Showing papers in "Journal of Gender Studies in 2008"

Food and masculinity in dual-career couples

Abstract: A lifestyle-oriented reformulation of food preparation in the family may serve as a vehicle for a transgression of the gender division of labour. Drawing on two qualitative studies of Norwegian and Danish dual-career couples, we identify three patterns of praxis in relation to food. The patterns are steps in a process of change towards a more gender-equal organization of family life. In the first pattern, the narratives expose feelings of shortcomings towards the ideal of equality. Food preparation is here a primarily female responsibility related to care for the family's wellbeing. From these narratives, a second pattern emerges, displaying different forms of masculine identification with food preparation. Drawing on either a practical or a ‘con amore’ orientation towards food preparation, these new masculine identifications create a departure from the cultural connotations connecting food, femininity and care. This change, in turn, paves the way for the third pattern, where food preparation becomes a ne...

Women's involvement in agriculture in northern and southern Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract: The position of women in meeting the challenges of agricultural development cannot be overemphasized. Women make a significant contribution to food production and processing, but men seem to take more of the farm decisions and control the productive resources. Full participation of women is required to increase agricultural productivity; which can only be achieved when women are perceived as subjects of development. Towards this end, a study was conducted in Kaduna State of Nigeria with a random sample of 230 women to examine the status of women's involvement in the agricultural sector. Data were collected by administering a structured questionnaire to the women. Analysis of the data was done using descriptive statistics and the logit regression model. It was observed that women had a low rate of involvement in farm decisions (41.53%) and could not adequately access productive resources (11.25%). The satisfaction derived from agriculture by the women was low and significantly related to the size of househ...

Starving in cyberspace: a discourse analysis of pro-eating-disorder websites

Abstract: Recently, we have seen the emergence of ‘pro-eating-disorder’ websites and Internet communities, providing opportunities for girls and women who practise self-starvation and purging to converse and swap ‘tips’ online. This has generated discussion about the feminist response to this so-called ‘pro-eating-disorder movement’. Although a number of studies have focused on online eating-disorder support groups, they have not examined the material posted on pro-eating-disorder websites. The study reported here is an examination of how members of the pro-eating-disorder movement construct their interests, activities and identities. This was done by performing a poststructuralist style of discourse analysis informed by a feminist perspective on the material downloaded from pro-eating-disorder websites. The analysis highlights the discursive work occurring on the sites around the power of beauty ideals and conformity to these. Yet at the same time, this sub-cultural group is engaged in counter-hegemonic work with ...

Young women's struggle for sexual agency: the role of parental messages

Abstract: This qualitative study examined 14 young women's view of their sexual agency and sexual experiences. In particular the women discuss the messages communicated about female sexuality from their parents. Previous research results were supported, such as that parents do not communicate about sex frequently, when they do refer to it they cover only limited topics and that mothers communicate more frequently about sex than fathers do. Utilizing a feminist position, themes of parental transmission of traditional gender role expectations were found, such as asexuality, the passive role of women in their sexuality and the commodification of sex in exchange for commitment. Implications for parenting practices, research foci and the importance of developing sexual agency are discussed.

Engendering debate: how to formulate a political account of the divide between genetic bodies and discursive gender?

Abstract: In her article on ‘the Sign Woman’ on gender studies and feminist theory, Robyn Weigman identified the most profound challenges for contemporary feminist theory as twofold: ‘not simply to address the divide between genetic bodies and d\scursive gender but to offer a political analysis of the socially constructed afflictions between the two’. This article seeks to engage these challenges. It attempts to chart the terrain of dilemmas for gender theory from which analyses of gender as performed distinct from ‘sexed’ bodies has emerged, and which these analyses offer to resolve. It then seeks to interrogate the conception of identification and analysis of gender as distinct from the sexed body for application in empirical work, teasing out both benefits and limitations of this theoretical position for empirical (and theoretical) practice. In the final sections of the article, theoretical pathways that may lend fruitful analytical tools for the empirical study of gender productions, incorporating recognition o...

Trans governmentality: the production and regulation of gendered subjectivities

Abstract: Feminist theorists have long critiqued the hierarchical gender division inherent in Western societies, with the inequalities resulting from this divide being widely decried and some progress made in reducing these. Despite increased efforts to theorise trans identification in recent times, gender is still largely understood, both culturally and theoretically, as adhering to the dualism of male/female. I argue within this paper that consideration of the narratives of transpeople and their partners could expand our conceptualisation of gender and offers possible points of resistance from which to challenge the gender binary, thereby destabilising hegemonic discourses of gender. As such I explore the narratives of transpeople and their partners in relation to the construction and reconstruction of gendered subjectivities. Transpeople's intimate partnerships, considered here due to the critique of gender norms often evident within them, are examined through the theoretical lens of Foucault's notion of governm...

Age before beauty: an exploration of body image in African-American and Caucasian adult women

Abstract: Research on body image emphasizes risks for eating disorders and typically involves young, Caucasian women. Few studies examine body image beyond the college years and there appears to be a disregard for the mature woman, as if self-acceptance of one's body is part of the aging process. Historically, it has been assumed that race is a protective factor against body dissatisfaction due to the perceived larger body ideal for women of color. Drawing upon interviews with Caucasian and African-American women from 20 to 80 years of age, this article explores body image across the lifespan. This analysis revealed that African-American and Caucasian women of all ages engage in private self-monitoring of their bodies and use strategies such as exercise, controlling food intake and cosmetic surgery to try and change the shape of their bodies. Therefore, it is evident that women across age and race categories are vulnerable to body dissatisfaction and disordered eating behaviors. Regardless of race, even mature wome...

'Pack a more powerful punch' and 'lay the pipe': erectile enhancement discourse as a body project for masculinity

Abstract: In this article, we analyze erectile enhancement as a postmodern body project that (re)codes hegemonic masculinity through new means. Erectile enhancement Internet ads create a text of masculinity through constructing a crisis of masculinity and selling the solution. The crisis is loss of power, control and the ability to dominate; the solution is a larger and more powerful penis that will give men back their sense of manhood. Although the erectile enhancement discourse suggests new ways of constructing masculinity – through consumption and an elevated importance of the body in gender identity – the ads reassert hegemonic ideals, i.e. the othering of and domination over women and phallocentrism.

Flex-rated! Female bodybuilding: feminist resistance or erotic spectacle?

Abstract: This paper aims to develop the already extensive writing on female bodybuilding by speculating on the ‘possible’ eroticism of the hyper-muscular female body. Most of the existing academic literature on female bodybuilding has either praised the built female body as feminist resistance to traditional ideas of femininity or else dismissed it as a strange form of erotic spectacle. Indeed, one of the fastest growing forms of erotic representation is the newly christened form of sexual fetishism termed ‘muscle-worship’ which has only recently reached public awareness through the new found availability of videos/DVDs and, most importantly, the Internet. This paper seeks to problematize readings of female bodybuilding which view it simply as feminist resistance or erotic spectacle. It argues that interpreting the image of the hyper-muscular female body is dependent upon its context and how it is coded within the representation. While mainstream bodybuilding representations attempt to create a sense of erotic num...

One college campus's need for a safe zone: a case study

Abstract: The increased presence of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students and faculties underscores a fundamental epistemological break between campus diversity and inclusion. Universities will proudly announce their commitments to a diverse community of learners but will offer very limited possibilities for meaningful inclusion. Most diversity initiatives are indeed based on a hypothesis that every disenfranchised group can, within the academy, create an inclusive space. This essay's primary focus is on deconstructing the manner in which a ‘safe zone’ project became the focal point for an administrative office and an academic program to co-opt in an attempt to ‘own’ this dimension of diversity, in other words, the LGBTQ on this campus.

Inching forward on Domestic Violence: the 'co-ordinated community response' and putting it in practice in Cheshire

Abstract: Violence against women is at the sharp end of gender oppression In combating domestic violence specifically, ‘co-ordinated community responses’ are now widely recognised as the best way forward, bringing together all relevant organisations to build pro-active, preventative projects with the key involvement of women's domestic violence services The Cheshire Domestic Abuse Partnership in the UK is conducting pioneering work along these lines From 2000 to 2003, this project was funded and evaluated through the Home Office Crime Reduction Programme This paper builds on the material from the evaluation, supplemented with an analysis of recent developments until 2007 which have maintained the initiative at the forefront of domestic abuse work Thus, the article is a discussion paper, rather than an evaluation report (available elsewhere) Using a gender analysis of power and control to understand domestic abuse, the Cheshire project melds together data monitoring, improved policing, training, outreach to ab

Who is gazing at whom? A look at how sex is used in magazine advertisements

Abstract: The portrayal of male and female advertising characters was examined to determine whether or not sex was used to sell a product. We defined sex as having at least one of three qualities. Two hundred and eighty-seven advertisements were content analyzed into four categories (gender of the actor, product type, whether or not sex was used to sell the product, and what kind of sexuality, if used, was shown). Most of the advertisements did not use sex to sell the product; however, if sex was used, it was more likely to appear in an advertisement aimed at a male audience. Objectified advertising characters were likely to be females alone or paired with males. Support was found for Mulvey's theory of the male gaze.

Between commodification and altruism: gender imbalance and attitudes towards organ donation. A representative survey of the German community

Abstract: The German transplant law (TGP) of 1997 only recognises organ donation if the donor agrees (‘extended consent’) and if done for altruistic reasons. Several alternatives will be discussed here, including incentives and passive agreement. Based upon a representative survey, the authors examined the attitudes of Germans towards several European models of organ donation and their attitude towards organ donation in general whilst living and after death. The acceptance of possible compensation systems was also explored. In Germany the majority do not favour compensation systems, but rather passive agreement. There is evidence of gender difference with respect to this attitude. Men tend to favour compensation systems, women do not.

Saints, sinners and standards of femininity: Discursive constructions of anorexia nervosa and obesity in women's magazines

Abstract: It has been suggested that women are encouraged, particularly by the popular media, to gain 'feminine' power through the pursuit of a 'suitably' petite figure. The current project investigated, from a feminist poststructuralist perspective, the construction of female obesity and female anorexia in 20 popular magazine articles (10 anorexia and 10 obesity articles). Of interest was the extent to which the two states, despite both being physically unhealthy, may differ with respect to the ways in which they are constructed as 'feminine' or aesthetically abhorrent. Whilst both being contextualized medically as deviant, dangerous, and overwhelmingly physical, anorexia nervosa was constructed as more desirable, powerful and feminine than obesity. We discuss the implications of these dichotomous representations in relation to issues surrounding the social construction of 'the feminine'.

Symbols of organisational culture: describing and prescribing gender integration of navy ships

Abstract: The symbols of organisation culture can both describe and prescribe human behaviour within that organisation. This paper examines experiences of gender integration of South African Navy ships through the use of symbols of military culture. Accounts from female and male sailors were collected through interviews and focus groups, 18 months after the gender integration of their ships, and revealed the symbolic use of rituals, metaphors, artefacts and physical space. Military organisations typically do not allow deviations from either their hegemonic masculine orientation, or official gender-supportive policies. To express either resistance or acceptance of gender integration, sailors used accepted (naval) cultural symbolism to covertly communicate and enforce their relative positions. Rituals were used as expression of inclusion and to communicate organisational norms, while metaphors reflected the ambivalence in the fleet. Further, as metaphors were constructed from familiar images, they served to regulate ...

Living between borderlands: discovering a sense of nomadic subjectivity throughout Rosa's life story

Abstract: In this paper, we will intersect the disciplinary characters of gender studies and disability studies in order to tackle taken-for-granted discourses which objectify women with ‘learning difficulties’. We will draw attention to ongoing debates about the impairment/disability divide which we expose to insights from poststructuralist feminism(s), with the aim of bringing the body-and-mind-in-process back into the socio-political project of disability studies. We will investigate the life story of Rosa, a single mother with ‘learning difficulties’, and explore the notion of nomadic subjectivity, borrowed from the poststructuralist thinkers Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari and from the poststructuralist feminist philosopher Rosi Braidotti for its new political process ontology. In line with feminist nomadic inquiries, we will try to identify possible sites and strategies of resistance towards the politics of bio-power by addressing the ways that Rosa stands and moves in a web of oppressive discourses and pra...

The role of gender in the stigmatization of people living with HIV/AIDS in Turkey

Abstract: At present there are 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHIV) in the world and 17.7 million of these are women. Gender inequality, potentially, makes women and girls more vulnerable to the condition than men. The aim of this article is to explore existing differences by comparing females' and males' experiences of the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS. In this qualitative study examining gender-based discrimination, interviews were carried out with a sample of 16 participants and analyzed. Findings revealed that the stigma experienced by PLWHIV is layered and that the enactment of the stigma varies according to gender-based traditional roles as well as socio-economic status. Furthermore the heterosexual female's position in terms of stigma shows a duality – married women are tolerated better than single females living with HIV. Additionally transgendered people are blamed and oppressed the most.

‘Good man, Mary!’ Women musicians and the fraternity of Irish traditional music

Abstract: The study of gender is ‘inherently a study of relations of asymmetrical power and opportunity’ (S.B. Ortner and H. Whitehead, 1981. Introduction to Sexual meanings: the cultural construction of gender and sexuality. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 4 ). In the masculine space of the Irish pub, women musicians respond to this power differential by adopting an array of tactics aimed at increasing their musical participation and enjoyment. The impediments to women's public performance of Irish traditional music must also include consideration that the Irish pub is a social space in which women historically had no legitimate presence; but this is only part of the story. Untangling the complex relationships between music and gender in symbolic representations of the Irish nation further reveals a strand of cultural meanings that persists in configuring ‘woman’ and ‘music’, ‘Ireland’ and ‘nation’ in ways that are disempowering to women musicians today. This essay draws on Foucault's theory of discourse...

Bodies that speak and the promises of queer: looking to two lesbian/queer bathhouses for a third way

Abstract: In utilizing my ethnographic research on two Canadian lesbian/queer bathhouses, Pussy Palace in Toronto and SheDogs in Halifax, I seek to show the centrality of queer and the concomitant promises of a queer project when it comes to bodily speech and sexual articulation. While many feminists have criticized queer as being regressive and ineffective, I explicate the ways in which the queering of space employed by the organizers of Pussy Palace and SheDogs enables the discursive and physical conditions for intelligibility among bathhouse patrons. The result is a body that speaks, a body that through its very specificity is recognized and affirmed.

‘And the winner is?’ Researching the relationship between gender and literary awards in Flanders, 1981–20001

Abstract: This article focuses on the correlation between the gender of authors and the winners of literary awards in Flanders in the last two decades of the twentieth century. The hypothesis is that the chances of winning such an award are different for male and female writers. The article will investigate the reasons for this imbalance. The authors look at the impact the gender of the authors seems to have and at the gender of the judges. The article will answer questions such as: Are female authors treated unfairly by the Flemish literary system? Does an all-male jury favour male candidates? Do men write ‘better’ books? Yet the article will also consider the professionalism of female authors: are they somehow to blame for the imbalance? Do they enter competitions as fervently as male authors? Are they willing to promote themselves and create the necessary networks? Finally, the article will investigate whether there is a difference between the literary genres: are female writers of children's books more likely t...

Flâneuse or fallen woman? Edwardian femininity and metropolitan space in heritage film

Abstract: This article examines Elaine Feinstein's 1984 television dramatisation of Edith Holden's The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady in light of debates about tensions between progressive narratives, and mise-en-scenes, in heritage film. I argue that evocations of an Edwardian pastoral idyll relate to late twentieth-century uncertainties about the nostalgic functions of Edwardian women for the 1980s. By analysing the representation of Holden's London years, I observe that tensions between narrative and spectacle produce two subject positions for Holden: flâneuse and Victorian fallen woman. The gradual pre-eminence of the latter signals the limits of artistic and sexual autonomy for Edwardian women.

The romance novel and popular culture during the early Franco regime in Spain: towards the construction of other discourses of femininity

Abstract: In this paper, my intention is to show and analyse the boom of the romantic novel – given the theoretical assumptions of popular cultural studies – in the Spanish literary scene during the first years of Franco's regime with two novels by Carmen de Icaza. The starting point is the hypothesis that the romantic novel, even if it keeps some elements belonging to the prevailing social speech of those days, also represents a subtle break from the distinctive parameters of femininity created by Franco's regime. The relevance of my proposal is that, if the romantic novel, on the one hand, fits the distinctive parameters of femininity such as passivity or those feminine standards such as love or sentimentalism, on the other it subverts its discourse of origin when it undermines the pillars of the patriarchal society with the subversive power of the impassioned imagination which, in the romantic novels analysed, is converted into an alternative reality.

An alternative approach to measuring gender inequality

Abstract: This paper examines the situation of women in the different socioeconomic areas of Spain using an alternative methodology. Rather than just providing a descriptive analysis, we combine statistics and multicriteria analysis techniques to obtain a ranking of Spanish regions according to their level of equality or inequality regarding women.

The Influence of Theory on Understanding: reflections from Twentieth-Century Fiction by Irish Women: Nation and Gender, Heather Ingman, Ashgate: Aldershot and Burlington VT, 2007

Abstract: An invitation to review Heather Ingman's Kristevan study of Irish women's twentieth century fiction sparked these thoughts on how theory influences understanding, in this case, of Irish politics, literature and gender. Intersectionality theory, combined with insights from Irish postcolonial studies, is used to indicate some critical implications of how a reading of ‘gender’ and ‘nationalism’ shapes literary interpretation.

‘Cross that Bridge’: Journeying through Zoe Strachan’s Negative Space

Abstract: Zoe Strachan outlines here the political journey taken in her novel Negative Space (2002), in which the female protagonist, Stella (whose name, pointedly, remains undisclosed until the novel’s penultimate page), moves out of the shadow of her recently deceased brother, Simon, to forge her own identity. By doing so, she exudes Strachan’s feminist ‘driving force’. For Strachan, postfeminism is a fictive term that conceals the ongoing objectification of women ‘as simulacra for Scotland’, victimized by ‘masculine frustration’. This is clearly signalled by the narrator’s lack of selfhood: she haunts an erased negative space forever debilitated by a phallocentric gaze, until ‘I struggle to recognize myself in my reflection’ (Strachan 2003 [2002], p. 12). Charting the heroine’s growth, the novel mobilizes Stella away from urban Glasgow to rural Orkney ‘as a kind of recuperative space in female-authored writing’ (Schoene 2006, p. 95). As a feminist writer indicating the need for such a healing space, Strachan challenges the delusion of postfeminism in an ongoing heteropatriarchal society and draws attention to ‘what is really going on’.