretation of the results. I also provide evidence that the mechanism behind these patterns is male absence, rather than male dominance, per se, or historical economic development.

Organisational innovation and gender diversity: Insights from the civil engineering industry

Orientation: The civil engineering industry is vital in ensuring that infrastructure development has a beneficial social, economic, and environmental impact.Research purpose: This study explored the role of gender diversity and organisational innovation with a view to address social ills in the civil engineering industry in South Africa.Motivation for the study: The study is premised on the paucity in extant research and responds to calls for more research on the role of gender diversity and organisational innovation with a view to address social ills in the civil engineering industry.Research design, approach and method: Employing the interpretivist paradigm, 15 civil engineering professionals were purposively selected based on their extensive experience and comprehensive deep knowledge of the industry and interviewed using the semi-structured approach of interviews using the Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) platform. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the interview transcripts.Main findings: From thematic analysis, the following themes emerged from the primary data: skewed gender representation, females’ retention challenges, creation of an inclusive environment, building a strategic female structure, inclusive innovation, and role models and mentors’ deficit.Practical and/or managerial implications: The civil engineering industry needs to empower women occupying positions of power and not just fill the numbers through the removal of the male gatekeeping effect as the current status shows male dominance. It is also critical to create an inclusive environment, grow the pool of females to build the numbers critical for gender diversity, particularly at the top, and promote mentorship opportunities.Contributions and/or value add: This article advances knowledge on the role of gender diversity and organisational innovation with a view to address social ills in the civil engineering industry and exposes the shared patriarchal values that many organisations appear to promote. It further highlights that society still struggles with infrastructure that does not address its needs and points the civil engineering industry towards the current skill sets and experiences of its female workforce, and how to leverage those capabilities to benefit the industry and the entire society.

DEVELOPING DIGITAL GENDER-INCLUSIVE TEACHING MODULE FOR TENTH GRADERS IN THE INDONESIAN ELT CONTEXT

Gender stereotypes and gender issues exist in English materials. Research investigating gender stereotypes in English learning materials in the Indonesian ELT context revealed gender issues focusing on male dominance. A need analysis was conducted at SMK Negeri 1 Gedangan to examine the current needs and conditions in the school environment. The result showed that gender bias and stereotypes exist in English materials. This research aims to develop gender-inclusive teaching module of Kurikulum Merdeka (Independent Curriculum) using AADIE for tenth grade students. An ADDIE research design serves as a guidance in developing the digital teaching module in this research. The expert validation resulted in a final score of 55 out of 100 which means the product is good to use with some minor revisions. After the revision process, the product was implemented to class X AK 1. The results of the product implementation showed good results in students' understanding of gender inclusiveness in reading and speaking skills. TPACK as a framework is used in this research since it helps teachers to combine content, pedagogy, and technology to create effective learning. Multimodal and scaffolding frameworks allow product development to fulfil students' and teachers' needs.

The problematic of feminist criticism: between the diversity of terms and the complexity of concepts

The term “feminist criticism” refers to an analytical approach that examines literary, artistic and cultural works from a gender studies perspective. Therefore, feminist criticism is linked to two fundamental axes. The first involves the study of the image of women in literature produced by men, while the second concerns the study of texts produced by creative women. Feminist criticism aims to re-establish women's value as full participants in all aspects of life, rejecting the appropriation of women and male domination. It addresses the representation of women as writers and subjects, focusing on the appropriation of female personalities within male creative frameworks and the liberation of women from male domination in feminist discourse. The present article attempts to explores the term "feminist criticism," its origins, initiators, fields, and main critics. It also addresses the diversity of terms used and the complexity of concepts associated with feminist criticism. It has been concluded that feminist criticism is primarily an ideological liberation movement rather than a purely aesthetic interrogation process. The term "feminist criticism" has sparked much debate in the literary criticism arena, between proponents and opponents. Moreover, this critical arena has witnessed terminological chaos in unifying the term and defining it precisely.

Male consort behavior is driven by female mate choice and receptive synchrony in Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana)

In group-living animals, males’ fighting abilities were usually mediated via dominance rank to sort males into a queue to access fertile females, especially in non-human primates. However, the correlation between male reproductive success and consortship, an alternative high-ranking male reproductive strategy, varies across species, obscuring the adaptive significance of male consort behavior. The priority of access (PoA) model is commonly used to predict male mating/reproductive success based on male dominance rank and female reproductive synchrony. In this study, we aimed to assess the applicability of the PoA model in predicting the distribution of male mating success and consortship, while also identifying the main factors influencing these outcomes in a group of free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) at Huangshan, China. Our results showed that (1) the male mating was significantly skewed towards the highest-ranking males, deviating from the expectations set by the PoA model. This departure was attributed to both female mate choice and male consort behavior. Notably, the influence of male rank on mating success decreased as the number of receptive females increased. Additionally, female mate choice became less significant when consorted by males compared to situations when they were not consorted; (2) the observed consort behavior among males was lower than what the PoA model predicted for available receptive days, while high-ranking males exhibited a gradual increase in their consort behavior with the rising number of receptive females. Our results suggests that, in Tibetan macaques, male consort behavior imposed limitations on female mate choice, and mitigated the impact of male dominance rank on male mating success as the number of receptive females grew. We propose that male consort behavior could be driven by female counter-monopoly strategies, and the simultaneous occurrence of consort behavior and opportunistic mating may represent the most effective mating tactic in this promiscuous mating system.

Female pumas exhibit behavioral plasticity through partitioning temporal activity at communication hubs based on life stage

AbstractIntraspecific communication among carnivores can be complex and risky, and many solitary carnivores (including pumas; Puma concolor) primarily communicate with potential mates and competitors indirectly via scent marking at communication hubs. We used multiple temporal analyses to understand if pumas of three classes (males, solo females, and females traveling with dependent kittens) varied in their temporal use of communication hubs to reduce risk while gathering information. We hypothesized that males would visit scrapes at typical times (nighttime), but that female behavioral strategies might vary based on whether they had dependent kittens or not. We found that pumas of different classes varied in their temporal patterns: male pumas concentrated their temporal activity at night (which is typical for pumas), solo females also tended to visit during the nighttime (although slightly earlier on average than males), while females with kittens were more active in the daytime. Our findings highlight the importance of communication hubs for intersexual communication in pumas and the flexibility that is inherent in puma behavioral ecology. Females adjusted their temporal behavior and visitation based on their reproductive status and life history stage, likely to assess dominant territorial males while also limiting their risk. Our study provides a mechanistic view of how communication through scent marking allows both long‐term and spatially separated communication to occur and that may allow pumas at different life stages with different risk tolerances to communicate with each other.