Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Women's Electoral Participation In Muslim Majority And Non-Mulsim Majority Countries, Sophia Francesca Del Prado Lu

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper aims to look and discuss the association of Islam and women’s electoral participation in Muslim majority and non-Muslim majority countries. The dataset that was used for the analysis, entitled “Party Variation in religiosity and women’s leadership: A Cross National Perspective, 2008-2010”, was taken from the Inter-University Consortium of Political and Social Research, University of Michigan who approved the use of their dataset. The unit of analysis targeted 329 political party lists in 26 countries. Women’s political participation was operationalized as electoral quota for women, internal party quota, percent share of women in decision-making bodies, interaction of percent female …

Nina Simone & The Civil Rights Movement: Protest At Her Piano, Audience At Her Feet, A. Loudermilk

Journal of International Women's Studies

American pianist, vocalist, songwriter, and activist Nina Simone (1933-2003) played a major role in the Civil Rights Movement and yet many historical accounts of the era have snubbed her. Bringing into clearer focus the intense and problematic commitment of Simone’s identity as a musician to the protest identity of the Civil Rights Movement, this essay will examine Simone as an icon, her songs in historical context, and her audiences over the years. Her concerts, which continued until the last year of her life, make for a fascinating public record of her turbulent relationship with fans during and after the turbulent …

The Experience Of Wellness For Counselor Education Doctoral Students Who Are Mothers In The Southeastern Region Of The United States, Latoya Anderson Pierce, Barbara Herlihy

Journal of International Women's Studies

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the experience of wellness in counselor education doctoral students who are mothers of children under the age of 18. Seven participants from universities in the southeastern region of the United States completed two rounds of interviews and one focus group. Participants were at varying stages of motherhood and different points in their doctoral journeys. Findings included participants' views of motherhood and womanhood, sacrifices and rewards, counselor education program support, wellness, and dissonance of multiple roles. Findings were compared within and across cases using themes and categories. Suggestions for further research as …

A Hidden History: Women's Activism In Ethiopia, Gemma Burgess

Journal of International Women's Studies

In Ethiopia a woman's identity is linked to her family and the prescribed gender role as a mother and home-maker, yet throughout Ethiopia's history there are examples of women who have roles that extend beyond the home and family into public, political life. This paper briefly describes this dominant gender identity of Ethiopian women before charting the changes to Ethiopian politics and women's place within them. It discusses how the shift to democratic politics opened new spaces for women's civil society activism. However, more recent political moves towards greater repression of civil society have closed the space for women's public, …

Female Entrepreneurship In A West African Context: Network, Improvisation And Dependency, Anniken Førde

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article addresses gender and entrepreneurship in a West African context. Through a case study of the network Les Femmes Entrepreneurs in Ngaoundéré, North Cameroon, gendered spaces and how these are being articulated, maintained and changed are analysed. The Cameroonian female entrepreneurs have a broad understanding of entrepreneurship, including all kinds of improvisation to survive and fight poverty. The network consists of women performing a multitude of activities, using Les Femmes Entrepreneurs as a social and economic safety net as well as to gain access to international financial support. Their entrepreneurial practices challenge established narratives of entrepreneurship. It is argued …

Muslim Women And Girls: Searching For Democracy And Self-Expression, Theresa Renee White, Jennifer Maria Hernandez

Journal of International Women's Studies

This project captures the stories of Muslim women and girls, and the individual ways in which they construct female identity and exercise religious freedom as a form of democracy and self-expression. Much has been written about Muslim women, their dress, hijabs, veils and more recently burqas (Shirazi, 2001; MacDonald, 2006; Haddah & Smith et al., 2006; McLarney, 2009), in the wake of the 9/11 events. Scholars have noted the increasing construction of hate, fear, and misunderstanding, as well as increasing incidences of “Islamophobia” through the construction of Muslims as “the other”. Others have focused on Muslim women’s negotiations of religious …

Women In The Second Egyptian Parliament Post The Arab Spring: Do They Think They Stand A Chance?, Laila El Baradei, Dina Wafa

Journal of International Women's Studies

Egyptian women were very active on the streets during the 25 January Revolution, both in the demonstrations and in the subsequent elections, showing very high rates of participation as voters, yet surprisingly, very low rates of representation in the 2012 parliament. The current study seeks to explore different views, expectations and perceptions of Egyptian women regarding women’s role in the forthcoming 2013 parliamentary elections, and to identify what alternative measures are needed to strengthen women’s representation in parliament, both quantitatively and qualitatively.

The methodology utilized relied on a literature review in addition to a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the …

Sex And Selfhood: What Feminist Philosophy Can Learn From Recent Ethnography In Ho Chi Minh City, Mathew A. Foust

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article explores the connection of class dynamics to the moral agency of sex workers and their clients. It revisits the analyses of several contemporary feminist theorists, placing these analyses in dialogue with a recent ethnographic study of the sex work industry in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In light of this comparative analysis, it is argued that accurate understanding and assessment of the moral agency of sex workers and their clients requires attunement to the complex and evolving class dynamics within which each is situated. Thus, while traditional frameworks for approaching this subject are useful, they are ultimately inadequate.

Changing Status Of Women And The Phenomenon Trafficking Of Women For Transactional Sex In Nigeria: A Qualitative Analysis, Clementina A. Osezua

Journal of International Women's Studies

This paper examines the changing status of Bini women occasioned by the upsurge and endemic nature of the phenomenon of trafficking of women for the purpose of transactional sex. It engaged ethnographic methods of data collection with the use of family based interviews, focus group discussions using vignette stories, life histories, and key informant interviewing. Data were analyzed based on emerged themes. Findings revealed that “successful” trafficked Bini women enjoyed high socio-economic status in their families of procreation especially where family members were the direct recipients of the proceeds from transactional sex. Most mothers of “successfully” trafficked victims wielded greater …

Quality Of Life Among Thai Sex Workers: How Important Are Work, Educational And Personal Characteristics In Shaping Subjective Well-Being?, Elizabeth Monk-Turner

Journal of International Women's Studies

Little work explores subjective well-being (SWB) differences among unique populations. This study rests on a data from commercial female sex workers (CFSW) that was collected in Thailand during January and February 2007. Past research in SWB indicates that women who have more formal education, those who feel positively about their income rank and working conditions, and those who feel connected to others in their community report greater well-being compared to others. Moreover, Biswas-Diener and Diener (2006) found that sex workers in Calcutta were generally satisfied with their personal domains. Most Thai sex workers, in our sample, were generally satisfied with …

Women In The 1919 Egyptian Revolution: From Feminist Awakening To Nationalist Political Activism, Nabila Ramdani

Journal of International Women's Studies

The formation of a feminist consciousness in Egypt ran parallel with the country’s rapid development as a modern state at the start of the 19th century. Technological advancements within Muhammad Ali’s increasingly capitalistic, secular country were accompanied by burgeoning intellectual thought among all sections of society, including women. By the end of the century, a middle-class female literary culture had become indelibly associated with a nationwide feminist awakening.

The feminist element to the wider independence movement was both vocal and powerful, as women rallied under the ‘Egypt for the Egyptians’ slogan. Elite women who had organised themselves politically had first …

Microcredit Lending To Female Entrepreneurs: A Middle East Case Study, Alida M. Gomez

Journal of International Women's Studies

There are more than 4 billion people in the world living off of less than 1500USD per year. These are the people worldwide without access to commercial banks and credit unions. These are the people that microcredit lending institutions are here to help. This paper focuses on the advantages to allocating the microcredit loans to female entrepreneurs. Highlighting women’s empowerment through microcredit lending, and using the Middle East as a case study, this paper uses studies from throughout the region that show that microcredit loans are improving communication, access to information regarding rights, and improved household welfare. Through access to …

Gender Standards V. Democratic Standards: Revisiting The Paradox, Amel Mili

Journal of International Women's Studies

In our past work, we had analyzed the correlation between gender standards and democratic standards in post-colonial North Africa, and found it to be essentially non-existent, despite the fact that these two standards are highly correlated worldwide, and despite the analytical evidence to the effect that they go hand in hand. We revisit our previous analysis, in light of recent developments in North Africa and the Middle East.

Jordanian Social Norms And The Risk Of Intimate Partner Violence And Limited Reproductive Agency, Jennifer Mccleary-Sills

Journal of International Women's Studies

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive global problem that violates the rights of millions of women each year and has been linked with a multitude of adverse physical, mental, and reproductive health outcomes. In Jordan, socio-cultural constructs of masculinity and female sexuality legitimize control exerted on and violence perpetrated against women. These include the gendered social norms that keep women in disempowered positions and limit their ability make fundamental reproductive decisions such as whether and when to become pregnant. This paper explores some of the mechanisms by which low levels of gender equity increase Jordanian women’s risk of violence …

Introduction: Women And Gender In The Middle East: Recognition, Reflection, And Realignment: A Bridgewater State University Conference, Sarah Wiggins, Jabbar Al-Obaidi

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Vagina: A New Biography, Harasankar Adhikari

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Vagina: A New Biography by Naomi Wolf

Book Review: Buy It Now: Lessons From Ebay., Busisiwe Magagula

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Buy it Now: Lessons from EBay by Michelle White

Book Review: Feminist Practices, Interdisciplinary Approaches To Women In Architecture, Magotsi Motanya

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Feminist Practices, Interdisciplinary Approaches to Women in Architecture. Edited by Lori Brown

Book Review: Women’S Work And Pensions: What Is Good, What Is Best? Designing Gender-Sensitive Arrangements, Mercy Nduku Ngungu

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Women’s Work and Pensions: What is Good, What is Best? Designing Gender-Sensitive Arrangements, edited by Bernd Marin and Eszter

Book Review: Even Tough Girls Wear Tutus: Inside The World Of A Woman Born In Prison, Sharonrose Sefora

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Even Tough Girls Wear Tutus: Inside the World of a Woman Born in Prison by Deborah Jiang Stein

Book Review: The Path Of Mercy: The Life Of Catherine Mcauley, Busisiwe Magagula

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of The Path of Mercy: The Life of Catherine McAuley by Mary C. Sullivan

Book Review: Arab America: Gender, Cultural Politics, And Activism, Adlai S. Davids

Journal of International Women's Studies

Review of Arab America: Gender, Cultural Politics, and Activism by Nadine Naber

Voices Of Ohio Women Aspiring To Principalship, Mahshid Pirouznia

Journal of International Women's Studies

Women who aspire for principalship might encounter obstacles such as: lack of encouragement; myths about women’s work; sex stereotyping; lack of aspiration; role conflict; low self-esteem; family responsibilities; lack of mobility; and hiring and promoting practices. The research problem is to investigate the major obstacles of women seeking the principalship in public education in the U.S.; and also to explore changes of different obstacles to women’s principalship because of changing women’s role over time. Most studies include one or two obstacles; but this study investigates major obstacles or any other possible obstacles that may have not been recognized in past …

At War With Their Bodies Or At War With Their Minds? A Glimpse Into The Lives And Minds Of Female Yo-Yo Dieters – The Curtain Has Lifted In U.K.?, Huda Iqbal Ahmed Qazi, Harshad Keval

Journal of International Women's Studies

Yo-yo dieting is a common phenomenon yet little interdisciplinary research has been carried out on dieting, food and nutrition in the social context. This study investigated the effects of yo-yo dieting on social and psychological well-being using qualitative methods. Data were collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with women who yo-yo diet. A total of 9 participants, 20-51 years old, were recruited by purposive and snowball sampling techniques from the University of Roehampton, London, U.K., where the first author was a student at the time of the study. Thematic analysis derived four major themes: the physical and/or mental impact of yo-yo …

Social Status And Change: The Question Of Access To Resources And Women's Empowerment In The Middle East And North Africa, Elhum Haghighat

Journal of International Women's Studies

Women in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) do not face a single social ideology that opposes change. It is incorrect to conclude that Islam per se is predominantly responsible for limiting women’s access to resources, employment, reproductive health, and social services. It is critical, however, to understand how Islam is used as an instrument of control in the hands of the governing elite; when expedient, Islam and historical traditions of patriarchy supply a framework and a justification for impeding or limiting women’s progress. At times, it has also been used in concert with government aims to slow population …

Assessing Reliability And Validity Of The 15-Item Short Version Of The Attitudes Toward Women Scale (Aws) Among Turkish Students, Raquel Delevi, Asli Bugay

Journal of International Women's Studies

The purpose of the present study was to adapt the 15-item short version of Attitude toward Women Scale (AWS) (Spence & Helmreich, 1978) into Turkish by first doing the translation of its items and then by investigating its preliminary psychometric properties. AWS and Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) were administered to Turkish college students. Factor structures, convergent validity, and internal reliability were investigated across two independent samples. Result revealed satisfactory internal reliability, convergent and construct validity for the 12-item short version in both samples, suggesting that the scale can be used as a reliable instrument in the Turkish culture to …

Challenging Cultural Discourses And Beliefs That Perpetuate Domestic Violence In South Asian Communities: A Discourse Analysis, Janki Shankar, Gita Das, Sabrina Atwal

Journal of International Women's Studies

South Asians are one of the fastest growing immigrant communities in North America. Domestic violence (DV) in the South Asian community is at least as prevalent as it is in the general population, yet is massively underreported. Several reasons have been cited for the silence of South Asian immigrant women about DV. While some of these are financial, social and structural, there are others that arise from discourses specific to South Asian communities. The aim of this study was to examine the origins of these discourses using the framework of historical critical discourse analysis. This paper presents the results of …

Towards 'Feminist Mothering': Oppositional Maternal Practice In Margaret Atwood’S Oryx And Crake, Suparna Banerjee

Journal of International Women's Studies

In the present article I focus on Margaret Atwood’s presentation in Oryx and Crake (2003) of the patriarchal construct of motherhood, paying attention also to the way this theme here is linked up with the question of the woman’s/mother’s agency in personal life and in society. My exploration of this theme would bring out Atwood’s critique of what has been identified as the patriarchal ‘institution’ of motherhood and her presentation of an instance of ‘mothering’ that both underlines the lacunae in the sexist ideology of motherhood and gestures toward an alternative. This alternative discourse of childrearing presents a counternarrative that …

History, Organization And The Changing Culture Of Care: A Historical Analysis Of The Frontier Nursing Service, Edith West

Journal of International Women's Studies

Aim: The aim of this study was to examine the organizational shift at the Frontier Nursing Service from all female, nurse run and community-people focused to the corporate-consumer focus adopted everywhere else and the accompanying work environment issues this shift brought to the organization.

Background: Though it is not possible to isolate a single causative factor nursing’s history of cyclic ‘shortages’ as the problem is complex and interrelated, and there is no simple description in the available literature, there is agreement that the problem is having a negative impact on the current nursing practice environment, the retention of nurses, the …

The State Of Internal Democracy Within Women Interest Groups In Malawi, Happy Mickson Kayuni

Journal of International Women's Studies

Vibrant women’s interest groups are to a larger extent a recent phenomenon in Malawi’s socio-political history. Locally and internationally, the contribution of voluntary organisations (including women interests groups) in actively creating possible spaces for new democratic practices is well acknowledged. However studies have not adequately analyzed the extent or degree of the internal democracy in these women interests groups. Furthermore, studies that examines the implication of the absence or presence of internal democracy in such groups is largely missing. Consequently, this paper aims at analyzing the state of internal democracy in Malawian women’s interest groups. In addition, the paper examines …