Gender Studies Research Articles

Where are feminism and gender studies in Asia headed?

Where are feminism and gender studies in Asia headed?

How are gender studies scholars feeling in Brazil?

How are gender studies scholars feeling in Brazil?

How are gender studies scholars resisting anti-gender politics in the United Kingdom?

How are gender studies scholars resisting anti-gender politics in the United Kingdom?

What are the challenges facing Africanist and African women's and gender studies scholars?

What are the challenges facing Africanist and African women's and gender studies scholars?

What makes you hopeful for gender studies in Hungary, in the world?

What makes you hopeful for gender studies in Hungary, in the world?

Sociolinguistic Analysis of TED Talk “We Should All Be Feminists”: A Feministic Perspective

This research paper examines the complex interplay between language, feminism and social expectations through the sociolinguistic analysis of “TED talk ‘We Should All Be Feminists’ by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,” taken as a sample. The dialogues used in the talk were transcribed. The study explores the use of the Nigerian English dialect in Adichie’s talk, highlighting its cultural authenticity and the effect of language on propagating feminist ideals. Through descriptive and qualitative methodology, the study challenges conventional gender norms expressed in the speech, shedding light on social variables such as language use, culture, power dynamics and gender inequality. Besides this, the paper focuses on reshaping social expectations and abandoning gender discrimination. It contributes significant insights into gender studies and linguistics, underscoring the vitality of language in social progress and in shaping feminist discourse. Hence, comprehending the power of language to shape perspectives enables one to foster inclusivity and challenge biases. Therefore, this study is crucial for advocating social change and empowering individuals to reshape and challenge entrenched gender norms. Overall, this research highlights universal issues of social justice and gender stereotypes. It ensures solidarity in the struggle for gender equality globally by examining the intersection of feminism, language and culture.

More on the Influence of Gender Equality on Gender Differences in Economic Preferences

Abstract This study replicates and extends the work of Falk and Hermle (2018. “Relationship of Gender Differences in Preferences to Economic Development and Gender Equality.” Science 362 (6412): eaas9899), who hypothesized that gender differences in economic preferences (patience, altruism, willingness to take risks, negative and positive reciprocity, and trust) were related to economic development and gender equality. While we were able to replicate their main results, we found that a number of methodological choices called for reexamination. Specifically, the use of an ad hoc gender equality index built by the authors lacked systematic justification, which led us to employ solely well-established indexes from gender studies in the subsequent analysis. This new analysis confirmed a positive and statistically significant association between aggregated gender differences in economic preferences and economic development conditional on gender equality. However, in contrast to the original article, the evidence of the relationship between gender differences and gender equality conditional on economic development was weak. We also investigated the relationships for the separate economic preferences and found that economic development predicts gender differences in all six preferences, whereas gender equality seems to have a negligible or null influence on most of them. Our findings provide a more nuanced view of the gender differences in economic preferences, with possible implications for policy-making.

Contextualising gender policy in tech entrepreneurship: a cross national and multiple-level analysis

PurposeIn order to address the gender divide in technology entrepreneurship, we explore how different national contexts impact policies and policy implementation. We investigate how transnational concerns (macro level) about women’s low participation in (technology) entrepreneurship are translated and implemented amongst actors at the meso level (technology incubators) and understood at the micro level (women tech entrepreneurs).Design/methodology/approachWe adopt gender institutionalism as a theoretical lens to understand what happens in the implementation of gender equality goals in technology entrepreneurship policy. We apply Gains and Lowndes’ (2014) conceptual framework to investigate the gendered character and effects of institutional formation. Four countries represent different levels of gender equality: high (Norway and Sweden), medium (Ireland) and low (Israel). An initial policy document analysis provides the macro level understanding (Heilbrunn et al., 2020). At the meso level, managers of technology business incubators (n = 3–5) in each country were interviewed. At the micro level, 10 female technology entrepreneurs in each country were interviewed. We use an inductive research approach, combined with thematic analysis.FindingsPolicies differ across the four countries, ranging from women-centred approaches to gender mainstreaming. Macro level policies are interpreted and implemented in different ways amongst actors at the meso level, who tend to act in line with given national policies. Actors at the micro level often understand gender equality in ways that reflect their national policies. However, women in all four countries share similar struggles with work-life balance and gendered expectations in relation to family responsibilities.Originality/valueThe contribution of our paper is to (1) entrepreneurship theory by applying gendered institutionalism theory to (tech) entrepreneurship, and (2) our findings clearly show that the gendered context matters for policy implementation.

Life Lessons: Experiences of Gender Studies in Zines in the 1990s and 2000s

ABSTRACT The early years of gender studies in the US academy can be traced through their impact on zinesters, who parsed their interactions with these studies in their self-made and distributed publications. In this paper, I argue that the way that these young people used the space of the zine to make sense of feminist theory in their lives and to understand their experience of thinking through gender and sexuality within the college setting can serve as a reminder of the necessity for feminist theory to be transformative to students’ lived experiences, and of the critical importance for feminist studies in the academy to primarily enable students to, in Sara Ahmed’s words, ‘live a feminist life’. The zines discussed here show both the excitement and promise that arose for student zinesters in their work with feminist theory at college, but also the inequalities perpetuated by the gender studies classrooms of the 1990s and 2000s. As we reach a critical moment in reimagining and rebuilding institutions of higher education, zines discussing early gender studies courses offer a rare insight into the lived experience of historical efforts to address educational inequality, and can serve to refocus conversations on the role of studying liberation in the academy today.

Gendered relations? Associations between Swedish parents, siblings, and adolescents' time spent sedentary and physically active.

The family is assumed to be fundamental in youth socialization processes and development, connected to social and cultural practices such as healthy lifestyles and physical activity. However, gender patterns in physical activity among adolescents and the structural drivers of gender inequality (e.g., parentage and siblingship) are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore further how gender structures relate to adolescents' time spent being sedentary and physically active, using contemporary gender theory. This cross-sectional study involved 1,139 adolescents aged 13-14 and their parents, including 815 mothers and 572 fathers. Physical activity and time spent sedentary were assessed through accelerometry among adolescents and through a self-report questionnaire for parents validated against accelerometry. The results showed significant relationships between mothers' moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and girls' MVPA on weekdays and weekends, and fathers' MVPA was significantly related to girls' MVPA on weekdays. Our results imply that the relationship between Swedish parents' and adolescent girls' physical activity in higher intensities are to some extent gendered practices. However, time spent sedentary does not seem to show any patterns of being performed according to binary ideas of gender. Further, our exploratory analyses suggest that these results somewhat intersect with parents' educational level and relate to intra-categorical aspects of doing gender. The results also indicate slight gendered patterns in the "doing" of brotherhood for time spent sedentary, however, for boys only on weekends. The study contributes to the understanding of gender norms as constraints and enablers for adolescents' participation in physical activity. The results can spur public health and physical activity research to apply a contemporary gender theory approach, and to expand the research agenda connected to what relates to gender inequalities in physical activity practices.

Violence against women associated factors with the menstrual period: a narrative review

Violence constitutes a pervasive infringement of human rights on a global scale, impacting approximately one-third of women throughout their lives. Menstruation-related violence remains an underreported issue globally, with causative factors spanning social class, education, ethnic discrimination, financial access, and other concealed influences. The objective was to identify and analyze de most factors associated with violence against women during the menstrual period. A narrative review of existing literature was conducted, utilizing databases and academic repositories. The search strategy focused on identifying studies that specifically addressed violence against women in the context of the menstrual period. The inclusion criteria encompassed research from diverse disciplines, including sociology, psychology, public health, and gender studies. This literature review investigates the intricate nexus between violence against women and the menstrual period, aiming to elucidate the associated factors that contribute to this complex relationship. Recognizing the need for a comprehensive understanding of the subject, the study delves into existing research to explore the multifaceted dynamics surrounding violence during the menstrual cycle. The synthesis of literature revealed a spectrum of factors associated with violence against women during the menstrual period. These factors span cultural, social, psychological, and physiological dimensions, highlighting the complexity of the issue. The results provide insights into patterns, risk factors, and consequences, offering a holistic perspective on the dynamics at play. The findings illuminate the multifaceted nature of this phenomenon, emphasizing the importance of tailored interventions that address cultural, social, and psychological aspects. By consolidating current knowledge, this review serves as a foundation for future research and the development of targeted strategies to mitigate and prevent violence against women in the context of the menstrual period.

Political Leadership of Women in Nepal: A Critical Observation from the Local Elections 2022

Women's representation in political leadership is crucial for liberal democracies. However, the persistent global gender gap in political participation raises important questions. This paper focuses on the state of women's political leadership in Nepal, using the 2022 local elections as a case study. It takes an epistemological critical approach and integrates quantitative and qualitative information from various secondary sources. The study reveals an increase in the number of women in leadership positions after the election, which can be attributed to the constitutional provisions of Nepal that aim to ensure inclusion, representation, and participation. However, these provisions do not guarantee the quality, competence, and empowerment of women in leadership roles, as they still face obstacles such as patriarchal structures, elitist-centric inclusive practices, and a lack of institutional support at the local level. This paper is valuable for those interested in political science, gender studies, or development studies.

Kontribusi Petani Perempuan Dalam Proses Pertanian Padi di Desa Marampiau Kabupaten Tapin

Women in Marampiau Village play a role and contribute to the family's socio-economy by farming rice. This research aims to analyse the contribution of women farmers in the process of rice farming. The theories used in this research are women and development proposed by Mosse, as well as gender theory and women's marginalisation. This research uses a qualitative approach, with the type of field research. The research was conducted in Marampiau Village, Candi Laras Selatan District, Tapin Regency. Data collection techniques used observation, interviews and documentation. Data analysis techniques through the stages of data reduction, data presentation and conclusion drawing. The results show that women farmers in Marampiau Village generally do not experience discrimination. When they work in the fields, the portion they do will be the same as men, from the beginning of land clearing, seed sowing, rice planting to harvesting. Likewise, the wages received, both men and women receive the same amount of wages, namely 60 thousand to 65 thousand per day. Working in agriculture is an occupational choice that many women in Marampiau Village make. Apart from the favourable environmental conditions, the factor of their husbands working as farmers also encourages them to work to help their husbands. In this study, it can be concluded that in the Marampiau Village community there is no discrimination against women farmers, but a division of labour between women and men. Indeed, this research is expected to be able to deliver new knowledge that marginalisation does not always occur in a society. In farming families in Marampiau Village, what happens is the process of division of labour carried out to ease the family's economic burden.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Submissions to Politics & Gender

In the summer of 2019, two of us began our term as co-editors of Politics & Gender. We were excited to manage the top journal in the study of women, gender, and politics; help to shape our field; and advance outstanding scholarship. Before our first year ended, the global COVID-19 pandemic disrupted normal routines for many professions, including within the academy. Access to offices, professional networks, and fieldwork was halted or severely limited. Both new and experienced teachers quickly transitioned to online teaching. Scholars became ill or cared for sick family members. Faculty with preschool or school-aged children spent many hours on childcare and homeschooling, leaving them with less time for research and writing. Not all impacts were necessarily negative: those without caretaking responsibilities enjoyed more flexibility and often had more time for research and writing as in-person events were canceled and lengthy commutes disappeared.

"We just take care after each other" Relational health strategies of nurses and nursing aides working in residential long-term-care as a mechanism of in and exclusion in care teams.

The health of care workers in residential long-term care (LTC) is under pressure. Scholars emphasize the importance of gender-sensitive and intersectional approaches to occupational health. To unravel how the health of nurses and nursing aides is shaped by gender, class, age, sexuality and race. A qualitative participatory study. A participatory research team, consisting of academic scholars and nursing aides, conducted semi-structures interviews (N = 20) and one natural group discussion (N = 8 participants) to validate our findings. Thematic data-analysis was guided by gender and intersectionality theory. Empirical findings suggest that gendered norms limit possibilities for self-care for female nurses and nursing aides. Feeling uncared for by society and LTC organizations, paid care workers describe how they take care of each other. These relational health strategies require a feeling of sameness, limiting space for diversity and disability within care teams. Care workers seen as 'cultural other', or those who experienced (chronic) health issues, financial struggles or informal caregiving, risked being excluded from relational care within care teams, which negatively impacted their health. Care workers' relational health strategies are a gendered and care ethical response to the lack of societal and political care for LTC, but can become mechanisms of exclusion within care teams. This can be understood as a sign of exhaustion, shaped by adverse working conditions and leading to moral stress. The lack of societal appreciation needs to be addressed by occupational health physicians and LTC organizations, to counter mechanisms of exclusion among paid care workers.

Understanding specific gender dynamics in the cowpea value chain for key traits to inform cowpea breeding programs in Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania.

Cowpea is an important food and nutrition security crop in Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania and it is mainly produced by women farmers mainly on a subsistence scale. The majority of these farmers use local varieties despite the availability of improved varieties in the region. Low acceptability and adoption of improved varieties have also hampered cowpea breeding efforts. The low adoption, especially among women farmers, has been attributed to the failure by breeding programs to involve farmers in the process of designing and developing improved varieties with a view to meeting their priorities and preferences. Despite women constituting the majority of cowpea farmers in these countries, no comprehensive gender analysis on cowpea value chain had been instituted to understand the traits that are gender and youth responsive and how to incorporate them in the product profiling so that the developed varieties benefit men, women and youth. The main objective of the gender study was, therefore, to identify preferred traits by different gender groups within the whole cowpea value chain to inform cowpea breeding programs in the three countries. The study employed quantitative and qualitative methods to elucidate preferences, including value chain mapping, a quantitative survey of farmers, focus group discussions and key informant interviews targeting farmers/consumers, traders, policymakers and processors. Results showed that the top-ranking traits in order of importance across the countries and gender were; (1) high grain yield, (2) good grain taste, (3) early maturity time, (4) large grain size, (5) good leaf taste and (6) short cooking time. It was further noted that different gender groups preferred almost similar traits though minor variations were noted in terms of prioritization of these traits. These results have had two major influences on our cowpea breeding program: firstly, the breeding program changed the way it prioritizes traits to include ones that reflect the needs of men, women and the youth in the cowpea value chain. Secondly, our breeding objectives are closely aligned to gender differences in the target population of farmers and other users, by incorporating key priority traits that address the needs of both men and women, including the youth. That is to say, product targets and specific product profiles are more gender sensitive. Since the breeding work is ongoing, the expectation is that the development of improved varieties resulting from this gender sensitive process will translate into higher adoption levels of these varieties (compared with previous releases), which might have ripple effects on food, nutrition and income security in the region.

Jewish Mysticism as a Form of Feminism in Early 20th Century Hungarian Jewish Literature: Anna Lesznai’s Response to Otto Weininger

This article examines Anna Lesznai’s radical imagining of sex and its use for transcendental purposes that heavily rely on Jewish mystical ideas intertwined with Otto Weininger's theory of gender binarism. In her gender theory—part of feminist discourse at the turn of the twentieth century—Lesznai describes female love, using religious language and ideas from Jewish mysticism, especially those resembling Hassidic concepts, and ultimately compares sexual union to yihud- unio mystica with God. Working within the patriarchal understanding of the biological definition of gender and of the concept of "female difference," Lesznai’s feminism rooted in the belief that certain personality traits and skills are inherently gendered, but she reverses the hierarchy by placing women in the position of power, thus turning Jewish mysticism and Weininger’s gender philosophy on its head.

How are intra-household dynamics, gender roles and time availability related to food access and children's diet quality during the Covid-19 lockdown?

The association between food access and children's diet quality has been documented mainly from its external dimension (e.g., availability, prices, food properties, and marketing). However, existing research has underscored that the external food environment cannot fully account for variations in children's diet quality, even amid the COVID-19 lockdown. It is increasingly evident that elements within the domestic food environment also play a crucial role in shaping this relationship. Specifically, gender roles influence how food is procured and consumed, along with challenges related to time constraints. This study explores the influence of the domestic time-gender axis and household dynamics in food access and children's dietary quality in 14 female-headed households in Santiago, Chile, during the COVID-19 lockdown. Employing a photo-elicitation exercise, we engaged with families residing in the same urban neighborhood but exhibiting varying levels of dietary quality among their children. Our analysis utilized a framework incorporating both socio-ecological food environment and gender theories. Our findings show that within these households, only one unit of "person-time" was available to address all food and caregiving tasks. Due to an unequal gender system, this limited time allocation was disproportionately absorbed by women, who were already burdened with multiple responsibilities. The lack of time favors the consumption of ultra-processed foods and hinders the intake of fresh foods. Other associated intrahousehold dynamics, such as children's fussiness and special diets, accentuates these time scarcity consequences. These difficulties were further exacerbated by strategies adopted in response to the COVID-19 lockdown, however, in families where food-related responsibilities were shared more equitably the lockdown was less disrupting. These results indicate that on top of external food environment policies, comprehensive gender-transformative policies that include food socialization processes are needed to promote healthier diets among all.

Gender-inclusive consumer studies improve cassava breeding in Nigeria.

Including gender research in cassava breeding makes it easier for farmers to adopt new varieties that meet the specific needs and preferences of both male and female farmers, leading to increased adoption of new varieties, improved productivity, and better economic outcomes for the entire farming community. Gender was included in 2013 in variety development at the National Root Crops Research Institute (NRCRI), Umudike, Nigeria in response to the dis-adoption of some varieties by farmers who had not been part of varietal development from the start, and in light of social roles which influence the responsibilities, resources and livelihood outcomes of men, women and youths. Gender inclusion has given plant breeders accurate information about the cassava traits preferred by all end-users, not just male farmers. At NRCRI, gender studies intensified in the last 5 years, contributing to the development and release of improved varieties. Quantitative and qualitative research by the gender cross-cutting team modeled trait profiling and consumer preferences, to aid demand-led breeding. Some of the methods were acquired at several trainings on how to quantify qualitative responses for prioritization. Gender research techniques include participatory varietal selection (PVS), participatory plant breeding (PPB), mother-baby trials, focus group discussions (FGD), surveys, value chain mapping, G+ tools, experiments in farmer field schools (FFS), demonstration farms, and tricot. These gave the cross-cutting team a better understanding of gender relations, power, decision-making, ownership and control of resources, and have mitigated operational and field challenges during the surveys. These methods also elicited feedback from end-users that led to better naming of newly released varieties, reflecting perceptions of agronomic performance, and food qualities, which made the varieties easier to identify and remember.

"New Perfection of Original Discovery of XX-XY (Female- Male) Gender Theory and Beyond: Child Development from Zero to Hero"

"New Perfection of Original Discovery of XX-XY (Female- Male) Gender Theory and Beyond: Child Development from Zero to Hero"