Negative Perceptions Of Women Research Articles

'These Chicks are Damaged Goods': The Abject Female Body in Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary and Warner's The Sopranos

The female body as a disruptive force was a dominant topic in the popular culture and literature of the 1990s, as well as in debates of the postfeminist theorists of the decade. As culture began to constantly scrutinise women’s bodies and obsessively fixate on unhealthy thinness and perpetual youth, an idealistic model of the female body was conceptualised: self-contained, perfectly smooth, with no biological functions or needs (vide McRobbie 57-8). Due to the impossibility of meeting these voyeuristic standards, the uncomfortable biological reality of womanhood has been perceived as deserving of societal degradation and unyielding control. This essay will examine the nature of Kristevan's abjection of female bodies in Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary (1997) and Alan Warner’s The Sopranos (1999). I shall follow the thesis of Margrit Shildrick and Janet Price, which delineates the relationship between the physicality of the female body and the negative perception of women, outlined as such: ‘the body has a propensity to leak, to overflow the proper distinctions between self and other, to contaminate and engulf. Thus, women themselves are, in the conventional masculinist imagination, not simply inferior beings whose civil and social subordination is both inevitable and justified, but objects of fear and repulsion’ (3). I will argue that the female protagonists of these novels are unwilling to reject their corporeality despite its negative connotations; however, due to the all-encompassing nature of their patriarchal environments, they are unable to liberate themselves from the oppressive demarcations of female abjection.

Barriers and Challenges Faced by Women Shop Stewards in Two Major South African Trade Unions

There are fewer women shop stewards than men shop stewards in South Africa, which can be attributed to existing barriers and challenges. A need arose to investigate these obstacles. The study was qualitative and exploratory. Two themes emerged from the interviews we conducted, each with various sub-themes. The findings revealed barriers such as existing relationships, lack of nomination and not being elected if nominated as well as challenges such as the negative perception of women’s emotionality and a desire to become mothers, a general lack of support and victimisation. These barriers and challenges make it difficult for women to become shop stewards and, if they do, to be effective. According to South African labour legislation, equality should be encouraged in all roles. Women should be motivated to become shop stewards and offered support, not only by the trade unions through policies such as reserved seats for women in union leadership, women-only conferences and workshops and the funding of women’s initiatives, but also by employers, fellow women members and society. This study provides valuable information for industrial relations in South Africa and worldwide.

A qualitative investigation to understand the challenges and representation of women in the media industry of Bangladesh

This study explores the representation of women in the media in Bangladesh and the social perception regarding their media engagement. Both Dhaka and Khulna cities were purposively selected as the study area for fulfilling the research objective. A qualitative research method has been used to conduct the study and primary data were collected by using an in-depth interviews (IDIs) and two focus group discussions (FGDs). Using a convenient sampling technique, a total of fifteen informants, including IDIs with five (5) informants who were media professionals, two FGDs of ten (10) informants (five in each group), were communicated for data collection. The findings revealed that women are represented as a commodity for marketing the product, and their charm or glamour became the main requirement for recruitment. The informants perceived that the lack of professionalism in the media industry ignores women's intellectual value. Moreover, female models are mostly judged by their physical beauty, not by their merit. The findings also revealed the presence of sexual harassment in the media industry. From the consumers perspective, the study revealed that elderly people have a negative perception of women's engagement in the media; however, the younger people adjusted their thoughts to new media portrayal of females as sexual objects but lack respect for the profession. The study significantly recommends measures such as eliminating sexually objectifying roles for female artists, introducing pay protection and social support campaigns to ensure a non-discriminatory media industry and consumer culture.

Women’s Shared Traumas in Khalid Khalid Hosseini’s Selected Novels: A Thousand Splendid Suns, the Mountains Echoed, and The Kite Runner

This study looks at some of the novels by Khalid Hosseini, an American writer of Afghan descent. Khalid Hosseini's novels chiefly, “A Thousand Splendid Suns, And The Mountains Echoed, and The Kite Runner” were a huge success, becoming international best-sellers. What distinguishes these novels is that their main ideas address some of the challenges and difficulties that Afghan women face in a patriarchal society. Women face severe dilemmas and trials as a result of exclusion, inequality, violence, discrimination, and a negative perception of women. The study will also look at Spivak's concept of subalternity and how it has come to be associated with women in societies where there is no true equality among its members. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that in societies experiencing violent and persistent internal conflicts and challenges, women are always the main victims and the biggest losers.

Retention over Attraction: A Review of Women’s Experiences in the Australian Construction Industry; Challenges and Solutions

Despite substantial investments and efforts by governments, construction organisations, and researchers, the construction industry remains one of the most male-dominated industries in Australia, with women being underrepresented numerically and hierarchically. Efforts to attract and retain women in construction have been implemented inconsistently on an ad hoc basis. As part of a larger research project that focuses on retaining women in the Australian construction industry, this research conducts a systematic literature review (SLR) in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines. The objective is to explore the factors that influence women’s careers and their experiences in the Australian construction industry that have been identified in the literature over the past three decades. Additionally, the findings are anticipated to inform future efforts to evaluate the effectiveness of current initiatives to retain women and develop a framework for enhancing women’s experiences and retaining them in this profession. This SLR revealed that excessive and rigid work hours, gendered culture and informal rules, limited career development opportunities, and negative perceptions of women’s abilities are the main factors and issues that cause women to leave the industry. Among these, rigid and long work hours seem to be the foremost factor to be prioritised. Understanding the roles of key variables in driving this cultural change is important to ensure that concrete progress is made. The paper draws three major aspects from the literature in which solutions and policies can be researched, designed and implemented.

Interethnic Influencing Factors Regarding Buttocks Body Image in Women from Nigeria, Germany, USA and Japan.

Background: Body image research deals a lot with awareness of the body as an entity. Studies that consider individual anatomical aspects and place them in an intercultural context are rarely present. Methods: For this purpose, general data, body perception and judgment of body images from 2163 (48% female and 52% male) participants from Germany, Nigeria, the USA and Japan were evaluated as part of a survey. Results: There were clear differences in the personal body image of the participants’ own buttocks, the buttocks as a beauty ideal and the way in which dissatisfaction was dealt with in different countries. In addition to sexual well-being (importance score: 0.405 a.u.), the country of origin (0.353), media consumption (0.042) and one’s own weight (0.069) were also identified as influencing factors for satisfaction with one’s own buttocks. A clear evolution could be derived regarding a WHR (waist-to-hip ratio) of well below 0.7, which was consistently favored by the participants but also propagated by influencers through images (p < 0.001). In this context, participants who indicated celebrities as role models for the buttocks showed a correspondingly high level of dissatisfaction with their own buttocks (R = −0.207, p < 0.001, ρ = −0.218). Conclusion: Overall, a highly significant correlation was shown between the consumption frequency of Instagram, TikTok and pornography with the negative perception of women’s own buttocks.

A Survey on Public Perceptions of Low Fertility: A Social Research Panel Study.

BackgroundIt was reported that South Korea showed the greatest decline in the fertility rate among the entire OECD countries over the last 30 years with the total fertility rate (TFR) of 0.84 persons in 2020. Despite the efforts of the Korean government, the TFR has decreased constantly. This study intended to analyze the perception of Koreans toward pregnancy and childbirth regarding the low fertility rate in South Korea for understanding the causes of constantly decreased low fertility.MethodsThis study carried out an online survey based on 1,002 men and women aged 19 to 59 years old for six days from October 21 to October 26 in 2021 in cooperation with Gallup Korea. This study analyzed the perception of people toward low fertility, the severity of low fertility, and level of interest in low fertility to inspect awareness of the severity of low fertility in South Korea through a survey.ResultsIt was found that 62%, 52%, and 72% of entire participants, women, and men agreed on a question “It is better to get married”. As for women’s age, a positive response for this question was derived from 34.2% (20s), 43.1% (30s), 53.4% (40s), and 71.4% (50s), respectively (P < 0.001). In a question “the necessity of children”, a positive response for this question was derived from 34.7% (20s), 58.3% (30s), 75.9% (40s), and 83.5% (50s) of female respondents, respectively (P < 0.001). Positive responses were shown 39.2%, 60.0%, 79.7%, and 81.5% of female participants in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s agreed on the question “My children make me happy in my life”, respectively (P < 0.001).ConclusionThis study found that a decrease in the TFR was affected mainly by the negative perception of women in their 20s and 30s toward marriage, childbirth, and the necessity of children. Therefore, further research should be conducted to develop policies that focus on these significant variables to overcome the worsening low fertility problem.

Using the ecological-intersectional model to explore the experiences and perceptions of volunteer women ladies Gaelic football coaches in Ireland

ABSTRACT Volunteer women coaches in non-elite sport are underrepresented in coaching literature. To address this gap, 14 women were interviewed to explore their lived experiences as volunteer coaches within a female-only team sport of ladies Gaelic football at non-elite level in Ireland. The participants met the following inclusion criteria (i) over eighteen, (ii) with at least five-years coaching experience and (iii) a coach education qualification. The Ecological-Intersectional Model informed the design and analysis phases. The findings show how support within the home is essential for their coaching involvement. The relationships with fellow coaches and athletes are integral to a positive experience and all coaches indicated a player-centred coaching philosophy. However, there are still some negative perceptions of women in coaching at societal level such as conscious and unconscious gender bias. The findings highlight the need for club-based support structures to attract, support, develop and retain volunteer women coaches at non-elite level.

Bias, Barriers, and Behavior: Exploring the Mechanisms Behind the Gender Gap in Entrepreneurship

Gender inequality remains an issue in entrepreneurship. Women are engaging in entrepreneurship at increasing rates, but they still lag behind men. Furthermore, women who do participate receive significantly lower levels of funding and support that keep them from experience the same success as men. Scholars have addressed these inequalities from a variety of perspectives. Some suggest that bias and stereotyping results in negative perceptions of women in entrepreneurship, while others suggest that female entrepreneurs behave differently than male entrepreneurs. Still others assert that men and women start from different places in their pursuit of entrepreneurial activities. They suggest that differences in social networks provide more opportunities to men than women. In this symposium, we present four studies that use real world field data to test different mechanisms to explain the gender gap in entrepreneurship. In support of the 2020 AOM theme, we hope to inspire conversations that consider how bias, access, and behavior may be simultaneously contributing to the challenges women face in entrepreneurship. Pitch and She Shall Receive: The Opportunity to Pitch Erases the Gender Gap in VC Funding Presenter: Angela Randolph; Babson College She Can’t Handle It: Emotional Stability and Women on New Venture Teams Presenter: Jessica Kirk; U. of Memphis Presenter: Stefanie Johnson; U. of Colorado, Boulder Hubris and Humility: Gender and the Interpretation of Signals in Crowdfunding Presenter: Jason Greenberg; New York U. Presenter: Venkat Kuppuswamy; Northeastern U. Presenter: Ethan Mollick; The Wharton School, U. of Pennsylvania Implicit Diversity Quotas for New Venture Teams Presenter: Stefanie Johnson; U. of Colorado, Boulder Presenter: Jessica Kirk; U. of Memphis

Physical Activity of Arab Muslim Mothers of Young Children Living in the United States: Barriers and Influences.

To examine physical activity (PA) levels, and how sociocultural factors, acculturation, self-efficacy and religion influence PA levels of Arab Muslim mothers of young children living in the United States. Arab Muslim mothers of young children (aged <5 years) living in the United States (N=447). PA levels, sociocultural and religious barriers to PA, self-efficacy, strength of religious faith, and acculturation. Barriers to PA included dress code and negative perception of women who engaged in PA, lack of motivation and stress, and responsibilities. Barriers and self-efficacy significantly influenced PA levels (P<.001) but strength of religious faith and acculturation did not. Confirmation of the relations among self-efficacy, barriers and PA levels among Arab Muslim mothers of young children in the United States may help professionals tailor culturally sensitive interventions to combat obesity and other chronic diseases among this growing population.

Explanation of the Perceptions of Women with Prediabetes Affecting Physical Activity: A Qualitative Study

Background and aim: a healthy and active lifestyle is an essential determinant of any individual’s health. And the individual’s perceptions of the diseases will impact the way preventive behaviors are adopted, the way the individual adapts to the disease, disease management and, overall, the prevention of disease progress. The aim of the present study was explaining women’s perception of regular physical activity based on PEN-3 model. Material and Method: this study is qualitative and of directed content analysis type. 41 women with prediabetes and 9 employees of health centers, using purposeful sampling, were entered into this study. The data were obtained using individual semi-structured interviews based on PEN-3 model. Graneheim and Lundman’s method was used for data analysis. Result: during the data analysis process, a main category that included perceptional factors regarding physical activity and 6 sub-categories including knowledge, attitude, perceived benefits, perceived threat, perceived barriers and Self-efficacy were extracted from the data text. Conclusion: The findings obtained were positive and negative perceptions of women with prediabetes regarding physical activity in a sociocultural scope that can be considered in designing interventions based on PEN-3 model for changing and improving exercise behavior in women with prediabetes.&#x0D;

She Can’t Say That … or Can She? Perceptions of Men’s and Women’s Humor Use in the Workplace

Humor is associated with numerous positive outcomes in the workplace (e.g., building cohesiveness, stress reduction), and can be a useful tool for leaders (e.g., softening criticism). Although normative expectations for men’s and women’s behavior might allow both men and women to use communal forms of humor (i.e., affiliative humor), we hypothesized that gender role expectations would cause people to negatively evaluate women who use more agentic forms of humor (i.e., aggressive humor). Moreover, we predicted that this pattern would be more pronounced for women in low-status positions. We tested our hypotheses using two scenario-based studies; our first study included 96 MBA student participants who responded to two hypothetical scenarios, and a second follow up study included 228 undergraduate participants who responded to a third hypothetical scenario. Results from our two studies suggested that participants perceived women humorists more negatively when they used aggressive humor relative to affiliative humor, whereas no such difference was observed when the humorists were men. We also found that high occupational status counteracted this bias, but only when the target of the humor was a woman. In other words, women are at a disadvantage in their use of humor in general (i.e., negative perceptions of women who use aggressive humor), and even in workplace contexts where they have high status (i.e., status only protects them against negative perceptions when they use aggressive humor with female targets).

The effect of gender, level of education and age on socio-cultural perceptions of women in leadership: Case of Kadoma urban district secondary schools in Zimbabwe

The study sought to find out whether gender, level of education and age have any effect on socio-cultural perceptions of women in leadership positions. Twelve school heads, 100 teachers and 100 school development association members from 15 Kadoma urban district secondary schools were used as research subjects. A five point Likert scale questionnaire with eight perception variable was administered. The study found out that male respondents had negative perceptions of women in leadership while female respondents had positive perceptions. On level of education, the study revealed that respondents with lower education had negative perceptions of women in leadership and that those with higher education had positive perceptions. The results also showed that younger people have positive perceptions of women in leadership positions. The study concluded that gender, level of education and age do have an effect on socio-cultural perceptions of women in leadership positions. Keywords : Age, Gender, Leadership, Socio-cultural perceptions

English

The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of women in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR), Ethiopia on using modern technology to enhance their productivity. To achieve this goal, survey design with quantitative method was employed. The primary source of the data was household women. They were selected by using stratified sampling. The data gathering tools were questionnaires, focus group discussions, and interviews. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results showed that 73.2% of the study participants have been using modern technology in their day-to-day life. Additionally, over half of the women indicated that using modern technology has saved their time, increased their income from agriculture, and helped them to live a better life. However, 80% of respondents in Gamo Gofa and 76% in Bench Maji believed that modern technology had no effect in reducing environmental impact. 47.6% of the respondents believed that modern technology reduced cost. In Sidama and Silte zones, 74.5 and 74.88% respectively, of the study participants recognized as modern technology have brought change in their life. 61.83% believed that leading a better life as a result of using modern technology. On the other hand, in Basketo and Semenomo, 68 and 70% of women respectively had negative attitudes towards modern technology in saving their time. In Bench Maji zone, 77% of the respondents believed that modern technology never increased their income. Finally, to improve the existing negative perception of women towards modern technology in some areas of the region, feasible recommendations are made by showing directions to different stakeholders on how to solve the identified shortcomings. Key words: Women, agriculture, perception, modern technology.

Church Revitalization in Congo: Missiological Insights from One Church’s Efforts at Glocalization

This article explores dynamics surrounding the growth of Fraternité Évangélique de Pentecôte en Afrique au Congo, or FEPACO, the largest non-Catholic church in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The revitalization of FEPACO has been triggered by the development of a mission model built on (1) a process of glocalization that promotes an indigenous theology, (2) a local theology of missions and well-being and a comprehensive view of prayer for all needs, and (3) a ministry philosophy that challenges the widespread negative perception of women and children. It also considers the need for FEPACO to engage Congo’s current unhealthy social and political environment.

Chinese women in the accounting profession

Purpose This exploratory research aims to investigate the barriers to career advancement for women accountants in China. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight accountants working for business companies and occupying different-level positions. Findings Women accountants in China encounter barriers throughout their career paths. The main barrier is a negative perception of women’s work performance after having a child. Although the modern communist state claims that women have a role equal to that of men in their work contributions, centuries-old Confucian attitudes constrain women in their choices of balance between work and home life. Originality/value The findings of this research call for enforcement of employment laws in China to give women equal opportunities in both recruitment and promotion. This research contributes to both Western and Chinese existing literature, confirming some prior findings that are contrary to modern China’s rhetoric that “Women hold up half the sky”. It also adds the perspective of accountants working in business companies rather than public practice accounting firms.

Marketing the Hearth: Ornamental Embroidery and the Building of the Multinational Singer Sewing Machine Company

This study examines the Singer Sewing Machine Company’s strategies for selling family sewing machines on a global scale. In marketing the sewing machine, the American-headquartered Singer focused on ornamental embroidery or “fancy” sewing, defining home sewing as art, to distance the company and the appliance from negative perceptions of women’s garment work as industrial manufacturing. Singer created its Embroidery Department in the early 1890s in response to consumers’ sewing preferences. The department reflects how the home became a site where global capitalism was constructed and articulated. Singer’s Embroidery Department had representatives in many countries, coordinating expositions and other advertising. In the case of Singer in Spain and the United States, women who took part in the department’s work were an essential part of the corporate-integrated operation. This article examines the relationship between Singer’s corporate strategies and gender and culture in Spain and the United States.

Marketing the Hearth: Ornamental Embroidery and the Building of the Multinational Singer Sewing Machine Company

This study examines the Singer Sewing Machine Company’s strategies for selling family sewing machines on a global scale. In marketing the sewing machine, the American-headquartered Singer focused on ornamental embroidery or “fancy” sewing, defining home sewing as art, to distance the company and the appliance from negative perceptions of women’s garment work as industrial manufacturing. Singer created its Embroidery Department in the early 1890s in response to consumers’ sewing preferences. The department reflects how the home became a site where global capitalism was constructed and articulated. Singer’s Embroidery Department had representatives in many countries, coordinating expositions and other advertising. In the case of Singer in Spain and the United States, women who took part in the department’s work were an essential part of the corporate-integrated operation. This article examines the relationship between Singer’s corporate strategies and gender and culture in Spain and the United States.

ALTERNATIVES TO GENDER QUOTAS: ELECTORAL FINANCING OF WOMEN CANDIDATES IN MALAWI

Gender quotas change the rules of candidate selection, reflecting a demand-side solution to women's underrepresentation in politics. In contrast, limited attention has been given in the literature to possible supply-side solutions, which would equip women with resources to make them more attractive to selectors—in conjunction with, or separate from, gender quotas. Proposing a new research frontier for quota scholars, this article examines the ‘50–50 campaign’ ahead of the 2009 elections in Malawi, in which donors and the government assisted women aspirants with financial resources and publicity. Although these elections witnessed a 9% rise in women candidates from 2004, some of the increase represented a rise in women running as independents, suggesting that the campaign failed to sufficiently address the role of weak and biased party organisations. While electoral financing can avoid certain disadvantages of gender quotas, it may not be possible to overcome negative perceptions of women in politics.

Vivência do parto normal ou cesáreo: revisão integrativa sobre a percepção de mulheres

Foi realizada uma revisão integrativa com o objetivo de identificar a contribuição das pesquisas desenvolvidas, em âmbito nacional e internacional, sobre a percepção do parto normal e cesáreo pelas mulheres que os vivenciaram. A busca dos artigos ocorreu nas bases de dados MEDLINE, LILACS, BDENF, CINAHL e INDEXPSI, no período de 2000 a 2009, sendo selecionados e analisados 17 estudos. Os estudos apresentam percepções positivas e negativas das mulheres sobre os dois tipos de parto, tais como o protagonismo da mulher e a melhor recuperação no parto normal, a ausência de dor na cesárea, a insatisfação com a assistência recebida; assim como recomendações para a prática obstétrica e sugestão de novas pesquisas. Os resultados apontam aspectos assistenciais que podem contribuir para a satisfação das mulheres e a necessidade de outras investigações para compreender melhor a multidimensionalidade do processo de parto, seja normal ou cesáreo.