Social Construction Of Gender Research Articles

Reconstituting the ‘good woman’: Gendered visual politics on social media during 2021 state election in West Bengal, India

This paper explores the visual politics of gender in electoral politics in West Bengal (WB). We examine how women political candidates visually construct their non-verbal political performance on social media, and how such visuals relate to social mores and societal expectations surrounding femininity. Drawing on theories of the social construction of gender and visual political communication, we conducted a content analysis of 1,033 visual artefacts from eight individual women candidates and 205 from the Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) pages of the four main political parties taking part in the January-April 2021 electoral campaign for state-level elections in WB. We analysed how these candidates construct gendered relationships with the electorate through different cues on the platforms, such as sartorial choices (traditional or Western attire), use of culture-specific religious symbols (sindoor or vermillion, bindi – forehead marking worn by married Hindu women), and gendered/non-gendered political actions like cooking or serving food, giving speeches or meeting constituents in political processions. Our findings about the visually performed politics show a combination of cultural, political, and gender signifiers, which are mediated and remain connected to societal expectations, and historical narratives. The candidates’ negotiation of these aspects, in turn, underscores a reproduction of colonial legacies and, in the present day, an ongoing production of societal differences. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on visual politics of gender, particularly in Asian contexts. It sheds light on the nuanced ways women politicians use social media to construct their visual identities, and how the deployment of body politics into the relatively ‘new’ online sphere reifies ‘old’ social, political, cultural symbolisms, and norms regarding gender. In this way, this article highlights the importance of considering pre-digital forms of gendered identity construction and visual representation when analysing the contested terrain of digital visibilities.

Knowledge and practice of health workers on sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based violence: Evidence from three municipalities in Senegal.

Adolescents in low- and middle-income countries face numerous developmental, sexual and reproductive health (SRHR) challenges, including exposure to multidimensional violence. Dealing with gender-based violence (GBV) is of great importance and health personnel are key players. The objective of this work was to study the knowledge and practices of health personnel on SRHR and gender-based violence in Guédiawaye, Kaolack and Kolda communities in Senegal. A descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study was conducted, which consisted of health professionals (general practitioners and specialists, nurses, and midwives) and community health workers (community relays, bajenu gox, matrons). All health facilities in the three communities were included. Data analysis consisted of univariate analysis and logistic regression modeling to investigate the factors associated with the knowledge and practice of health personnels. An alpha risk of 5% was taken. A total of 78 health professionals and 128 community actors were included in the study. More than half of the health personnel (56.3%) had good knowledge of policies, standards and protocols relating to sexual and reproductive health services for women (adolescents) and about 60% on conventions and laws. The level of knowledge was good among 51% of respondents and good practices among 54.9%. The factors associated with good knowledge were the municipality in which the profession was practiced, and the effects of training received in the social construction of gender. The factors associated with the practices were knowledge of policies, standards and protocols through training, training received in the provision of family planning services, and in medico-psychosocial management of cases of sexual violence. We conclude that the knowledge of stakeholders (health professionals and community health workers) about sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence is important for better service provision and good management of cases of gender based violence.

Gender and postcolonial studies: history of the concept and debate.

The debate on the concept of gender in postcolonial studies is extremely complex and involves a variety of theoretical and practical perspectives. Postcolonial studies has shown the connection between gender identity, colonial power, and decolonisation processes. This paper will explore the social construction of gender in colonial contexts, the way in which colonial practises have influenced gender dynamics, and the struggles for resistance and freedom in which women and gender-nonconforming people have engaged in postcolonial countries. The issue will be raised of how gender is interpreted and experienced in different cultures and social contexts. Furthermore, the analysis of colonisation and decolonisation processes will provide a starting point to understand how gender hierarchies have been built and criticised in postcolonial contexts, leading to the development of the most recent ecofeminist and decolonial perspectives.

From LiLLes to lilies: an autoethnography of coming out and coming in to a later in life queer eco-spiritual identity

ABSTRACT Most of my life I both pressed against social constructions of gender and sexuality and tried to fit within those same social constructions. After being married for twenty-six years as a cis-gender woman in a heterosexual relationship, raising three children, and serving as a pastor and faith-based nonprofit director in a conservative religious tradition and community, I leaned into and authentically claimed my sexual identity as a queer lesbian womxn. When I decided to pursue a PhD and research the intersections of gender, sexuality, spirituality, and religion, I discovered a large community of later in life lesbian womxn with stories like mine where I could belong. My spiritual journey into an authentic gender and sexual identity has also been a journey into belonging with the more than human world. Using a framework of queer ecofeminism and the method of critical autoethnography to engage my coming out later in life narrative offers the opportunity to explore how individual intersectional experiences of gender and sexuality can inform and impact collective social justice and environmental justice efforts in the work to dismantle oppressive binary systems.

Maskuliniteter i förändring på mansdominerade arbetsplatser. Exemplet gruvindustrin

This article discusses how changes in male-dominated work are connected to changes in gender constructions in the workplaces. The discussion is based on results from research conducted 2001–2021, mainly qualitative empirical studies of mine work. Although the development of the mining industry will not be as technologically deterministic and rapid as the usual dystopian and utopian visions predict, our research shows that there has already been changes that have affected mine work and workplaces. These changes have challenged the old, gendered mining workplace cultures and the implementation of new technology and reorganisation initially met resistance in the workplace. Workplace cultures seemed to be lagging behind in their acceptance of technological and organizational changes. The resistance was shaped in relation to intertwined masculinities and miner identities linked to the old ‘macho masculin-ity’, a form of local hegemonic masculinity built upon overarching myths and discourses about both mining and rural communities. The subsequent changes of mining work resulted in new gender encodings of the new technology and the new spaces of work – which created new organisational gender boundaries and new forms of inequality. At the same time, there are new forms of masculinities and feminini-ties emerging in mining organizations, which can provide openings for gender equality. Although mine work continues to be male dominated, we can see that new places, new technology, improved work environment and increased gender equality seem to imply that it has become difficult to preserve the old (‘macho’) miner masculinity and to maintain the gender marking of mining work as male and the image of the miner as male. As of now, the ‘green transition’ and the acceleration of new digital technologies implemented in mine work is beginning to shape the industrial workplaces of northern Sweden. The discourses of “green” and “technological transformation” are permeated by gendered preconceptions, by some expected to reshape the masculine workplace of the mine. Yet, our conclusion is that transformation of gendered structures in mining is not foremost dependent of technological change. Rather, we have seen complex connections between gender, technology, work and place for these male-dominated industrial workplaces, including processes of both stability and change, suggesting that changes in workplaces does not only challenge but also reproduce and reconfigure gender-based preconceptions and social constructions of gender.

“We Are Seahorses”: A Classroom Thought Experiment to Explore the Social Construction of Gender Roles

Gender roles reinforce societal and interpersonal norms and expectations that affect individuals in and out of the workplace. The causes and effects of gender roles are often unexamined or even avoided in college classes and corporate settings. However, exploring the social construction of gender in a safe learning environment can result in a better understanding of the impact of gender roles on individuals’ thinking and behavior. I present here a novel classroom “thought experiment” in which learners can explore gender roles and the inferences they and others draw based on assumptions about gender. Gender often intersects with other dimensions of diversity, and the novelty of the “Seahorses” experience can prompt deep reflection and discussion, serving as a reference point both later in a course and long after its conclusion.

Inequality Within the Family: A Comparative Analysis of Gendered Working Time Preferences Among Dual-Earner Couples

The preference for reduced work hours is well-known to be associated with various social ramifications, but research on the determinants of workers’ preference is generally limited to investigating individual and job characteristics. Building on the paradigm of the social construction of gender, the life-course perspective, and scholarship on welfare policy, we examine the relationships between heterosexual dual-earner couples’ work hour arrangements and men’s and women’s own preferences for reduced work hours, as well as their desire for their spouses’ reduced work hours in 19 countries. This study contributes to the literature on gendered work hour preferences by theorizing and analyzing two gendered family-centered contexts: couples' adaptive strategies and work-family policy regimes as two main theoretical frameworks. Thus, our approach allows examining which couple-level strategies and policies can combat hours’ mismatch, given the gendered structure of work opportunities and gender norms. Second, we offer the first examination of the role that defamilization policies play in shaping preferences for reduced hours at the couple level. Using the 2010 European Social Survey, this study documents a pervasive preference for reduced work hours for men and women in dual-earner couples. Multilevel models indicate that, regardless of dual-earner couples’ work hour arrangements, individuals generally report preferences for working hours for themselves and their spouses that conform to a modified male breadwinner-female homemaker model. Moreover, individuals in dual-earner couples in countries with less developed work-family policies feel more pressed for time.

Analisis Perubahan Representasi Gender Dalam Iklan Televisi Di Indonesia

Utilizing a qualitative descriptive methodology, this study investigates the Change in Gender Representation in Television Advertisements in Indonesia. The analysis we have conducted reveals how social constructions of gender are reflected and influenced by television advertisements through the semiotic lens of Roland Barthes. The results of this study indicate that gender representation in television advertisements has shifted from traditional stereotypes to more balanced and realistic roles, reflecting changes in the way society views gender. Advertisements serve not only as a communication tool but also influence societal understanding of gender equality. The findings suggest that mass media plays a significant role in shaping and conveying messages about gender. Thus, television advertisements can assist the audience in understanding gender roles in society in a more inclusive and autonomous manner.

Between adventure and delicacy: sailing as a powerful experience for women

ABSTRACT The nautical environment has been challenging for women. However, interviewing experienced female sailors, we noticed that despite the adversity they face, they consider the experience of sailing as something profoundly impactful and powerful in their lives. This research discusses the power of the aesthetic experience of sailing for women, thus adding to the gender discussion. In order to do so, we make use of a theoretical framework that addresses the relationship between being and the materiality of the world. In describing these aesthetic experiences lived in the body, Bachelard’s phenomenology of the image stands out. By productive imagination and poetic images found in the field research and characterized as powerful by the sailors, the social construction of gender and the images between adventure and delicacy appears.

Power, policy, and transgender identities: A case study of gatekeeping by mental health professionals in accessing gender affirming surgeries in India.

Transgender individuals seeking gender-affirming surgeries (GAS) are often denied or delayed by mental health professionals (MHPs). Studies on the gatekeeping of GAS have been mainly conducted in the Global North and primarily focus on the perspectives of health professionals. This case study from India incorporates health professional, community, advocate, and activist perspectives to contribute new evidence about MHP gatekeeping in GAS. The study aims to examine the role of power and gender in MHP gatekeeping of GAS in India. A qualitative multi-method case study including thematic analyses of key informant interviews (n = 9) and policy analysis using the policy triangle framework. Health professionals and transgender persons participate in the construction, performance, and reproduction of gender indicating the persistence of gender normativity in India which enables gatekeeping by MHPs. However, evidence suggests some signs of a change from binormativity to a culturally intelligible and historically familiar "trinormativity". To understand MHP gatekeeping, there is a need to contextualise this example of biopower within the larger social construction of gender within which MHPs operate. A transition from binormativity to "trinormativity" enables MHP gatekeeping of transgender persons seeking GAS. This risks creating new forms of gender-related oppression, such as new hierarchies and class differences between the gender binary and the "third gender".

The science of families: Nurturing hope, happiness, and health

AbstractObjectiveAuthors explored ways to understand how families and communities remain hopeful, happy, and healthy.BackgroundThe 2021 National Council on Family Relations annual conference set the groundwork for the special issue, The Science of Families: Nurturing Hope, Happiness, and Health, asking authors to take a strength‐based, transformative, and trans‐ and interdisciplinary perspective.MethodsTwo translational methodologies are offered: the inclusive cultural‐variant community‐based participatory research model (ICV‐CBPR) and Communities of Practice. The six emerging themes and a summary of the connotations of hope, happiness, and health are described in the articles.ResultsThe six emerging themes that connoted the meaning of hope, happiness, or health across 30 manuscripts included (a) the COVID‐19 pandemic and health, (b) diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility, (c) family policies and academic program needs, (d) military families, (e) contemporary family topics, and (f) research innovations. In one third of the articles, authors transformed implications, with all authors offering practical and research implications.ConclusionsHealth and happiness were often implied in notions of resilience, relationship quality, parenting, and coping. Just over half of the articles (n = 16) directly or indirectly referenced COVID‐19, health, and diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility. Other topics comprised mental and physical health, resilience, the social construction of gender, and military families. Some authors provided concrete suggestions; all submitted research and practical implications.ImplicationsThe movement toward Family Science disseminating and transforming research is moving forth. The diversity of topics, disciplines, and countries (n = 9) aligns with the inclusion and diversity goals of Family Relations.

Gender roles in Spanish cinema: a critical and creative process around the word ‘woman’

The aim of the study is to analyze the evolution of gender roles and to generate, from a feminist and intergenerational perspective, a cognitive change in the participants, using film and discussion groups as mediating techniques, since they are considered appropriate to analyze the evolution of gender roles and to raise awareness, from a feminist and intergenerational perspective, about the importance of gender roles in people’s lives. To this end, an intergenerational project, called “ Women in the focus”, was created within the framework of the Master’s program at the Complutense University of Madrid, which allows 75 women, belonging to three different generations, to reflect on the concept of gender and the expectations linked to the term, through three films produced in different decades: The Red Cross girls by Rafael J. Salvia (1958); Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown by Pedro Almodóvar (1988); and My life whith out you by Isabel Coixet (2003). Once the films had been viewed, 21 focus groups were organized, made up of between 3 and 5 women of different ages and, in order to analyze the experience, the 21 coordinators of the discussion groups were interviewed. The data obtained from the interviews and the focus groups were analyzed following a qualitative approach, through the technique of content analysis. The results show that feminist thought has had an impact on the lives of Spanish women, but in different ways depending on their age, thus, there is a discrepancy regarding the roles that women have to fulfill, a difference based on the difficulties they have had to face. With respect to the choice of film and the focus group as research techniques, it is possible to affirm that they have worked, since they have allowed women of three different generations to dialogue and review their approaches to the social construction of gender from a diachronic perspective, generating an empathetic discourse of acceptance and sisterhood, which implies, in spite of the discrepancies, the recognition of the difficulties of each generation of women.

Gender Equality as a Necessary Approach for the Country’s Development Process and for Gender Integration

The key word in the concept of gender integration is the word perspective. To implement this concept, a major change in the way we think and act is necessary. (Gender Integration in Practice, 2007:11) When gender equality is discussed as a policy in its own right, the focus is on gender structures, not just women as underrepresented gender groups. Gender mainstreaming is the inclusion of a gender perspective at every stage of the process, approval, implementation, planning, evaluation and delivery of legislation, policies or programmes. In all political, economic and social spheres, taking into account the promotion and advancement of equal opportunities between men and women. Defined as equality between men and women in all spheres, both public and private, gender equality means equal access to and control over resources and benefits, equal participation in political decision-making, and equality before the law for women and men. (Shkurti 2009:19). Gender is not just a socially constructed definition of women and men, it is a socially constructed definition of the relationship between the sexes. Policies and structures play a very important role in living conditions and often institutionalize the maintenance of the social construction of gender (Anastasi, Mandro-Balili, Shkurti, Bozo, 2012:8). This social construction contains an unequal power relationship with male dominance and female subordination in most spheres of life. This means a true partnership between men and women and their sharing of responsibility for correcting imbalances in their public and real lives. The issue remains in the use of the skills, values and talents of every citizen, as well as in the inclusion of women and men in the construction of society. Gender inequality must be fought, protected and promoted as a human right. Gender equality means participation, empowerment and visibility of both sexes in all spheres of public and private life. An important goal is the full recognition and implementation of women's rights as human rights. This means respecting, protecting and promoting the human rights of both women and men, ensuring that both parties fully respect these rights. It also means fighting interference with women's freedom and dignity.

A “hard question”: Gender affirming care and gender distress in a social world

AbstractGender affirming care for youth is currently under political attack across the United States. Critics of affirming care often leverage a biological and fixed notion of gender as assigned at birth, which is at odds with how gender has been theorized academically for decades. Yet for some feminist clinicians, the popularized version of SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION present within rhetoric about the purpose of affirmative intervention also seems to undercut the legitimacy of care. In this article, I track how the difficult problems of the origins of gender itself, problems seemingly exposed by the invocation of the SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION of gender, are managed within the field of gender affirming care. I show how by drawing on the narrative power of very young gender expansive people, and by orienting clinical care away from identity towards DISTRESS, medical providers can align themselves both with feminist desires to change how gender ideology functions in the social world, and with the need to provide interventions that allow youth to embody the gender they desire.

Gender And Patriarchy In Easterine Kire’s A Terrible Matriarchy

The socially constructed traits that are to be possessed by women, men, girls and boys living in a society are what we understood as the key elements of the term gender. But deleterious effect of gender norms to the human society left many people in trauma. As we all are aware that gendered language is something that creates biasness towards a specific sex. This biasness continues for generations and generations and becomes as irrefutable evidence to the traditional customs and beliefs. The medium of communication and instructions given by grandmother to the five years old Dielieno in A Terrible Matriarchy was that of patriarchy. Again, the command over the other members of the family by the grandmother was also in the tone of patriarchy. The social constructions of gender regulate the roles of genders present in the society. We all know that, socialization also helps to foster gender inequality. Again, patriarchy is a sex-based practice that aggravates mental, social and spiritual well-being of the second gender. As Friedrich Engels, the critic, referred to it as the earliest system of domination establishing that patriarchy is “the world historical defeat of the female sex” (Engels 2). It is again the social system that contradicts the power to an individual through cultural and traditional norms. The present paper analyzes the traditions of patriarchy and their limitations in Naga society, India. It will also analyze the ignorance of the society and the members present in it to attenuate the atrocities done to the affected group with reference to the novel ATerrible Matriarchy.

Gender Stereotypes and Women’s Health in Buea Municipality

Women’s health is not only critical for women but for their families and communities at large. The importance of and focus on women’s health is reflected on the different national and international development agendas. However, the social construction of gender and the eventual development of gender stereotypes directly and/or indirectly affects the health of women. This paper focuses on gender stereotypes and women’s health in the Buea Municipality of the South West Region of Cameroon. Through a stratified convenient sampling prsscedure to select 108 women, the paper uses the Harvard Analytical Framework and Leveque’s Conceptual Framework of Access to Health to interrogate the theme and with the help of a questionnaire. Different gender stereotypes were identified that put the woman as responsible for care and family well-being no matter her condition. This proved to affect their health through stress, ill health, self-medication, mental health challenges etc.

Konstruksi Sosial Gender pada Profesi Penata Kuku

This article aims to uncover the realities of the social construction of gender surrounding the profession of nail stylist in Pontianak City. It explores the stereotypes and stigmas associated with individuals working in the nail care industry, particularly for men in their field of profession. This research refers to the social construction of gender theory proposed by Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann, using an anthropological lens to examine gender and sexuality, with a focus on the characteristics and stigmas associated with being a nail technician. This research adopts a qualitative approach, employing a case study method in Pontianak City, supported by unstructured interviews, secondary data, and available research documents from the internet. The findings of this research challenge the social construction that declares nail care as suitable only for women and that only effeminate men are suitable for this profession, contrasting with the reality found through the accounts of the informants.

THE REASONS OF LAW FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

This article aims to discuss the reasoning of law, within the framework of the justification of judicial decisions, from a gender perspective. The structure of the analysis starts, firstly, from the enquiry on how judges decide, suggesting that legal argumentation puts into crisis the application of law. Secondly, it investigates the possibility of constructing a gender perspective as a methodological enunciation of legal reasoning procedure in the judicial decision. The field of study is circumscribed to the analysis of sentences on domestic violence in cases of intimate relationships. From this it is possible to give evidence that the decision-making process reveals, essentially, a formalistic vision of the application of the law. It is considered that the appreciation of factual situations and the material interpretation of the rule of law may be affected by prejudices resulting from the social construction of gender, which may lead to unfair decisions. It is suggested that the enunciation of gender constitutes a methodological instrument of justification of the sentence and that it operates in all the phases of the reasoning from the examination of the facts to the application of the law.

Caring for Communities through AI Language

AI-mediated communication (AI-MC) assists and creates dialogue between people to suggest responses during digital conversations. Users see this when automated suggestions appear in text and email communications. This technology has the potential to be used on a mass scale and to eventually lead to complete conversation formation, possibly without any knowledge of one knowing they are engaging in dialogue with AI. Knowing that users adopt digital behaviors that contribute to efficiency, research must look at the influence of this tool in shaping social constructs. Understanding that gender bias exists in both the English language and in the development of AI leads to my inquiry in analyzing the role that AI-MC plays in constructing social norms with language usage. I argue that the use of gender biased language in AI predictive-text suggestions contributes to the social construction of gender in the creation, execution, and use of AI-MC. My research included searching for articles related to AI-MC, human computer relationships, and historical bias concerns with AI and language. Using the keywords gender, language, artificial intelligence, and AI-MC, I compiled research articles from the fields of human computer learning, critical media studies, and psychology to conduct a discourse analysis. Informed by feminist STS scholarship on marginalization, gender and language, and the theoretical framework of social construction theory, I performed an ideological critique of the scholarship to articulate how language constructs reality, specifically gender, and the underlying consequences and assumptions. Care is given to recognizing other underrepresented communities and cultural rhetoric in digital communication tools to add a layer of nuance in highlighting the impact this approach can have toward uncovering social constructs and contributing to solutions that embrace diversity. My argument also considers the impact this intervention could have during the formative years of youth given the influence of language and symbols in forming identities and social practices. I discuss solutions of using gender fair language and neutralized language, while encouraging caution around solutions that still lean toward the masculine. AI-MC needs to be created without gendered terminology as much as possible and with the automatic inclusion of gender-neutral terms when gendered terms are suggested (e.g., suggesting he, she, and they). Additionally, I recognize the tendency for society to construct norms around “acceptable” language, for example with methods such as tone policing. I call for advancements that consider the impact of these actions on marginalized groups by developing technologies that respect diverse rhetoric. Embracing various forms of expression leads to a more authentic representation of communities and thus society at large. Therefore, efforts to create AI-MC experiences that do not reinforce binary gender, nor only one model of acceptable discourse, are essential in future developments of this tool to embrace a more inclusive digital environment. Understanding the prominence of algorithms in our communicative experiences emphasizes the need for AI language design that embraces inclusivity to encourage positive relationship formation that is representative of all people regardless of gender identification, sexual orientation, dis/ability, race, or other identities.

Socio-Cultural and Religious Taboos Trapped the South Asian Women: Analysing Female Struggle Against Male Chauvinist Society in Gita Mehta’s Raj

This research explores Gita Mehta’s prestigious place in Indian Writing in English. Being a female novelist, her writings raise the issue of women's identity. Her novel Raj mainly focuses on the culture, tradition, and political condition of India. According to her, women are trapped in the circle of religion, culture, tradition, and all social taboos. In this novel the heroine of Mehta, Jaya Singh breaks the shell of all such taboos and emerges herself as a new individual in society. This research paper will show how the novel Raj is viewed as a wide scope for feminist analysis. This research aims to explore and analyze how the protagonist, Jaya Singh along with other subordinate female characters struggles hard and creates their own space in the so-called male-dominated society. With the help of Judith Lorber’s theoretical perspective of the social construction of gender, Judith Halberstam’s female masculinity, and Judith Butler's notion of ‘gender performativity’ the research papers analyzes how gender roles and ideologies are socially constructed, not something considered natural. The finding highlights that gender is not something related to the presence or lack of certain genes. It is the product of society and culture made to suit the ulterior motive of patriarchy. The main conclusion to be drawn from this work is gender is not an inborn entity which is quite a political issue hence; the female characters deployed in the novel are claiming their 'space' in society.