Representation Of Position Research Articles

A Man's World? The Descriptive Representation of Women Inside Europarties

AbstractMen are over‐represented in the majority of national political parties. This article makes a significant contribution to the analysis of women's representation inside ‘Europarties’ that operate at the European level. It draws on new data, including interviews with Europarties' representatives. We focus on women's representation in party leadership positions, including Spitzenkandidat:innen. We show that more women have become part of Europarties' leaderships in recent years, but that overall, men remain over‐represented, especially in right‐wing parties. We explain this development by focusing on the role of gender quotas and women's organisations in enhancing women's representation. Whereas gender quotas have increased women's presence in leadership bodies, women's organisations have not. Drawing on feminist institutionalism, we also analyse some of the informal norms and practices that have (dis)empowered women. We argue that without statutory gender quotas for governing bodies, as well as formal and transparent decision‐making processes, women risk being excluded from leadership positions.

Academic Neurosurgery Gender and Authorship Trends in the United States.

Women represent ∼20% of the national neurosurgical resident cohort but only ∼10% of academic neurosurgeons in the United States. Recognizing that the publication of scientific literature contributes to academic advancement, we measured authorship trends of academic neurosurgeons to query publication differences as an explanation for the discrepancy of female representation in academic positions. Physician data were obtained from program and individual physician webpages. Annual total, first author, and senior author publications were recorded for each neurosurgeon from 1980 to 2020. Mean publication number as a function of the year relative to residency graduation was calculated for all, first author, and senior author publications for all timepoints with >50 individuals. The mean first years of publication were compared using unpaired 2-tailed t-tests. The slope of publication for the senior author and all publications was calculated using individual best-fit lines from years 0 to 10 relative to residency graduation. Overall, 1601 faculty members were evaluated (female = 167 [10.4%], male = 1434 [89.6%]). First-author publication for female members peaked at 0.60 publications/year, and for male members at 0.80 publications/year, both at -1 year from graduation (P = .038). Female first publication occurred earlier (-2.4 vs 1.45 years; P < .00001). The mean increase in all publications/year from years 0 to 10 was 0.25 for women and 0.28 for men (P = .68). The increase in senior publications/year was 0.11 for women and 0.13 for men (P = .39). The ratio of total publications to the Scopus h-index was 3.08 for women and 3.62 for men (P = .07). These data suggest that women publish earlier but have fewer first-author publications at -1 year, the timepoint of peak publication for both genders. There was no significant gender difference in rates of the first author and all publications over the years 0 to 10. The ratio of publications to the h-index did not differ significantly but showed a trend suggesting that women produce higher-impact articles and may need fewer publications to achieve the same change in the h-index.

Navigating Toward a Gender-Balanced Culture in Leadership Roles in Higher Tertiary Institutions (HTIs)

The European Commission (EC) and the United Nations advocate the importance of gender equality in their agendas and goals. More specifically, the EC has highlighted the importance of increasing women’s representation in leadership positions, yet in a minority of universities around the globe, there is a gender imbalance. By excluding women from key academic leadership roles, a culture that superficially accepts women into roles that do not challenge the hierarchy is normalized, and a rubber stamp to hegemonic masculinity is established as typical conduct. This study utilizes data from a national survey distributed across all full-time academic and administrative staff in Cyprus’s 13 universities to examine the presence of gender disparities in leadership. The survey was designed based on a comprehensive review of the literature and pilot tested by experts in the field. It was then distributed by university rectors, reaching a total of 337 respondents. The data were analyzed to confirm that the characteristics of an extremely gendered environment, as established by researchers, are found in higher tertiary institutions (HTIs). Secondly, the authors found that the disparities between the leadership skills and traits held most prominently by women in HTIs, as opposed to their male counterparts, enhance the arguments put forward toward gender balance in leadership. Thirdly, the barriers holding women back from voicing their wishes to seek leadership roles in HTIs were identified. Finally, recommendations are made on how to overcome the androgenic environment, to move the needle and have more women seek leadership positions in a culture which preserves hegemonic masculinity. Changing this culture will navigate towards a more balanced working environment for staff and students, and can thus address ethical issues in a more inclusive and gender-balanced environment.

40 Hz sensory stimulation enhances CA3-CA1 coordination and prospective coding during navigation in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Brain stimulation has emerged as a new potential therapeutic approach to potentially correct or improve altered neural activity in Alzheimer's disease. One such approach, 40 Hz sensory stimulation, or flicker, has been shown to improve cognition in disease models. However, it is not clear how 40 Hz flicker affects neural activity underlying memory processes. Here, we investigate how 40 Hz flicker exposure affects neural activity patterns that are crucial for memory. We find 40Hz flicker increases neural coordination in memory circuits, indicating better communication. Furthermore, 40Hz flicker increased neural representations of future positions, patterns theorized to support memory-based planning. These results indicate that 40 Hz flicker increases key neural activity that is important for memory.

Factors Impacting Perceptions of Gender Inequality in the Spanish Society

This study uses Ordinary Least Squares Multiple Regression with data on perceptions regarding gender equality from the Spanish general population. Overall, the results indicate that perceptions of equal treatment under the law and equality in political life are significantly associated with perceptions of gender equality. However, perceptions of discrimination in education do not seem to affect perceptions of gender equality significantly. In addition, the results show a clear association between the belief that gender equality leads to a fairer society and the perception of gender equality itself. Results also suggest that while certain perceptions related to the law, society, and political life are instrumental in shaping views on gender inequality, there remains a foundational level of perceived inequality in Spanish society. As a concluding remark, when examining the impact of female representation in leadership positions, the results provide empirical support that the presence of women in leadership positions improves the perception of gender equity in the contexts in which it occurs; this fact reflects the importance of promoting the participation of women in management positions through public policies.

Conditional Values in Quantum Mechanics.

We consider the local value of an operator for a given position or momentum and, more generally on the value of another arbitrary observable. We develop a general approach that is based on breaking up Aψ(x) as Aψ(x)ψ(x)=Aψ(x)ψ(x)R+iAψ(x)ψ(x)I where A is the operator whose local value we seek and ψ(x) is the position wave function. We show that the real part is related to the conditional value for a given position and the imaginary part is related to the standard deviation of the conditional value. We show that the uncertainty of an operator can be expressed in two parts that depend on the real and imaginary parts. In the case of the position representation, the expression for the uncertainty of an operator shows that there are two fundamental contributions, one due to the amplitude of the wave function and the other due to the phase. We obtain the equation of motion for the conditional values, and in particular, we generalize the Ehrenfest theorem by deriving a local version of the theorem. We give a number of examples, including the local value of momentum, kinetic energy, and Hamiltonian. We also discuss other approaches for obtaining a conditional value in quantum mechanics including using quasi-probability distributions and the characteristic function approach, among others.

An Improved Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Target Tracking Deployment in Spatial Sensor Networks

This paper presents a comprehensive review of the current research on spatial sensor networks and the node deployment methods employed for mobile target tracking. The study introduces particle swarm optimization (PSO) and its quantum behavior extension, detailing concepts such as the quantum state wave function and particle position representation. Subsequently, an improved Quantum Particle Swarm Optimization (QPSO) algorithm is proposed. This enhanced algorithm increases population diversity by incorporating quantum rotation gates and quantum mutation mechanisms, expands the search space through the superposition state and interference principles of quantum mechanics, and dynamically adjusts algorithm parameters to balance global exploration and local search. These modifications aim to improve both the convergence speed and accuracy of the algorithm. Simulation results demonstrate that the improved QPSO algorithm surpasses traditional mobile tracking deployment algorithms and the standard quantum behavior particle swarm optimization algorithm in terms of target tracking deployment within spatial sensor networks. Notably, it significantly enhances the tracking success rate and reduces tracking errors.

You Can't Be What You Can't See: The Progression of Women in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

Objective: To examine trends in the gender composition of residents and faculty in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery residency programs in the United States and to investigate the correlation between women's representation in leadership positions and the proportion of women faculty and residents. Methods: A literature review was first performed to analyze trends in the gender composition of residents and faculty in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (OHNS) residency programs. Current residency programs were then identified using the Electronic Residency Application Service 2023 Participating Specialties and Programs website. The following data was collected from each program website: gender of associated medical school dean, gender of department chair, gender of residency program director, and total number and gender of fellowship directors, faculty, and residents. Wilcoxon rank sum test and Fischer's exact test were used to analyze relationships between the number of women in leadership positions and the proportion of women faculty and residents. Results: An increase in the number of women chairs, residency program directors, residents, and faculty over the past decade is documented across published literature. One hundred twenty-three current academic residency programs were identified. Women accounted for 42%, 30%, 27%, and 8% of current residents, residency program directors, faculty, and department chairs, respectively. Department chair gender was significantly correlated with number of women faculty (P = .01). Any women in a leadership position were correlated with a statistically significant increase in median percent of women faculty (P = .006). Conclusion: Further understanding of how the mentorship of women promotes gender equity is necessary to promote gender diversity in OHNS.

Visual motion extrapolation of moving objects drives real-time temporal re-alignment across hierarchical neural position representations

Visual motion extrapolation of moving objects drives real-time temporal re-alignment across hierarchical neural position representations

Few-Human-Interaction Reinforcement Learning for Autonomous Transbronchial Intervention.

The transbronchial interventional surgery presents challenges with winding and convoluted pathways, prone to compression and friction. Current autonomous planning struggles to reach deeper bronchial positions, and hard to consider multiple conflicting goals simultaneously. This article introduces an innovative planning scheme with preference weights to achieve smooth, frictionless, and collision-free autonomous transbronchial intervention with continuum robot (CR). A few-human-interaction twin-delayed deep deterministic policy gradient (FHITD3) generated from surgeon preference guidance is proposed, which determines the optimal strategy for the motion of CR. Preference knowledge is generated through interaction between human and few diversity samples. An abstract actuator space description is proposed for the posture and position representation of CR during movement within bronchus. A contact motion analysis strategy is proposed to calculate real-time attitude of CR in contact with bronchus. In addition, an oscillation suppression approach to address CR's unsmooth distal end trajectory is proposed. Simulated experiments show that the CR autonomously completes intervention tasks with a smooth and stable trajectory, reducing distal end oscillation by over 45%. It achieves a target endpoint within the fourth level bronchus (approximately 5 mm diameter) with over 90% probability.

Analysis of Gender Discrepancies in Leadership Roles and Recognition Awards in the Child Neurology Society.

Gender disparities have been demonstrated across several medical specialties, including neurology. Although women have comprised most of the child neurology trainees since 2007, it is not apparent whether this demographic shift is reflected in the Child Neurology Society (CNS) awards and leadership. This study aimed to evaluate the differences in gender representation among leadership positions and award recipients within the CNS. The primary outcome measure was the total number of board of director (BOD) positions or awards given by gender each year. A retrospective review of publicly available data was conducted on CNS members, post-training award recipients, and BOD positions, including nomination records, from 1972 to 2023. Data abstracted were restricted to gender to preserve member and nominee anonymity. Gender identification and consensus were determined through a combination of strategies and study members. Data analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson χ2 test, and the exact binomial test to compare gender proportions and the probability of being underrepresented in awards, leadership, and nominations over time. Data are presented according to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. From 1972 to 2023, women represented 29% (44/152) of the BOD positions and 26% (61/236) of post-training award recipients presented by the CNS. Despite the increase in the proportion of women in child neurology, the overall gap in gender representation in leadership positions remains broadly stable. Only 13% (4/32) of CNS presidents have been women, a significant underrepresentation (95% CI 2.3%-52%, p < 0.004), although the representation of women in nonpresidential positions increased from 2003 to 2023. Women are also underrepresented as overall awardees (95% CI 12%-38%, p < 0.00001) except for the Philip R. Dodge Young Investigator Award, which is an investigator-initiated application. Women remain underrepresented at the highest levels of recognition in child neurology despite representing most of the field. Reasons for disparities are known to be multifactorial and likely include gender bias and structural sexism. We present several discussion topics that seek to rationalize this disparity and provide suggestions for improving diversity, equity, and inclusion for leadership roles and awards.

Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Insights into Women's Pathways to Leadership in Sri Lanka

Although much research has been done on the glass ceiling phenomena in recent years, the question remains unsolved because the barriers themselves receive more attention than the ways in which women break through them. This study explores the factors that affected women who tried to break through the ceiling. This research follows a qualitative exploratory research approach. Seven semi-structured interviews with women in top positions in Sri Lanka provided the data for the study. Data were analysed and interpreted using thematic analysis. Findings revealed that three main factors affecting women's career advancement: individual factors like emotional stability and self-confidence, organizational factors like supportive work environments and policies, and cultural factors like attitudes towards Sri Lankan women. The findings offer recommendations for increasing female representation in top positions and suggest future research using a quantitative approach in different Sri Lankan contexts.

Women's Representation in Government Bodies of the Russian Federation in the Period from 1991 to 2023

The representation of women in public authorities reflects a number of more general issues related to gender equality, the peculiarities of women's political leadership, women's participation in politics, etc. The purpose of this article was to identify gender proportions in the federal executive authorities and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation for the period from 1991 to 2023. The study was conducted by statistical analysis of data presented in open sources, on the websites of the Federation Council, the State Duma, the Government and other public authorities. This article reflects the dynamics of changes in the gender distribution of positions in the field of politics over the period under study. For the analysis, the highest positions of executive and other state authorities of the country were selected, as well as membership in both chambers of the Russian parliament, which made it possible to consider women's representation in positions involving direct decision-making. The study raises the problem of the underrepresentation of women in senior political and elected positions in public administration. According to the results of the study, data on women's representation in government over the past 34 years were systematized. A trend has been identified to increase the representation of women in high-level executive positions. At the same time, the number of women in the Cabinet of Ministers of our country in the entire history of the Russian Federation has not exceeded 11% or two female representatives at the same time. No more than two women at the same time had the opportunity to take the position of Deputy Prime Minister. There are positions that have been held exclusively by men for more than thirty years. The number of women in the country's parliament is also small, but the positive trend here is more pronounced. With a global average of 26.5% female representation, in Russia there are only 18.4% women among the members of both houses of parliament.

The Glass Ceiling in Global Health: Perspectives of Female and Male Anesthesiologists.

Gender equity is essential for improving health outcomes globally. Despite comprising 75% of the global health workforce and dominating academic global health programs, women remain underrepresented in leadership positions in global health organizations. Our study aimed to identify potential gender differences in the beliefs and attitudes regarding barriers that women anesthesiologists encounter in pursuing careers and leadership roles in global health and to identify recommendations for improving gender equity in global health. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey focusing on career leadership opportunities and challenges uniquely faced by women clinicians in global health. We obtained permission from the World Federation of Societies of Anaesthesiologists to distribute our questionnaire to their leadership committee members during 2 months (May-July 2022). The questionnaire was distributed to 164 study participants with 67 individuals (44.8% female) based in 38 different countries completing the survey (response rate 40.9%). Overall, 47.8% of the participants aspired to a leadership position in global health and 58.2% agreed women face unique barriers to global health leadership (70.0% of women compared to 48.6% of men; P = .081). Female gender (odds ratio [OR], 19.22, P = .004) and divorced marital status (OR, 746.26, P = .004) were positively associated and African ethnicity (OR, 0.002, P = .017) was negatively associated with the perception of gender bias in their career growth. The main challenges included balancing work and family responsibilities, lack of female mentors or role models, gender-based discrimination, and limited opportunities for career advancement. Men acknowledged these challenges but reported personally experiencing them to a lesser extent, particularly concerning lack of opportunities (P = .005), inadequate pay (P = .000), and lack of training (P = .000). Gender disparities exist in the pursuit of global health careers. This study underscored that more women than men perceive barriers in pursuing leadership roles in global health and that men generally encounter these obstacles to a lesser extent. Female representation in leadership positions could be supported through evidence-informed policies that promote work-life balance, improve mentorship, offer equal opportunities for career advancement and adequate pay, and combat gender-based discrimination.

Work life balance and women representation in leadership positions in Ugandan public universities

Work life balance and women representation in leadership positions in Ugandan public universities

Analyzing The Effectiveness of 30% Gender Affirmative Action Policy in Indonesia

The Indonesian government’s 30% Affirmative Action Policy addresses gender inequalities by bolstering women’s representation in strategic positions. This research investigated the policy’s effectiveness in achieving this goal and uncovered constraints hindering women’s active participation in politics. Grounded in both gender equality and affectivity theories, the study pinpoints key issues of gender imbalance and investigates the policy’s impact on organizational dynamics within the political sphere. A qualitative analysis, informed by a comprehensive literature review, suggested that the implementation of the 30% Affirmative Action Policy since the reform era has demonstrably contributed to an increase in female representation within the political sphere. However, the policy’s effectiveness remains contingent upon addressing various challenges, including the persistent underrepresentation of women across both legislative and executive positions, where the 30% target has yet to be consistently achieved. Key influential factors in the implementation of this policy include the roles of the government, political parties, and society. Nevertheless, the policy is crucial in reshaping social norms regarding gender roles in politics. Overall, this article provided a comprehensive overview of the effectiveness of the 30% Affirmative Action Policy in achieving optimal gender representation in Indonesia. Policy implications and recommendations for enhancing the sustainability and effectiveness of this policy were also discussed to advance women’s participation in various social and professional aspects of life in Indonesia. Keywords: effectiveness; affirmative action; women’s representation

The Origin of Movement Biases During Reaching.

Goal-directed movements can fail due to errors in our perceptual and motor systems. While these errors may arise from random noise within these sources, they also reflect systematic motor biases that vary with the location of the target. The origin of these systematic biases remains controversial. Drawing on data from an extensive array of reaching tasks conducted over the past 30 years, we evaluated the merits of various computational models regarding the origin of motor biases. Contrary to previous theories, we show that motor biases do not arise from systematic errors associated with the sensed hand position during motor planning or from the biomechanical constraints imposed during motor execution. Rather, motor biases are primarily caused by a misalignment between eye-centric and the body-centric representations of position. This model can account for motor biases across a wide range of contexts, encompassing movements with the right versus left hand, proximal and distal effectors, visible and occluded starting positions, as well as before and after sensorimotor adaptation.

Women's representation in higher leadership positions in Ethiopia in the last three decades since 1991.

Gender equality in decision-making positions is crucial to achieving the goals of good governance, peace, democracy, and inclusive/sustainable development. The major aim of this research article is to investigate the representation trend of women in higher decision-making positions over the last thirty years, since 1991. The federal three organs of government (law formulating, law enforcing, and law interpreting bodies) were the focus of this research. This research is a mixed type of research that inculcates both qualitative and quantitative data types. Secondary data sources from relevant government institutions were mostly used. The data was analyzed through content analysis of documents and presented via descriptive data presenting techniques. The research findings reveal that although women's representation in positions of decision-making has advanced considerably in recent years, the empirical data throughout the previous thirty years demonstrated the underrepresentation of women in higher leadership positions within the Ethiopian federal government. Furthermore, Women never held certain higher-level government leadership positions, such as the Prime Minister position, which seems to be forbidden for women. Women made up 23%, 19%, 19%, and 24% of the House of Peoples Representatives (HPR), the House of Federation (HoF), ministerial posts, and judicial bodies, respectively over the last three decades. Women are visibly underrepresented in the executive positions as compared to others. Thus, substantial policy and practical initiatives are needed to remove institutional, social, and economic barriers to boost women's advanced visibility in senior leadership roles.

The gendered character of claims-making: A longitudinal analysis

In this article, we examine the gendered outcomes of career negotiations, which involve employees discussing career advancements with their direct supervisors. We apply relational inequality theory, which conceptualizes career negotiations as instances of relational claims-making, to explain gender differences in returns in terms of hourly wages, occupational status, and subjective perceptions of job advancements. Our empirical approach employs individual fixed-effect models using three waves of unique German linked employer-employee panel data on 2090 employees across 131 workplaces (LEEP-B3; 2012–2019). We find that men discussing career advancements with supervisors, experience pay raises and occupational upward mobility, whereas women do not. Yet, we find only minor gender differences in perceived job advancements following career negotiations. In workplaces with a more balanced gender representation in management and supervisory positions, women’s wage returns from negotiations increase. Although individual negotiations seem to perpetuate gender inequalities, workplace structures can weaken inequality-generating mechanisms.

Factors Influencing Women's Preferences for STEM Professions: A Case Study of the University of Peshawar

There is a widely held belief that there is an increasing gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) worldwide. Women have achieved gender equality with men in certain professions, such as the humanities and social sciences. However, women still lack adequate representation in the highest positions of academia and the professional world in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This paper is grounded in institutional theory to explore the factors that demotivate or hinder women from joining STEM as a profession in universities. The research is based on a qualitative case study of the University of Peshawar. We conducted 20 interviews with female staff members in 13 STEM departments, with 32 female staff out of 183 faculty members. The collected data generated a total of 123 codes. The axial coding procedure generated 38 codes, which were grouped into fourteen distinct categories and four overarching themes of (1) male dominant culture, (2) multiple influences, (3) professional environment, and (4) job opportunities. The study highlights the complex interplay between societal attitudes and gender in STEM fields, emphasising the need for comprehensive strategies to promote gender equality. Addressing these factors and thoroughly analysing women's engagement in STEM departments is crucial.