Persistence Of Gender Inequality Research Articles

The gendered impact of parenthood on job-related training participation in Germany and the United Kingdom

Abstract Recent studies highlight the role of parenthood in perpetuating persistent gender inequality in the labour market. We examine whether the transition to parenthood influences job-related training participation. This study uses fixed-effects models and longitudinal data from the German National Educational Panel Study (starting cohort 6, 2010–2021) and Understanding Society: The UK Household Longitudinal Study (2010–2019). Our findings show that women’s job-related training participation decreases following parenthood in both countries, but that this decline is steeper in Germany and persists beyond the early stage of parenthood. Furthermore, our mediation analysis shows that parental leave is one of the main drivers of the motherhood penalty in job-related training in both countries. In contrast, when men have a first child, it has a small negative effect on training participation levels in Germany and no effect in the United Kingdom. This study sheds light on the gendered impact of the transition to parenthood on job-related training participation and how the country context influences these relationships.

Analyzing Gender Inequality and Stereotypes in Foreign-Sourced ELT Textbooks at an Indonesian School: A Mixed-Methods Content Analysis

Analyzing Gender Inequality and Stereotypes in Foreign-Sourced ELT Textbooks at an Indonesian School: A Mixed-Methods Content Analysis

Observations on status and trends of agricultural extension and inequality in Uganda

The global pandemic has accentuated inequalities, with vulnerable populations in developing countries fairing worst. In rural sub-Saharan Africa, restrictions on mobility to limit the spread of COVID-19 negatively impacted access to extension services and inputs by farmers. In response, countries deployed digital technologies to meet some of these challenges in the context of existing income, gender and spatial inequalities and historic declines in funding for public extension. Focusing on Uganda, which had one of the longest and strictest lockdowns, the paper used panel datasets of farmers from 2005 to 2019/2020 and found persistent socio-economic and gender inequalities in access to extension. Data from rapid rural surveys from 2020 to 2021 and a review of recent literature suggest these inequalities increased during the pandemic. The paper then builds on the structure and reforms of the current extension system to assess the potential of the digital services and their added value given the inequalities observed. The paper finds that the ability of government-led, inclusive, digital extension services is limited unless investments in extension are increased. In light of long-term declines in funding for extension, future research should focus on the effectiveness of policies to encourage private sector-led digital extension efforts to strengthen the pro-poor nature of agricultural growth.

A Case of Sticky Gender? Persistence and Change in the Division of Household Labor during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Contemporary research finds that gender continues to provide an organizing framework for couples’ allocation of household labor. To explain this outcome, scholars focus on how structural arrangements and cultural beliefs contribute to the persistence of gender inequality in domestic labor. Yet scholarship has yet to fully clarify what combination of cultural and structural factors create persistent gender inequality in household labor. We use the COVID-19 pandemic as a naturally occurring event in which arrangements for childcare and work were upended, making it possible for many to rethink their household arrangements. Drawing on in-depth interviews with 81 respondents in heterosexual dual-earner couples, we examine how change in structural arrangements allowed some couples to develop a more egalitarian division of domestic labor. We also examine why an unequal division of labor persisted for most couples even amid the dramatic changes in their work and childcare arrangements and, for some, a strong desire to do so. We theorize that, taken alone, neither cultural attitudes nor shifts in the organization of work are sufficient to remove the stickiness of gender inequality in household work. Instead, structural change offers the possibility to change behavior, but only if cultural beliefs exist that make such change desirable.

Uncovering Factors and Solutions to Gender Inequity in the Workplace

With differences in income, promotion, and opportunity continuing to impede progress toward workplace equality, persistent gender inequality in the workplace remains a major concern. The study examines at the complex interplay of factors that cause gender inequality, from cultural standards to organizational biases. A qualitative methodology is used to assess the data from various workplaces. The survey found significant gender differences in pay, representation in leadership roles, and access to professional development opportunities. Additionally, it shows how biases and cultural norms support the upkeep of these disparities. To address these issues, the research proposes a multifaceted approach that includes changes to the law, initiatives for diversity and inclusion, and tactics for personal empowerment. The study can improve society overall and create a more just workplace by putting these solutions into reality. This research explains the problem of gender inequality in the workplace and offers practical mitigation measures. By promoting more inclusive and egalitarian professional environments, we may foster the circumstances for a more just and progressive society.

STEM in Higher Education: Analysis of Gendered Themes Across Pacific Northwest Institutional Policies

Despite efforts to reach gender parity, women remain underrepresented in academic STEM fields. Structural conditions within universities are known to contribute to this underrepresentation, but existing studies have not adequately address university policies and their connection to persistent gender inequality in the academy. To bridge this gap, we apply Acker’s Theory of Gendered Organizations (1990) to the university setting by analyzing policy texts from thirteen diverse institutions, including doctorate-granting and primarily undergraduate serving universities, as well as community colleges. Specifically, we assessed the extent to which the language contained in these documents is gendered. Through the creation of conceptual lexicons and use of several metrics (i.e., polarity scores, n-grams, and radar charts), we determined that the university policy texts were largely written as gender-neutral. However, future studies should examine the implementation of these policies, as the latter may be responsible for perpetuating gender inequities.

Persisting Shadows: Examining the Legacy of Gender Inequality in Chinese Family Dynamics and Resource Allocation

This study examines the persistent gender inequality in Chinese family dynamics, particularly focusing on the traditional preference for sons over daughters in resource allocation. It highlights the “Fu Di Mo” phenomenon, where women disproportionately support their brothers, reflecting deep-rooted patriarchal norms. The paper explores how these practices, rooted in historical cultural values, are perpetuated by economic and educational disparities. It argues for a multifaceted approach to address this inequality, involving policy reform, educational restructuring, and shifts in societal attitudes. The study emphasizes the need for comprehensive strategies to achieve gender equality in modern Chinese society.

Tackling Gender Inequality in Community-Based Organizations: The Contribution of Cacao Cooperatives to Environmental Justice for Women in Peru

Persistent gender inequalities challenge theory and praxis of community-based collective action. Here we adopt an innovative approach which integrates environmental justice, value chain inclusion and collective action theory to diagnose inequalities in community-based organizations (CBOs) and identify strategies to address them. Drawing on the findings of case studies conducted at six CBOs in Peru’s cacao sector, this article aims to make three contributions. Empirically, we analyze the current situation of, barriers to and strategies for environmental justice for women in the six selected CBOs. Theoretically, we contribute to theory on community-based collective action through an analysis of environmental justice and value chain inclusion. Methodologically, we propose a framework that analysts may use to assess environmental justice for women in community-based collective action. Results show that overall, women participate less and benefit less from cacao CBOs. Furthermore, recognition of women’s contributions and capabilities for cacao value creation tend to remain limited. We discuss 18 strategies and recommendations through which CBOs can address gender inequality for their female stakeholders on a cooperative, community, household and individual level. Most salient recommendations include workshops, generating income opportunities for women, increasing the rights of partners of official cooperative members, and introducing quotas for women in leadership positions. If such efforts are reinforced and better theorized, and gender strategies continuously implemented, CBOs such as cacao cooperatives have the potential to improve the environmental justice outcomes for women within their organizations, families, and communities at large.

Men’s Experiences of Paternity Leaves in Accounting Firms

SYNOPSIS Accounting researchers and practitioners have made strides in addressing persistent gender inequalities in the accounting profession. However, these efforts have largely sidestepped men and masculinities. Our study considers the role of men and masculinities in gender inequalities by exploring how men in accounting experience paternity leaves. We conduct interviews with 13 men in audit firms in France. We find that fathers are reluctant to take leaves, which they view as vacation periods incompatible with their professional work. They see audit firms as offering less support to fathers than mothers, with support for fathers growing but still marginal. Finally, they experience a variety of emotions, including positive emotions around fatherhood and negative emotions around difficulties in reconciling fatherhood with professional responsibilities and paternity leaves. Practically, our findings imply that to address gender inequalities further, accounting firms need to change the norms around care work, including paternity leaves.

The Myth of Mutuality: Decision-Making, Marital Power, and the Persistence of Gender Inequality

Invisible power—the ability to resist changing one’s behavior because of an unspoken consensus that the status quo is natural or inevitable—upholds gender inequality in different-gender marriages. Yet the “consensus” that Aafke Komter documented more than 30 years ago—one in which both men and women endorsed male primacy and believed it natural for women to enjoy housework and men to pursue professional ambition—has weakened among the college-educated, upper middle class. We ask: What is the new consensus upholding gendered power imbalances among contemporary highly educated couples? We draw on 112 interviews with members of 44 such couples making career and family decisions to update theorizing on invisible power. Examination of decision-making processes and outcomes across work and family domains over time, including in cases of apparent agreement, reveals the consensus now upholding men’s interests to be couples’ conviction they are practicing mutuality. Partners’ belief that they are mutually pursuing both individuals’ and the family’s best interests by emphasizing “us” and balancing a decision portfolio helps them overlook unsuccessful attempts to minimize power imbalances. Progress toward gender equality among different-gender couples will likely remain stalled as long as efforts to practice mutuality overshadow critical evaluation of their success.

Tanzanian social policy in the new millennium – a cross-sectoral analysis from a gender perspective

PurposeMainland Tanzania has seen two decades of significant social policy reforms and transformations in its social and economic structures, whilst the country continues to grapple with persisting gender inequalities. This article examines Tanzania's social policy developments from a gender perspective. The authors analyse the level, reach and quality of social policy delivery to working-age women across the areas of health policy, social protection and employment policy during 2000–2021.Design/methodology/approachThe article draws on qualitative research deploying the scoping review method. The data consist of diverse secondary materials, including academic publications, government policy documents, relevant statistics and other types of “grey” literature.FindingsTanzania has made significant advancements in the legal frameworks around welfare provision and has instituted increasingly gender-responsive government policy plans. The health and social protection sectors, in particular, have witnessed the introduction of large-scale measures expanding social policy implementation. However, social policy delivery remains two-tiered, with differences in provisions for women in the formal and informal sectors.Originality/valueSocial policy delivery and implementation have increased and diversified in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) during the new millennium, with a growing integration of gender-specific policy objectives. However, limited social policy scholarship has focused on the gendered effects of broader social policy models in SSA. The article remedies the concomitant knowledge gaps by examining various social policies and their impacts on working-age women in Mainland Tanzania. The authors also engage with the theoretical welfare regime literature and present an analytical framework for gender-sensitive assessment of emerging social policy models in the Global South.

Family migration in China: A longitudinal analysis of couples' migration behaviour

AbstractThis article addresses internal migration behaviour in the context of two‐gender‐couple households in contemporary China. Against the backdrop of increasing female education in a society where ideals in the gendered division of labour prevail, this study assesses the role of partners' education in regards to a couple's migration behaviour. Considering education to be a key resource in a couple's negotiations, we test hypotheses on gender symmetry and asymmetry of a partner's resources with regard to a couple's relocation. Additionally, we assess how the role of partners' resources varies across populations with rural and urban backgrounds, and acknowledge persistent barriers to migration due to household registration policies (Hukou) and the associated disadvantages faced by rural migrants and their children. For our analyses, we deploy longitudinal couple‐dyadic data from the China Family Panel Studies (2010–2018) and estimate couples' inter‐county moves using discrete‐time event history models. Our results suggest that couple relocations are associated with higher levels of the male partner's education, and not with the female partner's education. We do not find that partners' gender ideology moderates these associations. The role of the male partner's education was found to be more relevant in couples' relocations for those with an agricultural household registration. Our research contributes importantly to debates on persistent gender inequality and urban–rural divides in China, and how these factors permeate migration behaviour.

Do political and social globalization promote female labour in Bangladesh? An empirical reassessment

This study unfolds inverted -U nexus between female labour and political globalization through the lens of autoregressive distributed lag bounds test approach based on annual data from 1984 -2019 in Bangladesh. Political globalization initially fosters female workforce and after attaining a maximum threshold level, this slowly declines. This reinforces the evidence that, initially female absorption in labour market ascends via creation of employment opportunities in service sector for educated female labour and in industrial sector for the less educated. Consequently, the demand for female labour reduces significantly as the country becomes reliant more on import- based automated industries. This non- linear quadratic inverted U relation holds in short run and in the long run. This study also divulges that social globalization has negative and significant impact on female labour in the short- run, possibly corroborating persistent gender inequality in ICT for uneducated female labour. This research disentangles that interactive term of political and social globalization has positive and significant impact on female labour in the short- run. This positive effect is strongly significant in long run as well, supporting the fact that political globalization has the moderating role to subside gender disparity in the ICT sector for educated women. This research obtains conclusive evidence for stable long run inverted U relation between female labour and political globalization. This co-integrating relation holds under presumption of endogenous structural break. Findings of this study are important for formulating right policies to promote female labour in Bangladesh.

Taking advocacy upstream with interventions to eliminate violence against women

Violence against women, particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence, is a major public and clinical health problem and a violation of women's human rights. Globally, one in three women experiences physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, mostly by an intimate partner. This is a stark reminder of the scale of gender inequality and discrimination against women. The 16 days of activism against violence against women runs from 25th November to 10th December 2023 and seeks to address upstream prevention interventions to zero violence against women. Violence and abuse adversely affect the physical, emotional, and mental health and well-being of women, children, and communities. Vulnerabilities include poverty, dispossession, wars and conflicts, persistent gender inequalities, harmful cultural practices, illiteracy, infectious diseases, infertility, natural and humanitarian crises, substance abuse, and addiction. Perpetrations are often by intimate partners or others and may take overlapping forms, including physical, sexual, and emotional violence, control, and neglect. For some, they pay the ultimate price of death. For individuals that survive, it causes injury, reproductive health problems, harm from drug abuse and addiction, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, self-harm, and suicidal ideation or acts. During pregnancy, it may lead to miscarriage, induced abortion, stillbirth, low birth weight, preterm delivery, and aggravated violence. Unfortunately, imprints in the children born into this environment may carry on this vice in their later years, contributing to social delinquency. For communities and society, it leads to a lack of urgency, limited participation, and loss of economic productivity. We must do more in the quest for 50-50 gender equality by 2030! A mind-shift and action toward prevention and health promotion of zero violence against women require upstream evidence-based interventions, including promotion of women disclosure with access to interventions for survivors and planning subsequent averting mechanisms with intergeneration long-term follow-up. Normative environments and their implementation require regular review, gender mainstreaming, and the upholding of human rights. In addition, embracing these practices in multisector policies is necessary to eliminate harmful cultural practices such as forced marriages and female genital mutilation and cutting. There is also a need to eliminate violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking, sexual, technologically driven violations, and other types of exploitation. Placing increased attention on displaced communities during war and conflicts, crises, and among migrant populations, valuing unpaid care, and promoting shared domestic responsibilities are necessary. The provision of universal access, effective coverage, promotion, protection, and fulfillment of sexual and reproductive rights are also required. Eradication of obstetric violence is possible through respectful, ethical, and professional care for girls and women within a supportive health system.  

The art museum as activist: A case study

AbstractHow do art museums illuminate patriarchal ideologies for the general public? In this article I share my experiences with critical pedagogies developed for the exhibition Like Betzy (2019–2020) by Nordnorsk Kunstmuseum (Northern Norway Art Museum). The art museum intervened in its exhibition and monuments in public spaces to attract engagement with local communities, critically question, and instigate dialogue and debate on the persistence of gender inequality. Using institutional critique as a theoretical and methodological framework, this analysis demonstrates a case of art museum activism. Additionally, I address the implications of transgression in the art museum's normative modus operandi. Although this case study is specific to a local context, I argue that monuments can serve as a site for public vulnerability, a place where museums step beyond their walls and outside their echo chambers to incite positive social justice‐oriented changes in communities.

Towards intersectional approaches to gendered change in Antarctic research

Abstract Antarctic research remains an enterprise in which people with certain backgrounds and identities have distinct career advantages over others. In this paper, we focus on barriers to women's participation and success in Antarctic research. Drawing on feminist social science literature on gender inequality in science, we identify two foundational, interrelated factors that have hampered progress across global Antarctic research. We propose that these barriers can be effectively addressed through intersectional approaches to change. We synthesize a broad range of multidisciplinary research on intersectionality in scientific workplaces and apply this literature to the unique institutional, historical and geographical contexts of Antarctic research. We argue that an intersectional lens improves understanding of persistent gender inequalities in Antarctic research, and we offer examples of how intersectionality can be practically applied within Antarctic institutions and communities. By embracing intersectional approaches to change, the Antarctic research community has the opportunity to lead in the advancement of equitable global scientific cultures and to fully realize Antarctica's potential as a place for peaceful, scientific collaboration by and for all humanity - not just a privileged few.

Challenges of Young Female Social Entrepreneurs in Post-Covid 19: A Case Study of Mueang Pon, Mae Hong Son, Thailand

This research aimed to investigate the context of social entrepreneurship and examine the difficulties faced by young female social entrepreneurs in Mueang Pon, Mae Hong Son, Thailand, in the post-Covid 19 eras. Qualitative methodology was employed, using purposive sampling to select participants relevant to a specific group. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight participants who had completed their bachelor's degree within the past five years with ages below 30 years old, representing various sectors such as hospitality, food and beverage, and handicrafts. To ensure the reliability and accuracy of the collected data, triangulation techniques were employed. Inputs from academics and government agencies are sought to validate the interview questions. Additionally, these questions were tested on other groups to confirm their appropriateness. The findings reveal that young female social entrepreneurs in Mueang Pon primarily emerged from community-based tourism, often operating as family businesses or sole proprietorships. These entrepreneurs prioritize the common good and strive to drive recovery, growth, inclusivity, and resilience within their enterprises while also promoting sustainable community development. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has presented significant challenges for these entrepreneurs. They face difficulties accessing financial resources, networking opportunities, mentorship, and the capacity building necessary for effective business operations in the post-pandemic landscape. This research also highlights additional challenges that may be faced by women entrepreneurs, including persistent gender inequality and biases, disruptions to business operations, and the complexities of balancing multiple roles. Addressing these challenges should be a priority for young female social entrepreneurs in the future.

Social movements as agents of change: Fighting intersectional food inequalities, building food as webs of life

What does the diversity of social movements and food initiatives tell us about processes of social change? I argue that they offer a productive analytical lens to observe social change because they identify injustices and dynamics of inequalities in the food system and are actively engaged in transforming these. Alternative local food initiatives react to the environmental impacts of globalized food relations; food sovereignty movements highlight class inequalities and power asymmetries in the food system that affect people’s rights to culturally appropriate foodways; food justice movements denounce institutional racism; feminist movements fight persistent gender inequalities from food production to consumption; vegan movements defend animal rights. These are often mapped onto different world regions, with food justice movements more present in the US; food sovereignty movements louder in the Global South; feminist food movements more active in Latin America; and local food movements commonly in the Global North. This article brings together diverse strands of activism and research on social inequalities related to food under the conceptual umbrella of food inequalities. In addition to concept building, it contributes to a sociology of food studies by mapping the geopolitics of knowledge about social change behind the growing mobilization around food issues.

The East-West dialogue: methodical diversity and frailties of feminist accounts

This paper investigates the commonalities and differences of contemporary feminist theories by proffering a comprehensive comparative analysis of the Western feminist agenda and Chinese woman’s concerns in relation to the philosophical discourse on global justice. Interpretation of feminist accounts delineates the persistent gender inequalities presented by Western feminist thinkers, such as Maria Lugones, Elizabeth Spelman, and Sally Haslanger, while highlighting the historical and constitutional approach to understanding the roots of gender distinctions and norms in Chinese culture through the philosophies of Ruism, Daoism, and Buddhism, as well as the Civil Code of marriage. Reflection assesses the extent of translatability concerning feminist matters given the dissimilar social contexts and political circumstances between China and the United States. This paper draws attention to the need for embracing the historical and cultural heterogeneity of grievances of women from all over the world to acknowledge the cross- and multi-cultural conditions regarding the life prospects of both men and women. Such initiatives encourage mutual engagement in promulgating the multiplicity of feminist voices to prompt more productive conversations about the identities and meanings of masculinity and femininity instead of expecting or imposing a universal consolidation of woman’s experiences.

Taking the Time: The Implications of Workplace Assessment for Organizational Gender Inequality

Gendered differences in workload distribution, in particular who spends time on low-promotability workplace tasks—tasks that are essential for organizations yet do not typically lead to promotions—contribute to persistent gender inequalities in workplaces. We examined how gender is implicated in the content, quality, and consequences of one low-promotability workplace task: assessment. By analyzing real-world behavioral data that include 33,456 in-the-moment numerical and textual evaluations of 359 resident physicians (subordinates) by 285 attending physicians (superordinates) in eight U.S. hospitals, and by combining qualitative methods and machine learning, we found that, compared to men, women attendings wrote more words in their comments to residents, used more job-related terms, and were more likely to provide helpful feedback, particularly when residents were struggling. Additionally, we found women residents were less likely to receive substantive evaluations, regardless of attending gender. Our findings suggest that workplace assessment is gendered in three ways: women (superordinates) spend more time on this low-promotability task, they are more cognitively engaged with assessment, and women (subordinates) are less likely to fully benefit from quality assessment. We conclude that workplaces would benefit from addressing pervasive inequalities hidden within workplace assessment, equalizing not only who provides this assessment work, but who does it well and equitably.