Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Inequality In The Participation Of Women On Corporate Boards, Clotilde Hernández Garnica, Sair Alejandra Martínez Hernández, Armando Tomé González

Journal of International Women's Studies

In recent years, studies on gender inequality have increased because of the 1995 World Conference on Women, which aimed to increase women’s participation in decision-making and exercising power. This paper investigates this research question: How does participation by gender on corporate boards and in directorships impact the rest of the decision-making positions? We conducted this study to give evidence of the gender inequality that exists on boards of directors and within leadership positions in Mexico with the aim of proposing strategies to remedy this situation. The hypothesis is that if men make up the majority of corporate boards and directorships, …

Happiness, Life Satisfaction, And Gender Equality At The Micro And Macro Levels, Aslı Ermiş-Mert

Journal of International Women's Studies

This study aims to examine the impact of gender inequality index (GII) values (UNDP) on happiness and life satisfaction overall, as well as the impact of selected demographic predictors (gender, educational level, income) and individual-level gender egalitarianism on these two components of well-being in gender equal and unequal countries. Partial proportional odds models are implemented to predict happiness and life satisfaction levels of respondents included in 7th wave of World Values Survey (Haerpfer et al., 2020). Main findings show that increasing gender inequality at the macro level increases the likelihood to be both very unhappy and very happy, and the …

Paradoxes Faced By Women Teachers In Practicing Professional Ethics In Undergraduate Colleges In Nepal, Mamta Sitaula

Journal of International Women's Studies

Women instructors teaching in undergraduate colleges face much unethical behavior during the tenure of their professional lives. The feeling of clashing their professional ethical concerns with institutional misconduct is wisely explained as “experience of professional ethical considerations.” This study adopted a qualitative research design with a humanist research paradigm. I adopted auto/ethnography to study the phenomenon where I myself was a participant in order to relate the feelings of “self” with the other participants. Data saturation was maintained by interviewing five women teachers from different private colleges of Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. The findings were compared and contrasted with various ethical …

Gender Politics And Zimbabwe Universities: Facets, Contexts, And Consequences, Efiritha Chauraya

Journal of International Women's Studies

This study explores the perceptions of female middle managers of academic faculties at three universities in Zimbabwe to ascertain their lived experiences, feelings, opinions, and views regarding gender equality in the discharge of their duties. Open-ended, semi-structured, and in-depth interviews were employed for data collection. This method enabled the female deans to describe and reflect on their experiences. Engagement with the female deans of academic faculties revealed that: a) Promotion of women into deanship positions did not translate into eradication of gender-based discrimination against them; b) A lack of a broader vision of gender equality was observed which limited conscious …

Gender Policy In Kazakhstan, Venera Khairullayeva, Meiram Sarybayev, Assiya Kuzembayeva, Adilbek Yermekbayev, Gulnara Baikushikova

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article discusses the issues of gender policy in Kazakhstan. Since gaining independence, in order to strengthen the international image of the state, Kazakhstan has attempted to provide equal opportunities for women to participate in politics. The purpose of this article is to detail the history of formation and the main problems and prospects for the development of gender policy in Kazakhstan. The main principles of political research were used as a framework for analysis. This article attempts to dissect the perceptions of women's participation in politics as a result of Kazakhstan's mostly conservative views of the expansion of women's …

Tobacco Farming, Addiction, Promotion Of Gender Equality, Well-Being And Monopoly Of The Indian Market, Ranjit Singha, Yogesh Kanna S

Journal of International Women's Studies

Women's land rights are still suppressed in India because men hold most of the land, and men decide what crops to grow. Tobacco use and farming are both detriments to one’s health. It causes cancer, and cancer treatment is unavailable in the majority of India's remote areas. On the other hand, tobacco is grown in remote regions of India, and cancer hospitals are concentrated in major cities. There are eight states in India's north-eastern region, but only one cancer treatment facility in Guwahati, Assam. There is a need for new cancer hospitals in the north-eastern part of the country, where …

Social Inclusion, Equality, Leadership, And Diversity To Attain Sustainable Development Goal 5 In The Indian Banking Industry, Surjit Singha, Sivarethinamohan R.

Journal of International Women's Studies

The UN SDG 5 aspires to end all kinds of bigotry and abuse of women, although gender bias still exists in India. Most bank employees are men; few women hold senior positions in India's banking industry because of the country's early history of limiting chances for women to enter the profession. The solution to this is to hire women in leadership positions from international locations if the banking sector opens. The development of the banking industry in India relies on the best talent. The banking sector must open its position for multinational expatriates to maintain diversity and bring forth the …

The Influence Of Gender Stereotypes On The Growth Of Gender Inequality And Domestic Violence In Russia In The Context Of The Covid-19 Pandemic, Pisklakova-Parker Marina, Efanova Olga

Journal of International Women's Studies

The present article is concerned with the influence of gender stereotypes on gender inequality and violence against women in modern Russia as well as the response of government institutions and civil society organisations to domestic violence incidents under lockdown. Conclusions on the role of stereotypes in the growth of inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic are based on findings of the research carried out by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTsIOM) and the Institute of Socio-Economic Studies of Population of the Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed profound vulnerabilities …

Political Change And Gender Politics In Egypt, Rasha Souhail Mansour

Journal of International Women's Studies

The paper aims to explore the relationship between informal institutions, institutional change and gender equality in the context of the political struggle that took place in the aftermath of the 25 January uprising in Egypt. The paper argues that although the 25 January revolution presented Egyptian feminists with an excellent opportunity to put gender equality on the political agenda and build gender equality issues into the fabric of the new institutional and governmental blueprints and structures, they have failed to do so for several reasons. First, because of the monopoly exercised by two powerful inherently conservative patriarchal institutions, namely the …

Reframing Gender Complementarity: Dance And Women’S Empowerment In Post-Genocide Rwanda, Carine Plancke

Journal of International Women's Studies

Post-genocide politics in Rwanda aim to construct a new, modern and developed nation. Gender equality is one of the issues highlighted to this end. However, in order to defend current reforms, politicians and feminist lobbyists generally refer to women’s traditional position as wives and mothers, embedded in the sacred value attributed to fertility. This article explores Rwandan dance to examine the evolution of views on feminine specificity and gender complementarity within the socio-political context of the promotion of gender equality. Through examining a government-supported youth troupe, founded by Tutsi returnee students, and contrasting it with a female drum troupe, which …

Seeing Through Their Eyes: Empowering Grassroots Women In Their Search For Economic And Political Development, Diana Ibarra, Natalia Stengel

Journal of International Women's Studies

Women's empowerment faces different challenges depending on the socio-political context. In Mexico, a country with several gender gaps, grassroots women face more obstacles than women in urban zones. However, instead of assuming the main obstacles that prevent rural women's social and political empowerment in rural zones, we asked them directly. From July until December 2014, we undertook a six-month social research project that included 20 focus groups and 51 interviews in 10 different Mexico municipalities. Our primary purpose as women and researchers was to provide tools for catalyzing women's empowerment in pre-selected Mexican communities. Inserted into the Capabilities Approach, our …

Reinforced Stereotypes: A Case Study On School Textbooks In Egypt, Dina Wafa

Journal of International Women's Studies

Gender equality in access to education may be increasing, yet several studies have indicated that school textbooks tend to be gender biased. These studies have also concluded that there is an associated influence of school textbooks on children’s beliefs and values within such textbooks, which has the capacity to reinforce stereotypical roles for women and place a glass ceiling on their empowerment. This paper focuses on the reinforced stereotypical gender roles depicted in primary school textbooks in Egypt, which subconsciously affects girls’ self-esteem and stifles their empowerment. It provides a mixed method of analysis of the Egyptian centralized state school …

Muslim Women’S Right To Divorce And Gender Equality Issues In Bangladesh: A Proposal For Review Of Current Laws, Shahnewaj Patwari, Abu N. M. A. Ali

Journal of International Women's Studies

In Bangladesh, sharia law goes hand in hand with the statutory laws of the land. These laws are both conjointly used to regulate and monitor the issues of divorce among Muslims of the country. Orthodox Islamic laws provide husbands with the authority of issuing divorce or talaq to their wives known as Talaq-e-Tawfiz (popularly known as tawfiz) in the kabinnama (the written document of the contract of marriage). Women’s power to exercise the tawfiz, however, depends solely on the will of their husbands. Although Muslim women are capable of repudiating their marriages by the process of khula or mubarat, these …

Making Organisations Gender Equal—A Long Journey: Experience From A Non-Profit In India, Dibyendu Chaudhuri, Parijat Ghosh

Journal of International Women's Studies

Organisational leadership plays a key role in shaping the workspace. The collectively held beliefs, assumptions, and values which constitute the culture of an organisation are mostly influenced by its leadership. Monogamous patriarchal family structures—evolved based on male ownership and women’s subjugation—have led to the deep-seated idea of male supremacy. Organisations, including value-based non-profits, show the same pattern. Within organisations, patriarchal leadership exhibits sexism in order to maintain the status quo. The deep culture of gender inequality in organisations is apparently maintained as a means of maintaining male supremacy. This article demonstrates how, in two consecutive gender audits, Professional Assistance for …

Corporate Social Responsibility And Gender Commitments Of Commercial Banks In Bangladesh, Musammet Ismat Ara Begum

Journal of International Women's Studies

The growing field of Corporate Social Responsibility includes gender equality issues as a corporate commitment to society as well as the organization. It emphasizes equal opportunities for males and females in every sphere of organizational practice. However, the practices are most relevant to economic gains and political and regulatory purposes instead of demands for society, ethics and human rights. This research paper finds that the commercial banks of Bangladesh practice their gender commitments within a Corporate Social Responsibility framework and concentrate more on economic and political gains than mainstream gender practices from an ethical point of view. Incorporating gender issues …

"Der Sozialismus Siegt": Women’S Ordinary Lives In An East German Factory, Susanne Kranz

Journal of International Women's Studies

Socialism Triumphs adorned the roof of the office equipment factory (BWS) in the Thuringian town of Sömmerda until 1990. The factory became a driving economic force in the GDR. The city, called “the capital of computers,” represents a unique case of urban development and governmental support, showcasing the state’s anticipated unity of economic and social policy. This article explores the everyday lives of women working in the factory (1946 and 1991) and examines the state-sanctioned women’s policies, how they were implemented and how women perceived these policies and the officially accomplished emancipation of men and women. Sömmerda had roughly 23,000 …

Women’S Movement And Change Of Women’S Status In China, Yuhui Li

Journal of International Women's Studies

Introduction:

The year 1999 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Achievement of women’s liberation has been on the agenda of the Chinese Communist Party since the beginning of the PRC. This research studies the women’s movement and changes in women’s status in China. The first part of the paper reviews the history of the women’s movement in China and relevant theoretical perspectives on gender stratification. The second part examines empirical and secondary data to demonstrate the transformations of women’s status in China. The final section examines some conclusions emerging from the data. The findings show that …

Changing Aid Policies Through A Gender Lens: An International Perspective And The Case Of The Dutch Development Cooperation, Nathalie Holvoet, Liesbeth Inberg

Journal of International Women's Studies

Since the turn of the century changes in aid policies and modalities have been proposed with the aim to promote aid effectiveness. This article is a study on the ongoing reform processes within partner and donor countries as seen through a gender lens. It explores more closely how changing aid policies unfold opportunities and challenges for gender mainstreaming policies and gender equality objective. The article analyses in particular how donors are handling gender concerns in the realm of the ongoing changes and zooms into the case of Dutch Development Cooperation, one of change champions. Such a gendered analysis of aid …