Abstract The intertextual comparison of Laudine and Sigune in Wolframs ›Parzival‹ reveals the conflict between the medieval Christian ideal of chaste widowhood and the constraints of feudal power relations. While Sigune is conceived as a character who, in her perfect execution, aestheticizes the Christian ideal in the literary text, Laudine’s remarriage shows how the demands of this ideal cannot be reconciled with the reality of women in positions of authority. At the same time, their behavior reflects the requirement placed on widows to preserve the memory of the deceased, which arose with the establishment of the Christian ideal. The consequences of the two female characters’ behavior for their deceased husbands show how closely the question of the legitimacy of a widow remarrying is linked to the associated act of remembering or forgetting the deceased. This contrast is also reflected in the narratological function of mourning widows in literary texts, whose portrayal always also represents the mourned.

This study delves into a critical examination of the economic status, development indicators, and perceived reality of women in Maharashtra, India, with a keen focus on assessing the impact of targeted interventions. With a sample size of 150 women, meticulously divided into experimental and control groups, a mixed-method approach combining pre and post-tests was employed. This research endeavours to shed light on the efficacy of interventions in addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by women in the region. Through rigorous data analysis techniques such as mean computation, standard deviation calculation, correlation analysis, and t-tests, the study unearths significant insights into the transformative potential of interventions. Notably, participants in the experimental group exhibited remarkable improvements across various dimensions compared to their counterparts in the control group. Economic empowerment emerges as a central theme in the study's findings. The experimental group experienced a notable increase in income levels post-intervention, suggesting the efficacy of interventions such as skill development programs and microfinance initiatives in bolstering women's economic prospects. This underscores the importance of targeted efforts in mitigating economic disparities and fostering financial independence among women in Maharashtra. The study unveils promising developments in education and enrolment rates among women in the experimental group. Access to education is identified as a key driver of socio-economic advancement, with interventions playing a pivotal role in promoting educational opportunities for women in the region.

This study investigates the emergence of feminist discourse in contemporary Urdu poetry through a sociolinguistic analysis of Parveen Shakir’s work, with particular focus on her collection ‘Maah-e-Tamam’ (Full Moon, 1994). The research seeks to decode and deconstruct the linguistic content of Shakir’s poetry in order to examine how patriarchy functions as a ruling ideology and how poetic language offers preferred subject positions to males and females. Drawing on feminist poststructuralist theory, especially the insights of Chris Weedon and Michel Foucault, the study explores how ideologies are constructed through discourse, how the female subject negotiates power relations within an androcentric social order, and how real women may empathise with, and be influenced by, the “literary woman” represented in Shakir’s poetry. Using a qualitative methodology, the study analyses selected excerpts from Maah-e-Tamam, translated from Urdu into English, and interprets lexical choices, pronominal patterns and metaphoric structures as sites where gendered power relations are encoded, resisted or re-imagined. The findings suggest that Shakir’s systematic use of first-person feminine pronouns, gendered lexemes such as larki (girl), and intimate, emotionally charged images challenges the historically male-dominated Urdu poetic tradition. Her poetry foregrounds women’s lived experiences as daughters, lovers, wives, mothers and professionals, thereby destabilising stereotypical constructions of femininity. The study concludes that Shakir’s poetic discourse plays a significant role in the development of feminist consciousness in South-Asian Urdu literature. By articulating a distinctly feminine subjectivity and exposing the workings of patriarchy in everyday life, her poetry offers readers new ways of imagining female agency within Pakistani society.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to help determine the significant barriers women in one Midwestern US State (with 70% of the 516 traditional school districts considered rural) face in advancement and in what ways these women could become more successful in obtaining upper-level educational leadership positions in PK-12 educational institutions. Design/methodology/approach This study employed a Delphi method, the researchers gathered and refined insights from women currently holding leadership roles in one Midwestern state. During three rounds of mixed-methods online surveys, participants identified barriers that perpetuate the “glass ceiling.” Findings The results revealed five main barriers that hinder women’s professional advancement: perceptions of emotional decision-making, male networks that exclude women, bias favoring men as more qualified leaders, stereotypes about women’s areas of expertise and the perceived lack of skills in facilities and operations. These findings lead to what needs to be put in place to assist women in PK-12 education in obtaining higher positions of authority. Research limitations/implications Research limitations include the geographic scope since it was limited to a single Midwestern state with rural female PK-12 educational leaders, a small sample size of 25 participants of women in rural educational leadership, whose perspectives may not be generalizable to suburban and urban settings, thus causing bias. While the study acknowledged intersectionality, participant demographics were not sufficiently detailed to ensure representation of women from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. An additional limitation was reliance on self-reported data, which introduced the possibility of recall or social desirability bias as participant perspectives may be limited to only their context. Originality/value The study revealed the need for specific professional development on technical aspects of educational leadership for women as well as the establishment of supportive networks to provide both mentors and sponsors. By educational institutions changing policies, practices, and support, more widespread upper-level educational leadership positions can become a reality for women. The findings provide suggestions for improving opportunities within PK-12 educational settings for the advancement of women into leadership positions.

There are ghosts in Racine’s theater—this is evidenced by playwrights such as Andromaque, Berenice and Iphigenia staging respectively the living will of a dead person (Hector), the voices of Titus’s ancestors, and the “other Iphigenie.” There are fantasies in the novel In Search of Lost Time, Proustian male characters falling in love with imaginary creatures rather than real women. And yet, even Racine’s heroes chase fleeting effigies, while revenants wander through the pages of the Search, first and foremost the ghost of the Self. This essay aims to show the presence of Proustian-like fantasies in Racine’s theater and of Racinian-like ghosts in Proust’s novel. A dark parallelism between the authors will rise along the way. On the one hand, the dead are not dead and lock the living in the Past. On the other hand, the living dedicate themselves to shadows: the shadows of the dead as well as the simulacra of their loved ones (an imaginary Albertine, a fictional Hyppolite). Now, if ghosts signify dialectically the corruption of the body (and—we will see—of the soul), what else do fantasies witness but the irony of love—thus, the irony of life?

Solomon’s legacy has been shaped by two major loves in his life: his love for wisdom (1 Kgs 3:1–15) and his love for women (1 Kgs 11:1–9; cf. Song of Songs). The dual passions have generated polarizing interpretations of his character in the history of reception: the former one draws him closer to God, while the latter drives him away from God. The Wisdom of Solomon, however, reinterprets the two seemingly contradictory impulses, bringing reconciliation of the competing loves of Solomon through erotic metaphors and love language within the wisdom tradition. In this paper, I argue that the Wisdom of Solomon reframes Solomon from an unfaithful lover to a devoted one by presenting Lady Wisdom as both a divine gift and a woman figure of desire. Through an analysis of biblical and Second Temple texts, including those depicting Solomon’s relationship with real women and personified Lady Wisdom, I demonstrate how Wisdom of Solomon transforms Solomon’s earthly passions into a singular and sacred devotion. This reconciliation, in turn, provides a significant lens through which to view the characterization of Solomon as a lover.

In Indonesia, the pluralistic legal landscape, where state, religious, and customary laws intersect, creates profoundly different realities for women's land rights. This study investigates the disparity between de jure principles and de facto outcomes in two of Indonesia's most prominent and contrasting customary systems: the patrilineal Batak Toba and the matrilineal Minangkabau. We employed a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design. The quantitative phase involved a multi-stage random survey of 400 households (200 Batak, 200 Minangkabau) to establish inheritance patterns. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and a multivariable logistic regression model to control for socio-demographic confounders. The qualitative phase consisted of 42 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with purposively selected community members to explain the mechanisms behind the quantitative findings, analyzed via a thematic framework approach. Quantitative findings reveal that 88% of Minangkabau women had inherited land compared to only 32% of Batak women. After controlling for age, education, and occupation, logistic regression showed that Minangkabau women had over 14 times the odds of inheriting land compared to Batak women (OR=14.72; 95% CI [7.15, 30.31], p< 0.001). Qualitative data revealed two divergent mechanisms producing these outcomes: 'Institutionalized Security' in the Minangkabau system, where rights are embedded in matrilineal identity, and 'Negotiated Permeability' in the Batak system, where access is contingent upon discretionary grants (hibah) from male relatives and is a major source of conflict. In conclusion, the structure of customary lineage remains the single most powerful determinant of women's land inheritance, an effect that state law has not superseded. While the matrilineal system provides institutionalized security, the patrilineal system renders women's rights precarious and conflict-prone. Advancing gender equity in land tenure requires engagement with the internal logic and adaptive capacities of these deeply entrenched customary orders.Fitriyanti Fitriyanti

Abstract The question of women deacons is a pressing issue in many Catholic and Orthodox churches. While recent scholarly investigations mainly discuss the theological arguments or the historical precedent, there are few if any studies which actually take living practices and real women deacons into account, as in this study of three Syriac Orthodox congregations in Sweden. From a lived religion perspective, interviews were analysed with three themes in mind, namely how traditions about the deacons are explained, embodied, and experienced. In this context, deacons are brokers between priest and parish, and between family and tradition. It is evident that the women deacons are part of a lived tradition in these parishes, while there remains at the same time an uncertainty about them and sometimes lack of recognition. There certainly are deaconesses in these parishes. The only question is what they are.

The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act 2005 is a landmark in the pantheon of Indian domestic law, which has brought a fundamental reworking of female rights in property rights. This treatise has tried a serious breakdown of the legislative development of the Act, its judicial interpretation and practice especially in providing equal coparcenary rights to daughters in ancestral property. Through a thorough examination of the provisions contained in the statutes, groundbreaking judicial decisions, and scientific research, the paper evaluates the effectiveness of the Amendment in promoting substantive gender equality. Although the 2005 reforms are reflective of a positive step in the right direction, entrenched socio-cultural barriers, haphazard enforcement practices and lack of legal literacy still stand in the way to the ultimate realization of the rights of women to property. The article, therefore, argues that, much as legal reform cannot be done without, it should be supported by social change and effective implementation strategies to achieve the constitutional promise of gender justice.

Driven by media technologies and consumerism, micro-dramas construct simulacra subjectivity through the symbolic portrayal of female characters, thereby obscuring the realities of womens lived experiences. This study adopts Baudrillards theory of simulacra as its analytical lens and uses Lacans theory of the three orders as a theoretical framework to conduct textual analysis of leading female-oriented micro-dramas. The analysis reveals that female protagonists face a triple dilemma: in the Imaginary Order, they construct a to-be-gazed mirror self-dependent on the male gaze, intensifying anxiety over appearance and body image; in the Symbolic Order, female roles are reduced to symbols such as the virtuous wife and good mother, internalizing patriarchal social norms; in the Real Order, singular, pleasure-driven narratives dissolve the diversity of female subjectivities. This study argues that such simulacra subjectivity is perpetuated through a closed loop of symbolic productiondata feedback, which not only distorts the audiences perception of real women but also risks reinforcing existing gender power structures. To promote gender equality within media and society, micro-dramas must strike a balance between the logic of traffic and the authentic portrayal of female characters, while recognizing their role as a new media form in shaping social values.

The democratic system of governance, more than any other, guarantees a wide range of rights and freedoms, including equality of citizens in political participation. Yet, some groups, especially women, are systematically disadvantaged in the politics and governance of their states. Gender disparity is among the most entrenched forms of inequality everywhere, including in Nigeria. This study, therefore, interrogates democratic governance and the reality of women’s participation and representation in Nigeria since 1999. The work adopted mixed methods – a desk review of extant and relevant literature and key informants’ interviews – to elicit relevant data for this work. Ultimately, qualitative data analysis was done to arrive at valid and reliable findings and conclusions. Liberal feminism was adopted as the theoretical framework of analysis in understanding male dominance and gender disparity in Nigerian politics. It was established that women have continued to experience entrenched discrimination, which affects their level of political participation and representation. As compared to other regions of the world and even countries in Africa, Nigeria’s rating in gender parity in political participation has been very low. Factors affecting women’s participation include an entrenched patriarchal culture, political violence, bullying of women, and the cost of politics, among others. It was recommended among others that stakeholders should ensure that cultural/religious practices that discriminate against women are discouraged and their perpetrators are adequately punished to serve as deterrent measures. Again, political institutions, development partners, and other donor agencies should be created to facilitate women’s participation in politics.

The article emphasizes the importance of starting children's economic upbringing from the early ages in order to properly build their future economic lives. It is shown that if children are properly educated from the early ages, they will be able to manage their household and personal economic affairs skillfully in the future like real men and women. It is explained that it is possible to form such personality-oriented qualities as thrift, hard work, responsibility, honesty, caring, activity, independence, initiative, prudence and demandingness in children by forming economic culture in them from the early ages. In order for children's economic upbring-ing to be more effective, it is very important to create a cognitive interest in economics in them. The for-mation of a cognitive interest in the positive norms and values of socio-economic life shows the role of eco-nomic education in the formation of personality. As a result of economic upbringing, many qualities are re-vealed and developed in children and thus children acquire the skills to act and behave adequately in various situations. The place and effects of criteria and indicators based on theoretical research and practical experi-ence in the process of economic upbringing are examined, methods and techniques of economic education are shown and topics are proposed. Methods such as projects, stories, conversations, dialogues, didactic games and modeling are used in economic upbringing. It is emphasized that plot-based didactic games help to under-stand labor activity and correctly follow the rules in any environment. The role of the family and parents is very important in developing economic mentality in children and forming a caring attitude towards the envi-ronment.

Societal Impact Statement Many flowering plant genera are named for people, but there is a gender gap in this naming, with only 6% of eponyms honouring women. Here we explore this gap by examining in detail women for whom plant genera are named. Our open shared dataset serves to make women honoured in plant genera more discoverable, resulting in further impact by allowing others to make use of this research and amplifying their stories. This will be of particular interest to those working on the history of science, those compiling datasets featuring women, those involved in knowledge production and those in education wishing to find narratives for more balanced gender representation. Summary In this study, we analyse a dataset of flowering plant genera named for women both real and mythical to understand historical and social patterns in naming genera to honour women. We used as a basis for this work a dataset composed of printed references and an extract of existing plant genera names from published databases to update Wikidata. A combination of the original dataset and extracts from Wikidata were used for analysis. The inclusion of our work in Wikidata means that this information can be reused by anyone to investigate their own questions around plant naming and women in natural history. We examined the proportions of mythical versus real women honoured genus names over time and for the real women, by occupation or role. We found that representation of real women increased over that of mythical women through time, with the number of genera named for real women overtaking mythical figures in the 1930s. Real women with connections to ‘green’ or botanical work also increased over time and seem to be on the increase today.

Bride price has remained a permanent martial culture by which some women are subordinated in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study intends to critically analyse the implications of bride price practices on marriage institutions in Cameroon, with a special case of Bali Nyonga of North West Region. Stratified, purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select the 18 respondents (9 males and 9 females). The Roland Empowerment Framework, Feminist and Human Rights Theories were used to explain the concept of bride price. Data were analysed using thematic content analysis. Although they attract prominent suitors, education and virginity do not determine the bride price. While some were exposed to levirate marriages, they are required to refund bride price upon divorce. Some men are expected to pay bride price for their dead women before being allowed to bury them. For some women who are seen as real and full women bride price brings wealth and women voices to be heard. There are few families who do not receive bride price at all. Contribution: Bride price is the sole and most relevant pre-requisite for marriage in Bali Nyonga that encompasses any other marriage requirements; it must be completely paid and refundable upon divorce. Women should form a synergy to collectively fight against harmful traditional bride price practices such as levirate marriage, collaborate with men to take part in bridal negotiation, while more women should engage in research on bride price-related issues.

The article explores the female characters in the debut novel Lilac Girls by contemporary American writer Martha Hall Kelly. These characters create a polyphonic narrative voice, allowing the novel to depict the historical situation of war-torn Europe from different perspectives: from the viewpoint of a Nazi victim (Kasia Kuzmerick), a war criminal (Herta Oberheuser), and an American philanthropist (Caroline Ferriday). The article highlights the multidimensional nature of the female characters, constructed as a synthesis of historically accurate facts and the author’s imagination. It also examines the specificity of uniquely female experiences of existence in extreme situations (war, occupation, life in a concentration camps, torture, and medical experiments). Kasia’s character is one of the most complex one in the novel, as she combines traits of real women who survived experiments at Ravensbrück with the author’s interpretation of a young woman’s coming of age, her search for identity, and her struggle to preserve her individuality and overcome the guilt that hinders her ability to build relationships with loved ones. Through the character of Herta, the author investigates the mechanisms (propaganda, intensified social frustration, the reinforcement of patriarchy in German society following the rise of the Nazis to power) that lead to the loss of ethical bearings and the complete moral degradation of an individual. The character of Caroline serves several important functions: she connects the plotlines of Kasia and Herta, helping to create a cohesive narrative; she accentuates the contrast between war-torn Europe and the United States, where citizens did not experience drastic changes following the outbreak of war; she vividly portrays the historical context by emphasizing political issues, and she embodies M. Hall Kelly’s idea of the power of human solidarity – the ability of a united community to stand up against evil.

Fostering leadership and gender equality in climate action among underserved, rural and Indigenous women: a qualitative exploration of opportunities and limitations in Peru

The political landscape of Bangladesh presents a complex tapestry of progress and challenges regarding women's representation. This study aims to identify the status of women in the top political and administrative arena of Bangladesh and shed light on the factors that are responsible for such positions. The study employed an exploratory research design, utilizing a phenomenological research approach. The study followed the purposive sampling technique to collect 13 respondents, including members of parliament, cabinet members, local government representatives, and different political party members. The findings of the study depict that women's representation in the parliament and cabinet remains insignificant in making substantive decisions. Cultural and social structural barriers, muscle politics, and reluctance to adopt change by top political leadership are considered the main barriers in this regard. This research represents a distinctive addition to the interdisciplinary fields of gender studies and political science in Bangladesh, employing both primary and secondary data to arrive at a clear and definitive conclusion regarding the subject matter under investigation.

Women's empowerment is crucial for human development, and its promotion, particularly in community development, is a key contemporary Arab issue. Recognised as a fundamental development indicator, comprehensive progress is linked to the participation of both sexes at all levels.This study evaluates Algeria's experience with policies and legislation concerning women's education and employment, examining their impact on women's status and societal roles. Using statistical data, the research explores the levels of women's empowerment in Algeria and discusses the challenges women face within this context.

Abstract In the Vita Aureliani 34.1, captive warrior women are paraded as Amazons during Aurelian’s triumphal parade. Previous scholarship on their appearance in this parade has provided gendered readings of the triumph, as well as illustrated how it creates a narrative of conquest over mythical realms. Recent work on Amazons in Greco-Roman literature, however, has used archaeological evidence from Eastern Europe to show that Amazons were based on real women warriors. This note adds to this recent scholarship by arguing that the women in the triumph of Aurelian reflected the reality of women warriors on the battlefield during the Later Roman Empire, which ultimately changes the role of the triumphal parade in the Vita Aureliani.

Objectives: This study aims to provide a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of research on the status of women in the context of war. Despite the richness of literature on armed conflicts, there has been less systematic evaluation of the research output concerning this important gendered dimension of war. Methods: The study draws on 187 articles retrieved from the Scopus database, using the phrase "The status of women in war" in the search query to identify relevant publications. A bibliometric analysis was conducted to examine the patterns in publication productivity across countries, citation impact, key sources, affiliations, authorship trends, and thematic keywords. Results: The findings reveal a gradual increase in research outputs related to women and war over the past three decades, with notable spikes following major conflicts in the 21st century. However, the citation impact of this work has decreased over time. The analysis also highlights the dominance of scholarship from Western countries, indicating the need to incorporate diverse global perspectives. Conclusions: The paper concludes that while scholarship on women's gendered experiences of conflict is expanding, critical gaps remain in equitably representing diverse voices and contexts. Prioritizing interdisciplinary, intersectional analyses through collaborative global networks is needed to elevate overlooked perspectives for a comprehensive understanding of the urgency of women's realities in war.