Prominent Women Research Articles

Women in the Operating Room: The Role of Mentorship in Challenging the Gendered Norms of Surgical Practices.

Historically, surgery has been considered an inherently "masculine" profession. This persistent stereotype has led to gender inequality in currently practicing surgeons, despite gender parity of newly admitted medical students in North America. Since women began practising medicine in the 19th century, these norms began to be challenged in tandem with the suffragette movement. In the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, pioneering female physicians and surgeons worked together to establish spaces where women would be welcomed and mentored the next generation of female surgeons. In this essay, I highlight prominent women physicians and surgeons that have contributed to the presence of women in the operating room through mentorship.

Photonics Research Interview with Professor Yidong Huang

This interview article features Professor Yidong Huang, a pioneering scientist and exceptional community leader in optoelectronics, whose contributions extend beyond academia into entrepreneurship and leadership. As part of a new series launched by Photonics Research, this interview aims to highlight the journeys and achievements of prominent women in optics and photonics. Through insightful reflections, Professor Huang discusses her scientific journey, including the challenges she encountered, her proudest achievements, and her vision for the future of optoelectronics. She also shares advice for young researchers, strategies for maintaining work–life balance, and experiences with technology transfer from academia to industry.

A history of advocacy in breast cancer: lessons for all of us in putting advocacy to work - or 'how to just get things done!'

Advocacy in breast cancer has a history going back eight decades, influencing funding for research, giving women a voice in their treatment, and helping destigmatise the disease and its management. We aim to outline this trajectory. This is a retrospective historical narrative. We have identified a number of prominent women diagnosed with breast cancer who have had significant political influence and describe the grassroots movement of patient advocacy groups who now have a seat at the policy table and are integral to the research agenda. We also report on how as surgeons we can advocate for better treatments and care pathways, and importantly help build the evidence-base to inform better practice and policy. Surgical advocacy and consumer advocacy have led to huge improvements in management and outcomes for those affected by breast cancer.

Exploring stereotypes, bias, and expectations of women in the open data context

This study aims to provide a qualitative analysis of the knowledge, beliefs, and perspectives of prominent women working in different sectors in the context of open data. The analysis is based on semi-structured interviews with an outline developed for the interview script. The content obtained was analyzed by attending to categories that deal directly with a gender perspective, covering existing biases, and possible modes of transformation through actions at individual, collective, and institutional levels that incorporate gender sensitivity when working with open data. The findings show that gender bias persists in the process of collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data, as well as in the formation of work groups. The solution, highlighted by all interviewees, involves the development of interoperable and consistent data collection and analysis models that integrate a gender perspective right from the outset, as well as the training of professionals in fields associated with the use of data. Central to this process is the role of government agencies, which should promote efficient public policies giving greater visibility to the roles of women in areas of knowledge associated with open data. Finally, this research also points to the need for innovations such as artificial intelligence to overcome these challenges.

Gender differences in design creativity

AbstractGender is a crucial factor for creativity in design. Although the participation and recognition of successful and prominent women in the field of design seems to be increasing, many more men are still recognised and regarded as creative. This paper analyses the gender differences in design creativity. First, a summary of studies on gender differences in creativity in general is presented. It then discusses three critical aspects of gender differences in design creativity. Finally, some ways in which women's creativity can be encouraged and supported are outlined.

The Scottish Melting Pot – Social Media, Politics, Scotland and Online Violence Against Women

In an increasingly digital Scotland, it is easy to think that generation equal has been achieved. Women make up almost 50% of MSPs at Holyrood, and Scotland has recently had the first woman First Minister. But, increasingly women in public and political life are being put off, turning away, and seeking to leave elected office because of the toll of social media abuse amounting to online violence against women. This paper will explore the concept of online violence against women (OVAW) in the context of women in politics and public life, and against the backdrop of Scottish society. It discusses the challenges, and obstacles of OVAW in Scottish political contexts, not least because of the impact that has been imposed on politically active and prominent women in Scotland. Finally, this paper explores whether the melting pot of misogyny, tempered by a new women-led political class, and facilitated by digital technologies is too much of an ask for women who are already shouldering the expectations and hopes of Scottish society.

The female jihadist narrative: a comparative analysis

The research analyses the representation that different jihadist organizations make of women through their official propaganda. The aim is to analyse the construction of the feminine ideal designed by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), ISIS and Jabhat Al-Nusra through their leading magazines and to identify if there are differences in their representation of women. A content analysis is carried out on the narrative in which females are portrayed by those organizations. The study is also supported by a quantitative analysis of three features, which provide data on prominence of women in jihadism: the number of times they are mentioned, the illustrations targeting females and the existence (or not) of a specific section for women in the magazines of these groups. The research shows that the portrayal of women as victims and weak individuals is recurrent but is not limited to this role. There are differences in the content and subject matter in the official discourse of the three groups, such as with regard to violence perpetrated by women. The strategic and political differences between AQAP, ISIS and Jabhat Al-Nusra affect the construction of female roles in their official propaganda.

Mexican women's neglected early International Relations contributions

Abstract This article addresses the underrepresentation of women from the global South in International Relations (IR) thinking. Gender disparities and academic global inequalities affect the quality of research in IR. The cases of three prominent women scholars—Minerva Morales, Olga Pellicer and Rosario Green, affiliated with one of the first academic departments of IR in Latin America, the Center for International Studies at El Colegio de México—are illustrative of how power and asymmetries can shape the circulation of ideas and limit our understanding of international relations. Despite their relevant contributions and successful careers, these scholars faced structural limitations to reaching an international audience and receiving the same status as their male peers. An examination of their publications shows that their inclusion helps us to improve our knowledge of the plural sources of IR debates. Consequently, they enlighten us on the persistent trends and challenges that still characterize the international insertion of Latin American countries, which have political consequences. Global asymmetries, research creativity, development and debt issues, domestic constraints in foreign policy and the imperative but difficult multilateral cooperation are their main areas of analysis that resonate in current world politics.

GENDER AND MISINFORMATION: DIGITAL HATE AND HARASSMENT (PART II)

Social media platforms allow for free expression and speech, but also open possibilities for online misinformation, disinformation, propaganda, harm, and conspiracy theories (Nadim and Fladmoe, 2019). Here, gender as an analytical category plays a significant role in understanding how women, LGBTQ+ people, and members of various minorities, in particular, are disproportionately targeted by hate actors. In fact, through gendered violence and online hate, social media serves to promote structural inequality where gender minorities become the target of harassment (Jane 2014a; Jane 2017). Gendered violence and cyberhate have consequences that negatively impact women and queer groups and pose a threat to political goals through victimization and reinforcement of patriarchy (Jane, 2014b). Though anonymous in nature, mobilized and networked hate becomes a product of what Castells (1986) refers to as the culture of real virtuality where is a flow of capital, information, technology, images as well as organizational interaction. In particular, gendered cyberhate targets women in longstanding discourses that view men as superior to women (Jane, 2014b). Misogyny exists as a connective tissue that legitimizes the subjugation of feminine and othered identities in relation to heteronormative patriarchy (Kaul, 2021). In particular, online violence against women in politics poses a deepening challenge to democracy, serving as a key tool of illiberalism and democratic backsliding across the globe. Hate speech against women in politics, female journalists and other public figures encompasses all forms of aggression, coercion, and intimidation seeking to exclude women from the digital public sphere simply because they are women. Gender misinformation here itself becomes a form of violence that undermines women and othered identities and weaponizes gendered narratives to promote political, social, or economic objectives. This online behavior seeks to achieve political outcomes: targeting individual women to harm them or drive them out of public life, while also sending a message that women in general should not be involved in politics. It is important to note that digital misogyny may not be overt at all times but benign and subtle - involving “everyday, seemingly innocent slights, comments, overgeneralizations, othering, and denigration of marginalized groups” (Anderson, 2010; Anderson, 2015) that although unintentional is insidious and dangerous. Despite growing concerns about the increasing prevalence of misogynistic or sexist hate speech on different popular digital platforms, research in this field and the attention directed at ways to combat hate online is relatively recent. At this juncture, this panel on Gender Misinformation: Hate and Harassment will provide a forum to discuss how women in politics, journalism, and the film industry are perceived, and what the hate that targets these women looks like in practice in a global context. We bring together scholars whose interdisciplinary and comparative work in Germany, Azerbaijan, the Philippines, India, and Brazil focuses on prominent women in the digital public sphere and political leaders from racial, ethnic, religious, or other minority groups to demonstrate how misogynistic speech acts to exacerbate patriarchal norms and operationalize a relationship between gender and power. In addition to the focus on digital hate and harassment in the Global South, this panel also brings together a diversity of methodological interventions

ОБРАЗ ЖІНКИ-ТРУДІВНИЦІ НА СТОРІНКАХ РАДЯНСЬКОЇ ЖІНОЧОЇ ПЕРІОДИКИ (1950-ТІ – 1980-ТІ РОКИ)

The article critically analyzes the idealized portrayal of the woman worker in the Soviet public sphere from the 1950s to the 1980s. One of the primary instruments shaping women's images within the official discourse of the Soviet state was womenʼs periodicals. These publications mirrored stereotypical perceptions of women and diverse expectations concerning their social roles, encompassing their professional engagements. Drawing upon materials sourced from prominent women’s magazines such as “Rabotnitsa,” “Sovetskaya Zhenshchina,” and “Radianska Zhinka,” the article endeavors to reconstruct the representation of a woman worker in the USSR. This representation amalgamated womenʼs activity, industriousness, selflessness, and a heightened level of motivation. Official propaganda consistently emphasized women’s emancipation in the USSR and advocated for gender equality, facilitated by the opportunity for women to work in traditionally "male-dominated" fields, including various sectors of heavy industry. The persistent promotion of this idealized image aimed to stimulate greater female involvement in production. Additionally, the positive portrayal of the woman worker was actively leveraged in propaganda rhetoric to showcase the purported "achievements" of the Soviet government in addressing the "woman question," attaining gender equality, and highlighting the "advantages" of living in a socialist state. However, the propagated image, upon closer examination, diverged significantly from reality. In their professional pursuits, women consistently encountered discrimination, exclusion from highly skilled professions, limitations in opportunities to assume leadership roles, and numerous stereotypes regarding women's competence in professional spheres.

Two Mediterranean Church Mothers: Their Presence and Importance in Patristic Philosophy

There are many debates concerning the existence and possibility of Christian philosophy, as well as Jewish and Islamic philosophy. Starting from the debates in France in the 1930s, some philosophers, such as Bréhier, have argued that Christian philosophy, especially in the patristic era, did not operate through reason, as philosophy requires, for religion is a system full of dogmas, interpretations based on strict approaches and alleged facts. However, patristic philosophers, especially some pro-philosophy apologetic writers, suggested that pagan philosophy, which is assumed to operate through reason, took its doctrines from Christianity and distorted them. Thus, for them, Christianity was the true philosophy. If one takes the patristic philosophers’ view and considers Christianity a philosophy through their writings, one should acknowledge that, at the basis of their views, lies the meaning of φιλοσοφία, that is, the love of wisdom. Our consideration of early Christian philosophy as a way of life is best understood through the lens of the Church mothers since they are portrayed as the best examples among Christians. In this study, we aim to discuss patristic philosophy as the basic form of philosophizing and then go on to specify prominent female Christian philosophers from the Mediterranean Region, the crucible for many long-lasting civilizations, and finally examine the ways they were philosophizing. Our method of research is mainly based on document and content analysis since it is qualitative research in the philosophical literature. Based on the findings of this research, we demonstrate the core endeavor of philosophy as the love of wisdom through the ideas of two of the prominent women in early Christian philosophy.

New motherhood and eugenics in German women's political and popular fiction around 1900

AbstractFictional texts have long functioned as a testing ground for new impulses in society. At the turn of the twentieth century many German feminists were demanding greater influence for women in public life not despite but because of their role as mothers. At the same time writers, scientists and activists from across the political spectrum were fascinated by eugenics, seeing this new ‘science’ as the answer to many social ills. Hopes and remedies for the ‘new generation’, formed within the paradigm of evolutionary biology and a growing faith in science, were thus the focus of much public discourse and the impetus for a range of well‐documented social movements. These ideas were also shaping a new direction for prominent women writers of the day, such as Ilse Frapan and Clara Viebig. Here I examine two novels which exemplify the trend and consider the extent of these writers' involvement with the circles of influence which were helping to spread eugenic ideas in the German‐speaking world around 1900.

Framing the Inner Stature of the (S)heroes: Madhvi, Satyavati, Kunti

The essence of the modernistic awareness is located amply in the literature of the Indian universal mythical theme. Erudition of ancient texts like Ramayana and Mahabharata, not only is a source of popular culture but also detects concerns related to individuality and authority that have taken over subaltern probing. Patriarchic misogyny claims are elated while the paper attempts to look forward as Lisa Tuttle in her book The Encyclopedia of Feminism urges to look into “new questions for old texts,” prods over the role of women who are commonly considered as the weaker sex and submissive ones. A close analysis can impart a ray of understanding that amidst patriarchal society and regulations, the women in The Mahabharata did occupy prominence in terms of spirituality, salvation and sexuality that what the general assumptions would affirm. Focus is to reveal that women in the epic portray strong will power and ability to change the decisions made by men, thus playing a crucial role in hi(s)story. The present paper probes into a principal concern of the prominent women characters- Madhvi, Satyavati, Kunti along with a few connected instances of Gandhari and Draupadi; their relationship of their self, by their self and for their self.

Marital Bonds and Chains: An Examination of 19th Century Marriage as a Sexual Contract and its Impact on Women's Rights and Freedoms

This paper investigates the institution of marriage in the 19th century as a form of sexual contract and its implications on women's rights and freedoms. Utilizing a feminist historical perspective, the study examines the societal and legal constructs of marriage during this period and their role in the subjugation and oppression of women. The research also explores the rise in divorces during the 19th century as evidence of conflicts over the principles of marriage. The work and beliefs of Victoria Woodhull, a prominent women's rights advocate of the time, are analyzed, with a focus on her Free Love ideology that posited marriage as a form of sexual slavery for women. The paper concludes with a discussion on Woodhull's vision for a societal revolution in sexual matters and its relevance in the context of the evolution of women's rights and freedoms.

Self-Sacrifice, Suffrage and Socialism: Gandhi and the Mobilisation of Women, 1930–31

The civil disobedience campaign is traditionally viewed as a turning point when women participated in the anti-colonial movement for the first time in large numbers, a phenomenon conventionally attributed to Gandhi’s ‘call to women’. Feminist historiographical accounts have highlighted the limits of Gandhi’s encouragement and emphasised the depth of women’s autonomous agency. This article examines the dynamics of women’s mobilisation. It explores Gandhi’s approach to women’s activism, which was driven by the image of the self-sacrificing female satyagrahi. It then analyses the role played by two prominent women, Sarojini Naidu and Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. Referencing the emergence of the women’s movement and the growing socialist movement within nationalism, it argues that Gandhi as a leader was compelled to respond to women’s perspectives as well as shape their political participation. Gandhi’s prescriptions for women, then, were more flexible than they appear and his mobilisation of women was strategic as well as ideological.

International Arbitration and the Roots of Women’s Foreign Policy Activism

AbstractAt first glance, international arbitration—a legalistic method for the peaceful settlement of disputes among nations—may seem like a topic belonging only to the formal, male-dominated realms of diplomacy and international law. Most men in the late nineteenth century certainly thought so, and many historians since have treated it as such. But prominent women like May Wright Sewall and Belva Lockwood, and mass organizations like the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, took a lively interest in the subject in the 1890s. In that interest lay the roots of women’s foreign policy activism that led to their participation in debates over the War of 1898 and their peace efforts during and after World War I. International arbitration appealed to women because it complemented their better-known campaigns for temperance, suffrage, and other causes. As a more “civilized” method of resolving conflicts, arbitration was both a symbol of and a prerequisite for a more advanced, temperate, and equal society. It thus became a key component of women’s arguments for inclusion in the public and political life of the nation.

THE PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN POET IN LADY MARY WROTH’S PAMPHILIA TO AMPHILANTUS

Lady Mary Wroth is considered to be one of the most prominent women writers of the Early Modern Period. She comes from the Sidney family, the members of which are well-known with their noteworthy literary accomplishments. Wroth’s Pamphilia to Amphilanthus has a significant place among the sonnet sequences and early modern women’s poetry as it is “the first sonnet sequence to be composed by an Englishwomen” (Roberts, 1982, p. 43). The Petrarchan tradition with its determined roles of a male poet and an idealized lady, along with its blazons employed to express the consequences of unfulfilled love and desire can hardy accommodate a woman who comes up with such an unaccustomed role. This article, therefore, aims at a study of Pamphilia to Amphilanthus, as a sonnet sequence to see how a woman poet manages to employ the sonnet tradition in her own way. How Wroth as a woman poet accommodated herself and her persona to the poetic tradition of the time will be the main point of argumentation. It is in this respect that, the focus will be on Pamphilia and how she is represented with a new role. She is depicted as a woman with a voice, talking about her experience and the destructive outcomes of grief, quite often questioning the nature of love. Pamphilia appears not as the silent object of some other poet’s work, but writing her own poems, metaphorically redefining her place in the literary production. Furthermore, Wroth’s choice of genre, how she employed and revised it, the role she assigned to the female speaker, the major themes, along with her ideas on writing as a woman poet will be further elaborated on.

Marriage by Proxy: A Remedy to Divorce and Single Parenting as Presented in Ifá Ogbèdí Divination Poetry

Marriage is an important aspect of life in Africa and other nations around the world. In Africa, particularly among the Yorùbá, marriage institution is sacredly ordained by Olódùmarè for the purpose of procreation and mutual help. Therefore, anyone in the society that has attained marriageable age is expected to marry notwithstanding any form of deformity. However, it is unfortunate that the institution of marriage in the world today is facing a lot of hitches leading to divorce, and eventually, single parenting. In the past, marriage by proxy, which means marriage that follows due process with the help of intermediary and Ifá divination, was, considerably helpful in sustaining marital union. However today, some people have attributed the problem of marriage breakup to abandoned culture and modernity through Western education, foreign culture, and religions, while others premise it on women’s liberation. Yet, the latter argument may not be strong enough since many prominent women were successful in their business enterprises and marriage even in times of the gods such as Ajé who had 200 slaves that helped her to take her wares to the market. Whether these shared views are true or there are other factors associated with the issue of marriage and divorce is what this paper tries to find out. Hence, ten men and women were interviewed from each three principal religions in Nigeria and their opinions were content analyzed. Regardless of religious affiliation, at least 82% of the respondents agreed that foreign culture, religion, and education extremely contributed to the decline of African culture, which gave room for divorce of which the end product is single parenting.

Daughters of Aataentsic: Life Stories from Seven Generations

Daughters of Aataentsic: Life Stories from Seven Generations

THE PLACE OF WOMEN IN THE KINGDOM OF DAWRO, ETHIOPIA

In many patriarchate societies of Africa, women were highly dominated in every aspect of life. Even in our contemporary world, there are few public figures that traversed the male domination. In spite of such dominance, women have had a better socio-political and economic status in some medieval kingdoms like Dawro, and the role and wisdom of prominent women in such kingdoms needs further investigation. The oral history of Dawro explicitly reveals that women had almost equal status with men. They had the right to choose their own counterpart as well as hold public office by competing with men except the office of king which was an absolute power vested on men. On the other hand, there was a unique office for women to act as the head of the king’s treasury. Similarly, in Dawro indigenous religion, every clan have their own male deities and Mariaminto is a ‘female’ deity for women. This kind of gender equity emanated from the unique Dawro socio-political system. It was introduced at the beginning of the 16th century by a famous King Adeto Erashu and it was further developed and reshaped by the active involvement and advice of the famous Dawro Queen Bale during the reign of her son, King Erashu Hallalla. In the Dawro indigenous political system, women had an equal chance to compete for political office, except the office of kingship. There was also a separate office, Tomosogenne (king’s treasury officer) for women who spun cotton, Shalwua, the local currency and currency of other neighboring kingdoms. Hence many spinners under the leadership of Tomosogenne spun more cotton in order to boost the economic powers of various Dawro kings. It is reported that there were many female public officials in the Dawro political system including Genne Bale, Genne Shoshote and many others who worked more for the glory of the kingdom, while few of them added fuel for the decline and fall of the state. According to Dawro elders, the most prominent one was Genne Angelate Gabe, a female Worrabba (regional ruler) in Tocha. Above all her other pursuits, she was credited with separating her region from Dawro and finally peacefully surrendering it to the invading force of King Menelik (18891913) in the second half of nineteenth century. Keywords: Indigenous administration, women, Dawro, Ethiopia