Unequal Gender Research Articles

Effets identitaires de la socialisation différentielle de genre sur les aspirations au premier enfant et au mariage des jeunes adolescent(e)s à Ouagadougou: une étude mixte

Résumé Des études montrent que la socialisation de genre développe différemment chez les filles et les garçons leur identité sexuée, leur estime de soi et leurs comportements sexuels. Alors que la préadolescence est considérée comme une période charnière de la socialisation genrée, peu d’études en Afrique francophone questionnent le rôle des effets identitaires de genre sur les aspirations et les comportements sexuels et reproductifs à cette étape de vie. Cet article examine la manière dont l’intériorisation des stéréotypes de genre au cours de la socialisation est associée aux aspirations qu’ont les filles et les garçons pour certains événements de leurs vies comme avoir un premier enfant ou se marier. Une enquête a été réalisée dans 10 écoles primaires de Ouagadougou, auprès d’élèves âgé(e)s entre 9 et 16 ans, ainsi que sept discussions de groupes avec leurs parents. Les résultats montrent une variation selon le sexe des effets de l’adhésion aux normes de genre inégalitaires chez les jeunes adolescent(e)s. Cela a pour conséquence de développer des aspirations, chez les filles plus précoces au mariage et plus tardives à l’enfantement, et chez les garçons, plus précoces à l’enfantement et plus tardives au mariage. Ces effets peuvent exposer les filles et les garçons à des risques de mauvaise santé sexuelle et reproductive. Des interventions promouvant des normes égalitaires de genre pourraient renforcer l’estime de soi des filles ainsi que le respect mutuel entre les jeunes adolescent(e)s des deux sexes afin d’améliorer leur santé sexuelle et reproductive à l’adolescence et à l’âge adulte.

Reflecting Social Reproduction in Chinese Policy: Learning from Sweden Successful Practices to Promote Gender Equality in Social Reproduction

With the development of society, women have become more involved in paid work in the production sphere, but they still mainly perform unpaid domestic work in social reproduction. Women spend much more time on domestic work than men. This results in a double burden on women from work and family and creates the problem of unequal gender division of la-bour in social reproduction. In this case, the improvement of the paternity leave system can effectively promote the sharing of responsibilities between the two sexes in childcare activities, thus breaking the gender division of la-bour in social reproduction and alleviating the double pressure on women. Using the research method of comparative policy analysis, the article focuses on the desirability of the Swedish paternity leave system and compares it with the Chinese paternity leave system. The article then puts forward feasi-ble policy recommendations in light of Chinas actual situation. The article finds that compared to Sweden, Chinas paternity leave system has three ob-vious shortcomings: there is no national legislation providing for male-only paternity leave, paternity leave is often short and rigid, and the cost-burden model is unreasonable. After identifying these three problems, the article suggests that China should improve its paternity leave system in these three aspects: specifying a male quota in the national law, extending the length of paternity leave and increasing the flexibility of the leave method, and estab-lishing a cost-sharing model for society.

‘I pretend to be an ideal woman just to keep their mouths shut’: Bangladeshi women’s contestation of abuse through social media platforms

ABSTRACT The current paper examines how women in Bangladesh contest abuse within patriarchal systems of control. In many cases, women will often decide the extent to which they adopt a particular technology to prevent experiences of abuse on social media platforms. In the current study, we analysed how women's online presence is controlled by patriarchal norms which impede their agency and recontextualise their empowerment through social media. As such, we rely on the narratives of three women in Dhaka, Bangladesh to understand how they exercise agency on social media platforms to ensure their own empowerment and avoid (further) experiences of abuse. Although we recognise that ICT for Development (ICT4D) can be a crucial way to ensure women’s empowerment, we argue that, as a male-dominated space, social media platforms promote restrictive and unequal gender stereotypes that require women to find alternative strategies to challenge and resist existing patriarchal structures.

A Study on Gender Roles in the Information Technology Profession and its Impact on Human Resources

Information Technology (IT) is one of the fields that has an important role in the economic and social development of the world today. One important issue that continues to be of concern is the gender gap in the IT industry. This research aims to examine the role of gender in the IT profession and its influence on human resources. This research uses a qualitative methodology in the form of a literature review, which implies that the research will examine and explain data by utilising information and textual content from various sources. The study results show that gender roles in the Information Technology profession is an issue that is gaining increasing attention in the IT industry. Despite the increasing participation of women in IT careers, gender imbalance remains a significant problem. Factors such as gender stereotypes, inequality in opportunities, and differences in education contribute to this imbalance. As a result, unequal gender roles in the IT industry create inequalities in compensation and career opportunities, and also result in underrepresentation of women in leadership positions.

Scientists explain the underrepresentation of women in physics compared to biology in four national contexts

AbstractWomen are consistently underrepresented in physics when compared to biology. Yet how scientists themselves explain the causes of this underrepresentation is understudied outside the US context. In this research, we ask the following question: How do scientists in different national/regional contexts explain why there are fewer women in physics than biology? Using original survey data collected among academic biologists and physicists in the US (N = 1777), Italy (N = 1257), France (N = 648), and Taiwan (N = 780), we examine how scientists' social identities, social locations, and country context shape essentialist, individualist, and structural explanations of gender inequality. Findings indicate that scientists across national contexts attribute the unequal gender distribution in physics and biology to women's individual choices. Explanations for the gender distribution also vary by social identities and social locations (gender, discipline, and seniority) in country‐specific ways. Scientists and advocates ought to engage conversations that explicitly confront scientists' assumptions about individual choices in global science.

Technology for whom? Solar irrigation pumps, women, and smallholders in Nepal

Agricultural technologies are often promoted as a medium for women’s economic empowerment, which can transform unequal gender relations in rural agrarian societies. This paper investigates three solar irrigation pump (SIP) schemes implemented by state and non-state actors and examines their impacts on women and marginal farmers. We utilize a theory of change framework intended to evaluate the effectiveness of livelihood interventions and guide the design of gender transformative interventions. Our analysis relies on 63 qualitative interviews, 9 key informant interviews and 4 telephonic interviews with social mobilisers from the Saptari District in Nepal. The findings shed light on the unequal social and gender relations that have skewed the adoption and benefits of SIP technology. Gender and social inequalities persist, with limited adoption and benefit of SIP among women and smallholders. Women’s involvement in strategic decisions related to SIP adoptions, installations and usages is limited. This study underscores the importance of strategic interventions that foster meaningful women’s empowerment and ensure equitable distribution and benefits from SIP technology. Assessing the effectiveness of SIPs in empowering women, it is crucial to consider whether the resulting access, ownership, or decision-making opportunities challenge, reinforce, or reproduce unequal gender and social relations.

Gendered COVID-19 discussions on Twitter: a Norwegian case

PurposeThe COVID-19 pandemic has resurfaced challenges to gender equality and gender relations both worldwide and in Norway. There have been massive public discussions on social media platforms, highlighting the potential of analysing public discourses in a non-reactive manner (Rauchfleisch et al., 2021). Further, discourses from social media may affect cultural representations and broad discourses in society (Rambukkana, 2015), such as that related to gender. In this article, by studying the Norwegian Twitter users' discussion on gender as related to COVID-19 pandemic, the authors will examine the everyday gendered discourses.Design/methodology/approachData for this project were collected from the social media platform Twitter. The authors conducted the search on 16th November 2020, and that resulted in a total of 485 results, inclusive of both original tweets and replies. The data were analysed qualitatively using thematic analysis.FindingsThe thematic analysis of the tweets revealed three main categories which were mirrored in recognisable and widespread discourses about gender: (1) stereotypical gendered behaviours, (2) construction of masculinities and (3) othering. The authors argued that the stereotypes on gendered behaviour, traits and ideology together attribute to the maintenance of unequal gender structures.Originality/valueThis article explored discourses on gender on Twitter, the networked public sphere of Norway during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that discourses both reflect and shape social configurations, they have the power to shape gender realities. With the transcendence of social media across geographic boundaries, the authors’ findings are relevant both for Norway and globally.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-08-2022-0482

Inland Fisheries: Challenging Issues & Management Strategies in Indian Context

Inland capture and culture fisheries is an important sector of Indian agriculture, providing employment, food and nutritional security, particularly to the rural poor and better access to protein-rich food for all. The country has shown continuous and sustained increments in fish production, since independence. The inland fisheries are composed of mainly three components i.e. fisheries resources, fish & fishers. The sector has vast production potential, particularly for inland aquaculture and culture-based fisheries resources. But nowadays, the sector is facing various challenging issues like environmental pressures, overexploitation, inadequate database & catch information, unequal gender participation, lack of sufficient infrastructure and inadequate governance systems. In order to overcome these issues, a holistic approach is required to manage the inland fisheries by involving its major components which are fisheries resources, fish & fishers. This is the need of the hour to take action in a collaborative manner by government, scientists, fishery managers, fishers and multiple resource users for sustainable management of inland fisheries resources by encompassing the concept of Ecosystem-based fisheries management. We all need to be responsible for our duties towards the conservation and management of aquatic resources, not only for conserving the wealth of inland fisheries for the present but for future generations also.

“Yes, I’m Doing It”: Conflict-Induced Internally Displaced Filipino Men’s Enactments of Masculinity

Despite the Philippines’ history of five decades of prolonged violent conflicts and internal displacements, majority of which are in its southern island of Mindanao, studies exploring the enactments of masculinities of noncombatant men are few. Using 31 life stories of Filipino men who experienced conflict-induced internal displacement, complemented by in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and community profiles, the present article demonstrates how these Filipino men constructed an ideal masculinity compounded by imprints of a colonial history, especially the resistance towards integration into colonial Philippines by Muslims in Mindanao. Additionally, their constructions of idealized masculinities are reflective of their negotiation between context and adherence to local hegemonic masculinities in Philippine society that legitimizes unequal gender relations. We argue that Filipino men’s accounts of ideal masculinity and their aspirations to this model reflect ongoing negotiation between immediate circumstances and persistent adherence to local hegemonic masculinities.

Gerakan Laki-laki Sadar Stunting untuk Mencegah Stunting dan Mewujudkan Generasi Sehat Desa Lembuak, Kecamatan Narmada, Lombok Barat

Stunting is currently still a public health problem related to chronic malnutrition. Stunting cases also occur in Narmada District, West Lombok Regency, which has productive rice fields, livestock and poultry can develop well. The still high number of stunting cases is related to low nutritional intake, unequal gender roles in household food security and efforts to prevent stunting in the household. This community service activity (PKM) is aimed at raising awareness among men as part of society, religious leaders and community leaders regarding stunting and efforts to prevent it. Apart from that, this PKM activity is also aimed at optimizing the role of religious leaders, community leaders and youth leaders in carrying out stunting awareness outreach and prevention efforts to the community, especially men. The method for implementing extension activities is carried out in stages, namely the first stage at the village level and the second stage at the hamlet level. The method used is a participatory counseling method, namely brainstorming, participatory lectures, questions and answers, discussions and practice. The implementation of extension activities ran smoothly and effectively. There has been an increase in knowledge and a growing positive attitude towards extension materials. This is demonstrated by the compilation of a collection of outreach materials (Pocket Books), the enthusiastic attitude of local resource persons and the active feedback/participation of participants during the question and answer sessions and discussions.

The Unlevel Playing Field: Gender, Discrimination, and Global Attitudes toward Trade

Abstract The gender gap in support for trade is one of the most robust empirical findings to emerge from research on public opinion in international political economy. Even controlling for differences in education, skill level, industry affiliation, and other factors, women express consistently more protectionist views than men. Less frequently noted, and thus far unexplained, is that this gender gap varies cross-nationally. We advance an explanation that draws attention to national differences in gender discrimination, predicting that the gender gap will be larger in countries with greater gender discrimination. Using two decades of public opinion data across twenty-two OECD countries and measures of de facto and de jure gender equity, we conduct three separate empirical analyses of the relationship between levels of equity, women’s trade attitudes, and the gender gap. The results support the contention that unequal gender treatment is an important driver of the gender gap in trade attitudes.

Venetian travel narratives in Erica Jong’s work

ABSTRACT This article focuses on Erica Jong’s and her fictional characters’ travel experiences in Venice, which is portrayed as a carefree and sensual destination. Jong demonstrates how female solo travelling can help challenge unequal gender roles, explore female sexuality regardless of one’s age, and rewrite the narratives of the Grand Tour. However, in her later works, the depiction of Venice transitions from a glorification of its charm to portraying it as a seductive place of decadence. The dichotomy between beauty and decay becomes a reminder of the passage of time and the inevitability of constant changes. While Jong and her heroines defy the centuries-long and idealised cultural heritage of Venice by moving beyond its common association with male desire, they also reveal that ephemeral love affairs can lead to emotional disillusionment. They also become potential targets of the leisure tourism industry and romanticised discourses that continue to influence contemporary travel expectations.

Empowering women for sustainable development through semi-mechanized sheabutter processing in rural North-Western Ghana

This study contributes to the on-going discourse on women's empowerment for achieving the African Union's (AU) Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We draw on Batliwala's three interrelated approaches to women's empowerment to analyze the extent to which the implementation of a semi-mechanized sheabutter processing project in two rural districts in the Upper West Region of Ghana addresses women's practical needs and strategic interests. Although several studies on women's empowerment through similar project interventions have been undertaken the findings are skewed towards women's practical needs, while limited knowledge is provided on the important question of whether these interventions address women's strategic interests and raise their consciousness necessary for achieving their empowerment-related goals and targets of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs respectively. A qualitative approach was used in the data collection and analysis. It was found out that the project intervention has the potential of reducing poverty and vulnerability in the semi-arid region of the country where the raw material for processing sheabutter is available in large quantities. We further found that this intervention can help improve unequal gender relations and empower women. However, the achievement of these objectives is possible if the implementation of is anchored on a framework that promotes strategic gender interests; including issues of status relative to men, improved decision-making capacity of women at the household and community levels, and equitable access to productive resources. We conclude that, any meaningful progress towards genuine women's empowerment advocated in the AU's Agenda 2063 and the SDGs would require that the current structural issues in the study setting, which remain untouched by instrumentalist interventions such as this, be given critical attention.

“When I came to Canada, I almost forgot myself: Where I am, who I am”: A qualitative exploration of how im/migration shapes young women's experiences of pregnancy, motherhood, and marriage

For young women, im/migration can impact education, employment, and family dynamics in ways that shape the courses of their lives and health. The purpose of this study is to deepen understandings of how im/migration shapes young women's experiences of pregnancy, motherhood, and marriage. Guided by intersectionality theory and the structural and social determinants of health, we analyzed qualitative interviews conducted with young im/migrants ages 15-30, who identify as women, and who had experiences of pregnancy, motherhood, and/or marriage (N ​= ​34). Participants were interviewed as part of the IRIS study in British Columbia, Canada between May 2019 to February 2021. Young im/migrant women described how im/migration shaped experiences of pregnancy, motherhood, and marriage by way of health, social, legal, and economic drivers. These included being ineligible for health insurance and unable to prevent pregnancy and experiencing workplace discrimination in form of reduced hours and no maternity benefits. Demanding caregiving roles and unsafe home environments were also described as being exacerbated by unaffordable childcare in destination settings and unequal gender roles and power dynamics after im/migration. Our findings suggest structural changes necessary to improve young im/migrant women's health. We recommend that health systems decouple im/migration status from health insurance; that governments provide all people with accessible childcare and maternity benefits; and that governments fund community-based efforts towards dismantling structures of patriarchy.

A Critical Lens to Understand Gender and Caste Politics of Rural Maharashtra, India


 
 'Sairat’, is a highly acclaimed movie and is the highest grossing Marathi film till date. It was one of the biggest hits of the Marathi films industry and screened for many months in theaters after the release. ‘Sairat’, a Marathi romantic drama film portrays the construction of hegemonic masculinity and its relation to the controlling of women’s sexuality. The movie centers around controlling women’s sexuality, portraying dominant masculinity and brutal killing due to transgression of caste (in the form of inter-caste marriage) in rural Maharashtra.
 In July 2016, an upper caste girl was raped and murdered by lower castes at Kopardi village soon after the release of the movie. The rape and murder of the girl led to protests all over Maharashtra. The protesters and leaders of the upper caste community alleged that the rape and murder of a girl was provoked by the movie, ‘Sairat’. This article takes the protests as a provocation to take a closer look at Sairat’s gender and caste politics.
 This article explores the way hegemonic masculine identity has been manifested through control over women’s sexuality and their mobility, and violence against women. The hegemonic masculinity has been constructed based on unequal gender and power relations between men and women, dominant and lower caste men.

Intersectional Masculinities in Heteronormative Spaces: Exploring Power and Privilege amongst Gay Men in South Africa

This paper discusses the power differentials between various gay men that shape the construction of multiple unequal gay masculinities in South Africa. I argue that there is no single homogenous gay masculinity but multiple gay masculinities informed by various intersections that privilege some gay men while disadvantaging others. Considering the historical and continuing unequal racial divisions, class differences, power differentials, and gender normativity, this paper presents an intersectional analysis of three gay masculinities: White gay masculinity, Black middle-class gay masculinity, and Black working-class township gay masculinities. Intersections of race, gender, sexuality, class, and space shape power differentials amongst gay men in the same manner as heterosexual men, and through a review of literature, the paper demonstrates how intersectionality can help develop nuanced understandings of gay masculinities in South Africa. The paper highlights the need to interrogate the multifaceted nature of South African gay masculinities through an intersectional lens.

“Kumele bazi ukuthi nathi singa Bantu”: Queer African Youth Speaking Back to Harmful Practices in Township Contexts

Despite the growing research investigating queer youth experiences, little is known about how adults respond to and support those in township contexts as significant others in their lives. Drawing on Simon Nkoli’s writing on what it means to “come out” to parents as gay, this article examines the experiences of queer African youth of how adults in their lives (including teachers, parents/guardians) responded to their queerness and how these responses enhanced or inhibited their well-being. Our analysis draws on data from a study that used participatory visual methods (PVM) with 10 queer African youth to investigate how they experience, respond to, and resist queerphobic violence in and around township schools. We used two visual methods to generate data: drawings and cellphilm making. In this article, using textual and thematic analysis, we analyse data from the cellphilms produced by the 10 participants. The findings suggest that norms and values related to religion and culture (unequal gender norms and values) intersect with societal inequality and endemic violence, particularly in township contexts, to impact negatively and dehumanise queer youth. This results in a lack of support from adult caregivers (teachers and parents/guardians) and queerphobic violence in many spaces, including schools and communities. This has implications for contextually bound interventions that target parents/guardians, teachers, and community members in developing and implementing strategies for nurturing the well-being of queer African youth.

The Portrayal of Married Woman’s Life in Zemindar’s Wife by Qaisra Shahraz

Marriage is a social institution that adopts a patriarchal ideology to regulate the relationship between husband and wife. As a result, conflicts based on gender inequality can arise as patriarchal ideologies in marriage reinforce the dominance of men over women. A married woman’s life is often portrayed in feminist literature, such as in the short story of Qaisra Shahraz, Zemindar’s wife. This study analyzes the married life of Noor by applying the theory of Simone De Beauvoir in her book, The Second Sex. Besides, the study uses a qualitative approach with a close reading method. The results show that the short story Zemindar's Wife depicts the unequal gender relationship between husbands and wives in marriage. This gender imbalance leads to inequality, with women being dominated and subordinated by their husbands.

Antecedents to Sexual Harassment of Women in Selected Male-Dominated Occupations: A Systematic Review.

Approximately 50% of women in all workplaces experience sexual harassment. Women who work in male-dominated occupations may be more susceptible to sexual harassment than those who work in non-male-dominated occupations. Research on factors contributing to workplace sexual harassment in male-dominated occupations is limited. This paper reviews the known antecedents that put female workers at risk of sexual harassment in select male-dominated occupations and to identify gaps in the literature and opportunities for future occupational health nursing research. A search was conducted using PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Included articles addressed sexual harassment of female workers in male-dominated occupations such as law enforcement, firefighting, truck driving, and construction. The search yielded 25 relevant research articles. Antecedents to sexual harassment in the workplace included lower rank, shorter tenure, physicality of the job, job insecurity, negative relationships with peers and/or supervisors, treating women as outsiders, exaggerated gender differences, unequal gender ratios, and promotions based on gender. Common antecedents to sexual harassment in the workplace identified in the literature include organizational culture and gender composition. Workplace sexual harassment of women is a problem in male-dominated occupations. Research is needed to better understand the organizational antecedents of sexual harassment in male-dominated occupations within community settings to prevent workplace sexual harassment.

What shapes attitudes on gender roles among adolescents in Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh, large gender differentials exist in outcomes in almost all spheres of life, stemming from conservative norms and attitudes around gender. Adolescence is a crucial period for social-emotional learning that can shape gender norms and attitudes. The aim of the paper is to investigate the extent to which adolescents hold egalitarian attitudes toward gender roles, and to examine the factors that influence egalitarian gender attitudes. The paper uses data from a nationally representative sample survey of 7,800 unmarried girls and 5,523 unmarried boys ages 15-19 years. Adolescents were considered to have egalitarian attitudes on gender role if they disagreed with all the following four unequal gender role statements with regards to socio-economic participation, while respondents who agreed with any one of the four statements were considered to have non-egalitarian attitudes: (1) It is important that sons have more education than daughters, (2) Outdoor games are only for boys, not girls, (3) Household chores are for women only, not for men, even if the woman works outside the home, and (4) Women should not be allowed to work outside the home. Multivariable linear probability regression analysis was implemented to identify the factors shaping attitudes on gender roles. Unmarried girls and boys differ hugely in their views on gender roles regarding socio economic participation-girls were much more egalitarian than boys (58 vs. 19%). The multivariate linear probability model results show girls and boys who completed at least grade 10 were 31% points and 15% points more likely to have egalitarian views on gender roles respectively, compared to girls and boys with primary or less education. Having strong connection with parents is associated with having egalitarian views on gender roles among girls but not boys. Adolescents' individual attitude on gender role is highly associated with the views of their community peers for both girls and boys. Girls and boys who had participated in adolescent programs were 6-7% points more likely to have egalitarian attitude than those who were not exposed to these programs. Egalitarian views were also significantly higher, by 5% points among girls and 6% points among boys, who were members of social organizations compared to those who were not. Watching television had positive influence on egalitarian attitudes among girls but not among boys. To create a more egalitarian society, both men and women need to hold progressive attitudes toward gender roles. The interventions must be multilevel, influencing adolescents at the personal, interpersonal, communal, and societal levels.