Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Alternative Forms Of Resistance: Afghan Women Negotiating For Change, Sara N. Amin, Nazifa Alizada

Journal of International Women's Studies

In this paper we examine how Afghan women resist, strategize and negotiate family and societal constraints to take advantage of the expanding education and employment opportunities in the post-Taliban era. We focus on how these women exercise agency and what resources they mobilize to maximize their opportunities in the face of potential constraints. We argue that to understand women’s agency and changing gendered power relations in the family, it is crucial to examine every day individual behaviors that deviate from prescribed dominant gender behavior and infuse altered meanings to dominant gendering discourses. Our research highlights that gendered power is partial, …

Happiness Audit Among Female Students In A Higher Education Institution, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, India, S. Poulpunitha, K. Manimekalai, P. Veeramani

Journal of International Women's Studies

Students can play an important role in improving and strengthening their society. During college, women gain vast amounts of knowledge and experience, and it also provides them with the best opportunity to prepare for their careers. Students are powerful human resources who are destined to decide the future of any country. In this modern era, the lives of students have become more competitive and they have become mere athletes in an academic race. There is an increased emphasis on measuring the talent of a student primarily through academic outcomes. The mental health of students is an important and necessary factor …

Resolution 1325 In The Agency Of Colombian Women In The Peace Process Of 2012-2016, Rakel Oion-Encina

Journal of International Women's Studies

he Security Council of the United Nations urges member countries of the United Nations to develop Follow-up Plans for Resolution 1325 of 2000, on women, peace and security. Colombia is a country with a long, armed conflict. The Government has not yet designed a plan to implement resolution 1325. During the 2012-2016 period, the Government held a round table of talks with the FARC that culminated in a peace agreement. The women's movement in the country, based on the resolutions of the Security Council, demanded the incorporation of women at the negotiating table and the incorporation of the gender perspective …

Empress Frederick And The Women’S Movement In Nineteenth-Century Germany, Patricia Kollander

Journal of International Women's Studies

Empress Frederick of Germany (1841-1901) is known first and foremost as the liberal consort of Emperor Frederick, who died after a reign of only 99 days in 1888. A vast majority of her biographers believe that she converted her husband into a supporter of British-style liberalism, and that his premature death effectively ended prospects for liberal development in Germany. Yet historians have consistently overlooked her work to advance women’s causes, which left a far more tangible legacy than her involvement in politics. The essay discusses reasons why she embraced women’s causes and attempts to reassess her legacy. It also invites …

Violence And Motherhood In Kashmir: Loss, Suffering, And Resistance In The Lives Of Women, Shazia Malik

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper examines the social and political context of aggrieved mothers in Kashmir through personal narratives collected by the author. The theme of motherhood as a counter-piece of feminist analyses has re-emerged in recent years for example in the works of Ellen Ross (1995), Elleke Boehmor (2005) etc. Studies on motherhood, as Ellen Ross (1995) contends, are in the process of moving from the margins to the centre of feminist discussion, the mother increasingly a subject rather than a distant, looming object2. The context for this analysis is contemporary Kashmir positioned precariously in geo-politics. The paper attempts to reconstitute the …

Explaining The Lack Of Progress In Yemeni Women’S Empowerment; Are Women Leaders The Problem?, Nadia Al-Sakkaf

Journal of International Women's Studies

Despite existence of women’s empowerment policies and the appointments of women leaders to oversee the implementation and sometimes design of those policies, the Republic of Yemen has repeatedly ranked last in the WEF Gender Gap Index since 2006. Is this a problem of capacity? Are the women leaders, who are driving the national women’s development agenda forward, lacking in this field? This article investigates this question through a mixed-method research by surveying and interviewing Yemeni women leaders who were involved in empowerment policies in health, education, economic participation and political empowerment between 2006 and 2014.

Findings from this research show …

Writing The Body As Subversion In Alexandra Chreiteh’S Always Coca-Cola, Luma Balaa

Journal of International Women's Studies

Women in Always Coca-Cola are oppressed by multiple intersectional forces of oppression, such as patriarchy, the male gaze, colonialism, and the beauty myth. Although some women in the novella are caught in a state in between rebellion and conformism, Always Coca-Cola largely subverts patriarchy. By the end of the novella, the female protagonist is able to break free from some of her chains of oppression. Through a close textual analysis, this paper draws on many theories such as the “male gaze,” Hélène Cixous’s “writing the body,” and Naomi Wolf’s “the beauty myth” to argue that Alexandra Chreiteh’s Always Coca-Cola attempts …

The Dolphins And The Bodily Arts: Swimming As A Feminist Rhetoric And Pedagogy At The Detroit, Michigan Women's City Club Pool, 1924 To 1975, Liz Rohan

Journal of International Women's Studies

This micro historical case study introduces US progressive-era feminist swimming pedagogy as a “bodily art.” It showcases the interplay between culture, rhetoric, feminism and pedagogy during a boom time in the city of Detroit when female athletes competed in the city’s open waters and discourse about women’s swimming was circulating nationally. It suggests that historical cultural constructs can be models for future culture building.

Susceptible Lives: Gender-Based Violence, Young Lesbian Women And Hiv Risk In A Rural Community In South Africa, Johannes N. Mampane

Journal of International Women's Studies

In South Africa, as in many parts of the world, lesbian women are still perceived to be immune from the risk of contracting HIV as compared to heterosexual women. However, the South African media has been inundated with reports on the scourge of gender-based violence (GBV) perpetrated against lesbian women and their consequent risk of acquiring HIV as a result of being raped (or gang raped). As a result of this situation, this study was conducted in March to July 2015 to explore and describe the experiences of young lesbian women regarding their susceptibility to GBV and HIV in a …

Why Are Women Subordinated? The Misrepresentation Of The Qur'an In Indonesian Discourse And Practice, Erwati Aziz, Irwan Abdullah, Zaenuddin H. Prasojo

Journal of International Women's Studies

Discourse and gender practices show that women occupy a weak position in Indonesia. Women are portrayed as their husbands' "companions", or as "complementary" to a male-centered system. This article aims to explore unilateral interpretations of the Qur'an that ignores verses that venerate women. Misrepresentations of verses that honour women, or erroneous reading of said verses, have caused women to be disadvantaged in public discourse, in social practice, and in policy. By analysing the Qur'an and hadiths, as well as a series of interviews, this article shows that arguments promoting gender inequality are founded on the deliberate selection of specific Qur'anic …

Educational Background And Identity: Factors Influencing Arab Women Learning English As A Second Language, Sundus Alzouebi, Diana Ridley, Khadeegha Alzouebi

Journal of International Women's Studies

In the UK, being unable to communicate in English is a significant barrier to social inclusion. Each ESOL student brings a wealth of cultural experience and diversity to the country, but without sufficient proficiency in English to interact outside the home, migrants, refugees and settled communities struggle to integrate, can feel socially isolated and struggle to find employment.This is even more so for women, many of whom have childcare responsibilities. Arab women form a large proportion of the ESOL population, and often come from diverse backgrounds; some with high-level academic qualifications from their home countries and others who never attended …

A Gender-Responsive Approach: Social Innovation For The Sustainable Smart City In Indonesia And Beyond, Donna Asteria, Janice J. K. Jap, Dyah Utari

Journal of International Women's Studies

The smart city has become one of the many ways to solve the problems of contemporary urban environments. The sustainable integration of technology, people and institutions is essential in urban planning. However, utilizing technology in city management with the Internet of Things (IoT) in smart cities will not be sustainable without ensuring that the community is prepared. The involvement of all societies and persons, as agents of implementation and technology users, requires a gender-responsive approach to social innovation in the urban management. With regard to this issue, the purpose of this paper is to describe the importance of the human …

The Turkish Women’S Movement In Abeyance, Gizem Kaftan

Journal of International Women's Studies

The Turkish women’s movement started during the Ottoman era, and it is still in process in the newly established Turkish Republic. This paper examined the Turkish women’s movement, which began after 1923 and found that the Turkish women’s movement had two abeyance cycles. The first abeyance period in the Turkish women’s movement took place between 1935 and the 1960s. In the first abeyance period, the reasons for the abeyance were economic problems, World War II, and the changing political arena in Turkey. In 1945, Turkey became a multi-party democracy, and this changed political opportunity structures. After 1960, the Turkish women’s …

Rural Women In Kwara State (Nigeria) And Their Contributions To The Welfare Of Their Households, Abraham Falola, Segun B. Fakayode, Ajoke O. Kayode, Mujidat A. Amusa

Journal of International Women's Studies

The high incidence of poverty in the rural households calls for a concerted effort by all members of the household, including the women. Meanwhile, the discussion on the economic contribution of rural women in many developing countries has largely focused on national and regional levels with little or no concentration on their impact at their immediate household level. Therefore, this study examines the contribution of rural women to household welfare in Kwara State, Nigeria. Data were collected from 160 women in the rural area of the state using structured interview schedule. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, index ranking …

Gendered Narratives Relating To Women In The Information Technology Department Of A South African Organisation, Errolyn Long

Journal of International Women's Studies

In South Africa, there is an underrepresentation of women in senior management positions and industries requiring “masculine”-typed duties. The study aimed to explore the gendered narratives relating to women in the Information Technology (IT) Department of a South African organisation using a feminist interpretivist framework. A qualitative design informed by feminist methodology and narrative inquiry outlined by Gilligan et al. (2003) was used for this study. Two females and four male participants participated in the study and data collection involved in-depth semi-structured interviews. The Gillian et al. (2003) approach of data analysis was used (Listening Guide). The listening guide assisted …

Efforts To Eradicate Child Marriage Practices In Indonesia: Towards Sustainable Development Goals, Sonny D. Judiasih, Betty Rubiati, Deviana Yuanitasari, Elycia F. Salim, Levana Safira

Journal of International Women's Studies

Child marriage in Indonesia is a reality recurring within society. Religious and customary laws often become the basis to legitimize the practices of child marriage. According to UNICEF in 2016, Indonesia ranked the seventh in the world and the second in ASEAN for the highest rate of child marriage. Child marriage is a manifestation of gender inequality, especially for female. Indonesia, as one of the member countries of the United Nations (UN), has ratified the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) program issued by the UN to eradicate the practice of child marriage occurring within the society. One of …

Socioeconomic Status And Maternal Health-Seeking Behavior: A Comparative Study Between A Rural Site And An Urban Community In Bangladesh, Delwar Hossain

Journal of International Women's Studies

Maternal health-seeking behavior is not only a crucial public health issue but also a serious women’s health concern in Bangladesh. The present study examines the relationship between couples’ socioeconomic status and maternal health-seeking behavior in comparison of rural areas and urban communities in Bangladesh. Based on the research objectives, it included 95 rural and 95 urban couples (total 190 couples) randomly selected from purposively selected rural areas and urban communities in Thakurgaon District (north western area of Bangladesh). Results of the present study indicate that the rate of illiteracy was higher in rural sites than in the urban communities (rural: …

Impact Of The Legal Context On Protecting And Guaranteeing Women’S Rights At Work In The Mena Region, Chokri Kooli, Hend Al Muftah

Journal of International Women's Studies

This research explored whether the MENA region countries have adopted sufficient legal provisions that encouraged females to access the labor market. A documental collection, revision, and analysis were performed to enhance our understanding of statutory provisions that were adopted by 13 countries through the MENA region to encourage and facilitate access of women to the labor market. Findings showed that the governments of the different studied countries made considerable efforts to comply with the international legal norms and protect the female workers. Among other things, the findings suggest that the MENA countries need to offer more legal protections to guarantee …

Through The Eyes Of A Woman: Using Oral History To Explore The Enigmatic World Of Saudi Arabia’S Female Population, Carmen Winkel, Laura Strachan

Journal of International Women's Studies

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) remains cloaked in mystery and stereotypes especially when it pertains to its female population. Oppression? Subjugation? Discontent? These typecasts reverberate around the world, but interestingly when one speaks to a Saudi woman her story offers diverging representations of Saudi life that often debunk those expressed elsewhere. But without scholars asking “real” people about their lives and analyzing their lived responses, these dominant narratives are reaffirmed over and over again. To move beyond these stereotypes, this paper attempts to address the lives of Saudi Arabian females by using firsthand accounts obtained for an undergraduate student …

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 …

Shifting Feminist Activisms: Indian Feminism And Critical Events Of Rape, Geetanjali Gangoli, Aisha K. Gill, Martin Rew

Journal of International Women's Studies

Since the gang rape and murder of Jyoti Singh Pandey in 2012 India has generated an enormous amount of national and international media attention and a reputation for sexual violence, pointing to the country’s “endemic problem” (Washington Post, 2012). The rape led to widespread protests, by students and wider society, particularly in Delhi. Notwithstanding these recent events, rape has long been, in fact, a catalyst for feminist and social movement responses in India. This paper will focus on three cases of ‘stranger rape’ that have been valourized as pivotal moments for feminist activism on sexual violence within the country. Reformulating …

Learning From ‘The Outsider Within’: The Sociological Significance Of Dalit Women’S Life Narratives, Bhushan Sharma, Anurag Kumar

Journal of International Women's Studies

Dalit women have long occupied marginal positions and been excluded from two major Indian social movements: The Feminist Movement and the Dalit Movement. The researcher examines how Dalit women have made creative use of their marginality—their ‘outsider-within' status—and have represented their lived experiences. The study scrutinizes select life narratives of Dalit women writers: Bama's Sangati: Events (2005), Urmila Pawar’s The Weave of My Life (2015), and Baby Kamble’s The Prisons We Broke (2008) to discuss and explore the sociological significance of three characteristic themes in these narratives: (1) the interlocking nature of Dalit women’s oppression, (2) endurance and …

“Toward Antiracist And Transnational Feminist Solidarity”: Translator’S Note, Rintaro Kondo

Journal of International Women's Studies

This short essay presents an overview of the rationale for the translation into Japanese, of Rethinking Patriarchy, Culture and Masculinity: Transnational Narratives of Gender Violence and Human Rights Advocacy by Elora Halim Chowdhury (JIWS, vol.16, No.2, 2015). It includes a brief response by the author and the Japanese translation.

Impact Of Digitization On Women’S Empowerment: A Study Of Rural And Urban Regions In India, Dhanamalar M., Preethi S., Yuvashree S.

Journal of International Women's Studies

Women's empowerment plays a crucial role in the overall development of any society besides positively impacting the daily lives of women. The winds of radical change in the fields of employment and information technology have brought with them a wide range of opportunities for women in India and across the globe. The primary objective of this study is to find the usage of digitization in rural regions and urban regions by women. The study aims to perceive how basic internet centres and training should be provided for rural women to help them utilize the internet facilities. The “Internet Saathi” projects …

Women And Informal Employment: An Analysis Of Socio-Economic And Health Conditions Of Women Home-Based Workers In Chennai, India, Sivasubramanian K., Pushpa A., Raju V., Madhu Dhruva Kumar

Journal of International Women's Studies

This study seeks to analyse the socio-economic and health status of women workers in the informal sector in Chennai, India. Informal employment consists of various kinds of micro-enterprises offering commodities and services and home-based work. Of all these different types of work in the informal sector, home-based work is associated with women because of its nature and characteristic features. Home-based work is piecework for remuneration that is completed in the premises of the worker’s choice rather than the workplace of the employer. Women homeworkers face many issues such as long hours of work, low wages, meagre rates per piece, lack …

A Study Of The Awareness Of Electronic Banking Services Among Rural Women Of Nelamangala, Bangalore, India, Aneesha K. Shaji, Ajith P. Mathews

Journal of International Women's Studies

The revolution in electronic technology has taken the world by storm. The banking sector has not been immune to the impact of this digital revolution. In India, both private and public banks have changed their standard business practices and have now shifted entirely to electronic banking. The banking transactions that are executed through electronic devices and over the internet are termed electronic banking. One of the special features of urbanization is that urbanized society, irrespective of gender, is ready to accept the change and adjust to the new technologies quickly because of their extensive exposure to these innovations and their …

Overcoming The Widening Academic Research And Participation Gap: Indian Working Women’S Barriers In Undertaking Up- Skilling, Reenu Mohan, C. Nagadeepa, Aasha Sujit

Journal of International Women's Studies

The idea that women can be a powerful economic force needs to be universally accepted. Educated women have a better command over their lives and possess the capability to manage any situation. They get social recognition, which empowers them to achieve better social status and autonomy. Women face many impediments, and these hinder them from attaining higher work status. The observations till date show the numerous barriers women face in personal life, in academia, in the workplace, and in society.

The present study explores the personal, societal, and workplace challenges faced by working women in upgrading themselves through higher education. …

Enrolment Of Women In Higher Education: A Comparative Study On Women's Equity In Governance And Employment Status In India, Anita C., D. Ravindran

Journal of International Women's Studies

Many research studies, globally, suggest that a rise in the rates of higher education of women enhances their living standards and decision-making powers. Education has served as a powerful tool for empowering women. Having higher women’s representation in governance should enable the empowerment of women. The Gross Enrolment Ratio [GER] of Indian women has shown a steady rise in the past two decades. The GER of women has surpassed men in the age group of 18 to 23 in the year 2018-2019 (All India Survey of Higher Education [AISHE]Reports, 2019). In the year 2019, only 48.20 % of the Indian …

A Study On The Status Of Women’S Empowerment In Urban Bangalore, India, Sangeetha Menon, Ranjitha M, Shweta Sharma

Journal of International Women's Studies

The urge to empower is a human quality and a multidimensional phenomenon. It allows individuals or groups to participate and prosper in households, communities, and countries through political or development processes. Numerous studies have associated empowerment with many developmental outcomes. In the past decades, significant advances have been made among women in many fields like health, education, and employment. However, increasing incidence of violence against women, under-representation of women in decision-making, discriminatory laws governing marriage, land, property, and inheritance hinder women’s empowerment. It is further blocked by new challenges that have emerged over the last decade, such as tackling HIV/AIDS …

A Study On Women Consumers’ Attitudes Towards Green Marketing, Santhosh V, Raghavendra Babu

Journal of International Women's Studies

Green marketing is the marketing of products that are assumed to be environmentally friendly and environmentally safe. Green marketing incorporates a wide range of actions such as production process, product modification, packaging of products, and modifying advertisements. The green marketing movement is growing rapidly across the world. Consumer awareness and motivational campaigners are needed for the development of the green market. However, the mindset of women consumers has changed in recent times and they prefer green products. Compared to other countries, in India, awareness of green products like organic food and eco-friendly products is low. Indian women consumers have very …