Professional Women Research Articles

Location Matters: Everyday Gender Discrimination in Remote and On-site Work

Remote work has dramatically transformed professional environments, sparking considerable scholarly interest in its impact on employees and organizations. Contributing to this burgeoning literature, we investigate how remote versus on-site work affects women’s experiences of gender discrimination. Given that work location can alter the gendered nature of interactions, we focus on everyday gender discrimination—slights and offenses that occur in interactions and are perceived by recipients as reflecting gender bias. Integrating gender frame theory and scholarship on virtual work, we argue that the gender frame tends to be less salient in remote settings. Thus, we predict that women will experience less everyday gender discrimination when working remotely than on-site. Moreover, because the gender frame is likely to be more salient during on-site work for younger women and those who work with mostly men, we expect that these women will experience a particularly pronounced reduction in everyday gender discrimination when working remotely. To test these predictions, we developed a new measure of everyday gender discrimination and conducted an original survey of 1,091 professional women who work in the same job both remotely and on-site. We find that women consistently report less everyday gender discrimination in remote versus on-site work. This effect is particularly pronounced for younger women and those who interact mainly with men. Overall, this study advances research on how work location shapes workers’ outcomes and experiences, enriches the literature on the trade-offs women face in virtual and on-site settings, and extends scholarship on the contextual factors shaping workplace discrimination.

Gender Awareness in Achieving Marital Satisfaction Among Young Professional Families in Indonesia

ABSTRACTGender awareness is considered a significant contributor in determining and impacting marital satisfaction amongst couples and making a strong family. This study explores the role of gender awareness in achieving marital satisfaction among young women professionals residing in Surabaya, Indonesia. The study deployed a qualitative research design, and 56 in‐depth interviews were carried out with women professionals who had been married for less than 5 years. The results show that gender awareness among young professional families varies based on decision‐making. The young women were aware of marital satisfaction about gender roles. There are two groups of women supporting distinctly different ideologies. The first group supports patriarchy, whereas the second group opposes the prevalence of a patriarchal culture. It further seeks to offer novelty in studying gender and marital satisfaction among professional families in Javanese society.

Rebusque

This article explores how women full professors engage in practices of rebusque to try to offer conditions that can allow their students to conduct academic research. Thanks to the efforts of the professors, these students can finish their degrees despite the prevalent precarity and scarcity of government funds in Colombia. Mainly based on twenty-four semi-structured and in-depth interviews with women professors, this article argues that the main form of rebusque is through alliances, and it emerges as three practices: (1) being available to perform services required by public and/or private entities; (2) developing marketing strategies to obtain materials; and (3) cultivating relationships with colleagues to gain access to other laboratories through academic exchanges of their students.

Globalization and changing gender norms: A comparative study of working women in Japan, Singapore, and India

Globalization's impacts on gender roles in Asia remain inadequately understood despite extensive scholarship on women's empowerment worldwide. This comparative study investigates how increasing integration into the global economy shapes gender norms and labor force gender gaps in Japan, Singapore and India. Quantitative analysis of World Bank indicators over 1990-2020 reveals divergent patterns; while female labor participation rates converge towards egalitarian norms in Japan and Singapore (rising from 48.89% to 49.29%, and 51.34% to 60.01% respectively), India exhibits persistence of gaping gender imbalances, only narrowing from 32.7% to 32.9% over thirty years. These macro-level trends provide impetus for follow-up qualitative phenomenological study through 1) ethnographic observations of professional women in Tokyo, Delhi and Singapore and 2) in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 60 total working women (n=20 per site) across corporate, service and informal sectors. Thematic analysis of narratives will elucidate common and distinctive mechanisms by which global and local forces interact to moderate traditional patriarchal attitudes and yield varied empowerment outcomes for Asian women. Blending macro-statistical and ground-level qualitative approaches enables holistic understanding of globalization's socioeconomic influences on renegotiating gender relations in context. Findings will inform theory and practice on global forces, development and women's welfare in late modernity.

Women and leadership in non‐listed private companies in an emerging country: An analysis of barriers and facilitators

AbstractThis study explores women's barriers to accessing leadership positions within non‐listed private companies in Bangladesh, drawing on the Gendered Organization Theory (GOT) as a conceptual framework. This research seeks some possible solutions to overcome these barriers. The study adopts a two‐wave qualitative methodology: semi‐structured interviews with 16 women professionals and subsequent focus‐group discussions to explore solutions. Results reveal that women face significant barriers, such as long working hours, gender pay gaps, unclear responsibilities, biased promotion processes, lack of training, and sexual harassment. These barriers are conceptualized in terms of implicit and explicit gender biases. Research participants emphasized individual efforts like self‐determination, upskilling, job switching, technology leveraging, and family support as key factors in overcoming these obstacles. The study underscores the need for organizational and governmental interventions to promote female leadership and gender equity in non‐listed companies in developing countries.

Women Empowerment and its Challenges in Kerala-India: A Perspective of Madzhab al-Shafi'i Islamic Teachings

This paper examines the perspective of Madzhab al-Shafi'i's Islamic teachings on the challenges of women's empowerment in Kerala, India. It discusses the current socio-economic and legal issues affecting women's empowerment, and the impact of traditional gender roles and cultural norms on this progress. The study employs both qualitative and quantitative methods to review related literature and identify the various legal and cultural barriers women in Kerala face in their quest for equal rights and opportunities. Additionally, it includes semi-structured interviews with prominent Islamic scholars, women professionals, and government officials to analyze how Madzhab al-Shafi'i's teachings could address these challenges. The findings indicate that Madzhab al-Shafi'i's teachings have significant potential to transform Kerala's culture of inequality. Furthermore, these teachings could help bridge the gender gap by promoting mutual respect and understanding. In conclusion, the paper offers valuable insights into the dynamics of gender justice in Kerala and the potential of Madzhab al-Shafi'i's teachings to foster a more equal and just society. It suggests that Madzhab al-Shafi'i's writings should be considered when developing strategies to promote and sustain women's empowerment in such contexts.

The Impact of Family and Society on Women’s Career in Bangladesh

This paper aims at understanding factors that may lead woman to work professionally and balance their family responsibilities in Bangladesh. The study reveals that factors related to self-interest, economic gain, parental and spouse support, peer status, and lenient schedules are crucial enough to create an appetite for promotion. However global studies on workforce participation and women are economic initiatives lack understanding of the particular socio-cultural factors of Bangladeshi women. This research therefore seeks to fill this gap by exploring how professional dreaming is shaped by family responsibilities, culture and organizational practices. This research forms part of a qualitative study and employed semi-structured questionnaires to capture data from 30 professional women in Dhaka. According to education, profession, marital status criteria, participants were selected and open coded to find themes. The work also finds out that wives and mothers are among the most critical sources of support to empower females for dual responsibilities. Nonetheless, flexibility, which includes offering fewer working hours and more telecommuting opportunities, was another major factor hubs relied on to serve the same purpose of improving the women’s quality of life at the cost of their work-life balance. Nonetheless, supportive cultural factors such as motivators also have their limitations in promoting work life balance due to societal pressures and absence of polices such as child care in organizations. A range of participants described financial security and job satisfaction as the key motivation that determines career success that contributes to personal and social self-actualization. In this regard, the study emphasize on the need to adopt family agenda related policies and encourage cultural change that may enhance women’s career paths. To adequately satisfy women’s career motivation it is crucial to have a strong family support and adequate flexibility at workplace.

The Design and Development of Dabujiang Patchwork Embroidery for Modern Bags

Background and Aim: Dabujiang patchwork embroidery, an intangible cultural handicraft with the longest heritage in southern Hunan, has garnered increasing attention in recent years due to its unique characteristics. However, these products are facing a situation of decline because they cannot meet the needs of modern people. The objective of this research article is to design and develop modern bags featuring Dabujiang patchwork embroidery patterns for women in contemporary society. Materials and Methods: This research is a combination of qualitative research and quantitative research. The qualitative research method was used to study the color, pattern, and meaning of characteristics from 54 pieces of 6 theme categories of Dabujiang product pictures. Interview intangible cultural inheritors, designers, bag shop owners, and women consumers to understand modern women's design needs for women's bags. Combining the characteristics of the Dabujiang pattern characteristics with the needs of modern women, the design and development of six new Dabujiang women's bags based on 6 theme categories. Through 424 questionnaires for women to assess the women's favorite new bags and analyze the reasons women like and find out the future trend of women's bag development. Results: The results of the research revealed: 1) The patterns based on the six categories have different symbolic meanings respectively and they are mainly bionic and geometric patterns. The lines are curves, and the layout is generally symmetrical and balanced. 2) There are 11 kinds of common colors and mainly based on the five orthodox colors of Chinese tradition. The main colors are red, blue, yellow, black, and white, representing the five traditional Chinese elements, which extend different meanings. 3) Through interviews find out young women prefer large bags of bag 1 style, the Morandi color scheme, and meanings of happiness, love, career success, luck, wealth, and beauty. Consequently, the researcher designed six bag styles based on bag 1 style and six theme categories to meet the needs of modern women associated with these six meanings. Questionnaire responses from 424 young women showed that 23.58% favored the Phoenix pattern bag style, making it the most preferred among the six new bag designs. This style showcases a phoenix motif in blue, white, and black colors, symbolizing career success. Conclusion: The findings indicate that modern women highly value career success and self-worth, prioritizing independence over traditional roles. This conclusion mainly stems from the transformation of modern women's roles and the awakening of self-awareness. In addition to assuming the role of mother in the family, modern women also play the role of professional women in society, and more and more women regard career success as their pursuit goal. In the context of the changing identity and goals of modern women, the products should be designed that meet the needs of modern women based on their needs, combined with the symbolic meaning of cultural patterns. For future product development, incorporating symbolic patterns that align with the career aspirations of modern young women is recommended.

Enhancing Acceleration Capabilities in Professional Women’s Football Players: A Comparative Analysis of Game-Based Versus Resisted Sprint Trainings

The recognition of high-speed demands in football has led elite academies to prioritize acceleration capabilities for player selection and promotion, particularly given their fundamental role in the motor skills of professional players and their impact on goal-related opportunities. This study explored the effectiveness of game-based versus resisted sprint training methods in enhancing the acceleration abilities of professional women’s football players. Over the entire competitive period, the training load of 26 athletes (24.2 ± 3.7 years) was assessed using GPS devices, and sprint capabilities were evaluated through four 30-m acceleration tests spaced six weeks apart. Linear mixed models (LMMs) analyzed physical load parameters, including distance covered at high speeds, speed events, and maximum speed, with periods and players as fixed and random effects, respectively. Significant sprint performance improvements were observed across all intervals, particularly when high-intensity distance volumes were combined with resisted sprint training. Conversely, high-intensity running without additional stimuli also led to performance gains, albeit to a lesser extent. Both game-based and resisted sprint training methods were effective in enhancing acceleration capabilities, while the absence of specific sprint focus did not significantly alter sprint performance. These findings support the inclusion of tailored sprint training in athletic programs to optimize acceleration in women’s football players.

The mediating effect of work-life balance on the relationship between work-family conflict and psychological well-being among Chinese working women

The study aims to explore whether work-life balance mediates the impact of work-family conflict and its dimensions on psychological well-being. Using a survey method, data were collected from a sample of 258 working women in Hebei province in China. The analysis was carried out using IBM SPSS and the PROCESS macro in order to test the mediation model. The findings show that work-family conflict has an indirect effect on psychological well-being through work-life balance. In the case of work-to-family conflict, a suppression effect is detected in which the mediator shows an underlying relationship between the work-to-family conflict and psychological well-being. On the other hand, family-to-work conflict is fully moderated by work-life balance. Based on these results, it can be concluded that enhancing the quality of work-life balance may help to reduce the negative impact of work-family conflict on psychological health. The findings of this study can be beneficial to organizations and policy makers to formulate policies that would enhance the mental health and work productivity of women professionals in China.

Mothers' and fathers' experiences of breastfeeding and returning to paid work after birth: A mixed-method study.

This mixed-method study explored the experiences of mothers and fathers combining breastfeeding with returning to paid employment after childbirth. Tasmanian State Service employees participated in an online survey and phone interviews. A total of 130 parents completed the survey, and 42 participated in 60-min phone interviews. The survey had more female respondents (109) than male (21), and only 4 of the 42 interviews were with fathers. The sample consisted mainly of professional women (84%) and men (16%), predominantly Australian-born (88%). Two-thirds of participants worked part-time (62%), taking either unpaid (52%) or paid leave (61%) within the first 12 months after birth. The majority (88%) preferred to breastfeed, with the mean age of the first formula feed being 4.1 months. A narrative analysis of the qualitative data, informed by work-family conflict theory, reveals that transitioning back to paid work while breastfeeding is challenging for both mothers and fathers. Parents face multiple conflicts between paid work, family responsibilities and maintaining breastfeeding. The emotional and physical demands of feeding, expressing, storing and transporting breast milk, combined with often inadequate workplace facilities, policies and gender discrimination, add to parental pressure. Mothers bear the greatest burden, while fathers' roles and needs are often overlooked in the workplace. The major finding of this study is that breastfeeding is insufficiently recognised as an integral part of the return-to-work process for both parents, generating a form of work-family breastfeeding conflict, where work (part-time or full-time) interferes with family responsibilities and breastfeeding. Family-friendly breastfeeding policies based on equity principles are needed to address workplace gender inequality and discrimination and better support parents in combining work and breastfeeding.

Unlocking Opportunities: How Women Navigate Informal Networks in Saudi Arabia's Evolving Workplace

ABSTRACTIn the context of the Arab countries of the Middle East, Wasta informal networks predominate in the business environment. While historically women in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had limited access to informal networks, recent socio‐economic changes have had a positive impact on women's participation in the workplace. This research explores the use of Wasta informal networks by women in the context of the new Saudi workplace based on 26 interviews conducted with Saudi professional women. The findings highlight that, due to the changes in the formal institutions, which in turn impact informal institutions, women are generally afforded more direct access to networks, enabling them to attain jobs and progress their careers. The research also contributes to informal network literature by distinguishing between Wasta (negative practice) and other forms of informal networks (positive/beneficial practice). Suggestions are offered to policymakers, managers, and women practitioners to navigate the use of informal networks and Wasta.

Career Duality and Work Performance: Insights from Women in Bangladesh

This study looks into how women's professional success in Bangladesh is affected by career dualism, work-life balance, and cultural expectations. Data were gathered from thirty women in Dhaka who worked in the public, private, and self-employed sectors using a qualitative study methodology. The research utilized semi-structured interviews and theme analysis to effectively capture the intricacies of the participants' perspectives, underscoring the subjective aspect of work-life balance. The participants brought to light considerable difficulties in juggling dual responsibilities as careers and professionals, which are made worse by inflexible gender stereotypes and restricted access to childcare facilities. The results show that women's ability to balance conflicting demands is greatly aided by family support, especially that provided by mothers and spouses. However, respondents said that the lack of maternity benefits, childcare services, and flexible schedules were substantial barriers, and that workplace regulations frequently lacked the flexibility required to meet women's multiple obligations. The study also looks at the post-pandemic trend towards remote employment, which brought difficulties since it blurred the lines between home and professional life even while it offered flexibility. The critical need for institutional reforms-including the implementation of family-friendly workplace practices like paid parental leave, on-site daycare, and remote work options-is highlighted by this study. It also emphasises how crucial cultural changes are to easing the burden on women who want to advance professionally but are under pressure to live up to conventional norms. To investigate the effects of career duality on professional women's long-term career growth and well-being, longitudinal research approaches should be used in future studies.

Empowering Young Roma Women in matters of health and primary care: an innovative training program

Abstract Background Roma communities are rather diverse groups with different level of knowledge, beliefs and motivations in relation to their health. Raising awareness and self-efficacy of these individuals is a challenging field in the EU public health agenda. Objectives To address this challenge, the program entitled “Empowering Young Roma Women in matters of health, prevention and human rights: a new methodological approach” was developed with the aim to empower Roma women in terms of health and prevention topics pilot testing different educational methods. A two-step co-design approach was performed to determine the training content, tools, methods. The training was implemented in 5 areas throughout Greece (Volos, Chalkida, Thiva, Agia Varvara, Zefyri) in Jan-Oct 2023, including 3 phases: a. Train-the-trainers, b. Training the Roma women and c. Training evaluation. Results The educational material developed for health and prevention included 4 units (gynaecological health issues, vaccinations, smoking and nutrition). Each unit consisted of a theoretical background to develop the material, a presentation for future trainers, a presentation for trainees, a brochure, and a poster. For the training a new methodological approach was tested i.e. a health professional or Roma women (after being trained) to deliver the training. In total, 548 pre-post questionnaires were collected. Most trainees, understood the content of the training, acquired new knowledge and found the information interesting and possible to include in their daily life. 80% trainees expressed their satisfaction with the overall presentation. Regarding knowledge improvement based on the type of trainer only a slightly greater degree of improvement was observed for Roma trainers. Conclusions It is crucial to develop culturally appropriate health interventions by directly working with communities, to understand their particular needs, and to ensure they receive the information needed to make informed decisions. Key messages • Maintaining and promoting health is a decisive factor of social inclusion. • Tailor-made training of ethnic minorities shall be an integral part of the EU public health agenda.

Monitoring hip adductor strength in professional women's football players over a season: A prospective study

ObjectivesTo describe the changes in hip adductor strength of professional women's football players over a season. DesignOne-season prospective study. SettingFacilities of a national first division club. ParticipantsProfessional women's football players. Main outcome measuresMaximum hip adductor isometric strength in the long-lever and short-lever positions at four timepoints: early preseason, early season, mid-season, and end-season. ResultsTwenty-two players completed the study. Hip adductor strength values in early preseason (134 ± 29 N in the long-lever position and 317 ± 68 N in the short-lever position) were significantly lower than in the early season (171 ± 29 N and 363 ± 54 N) and mid-season (163 ± 23 N and 369 ± 53 N). By the end of the season (150 ± 19 N and 345 ± 39 N), strength values had significantly declined from both early and mid-season levels. Visual inspection of individual athletes' strength evolution over time reveals heterogeneous responses, with some players showing trajectories opposite to the group at specific time points. ConclusionsHip adductor strength increased from the preseason to the start of the women's football national league, remained stable during the first half of the league, but slightly declined in the second half. The heterogeneous responses among athletes underscore the importance of individualized monitoring throughout the season.

In the Grip of Traditionalism? How Nigerian Middle-Class Working Mothers Navigate Normative Ideals of Femininity

Changing socioeconomic conditions are enticing more and more Nigerian mothers to work and pursue careers. This article explores how middle-class professional women navigate working mother subjectivities in the context of Nigeria’s strong patriarchal culture, where traditional notions of maternal femininity prevail. We argue that the working mother’s subjectivity is a key site where the struggle over gendered cultural meanings takes place. Drawing on 32 qualitative interviews, we demonstrate how a small group of women refused traditional feminine subject positions; however, most mothers either embraced or reluctantly acquiesced to traditional femininity, despite having access to broader cultural repertoires and material resources. By unveiling the complexities of the cultural appeal of traditional femininity and social penalties for breaching it, the article extends our understanding of how patriarchal cultures resist gendered change and the nuances and limits of individual patterns of resistance.

Market segmentation analysis to find out products and services that suit customer needs using the python KMEANS clustering method (Case study: Superindo Tambun Area, Bekasi)

This study analyzes market segmentation of 1000 Superindo consumers in Tambun, Bekasi, using K-Means Clustering with Python 3.10. Variables included age, gender, occupation, purchase amount, product type, and discounts. Three main segments were identified: "Business Women" (average age 40, focus on staple goods, 16% discount), "Women Government Career" (age 39, staple goods, 16% discount), and "Professional Women" (age 38, staple goods, 15% discount). Superindo should target "Women Government Career" with the highest purchasing power. To increase sales, an online value proposition is recommended offering bundled packages of staple goods with meat and fruit.

Elite women's soccer match demand can be described using complexity-based analyses and multifractals

The present study aimed to investigate the variability of the displacements in elite women soccer players during official matches according to the position of the players and to the match progression using non-linear analyses (entropy and multifractal spectrum).Sixty-three velocity profiles from global positioning devices of elite professional women soccer players were analyzed. The mean, coefficient of variation, and maximum velocity were calculated during the match using four equal segments. Sample entropy and seven parameters derived from the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis were also calculated. The players were split into five field playing positions: forwards (FW), offensive midfielders (OM), defensive midfielders (DM), central defenders (CD), and lateral defenders (LD).No significant playing position × period interaction was found for the different parameters analyzed. However, most parameters showed a significant main effect for playing position (p < .01) and period (p < .01). Compared to the other players, FW and OM have the lowest entropy. All players showed a dominance of small velocity fluctuations but FW players showed the widest multifractal spectrum primarily. In contrast, CD had a narrow spectrum and reduced amount of small fluctuations. As the game progressed, mean velocity and entropy significantly decreased. In contrast, the multifractal peak value significantly alongside with changes in asymmetry.From the present results, velocity profiles during elite women's soccer games depicted multifractal features sensitive to player position and match segment, which can help to understand the dynamics and variability of players' responses during a match.

Very high-speed running (VHSR) profile in elite female football: An update.

The aim of the present study it's a providing an update of the profile of very high-speed running (VHSR) of professional female football players. In this study 23 official matches of the Spanish First Division of Women´s Football were analysed. A total of 15 players participated, who were classified according to their location on the matches played: central-corridor (CCP, n = 7), and lateral-corridor (LCP, n = 8). The variables recorded were: 1) Very High-Speed Running (VHSR), considering the accumulated distance, duration, and frequency, and the individual characteristics of the efforts (distance and duration); 2) Recovery between efforts (VHSRe) and; 3) VMAX. The results show that LCP described higher values in accumulative VHSR and VHSR by distance bands, with greater distances, durations and VMAX of VHSRe, with less recovery between efforts. There seems to be an evolutionary trend in the distribution of the efforts, with a higher % of efforts in the 10-20 m band. The results provide useful information that coaching staff of professional women's football teams could use to design specific very high-speed running training to optimize performance in competition.

The Love Jones Cohort and singlehood are family law issues

AbstractThis article reviews the changing Black family and households. The core theme is to understand the uniqueness of those single and living alone in the Black middle class—the “Love Jones Cohort”—and how their intersecting identities of race, class, gender, and singleness inform their lifestyle, shape how they manage life decisions, and their relationship to policy as well as family law and family court. This essay moves beyond the popularized and omnipresent inquiry: “Why are Black women not getting married?” or “Why are there so many single professional Black women?” This line of questioning throws the spotlight squarely on Black women's individual dating practices, while often ignoring structural factors that undergird those decision‐making processes. It implies that because of the individual actions of the Love Jones Cohort, specifically Black women, they are somehow at a deficiency if they are not married and child‐free, rendering them invisible as a family. This article discusses the legal implications of the presence of the Love Jones Cohort.