Showing papers in "Gender Issues in 2021"

Gendering COVID-19: Impact of the Pandemic on Women's Burden of Unpaid Work in India.

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the already existing gender inequalities with substantial implications on women. With the closure of offices and educational institutions, and the emerging norm of work from home and online education, along with the lack of services of domestic worker, the need to perform unpaid chores in the household has increased. Simultaneously, the requirements of social distancing and sanitization have created new unpaid chores. Owing to the sexual division of labour, and gendered roles and social norms of performing domestic and care work, the burden of unpaid work falls disproportionately on women. In this context, the objective of the paper is to study the impact of COVID-19 on time spent on unpaid work and the underlying gender differences in the urban centres in India. Specifically, the paper will do a comparative analysis of the gender differences in time spent on unpaid work before and during the lockdown, and analyse the reasons for the same.

Occupying the Fringes: The Struggles of Women in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Rural Ghana—Evidence from the Prestea–Huni Valley Municipality

Abstract: Across many mineral-rich developing countries, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) has been noted as a crucial socio-economic activity for most rural people. Over the past 2 decades, there has been growing participation of women in the ASM sector with extant studies examining why women participate in ASM, the roles they play and how their involvement enhances their socio-economic development. However, the socio-structural dynamics and gendered relations within ASM are poorly understood and underexplored despite the increasing participation of women in the sector. Based on field observations and interviews involving 49 women miners in the Prestea–Huni Valley Municipality of Ghana, this paper discusses the on-site challenges of women in ASM through multiple standpoint and African feminism theoretical perspectives. It also examines how understanding the struggles of women can reduce their work-related risks and promote gender-sensitive policies for rural women’s empowerment in ASM. The study finds that the struggles of working women in ASM involve cultural marginalisation and gendered work patterns, poor working environment, poor work support services for women with children, lack of legal and economic rights, and inter-ethnic discrimination by employers. We argue that policymakers, relevant stakeholders, and the government through the district assemblies should collaborate with small-scale mining employers to enhance gender-sensitive on-site regulatory policies, ensure safe working environments for workers, and provide locally appropriate work support services for women in ASM. We further argue that, government and regulatory institutions need to promote gender mainstreaming for ‘inclusion of women’ in the management structure at mine sites and also the extraction and processing stages of ASM.

Worse Than Objects: The Depiction of Black Women and Men and Their Sexual Relationship in Pornography

Abstract: Previous content analyses of pornography suggest black women are more often the target of aggression compared to white women. Furthermore, research suggested that the most aggressive depictions occurred between interracial couples. The last content analysis on this topic was published in the 1990s, however. The current study examined 1741 pornographic scenes featuring heterosexual couples (including 118 scenes with black women) from two of the largest online pornographic streaming tube sites in the world (Xvideos.com and Pornhub.com). Findings suggest black women are still more often the target of aggression when compared to white women. In addition, black men are more often portrayed as the perpetrators of aggression against women and are depicted as significantly less intimate with their partners in comparison to white men. Notably, depictions of aggression towards women are highest in scenes featuring black couples compared to all other racial pairings including interracial. Further exploration of the depiction of other sexual behaviors, including oral, vaginal, and anal sex, indicated these behaviors did not vary significantly based on actor’s race.

“Women and “Ideal” Women”: The Representation of Women in the Construction Industry

Abstract: Increased female participation has been highlighted as necessary to fill a labor shortage in the construction industry, but also to promote equality and efficiency. Despite initiatives to recruit women, the industry remains one of the most gender-segregated industries in the world. Increased knowledge about gender has been identified as needed to change the status quo. The aim of this study is to contribute with new insights into gender in construction by exploring how women in the industry are discursively represented, and how they talk about their workplace. It is based on analyses of texts from the web. The search engine WebCorpLive was used to retrieve and sort the material to enable linguistic analysis. The study shows that although the overarching message in the material is that there are many opportunities for women in the industry, closer analysis of it shows that women entering the industry are met with gender-biased attitudes, discrimination and unrealistic demands.

Girls’ Right to Education in Tanzania: Incongruities between Legislation and Practice

Abstract: Tanzania is one of the Sub-Saharan African countries with low girls’ attendance rates, high drop-out rates and poor performance in schools. This is despite global, regional and country measures and interventions to promote girls’ right to education. This paper seeks to examine the major international and regional legal provisions for girls’ education and assess whether Tanzanian policies, laws and practices promote girls’ right to education in the country, using a women’s empowerment framework. It asserts that, while some policies and laws in Tanzania promote girls’ right to education, albeit with some shortfalls in relation to gender equality and girls’ empowerment, it is unfortunate that other policies, laws and practices undermine such a right. What we find, instead, is increased contradictions and confusions between specific legislation promoting a girls’ right to education, and broader policy and legal frameworks and practices. These contradictions and confusions contribute significantly to the continued disempowering of girls. Thus, there is a need for the amendment of some policies and laws to harmonise and make them effective and efficient in protecting the rights of girls.

The Gender and Racial Construction of the Working Class: Temporary Mobility of Mexican Women Workers to the US and Canada

Abstract: Labour precariousness, notably manifested in the loss of formal jobs, stagnation of wages and labour uncertainty, has increased on a global scale. Previous explanations for precariousness have focused on flexible models of production, yet this approach has tended to overlook the fact that precariousness forms a part of modern colonial capitalism and gender identity. Based on the results of an empirical, ground-breaking ethnographic research, this paper analyses the stratification of productive tasks on a global scale, from the system of gender hierarchies, racialization and stratification leading to the exploitation and precariousness of workers. The arguments put forward are endorsed through the experiences of Mexican women who travel to the United States and Canada, to work temporarily in the hotel, restaurant and agriculture sectors. This analysis reveals how women workers in particular are constructed and instituted as a racialized surplus, allowing employers to legitimate labour exploitation and perpetuate social hierarchies.

Conforming to Male and Female Gender Norms: A Characterisation of Australian University Students

Abstract: The examination of conformity to social gender norms provides one approach that researchers may adopt to explore gendered selves and the influence of the gendered self in a range of contexts. Two measures that are often used to describe conformity to feminine and masculine social gender norms are the Conformity to Feminine Norms-45 and Conformity to Masculine Norms-46. However, the recommended structure of these instruments is inconsistent amongst the literature. Using Rasch modelling, the current study examines the psychometric properties of these instruments based on responses of both female and male Australian undergraduate university students. A total of 602 participants completed both instruments and the responses analysed to ensure the utility of each instrument to measure conformity to gender norms in the Australian context. An analysis of the transformed responses showed that both females and males show variability in their conformity to both feminine and masculine gender norms. However, differential item functioning showed that females and males differed in their understanding of items from the male and female forms of the inventory, respectively. The results are discussed in terms of the usefulness of each instrument to explain choices and action.

“These Women are Making a Statement Against Rape and yet the only Thing Y'All can Focus on is ‘Eww They're Naked’”: Exploring Rape Culture on Facebook in South Africa

Abstract: Sexual assault on campuses has been identified as a pervasive public health problem. In April 2016, students across South African universities launched the #Endrapeculture campaign to express their frustration against university policies which served to perpetuate a rape culture. The use of hashtag activism during the protest served to spark online public debates and mobilize support for the protests. This article describes the public reactions to the South African #Endrapeculture protests on the Facebook social media platform. Data was collected through natural observations of comment threads on news articles and public posts on the student protests, and subjected to content analysis. The findings suggest that the #nakedprotest was successful in initiating public conversations concerning the issue of rape culture. However, the reactions towards the #nakedprotest were divided with some perpetuating a mainstream public discourse which perpetuates rape culture, and others (re)presenting a counter-public that challenged current dominant views about rape culture. Two related main themes emerged: Victim-blaming and Trivialising Rape Culture. Victim-blaming narratives emerged from the commenters and suggested that the protesters were increasing their chances of being sexually assaulted by marching topless. This discourse seems to perpetuate the notion of the aggressive male sexual desire and places the onus on women to protect themselves. Other commenters criticised the #nakedprotest method through demeaning comments which served to derail the conversation and trivialise the message behind the protest. The public reaction to the #nakedprotest demonstrated that rape culture is pervasive in society and continues to be re(produced) through discourse on social media platforms. However, social media also offers individuals the opportunity to draw from and participate in multiple counter-publics which challenge these mainstream rape culture discourses.

The Power of Peers? Early Adolescent Gender Typicality, Peer Relations, and Gender Role Attitudes in Belgium

Abstract: Gender role attitudes, or one’s beliefs about the appropriate roles for men and women, inform important life decisions such as educational and career decisions. As gender role attitudes are dynamic and change over time, it is important to understand how they are constructed and evolve over time. One of the crucial—but under researched—life phases in the development of gender role attitudes is early adolescence, a life stage wherein early educational and career exploration are key. This study examines the development of adolescent’s gender role attitudes. We use multilevel latent growth analysis techniques to estimate the change in gender role attitudes during the first 2 years of junior high school (Nstudents = 4063; Nschools = 57; average 12 to 14-years old) and its relation to how adolescents perceive themselves as gendered actors (gender typicality) and how they perceive their peer environment (friend group composition, peer pressure, gender conformity pressure). The analysis indicates that while friend group composition and peer pressure are important in shaping gender role attitudes at the beginning of junior high school, they do not continue to influence boys’ or girls’ gender role attitudes during the first 2 years of junior high school. An important finding is that pressure to conform to gender norms rather than generic peer pressure shape adolescent gender role attitudes. The study highlights the complicated process through which attitudes about gender are constructed during adolescence.

The Role of Masculinity and Femininity in Body Objectification: Comparison of Heterosexual and Gay Communities

Abstract: Drawing on objectification theory, we investigated associations among age, gender-typed traits (masculinity, femininity), community involvement (gay and lesbian sample), and body objectification (body surveillance and body shame) in gay men, lesbians, and heterosexual men and women. Our sample included 390 participants from university and community settings. A total of 82 gay men, 62 lesbians, 82 heterosexual men, and 164 heterosexual women, M age = 23.06 years (range 18–62), completed a measure to assess body surveillance and body shame and masculinity and femininity. Additionally, the lesbian and gay participants completed an assessment to measure LGBT community involvement. Controlling for age, results were significant for the femininity × masculinity interaction on body surveillance for gay men and lesbians, and masculine gender-typed traits for heterosexual women. Masculinity also was a significant predictor of body shame for lesbians. LGBT community involvement was non-significant for both gay men and lesbians. Our findings are consistent with objectification theory and highlight the importance of examining the complexities of gender (e.g., interaction between masculinity and femininity) and sexual orientation when body objectification is investigated.

Resilience and Resistance: The Narrative of a Transgender Youth in Rural South Africa

Abstract: In spite of progressive and inclusive laws, gender and sexual minority individuals in South Africa continue to experience high rates of violence. Drawing on a single descriptive case study, this paper explores the adverse experiences and the sources of individual and relational resilience of Dee, a transgender youth living in a resource-poor, rural community in South Africa. Through her narrative, Dee provides a rich, textured description of the resources she draws on to strengthen her resilience and the resistance she stages in addressing violence and discrimination within a traditional community. Referencing a socio-ecological framework of resilience, rooted in social justice, the article considers the ways in which personal, interpersonal and systemic factors intersect to both hinder and foster resilience. The paper emphasises the need for multi-systemic interventions that challenges adversity rather than adjusts to it.

To be a Man is Not a Day’s Job: The Discursive Construction of Hegemonic Masculinity by Rural Youth in Nigeria

Abstract: This article explores the discursive construction of hegemonic masculine ideologies which are recreated and reinforced in the daily lives and social contexts of rural youth in southern Cross River State, South-eastern Nigeria. In this study, I demonstrate how these youth reinscribe stereotyped patriarchal ideologies through the performance of hegemonic masculinity in their social engagements particularly involving nicknaming practices, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, risky sexual/social behaviour and the perpetration of a culture of violence in their community of practice. To address this concern, I adopt an ethnographic qualitative design that gains insights from participant observations, focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews with twenty-two participants. The article highlights the discursive representation of hegemonic masculinity through participants’ socially situated practices and the broader network of meaning that is ascribed in depicting this facet of masculinity which subjugates other forms of masculinities. Other young men who do not subscribe to hegemonic masculine ideals are often labelled, socially excluded and marginalised in their traditional patriarchal environment. The study concludes that rural youth utilize their social contexts as resources for mobilization in the (re)construction of different modes of belonging and reproduction of dominant masculine scripts which perpetuate gender inequality and intolerance.

Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Experience of Emergency Management

Abstract: As climate change exacerbates exposure to disasters, a growing body of scholarship provides evidence that some groups experience significant barriers in accessing and participating in emergency services. This article reports on the findings of an exploratory, qualitative study involving in-depth interviews with four lesbian or bisexual women in Australia. The aim of the study is to better understand the degree to which emergency services’ policies, programs and procedures accommodate diversity and the needs of lesbian and bisexual women as ‘clients’ and paid staff or volunteers. Results are organised under five key categories: language; discrimination; sector acknowledgment; the role of faith-based organisations; and ways forward. The data is presented through the women’s voices and documents their lived experiences of discrimination. The study provides an opportunity to consider how discrimination against sexual and gender identity diverse minorities (LGBT people) intersects with, as it draws on, discrimination against women, increasing lesbian and bisexual women’s experiences of marginalisation as emergency sector clients, employees and volunteers. It also provides an opportunity to address the effects of systemic discrimination in the organisation and delivery of emergency services, promoting a more diverse and inclusive emergency sector.

Recognizing Resilience: Exploring the Impacts of COVID-19 on Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Abstract: This study explores self-reported impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on several facets of IPV survivor well-being, such as mental health, economic stability, food security, and resilience. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with survivors of IPV. Qualitative data were collected on variables related to mental health, economic stability, food security, and resilience. The findings of this study suggest that while survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) face a variety of challenges posed by COVID-19 (e.g., employment, income, etc.), they identify themselves as resilient. Our findings also show that while survivors of have faced setbacks due to COVID-19, variables such as mental health and well-being have improved. Our findings suggest that while the pandemic has certainly impacted survivors, and included setbacks or delays, survivors have seen improvements in several areas. Our data suggest that these improvements, in the face of difficulties, is because of the overwhelming resilience of survivors.

“Be a Gutsy Girl!”: Essentialism in Success-at-Work Books for Women

Abstract: This article examines how essentialism is depicted in recent popular press “success-at-work” books that are marketed for women. Our qualitative content analysis of fourteen advice books published from 2013 to 2018 identifies the subtle, yet powerful, messages about how men and women supposedly “are” and the depictions of men and women at work. We find a persistent tension in the advice that relies on two types of essentialism in this success discourse: (1) women are deficient, and, simultaneously, (2) women have unique strengths. We argue that these contradictory depictions of essentialism are embedded in the organizational logic of workplaces and bolster gendered ideal worker norms in the new economy. We discuss the implications of these conflicting representations and speculate about their impact and consequences for eradicating gender inequality at work.

Qualitative Demographic Evaluation of Fertility among Iranian Married Women

Abstract: Although Iran is classified as a developing country,for Iranian women, the fertility process has changed from a biological behavior to a reflexive action, similar to the experience of developed countries. Their reflexivity as social actors has led to some changes in women’s fertility preference interactively. The main theme of the current study is related to the lived experiences and perceptions of childbirth among fertile women according to the causal, intervening, and contextual conditions. The current research applies a qualitative approach by using the grounded theory method, and semistructured interviews on fertility’s perspectives were conducted with 42 wives (living in Mashhad City, Iran and ranging from 15 to 49 years of age). Data analysis and interpretation were conducted through coding and comparison based on the Corbin and Strauss paradigm. A declining trend of fertility as an interclass pattern in a developing country such as Iran is inconsistent with what sociodemographic theories have proposed to date. The remarkable decline in fertility in Iran includes a decrease in the total fertility rate from 7 children per woman in 1986 to 2.0 in 2000 (Erfani and McQuillan in J Biosoc Sci 40(3):459–478, 2008). The interclass characteristic of fertility shows that cultural promotion, media advertisements, and top-down demographic policies regarding women’s fertility are no longer effective in Iran. In addition, analysis of the fertility experience of women reveals that women’s actions regarding childbearing differ from the lower class, with women facing economic challenges, to the upper class, with epistemic world-view challenges; in other words, owing to their world view, women in the upper class have reservations regarding fertility. The unwillingness to have children and the desire to have fewer children are the consequences of individualism, national identity crisis, lack of well-being, and perfectionist fertility, and affect the fertility’s perspective of Iranian women in Mashhad City. The interclass feature of women’s fertility reveals that this cannot be imputed to improved human development indices; there is a general reflexivity action in various types of fertility in Iran.

The Multidimensionality of Adolescent Girls’ Gender Attitudes

Abstract: Many adolescents hold positive attitudes toward gender equality while also believing in traditional gender roles. This coexistence suggests gender attitudes are multidimensional; yet, gender attitudes are typically measured with unidimensional scales. Using confirmatory factor analysis on the Attitudes Toward Women Scale for Adolescents, we compared the unidimensional structure to a multidimensional structure of the scale, accounting for beliefs in gender equality and social role integration. Participants were 222 10th grade girls (Mage = 15.24; 38% White, 29% Latina, 24% Black; 79% heterosexual, 21% sexual minority) from the southeastern U.S. Results showed that the multidimensional structure (Factor 1: gender equality, Factor 2: social role integration) was a better fit to the data than the unidimensional structure. Girls had stronger beliefs in gender equality than social role integration with differences by race/ethnicity and sexual orientation: White girls had stronger beliefs in gender equality than Black and Latina girls, and sexual minority girls had stronger beliefs in gender equality and social role integration than heterosexual girls. This study suggests that girls’ views of gender roles have not kept pace with views of gender equality. Future work will benefit from treating these as unique dimensions of gender attitudes that may change across time and among different groups of people.

Gender Struggle Within Complex Religious Realities: Druze Women in Israel as a Case Study

Abstract: Druze society in Israel is culturally close to the general Arab society, particularly in terms of language and social norms, such as the importance of family honor. Druze society is relatively more conservative, due to its geographic isolation in a rural environment; the limited access to religious scriptures, which are only allowed to be read by religious people; and the lack of new formal interpretation of these scriptures. These unique religious characteristics burden Druze women and limit their sphere of action in their struggle against oppression. The current manuscript argues that while there is no formal structure that allows women to fight patriarchy in Druze society, many Druze women wage daily struggles for their basic rights. These struggles lead to a change in the social norms, and thus to a transformation of rural social behaviors. This manuscript focuses on two main fields in which these struggles take place: the struggle to realize women’s personal choices in issues like choosing their friends and realizing their sexuality, and the struggle for a greater mobility. The findings reveal two key strategies employed by these women: istighāba—realizing sexual desires in a hidden domain to avoid sanction, and bargaining with their family to expand their mobility.

Examining the Perception of Work-Related Skills for Transgender Employees

Abstract: The current research sought to identify potential reasons for the prejudice and discrimination that transgender employees face in the workplace. Participants viewed a photograph of a potential employee with some participants randomly assigned to the experimental condition, which suggested the employee was transgender. Work-related skills and potential success in the workplace were evaluated. Participants tended to evaluate transgender employees lower on traits and skills important in the workplace, but there was no difference in the evaluation of potential success in the workplace. Results are discussed in terms of practical barriers that exist for transgender employees in the workplace.

Masculinist State Protection: Safety Concerns Produce Gender Disparities in University Housing Policies

Abstract: Under President Trump, the Department of Education narrowed the definition of and protections for gender inequality in U.S. higher education (U.S. Department of Education, Dear Colleague Letter on Transgender, 2017). These changes drew criticism and concern for legal remedies for gender inequality. This study positions Trump’s actions as an extension of rather than a deviation from past state actions towards gender in higher education. Drawing upon Brown’s (Fem Stud 18(1):7–34, 1992; States of injury: power and freedom in late modernity, Princeton University Press, Princeton, 1995) theory of the masculinist state, we examined how liberal feminists sought state protection through Title-IX and, in doing so, formalized state control over gender equity in schools. Using instrumental case study methodology (Creswell, Qualitative inquiry and research design: choosing among five approaches, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, 2013; Stake, The art of case study research, SAGE, Thousand Oaks, 1995) we analyzed campus housing policies and found three themes—segregation, visitation, and demarcation—that entrench masculinist state power across public, private, and religious institutions. We conclude by discussing the on-going contradictions for feminists seeking the state’s protection.

Impact of Public Policy and Legislation on Autonomy and Empowerment of Women in India

Abstract: Women-centrist policies in India have led to gendered outcomes in education, financial inclusion, and governance. The data also suggests that incidence of domestic violence has reduced. Nevertheless the status of women’s autonomy is sometimes threatened in the very family setting that affects all aspects of their lives. The freedom to express and participate equally in household activities and decisions is what matters most to women. The present paper seeks to evaluate such intrinsic gains in women’s autonomy. Regression modelling is used to study the relationship between measures of autonomy, empowerment, and various socio-economic indicators and public policies. To examine the role of key legislative enactments, Amendment to the Hindu Inheritance Act (2005) and Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (2005), dummy variables were introduced in the regression. The data used for the statistical analyses is sourced from National Family Health Surveys, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The results show that while literacy always supports women’s participation in household decisions, language and culture are important to understand the regional differences in impact of gender interventions. The Amendment to the Hindu Inheritance Act (2005), has a consistent positive influence on all measures of women autonomy, as it redefines property rights in favour of the large numbers of Hindu women. Microcredit loans to women have a significant negative impact on women's participation within the household. Socio-cultural traditions appear to interact adversely with this financial inclusion measure, especially as it puts woman in position of relative power within the household. This is especially true for the more conservative states in the north of India. The findings in this paper are original and have significant implications for public policy making.

In a World Where You can be Anyone: An Investigation into the Gendered Social Practices of Pakistani Facebook Users

Abstract: This article investigates the construction of gender identities of Pakistani men and women Facebook users given that Facebook has emerged as the prime social media platform through which Pakistani users interact. By employing thematic analysis and taking insights from theory of performativity and intersectionality, the findings of the interview data suggest that the formation, negotiation, and expression of gender identities on Facebook occurs through complex interplay between the discourses of religion, class, culture, and tradition. In some cases, Facebook highlighted the reproduction of the prevalent cultural models of masculinity and femininity while in other cases; there was resistance to the existing socio-religious cultural norms of the society.

Women’s Dress Codes in the Islamic Republic of Iran: State’s Gender Ideology Representation

Abstract: This article has presented research-based evidence here about the state’s representation on women’s dress codes in the Islamic context in order to contribute filling the research gap in the existing knowledge: While a large body of the literature confirms the substantial diversity of the Islamic dress codes overwhelmingly explained as a consequence of the state’s socialization mechanisms across the Muslim world, it still lacks more fresh research findings to support the explanation. The field of this study is the Islamic Republic of Iran whose state holds an absolute power on educational system. The socialization theory recognizes educational system and its resources as the first official agent and one of the most powerful engines of socialization process. According to the research findings of this analysis, the most visible observation is the ubiquitous presence of dress codes, suggesting that women are unexceptionally represented by some kind of dress code throughout the educational resources. Moreover, women’s body appearance has been more restrictively covered in the religious textbooks and in the higher grades, where women’s images are also more significantly colored in dark and black. In conclusion, these research findings echo a revolutionary bombardment of the state’s gender ideology whose social perceptions are distinctively and comprehensively discussed in the author’s other article.

Underprivileged Women Impacted by Ethnic Violence: Deconstructing Lives.

Abstract: Though the city of Karachi in Pakistan is a nucleus of ethnic violence, only a limited number of studies have been conducted on the predicament of underprivileged women during ongoing conflicts. There has been negligible focus on how the women are coping in the post violence milieu. Voices of disadvantaged women remain unheard in patriarchal societies, particularly in developing and underdeveloped countries. The objective of this qualitative study is to provide voice to underprivileged women impacted by ethnic violence and to comprehend post violence conditions under which they are surviving. This research accentuates the relevance of studying gender dimension of violence (GDV) from women’s perspectives. Findings from five focus group interviews with 24 participants highlight the harrowing tales of poverty, despair, physical and psychological distress with which the women are coping. Individual, semi structured interviews were conducted with two female workers from local Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to examine measures for rehabilitation of the women. Data from NGO workers underscores the inertia of government in this respect and recommendations include endeavors of governmental and non-governmental organizations to provide healthcare, education and vocational training to the impacted women.

The Queen and Her Royal Court: A Content Analysis of Doing Gender at a Tulip Queen Pageant

Abstract: Evidence indicates that privilege is made and reproduced in the family. There, however, has been little investigation in the field of beauty pageantry and how pageant winners represent themselves and their community. Using content analysis, this study aims to better understand how privilege is reproduced for girls who are on royal court and how the girls represent themselves in media interviews. Findings show that the girls on royal court presented themselves in media interview as having common traits and discourses about the community. The texts show the girls to have a common lifelong aspiration for being on royal court, having parents with similar employment status and occupational positions, similar involvement in extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, common aspirations to earn a college degree, and a common religious identity. As a qualitative study, the findings from this study are not intended to be generalizable, but to be transferable and extendable to future research on class reproduction and gender performance.

“We Need to Understand the Whole Story”: A Discursive Analysis of the Responses of Informal Support Networks to Help Seeking by Women Experiencing Abuse from Men in a Small South African Town

Abstract: In the responses of informal networks to women seeking help for domestic violence, discourses of privatization, minimization and blame shifting emerged as salient. In particular, the discourse of “We need to understand the whole story” was frequently used to justify violence against those women who were seen as potentially violating gendered norms. This paper explores how these discourses contribute to the continuation of women abuse and to negative help seeking experiences for women seeking help for abuse. These discourses are embedded in the cultural contexts within which women seek help and are challenging to overcome by the women themselves. Hence, it is important that these discourses are contested and new narratives that enable help-seeking and help provision are constructed.

A Strong Teacher Identity May Buffer Woman-Scientist Identity Interference: Preliminary Evidence from a Teaching-Intensive University

Abstract: Previous research has shown that women in STEM often feel a tension between their woman and scientist identities. However, this has not been examined at teaching-intensive institutions, where women in STEM in the United States are more likely to be employed (compared to research-intensive institutions), and where faculty members’ identities as teachers may be especially salient. Because aspects of the teacher identity and woman identity overlap, and because STEM faculty must integrate their scientist identity and teacher identity when teaching STEM classes, women faculty in STEM at teaching-intensive universities may be able to resolve their woman-scientist identity interference through teaching. In an online survey, women faculty in STEM and social sciences at a teaching-intensive institution in the northeastern United States (N = 44) reported their identity centrality for teacher, woman, and scientist identities, as well as their woman-scientist identity interference and experiences of workplace flexibility. Analyses revealed that those who had a strong teacher identity had a positive correlation between their woman and scientist identities, whereas those with a weak teacher identity had a negative correlation between their woman and scientist identities. Furthermore, for women in STEM (but not social sciences), a strong teacher identity was associated with lower woman-scientist identity interference. Finally, greater workplace flexibility was associated with lower woman-scientist identity interference. Though not yet generalizable, these findings raise questions about the stature of teaching in academia and its relationship to the underrepresentation of women in STEM.

Toxic Masculinity and the Construction of Punjabi Women in Music Videos

Abstract: Toxic masculinity fosters the domination and devaluation of women, often resulting in overt violence. As Punjabi women within Punjab and in diaspora have moved into the digital space, so has the reproduction of their womanhood. This paper serves to look at one of the many complex overlapping and intersecting trends that contributes to these constructions; Punjabi music videos. The author looked at the top 20 most viewed Punjabi music videos on YouTube in 2017 and coded for the gender of the producers and singers, as well as coding for themes in the final product. Major themes included that women were powerless, were objects to be acquired, were in need of saving, and were unable to consent. As an alternative to these toxic representations, the author suggests that the political potential of the multitude can be used to imagine digital spaces as sites of resistance where women reclaim telling their stories.