Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Do Legal And Institutional Reforms In Punjab, Pakistan Protect Women’S Inherited Land Rights?, Iram Rubab, Beenish Malik, Zujajah Bakht Aziz

Journal of International Women's Studies

Economic marginalization is a key feature of gender inequality globally. In Pakistan, which ranks 153 out of 156 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index Report 2020, economic marginalization has significantly hampered efforts towards inclusivity. In comparison to dismal levels of female literacy and formal occupation (traditional measures of development), inheritance is an interesting category—a right enshrined both in Islam (the official state religion) and the country’s constitution. Given Pakistan’s agrarian and otherwise rent-seeking economic orientation, land inheritance plays a pivotal role in financial wellbeing regardless of gender. However, a pervasive denial of women’s inheritance rights has been the norm. …

Gender Responsive Pedagogy Practices: Secondary School Science Teachers In Ethiopia, Mollaw Abrha, Asrat Dagnew Kelkay, Amera Seifu

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper examines the current status of secondary school science teachers' gender-responsive pedagogy (GRP) practices. Women’s participation in secondary school teaching is a major concern in many regions of the world. The use of instructional strategies that promote gender inclusion and sensitivity in initial teacher training is very important in the development of teachers. In this paper, the use of gender-responsive pedagogy in Ethiopia’s secondary school program is highlighted. Using data from baseline, midterm, and end-line surveys, the paper addresses how tutors and mentors use gender-responsive pedagogy and the changes that have occurred as a result. The study adopted a …

“Other” And “Othering” In The Intersectionality Of Inequalities: Alevi Women’S Experiences In Private And Public Spaces, Tuğba Metin Açer

Journal of International Women's Studies

Turkey is one of those geographies where ethnic and sectarian communities live together. Ethnic and sectarian differences in social life create a fragile structure in terms of "othering" and position groups against one another. Alevis are one of the several ethno-religious communities of Turkey that are positioned against Sunni Muslims. In Turkish literature, othering experiences of Alevis are discussed within the framework of totalizing discourses by reducing this issue to the category of sects, thus creating inequality in the social space which is generally related to the Alevis’ ethno-religious identity. Furthermore, it is observed that women’s experiences are ignored in …

Gender Studies In Nigeria: Growth And Institutional Contexts Of Semi-Autonomous Centres, Adedeji Adebayo

Journal of International Women's Studies

The study discussed a micro-level dimension of the institutionalization of Gender Studies (GS) in Nigeria, emphasizing the growth of semi-autonomous centres over the last two decades. It focused on a case study of one particular centre; the Centre for Human Rights and Gender Education (CHURGE), based in Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) in the southwest of the country, offering an analysis of how funding, institutional politics, and a dearth of specialist researchers have shaped the evolution of GS in 21st century in Nigeria. The study employed a qualitative research approach with samples purposively selected among researchers at CHURGE. Although …

The Women Organizations And Activism In Combating Domestic Violence In The North Caucasus, Saida Sirazhudinova

Journal of International Women's Studies

There are a wide range of forms of domestic violence in the North Caucasus. Recent years have shown the scale of its spread and the complexity of the fight against domestic violence in the region. The spread of domestic violence in the region is facilitated by the residents themselves, traditional institutions, and religious structures that increase their influence. In addition, the authorities are not interested in solving the problems of domestic violence, and they hinder the work of human rights organizations and activists in every possible way. This article describes the features of the fight against domestic violence in the …

Ending Civil War Through Nonviolent Resistance: The Women Of Liberia Mass Action For Peace Movement, Maxwell Adjei

Journal of International Women's Studies

In 2003, Liberia’s President Charles Taylor signed an agreement with two rebel parties to bring an end to the country’s fourteen-year civil war. Prior to that, the war had resulted in the death of 250,000 people and the displacement of more than a million. While the signing of the agreement and the subsequent resignation of Mr. Taylor received much of the attention in the local and international media, it is the extremely successful nonviolent campaign by the Women of Liberia Mass Action for Peace (WLMAP) that deserves critical attention and analysis. So far, not much has been done in terms …

Voices Of Thai Women Who Received Gender-Sensitive Empowerment Counseling, Somporn Rungreangkulkij, Netchanok Kaewjanta, Ingkata Kotnara, Kesorn Saithanu

Journal of International Women's Studies

In Thailand, as in most countries, mental health treatment is focused on a medical model. A new approach using Gender-Sensitive Empowerment Counseling as a form of intervention for women with depression was employed in this study. This qualitative study describes clients’ perspectives on receiving Gender-Sensitive Empowerment Counseling. Participants were fourteen women with depression who received empowerment counseling. In-depth interviews were used for data collection. Data analysis is content analysis. Five themes emerged: attitude change, feeling empowered, self-confidence, becoming more assertive, and greater self-love. Health care policy and service should integrate gender analysis and empowerment into the treatment modality. Supporting gender-sensitive …

Japanese Gender Role Expectations And Attitudes: A Qualitative Analysis Of Gender Inequality, Melanie Belarmino, Melinda R. Roberts

Journal of International Women's Studies

Due to current technology and the third wave feminist movement, gender inequality in other countries now has a global, socially aware platform. However, due to non-reporting, the voices of women experiencing violence and inequality in Japan are largely unheard. The purpose of this qualitative study is to investigate the gender role expectations in Japan that lead to inequality and victimization inflicted on Japanese women. Data was obtained through interviews with all available and consenting bilingual speakers at a Japanese University, and findings reveal that there are very specific expectations for Japanese women in the home, at work, and in society. …

Conceptualisation Of Honour Codes Amongst Turkish-Kurdish Mothers And Daughters Living In London, Ferya Tas-Cifci

Journal of International Women's Studies

The present study analyses how immigrant women transfer and preserve their traditional honour codes, and whether women from different generations (mothers and their daughters) adhere to the same codes. Focusing particularly on the Turkish-Kurdish community living in London , the study asks, ‘How traditional honour codes are conceptualised and transferred by the women of the Turkish-Kurdish community and whether mothers and daughters share the same opinion about them.’ In a traditional society it is considered to be mothers’ duty to ensure that their culture and traditions, and particularly honour codes, are transferred and taught to their children, especially to their …

In Two Different Worlds: How Malawian Girls Experience Schooling, Margaret Asalele Mbilizi

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper reports on a qualitative case study of how Malawian girls experience schooling in single-sex versus coeducational institutions. It is a qualitative narrative depicting the socializing and learning processes which affect girls’ potential to succeed in mathematics and science subjects and careers. Further I use critical reflection to describe my own experiences as a student, teacher, and researcher at one of the single-sex boarding schools.

The results confirm other research findings that single-sex school environments are effective in building high expectations and aspirations for higher education among girls. In single-sex schools, girls held higher educational expectations and occupational aspirations …

The Challenge Of Studying Sexual Harassment In Higher Education: An Experience From The University Of Malawi’S Chancellor College, Happy Mickson Kayuni

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper is an outcome of an empirical research study conducted in November 2007 and April 2008 to analyse the extent and factors contributing to sexual harassment in the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College. The study set out to answer some of the following research questions: (1) how does the Chancellor College community understand sexual harassment? (2) What are the extent, nature and forms of sexual harassment in Chancellor College? (3) In which ways are sexual harassment complaints handled? (4) What are the contents of institutional policies and procedures that focus on sexual harassment? Despite such a properly outlined purpose …

Flowers, Queens, And Goons: Unruly Women In Rural Pakistan, Lubna N. Chaudhry

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article focuses on girls and women perceived as deviant, difficult, or different by their communities in rural Punjab, even as it pluralizes and historicizes performances of rebellious, unruly selves. Specifically, the paper uses fieldwork interactions with girls who enjoyed wanderings in out-of-bound spaces, women who claimed a position of authority as headmistresses in village schools, and women who troubled the social imaginary through their acts of intimidation and involvement in local politics in order to examine defiance of gendered norms within the context of material, structural, and discursive realities framing individual lives. The analysis illustrates how regional differences among …

Gendering The Internally Displaced: Problem Bodies, Fluid Boundaries And Politics Of Civil Society Participation In Sri Lanka, Sandya Hewamanne

Journal of International Women's Studies

In this paper I argue that the internally displaced Muslim women’s experience of displacement and their perception of new developments since the last round of peace initiative between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE are significantly different from their male counterparts in that the women find these experiences as empowering in some respects. The paper also evidence that this empowerment is differently experienced by women belonging to different social classes. Women have been identified as a problem body within the Muslim community and restrictions on Muslim women have been justified through discourses on family honor and frivolous women. The …