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A recent webinar organized by the Pakistan Medical Association discussed the obstacles faced by women physicians in the Pakistani healthcare system. The speakers highlighted the lack of representation of women in healthcare research, leading to a lack of tailored treatments for women-specific conditions and potential misdiagnosis in gender-neutral conditions. Female doctors in Pakistan face challenges such as gender bias, limited career opportunities, and difficulties in maintaining work-life balance. Initiatives like the Women in Medicine program and advocacy efforts by organizations like the Pakistan Medical Association aim to promote inclusivity and gender equality in the healthcare system. Indigenous research, guided by the 4-Rs framework, is also important in addressing local health concerns. [Extracted from the article]

Background: The empowerment of women has implications on the health and dietary needs of children. Using the survey-based women's empowerment index (SWPER), we examined the association between women's empowerment and dietary diversity among children aged 6–23 months in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: Data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 21 countries were utilized. Descriptive spatial map was used to present the proportions of dietary diversity among the children. Multilevel binary logistic regression was used to examine the association between SWPER and dietary diversity. Results: Overall, 22.35% of children aged 6–23 months had adequate minimum dietary diversity (MDD) in sub-Saharan Africa. The countries with the highest proportions of adequate MDD were Angola, Benin, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. South Africa had the highest proportion of MDD (61.00%), while Liberia reported the least (9.12%). Children born to mothers who had high social independence were more likely to have adequate MDD compared to those with low social independence [aOR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.21, 1.41]. In addition, children born to women with medium [aOR = 1.12; 95% CI 1.03, 1.21] and high decision-making [aOR = 1.25, 95% CI 1.14, 1.37] were more likely to receive MDD than those with low decision-making. Conclusions: Insufficient dietary diversity is evident among children aged 6–23 months in sub-Saharan Africa. MDD in children is influenced by women's empowerment. Policies and interventions promoting women's empowerment can enhance MDD, especially for vulnerable groups in rural and poorer households. It is crucial to leverage media and poverty reduction strategies to improve MDD among children in sub-Saharan African countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the economic empowerment programs for women in the Solomon Islands and the obstacles they encounter due to cultural norms surrounding entrepreneurship. The programs aim to enhance skills in areas like bookkeeping and business management, but the article argues that they often overlook the social and cultural factors that influence entrepreneurship in the Solomon Islands. It examines two key themes: the challenges of refusing credit requests from family members and the intersection of cultural notions of success with business. The article stresses the importance of striking a delicate balance between commercial and cultural economic agencies and highlights the additional layers of negotiation and conditions that women entrepreneurs face. It emphasizes the need to involve men in economic empowerment programs to raise awareness and support women's leadership in business. The article also suggests the necessity of a culturally sensitive approach in designing and implementing these programs, as well as incorporating culturally based indicators in monitoring and evaluation processes. [Extracted from the article]

The Akshara Deepam (The Light of Letters) project, a collaborative endeavour between Choornikkara Panchayat Library, Kerala State Literacy Mission and Kudumbashree Mission, represents a pioneering model for community literacy and empowerment, with a strong focus on women's participation and empowerment. Initiated in May 2023, this innovative initiative aims to integrate literacy applications into daily life by delivering curated book kits to 720 households through 60 Kudumbashree Neighbourhood Groups, empowering women volunteers to combat poverty through literacy. Recognising its transformative potential, Rajagiri College of Social Sciences (RCSS) plans to integrate academic expertise into the project through a forthcoming MOU with Choornikkara Panchayat. Post-MOU, RCSS envisions a comprehensive approach, drawing from successful experiences, to integrate academic expertise into community engagement initiatives, particularly emphasising enhancing women's empowerment through literacy. To maximise impact, the Akshara Deepam project incorporates perception-level surveys, literacy practices and contributions from various RCSS departments. It provides diverse book collections tailored to the evolving needs of digital library usage. As an opportune intervention in changing literacy paradigms, RCSS intends to assess its efficacy and feasibility for rural replication in light of its initial results. This approach blends theory, community actions and academic involvement, empowering women and enriching communities globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite numerous international and national policy documents promoting girls' and women's empowerment and participation in community sports, the actual access to sport for women and girls is still restricted in several countries. This paper explores the situation in Ghana. Through the analytical lens of Cooky and Messner's theory of 'the unevenness of social change', we analyse the cultural and structural barriers that prevent girls and women from participating in sport in Ghanaian communities. The data material is document analysis, focus groups and semi-structured interviews with male and female officials representing state-funded regional and district sports organisations as well as non-state sports organisations in Ghana. The findings reveal that cultural barriers, rooted in deep-seated cultural norms and structural hindrances that undermine gender-inclusive policies, contribute to the limited participation of girls and women in community sport. Furthermore, the interplay between these cultural and structural factors leads to gender-specific practices and fewer women in leadership positions. Based on our analyses, we suggest that structural changes (enforcing and implementing gender policies) can result in cultural changes (positive gender equality outcomes) over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Rwanda stands out in East Africa with the lowest infant mortality ratio at 29 per 1000 live births. It also leads in gender equality on the African continent, ranking sixth globally according to the 2022 Global Gender Gap Report. This makes Rwanda an ideal case for studying the link between women's empowerment and infant mortality. Method: This study aims to assess the impact of women's empowerment on infant mortality using data obtained from the Rwanda Demographic and Health Survey conducted in 2005, 2010, and 2015. A three-category women's empowerment index was created using the principal component analysis method. The statistical analysis employed in this study is multivariate binary logistic regression. Results: Results demonstrate a significant impact of women's empowerment on reducing infant mortality, considering regional and residential inequalities, bio-demographic factors, and healthcare variables. Conclusion: The findings contribute to existing literature and highlight the importance of empowering women to improve maternal and child health outcomes. Such empowerment not only enhances health but also supports sustainable development and social progress. Policymakers, healthcare providers, and organizations should prioritize investing in women's empowerment to achieve maternal and child health goals, as empowered women play a pivotal role in driving positive change for a healthier and more equitable society. Significance: This study highlights the critical importance of women's empowerment in improving infant survival rates and promoting population health in Rwanda. The study is significant due to the country's low infant mortality rate and leading position in gender equality in Africa. By demonstrating the strong association between women's empowerment and infant mortality, the findings highlight the need for ongoing efforts to empower women and ensure equitable access to healthcare services for all. This research provides valuable insights that can inform policies and programs aimed at reducing infant mortality and enhancing the well-being of both women and children in Rwanda and similar contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which analyzed the cosmetic feminism of cosmetics company L'Oreal Paris and the representation of mature women from the perspective of femvertising. Topics include the female body as a means of motivating consumption and boosting sales, representation of female old age in the advertising industry, advertising strategy of L'Oreal Paris and its link to women empowerment and gender equality as a fundamental human right, its use of diversity and minimized sexuality.

The article examines the representation of transvestism and abject body in Jeanette Winterson's "The Passion." It discusses the androgyny of the protagonist Villanelle and her transvestism as an exploration of sex-construction and gender performativity. It explores the feminist struggle and female empowerment in the novel, as well as parental influence in Villanelle's subjectivity development, the presentation of masculinized self, and conflict of interest with the feminine-homosexual self.

This study investigates the long-term effects of the Paraguayan War (1864–1870) on intimate partner violence (IPV). The identification relies on a novel historical dataset that uses the distance from regions to military camps during the war and military camps' sizes to proxy the impact of the war across Eastern Paraguay. The likelihood of modern-day IPV is found to be 5.54% higher than the average in areas that were more heavily affected by the war. Consistent with relative improvements in female labour participation and human capital posing a threat to the traditional male breadwinner role in households, the evidence confirms that reduced gender differences in the labour market and human capital accumulation after the war increased the long-term likelihood of IPV. As non-gender types of interpersonal violence are found to be unaffected in the long run, I conclude that the gender norm caused by the war enabled IPV, arguing that women's empowerment is a multi-faceted phenomenon wherein some dimensions, such as IPV, have a greater influence than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's empowerment is now a global development objective. However, the instrumentalization of this approach to gender equality has prompted calls for research into the financing of interventions. With donors now reporting the gender credentials of their spending, this article follows the money for one region—Southeast Asia—to investigate how donors are engaging with women's economic empowerment. Through a systematic review, it identifies and codes women's economic empowerment projects. Data is analyzed according to geographic distribution, thematic distribution, and participant types. The article offers important insights into funding patterns and deficiencies in current reporting practices. It finds, first, while there is a more thematically diverse mix of projects being funded than indicated in previous research, women's economic empowerment continues to be interpreted in Southeast Asia as women's market inclusion, continuing the trend of instrumentalization. Second, and consistent with emergent research highlighting the political uses of aid transparency, it demonstrates that donors are engaging in gender wash by inadequately and incorrectly reporting project characteristics. By upselling their gender credentials, donors are characterizing their activities as advancing gender equality despite often intensifying the challenges faced by women, underscoring the urgent need to reform reporting practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender experts are increasingly employed across governments, multilateral donors, companies, and NGOs where they are defining a new profession and a new field of study, driving calls for research into the relationship between expertise and feminism. At the same time, the instrumentalization of the women's empowerment approach has prompted analysis of whether it can be reharnessed to its radical roots. By interviewing 25 gender experts, this article examines their political practices in navigating their work at a time when there is unprecedented support for gender equality, and yet interventions overwhelmingly focus on women's market inclusion. The article underscores the profound contradictions generated by the privatization of development, where most gender experts support increased private sector involvement but operate in a hostile environment and devote substantial labour to gender-capacity building. Based on the limited scope for re-radicalising women's empowerment, the article proposes advocating for feminist participatory action research as an alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Progress towards women's empowerment (WE) and gender equality is slow and uneven across the Global South. Livestock systems support the livelihoods of one billion poor people in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), most of whom are women. While livestock and gender research has focused on addressing gender inequalities to build a better livestock sector, there is growing evidence that livestock development can contribute to WE and gender equality. The latter is the main topic of this scoping review. A total of 99 papers, corresponding to 102 studies, were included in the analysis. Results indicate that the gender approach strongly influences the effect of livestock interventions on WE, as much as the type of livestock intervention. Gender accommodative approaches were associated with more advances in WE than gender blind approaches, but there was no significant difference in the reported negative effects, challenging the prevailing assumption that gender-accommodative approaches 'do no harm'. Most asset transfer projects combined with extension had positive effects while those focusing on output markets negatively impacted WE. Gender accommodative approaches had negative or unclear impacts on women's labour and workloads. Use of these findings should help guide the design of livestock projects aiming to enhance gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being an agrarian economy, food insecurity is pervasive in Pakistan. This study examines the impact of multiple dimensions of household vulnerability and socio-economic resilience on food insecurity. The results of ordinary least squares and Logistic regression based on data from Pakistan Standard and Living Measurement Survey (2018–2019) and Food Insecurity Experience Scale showed that vulnerabilities like age and employment dependency, household size, and gender composition play a significant role in food insecurity. The key policy interventions that can prevent households from experiencing food insecurity would be investments in human capital, empowering women, and reduction in rural–urban disparity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to assess the possible contribution of formalizing small-scale women entrepreneurs' food processing enterprises in northern Ethiopia to their empowerment or disempowerment. The rationale for evaluating this contribution to (dis)empowerment is to provide updated and policy-relevant knowledge on the issue, including assessing if the critiques of the formalization agenda are still valid or whether the situation may have changed. The main finding suggests that formalization offers limited opportunities for empowering small-scale, resource-poor women entrepreneurs in northern Ethiopia. The contribution of formalization to women's (dis)empowerment varies among the various categories of participants in different ways and forms. Some better-off women entrepreneurs benefitted from formalization in some dimensions; however, this is not the case for most of the women entrepreneurs included in the study. Instead, for the poorer women entrepreneurs, formalization rather led to disempowerment. In conclusion, if formalization in Ethiopia harms or disempowers poor women entrepreneurs rather than benefits them, this paper suggests a need for a major change in policies and practices related to the formalization and women empowerment agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the Covid-19 pandemic caused schools, workplaces, and childcare centres to close, pressures in the home increased. Much of the additional unpaid work required under these conditions was done by women. Most women's magazines at this time urged women to stay positive and develop wellbeing routines to help them flourish. This approach reinforces normative neoliberal subjectivity with its roots in therapeutic culture and the happiness industry. While the focus on self-care may seem empowering, it puts more pressure on women in times of upheaval. Based on a thematic analysis of pandemic-related content in Australia's most popular women's magazine, The Australian Women's Weekly, we identified three key themes: 'finding the silver lining', 'making lifestyle choices', and 'recognising hardships and social divides'. While self-responsibilising discourses were prominent, some articles acknowledged the broader structural issues impacting women, revealing a tension between competing discourses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-marital residence norms govern where a married couple resides after marriage: with the husband’s family, the wife’s family, or independently. We study whether these arrangements affect female autonomy and domestic violence outcomes in four Southeast Asian countries—Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, and Myanmar—where a sizable proportion of the population practices each type of marital residence. Compared to independently residing families within the same province-country, married women residing with the husband’s family have worse autonomy outcomes, whereas those residing with members of their own natal families fare substantially better. This aligns well with an anthropological understanding of how gendered patterns of influence in a social system might potentially interact with female empowerment. On the other hand, we observe that married women in both types of non-independent households suffer from less frequent domestic abuse compared to women residing independently, likely due to a deterrence effect from the presence of other family members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: More than half of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) faces limited access to safe drinking water. Unimproved water sources can pose risks to the health of entire households, particularly women and children. Despite the fact that East African countries have some of the poorest drinking water infrastructures globally, there is a lack of published data on this issue. Consequently, the objective of this study was to examine access to safe drinking water and its determinants among households in East Africa, utilizing recent nationally representative data. Methods: This study analyzed data from recent demographic and health surveys conducted in 12 East African nations between 2011 and 2022. Data were gathered from 204,275 households. A stratified two-stage cluster sampling method was employed, with enumeration areas serving as the main sampling units and households serving as the secondary sampling units. Binary and multiple multilevel logistic regression were used to examine the relevant factors associated with the use of different sources of drinking water in the region. In binary regression and multiple regression, P values of ≤ 0.2 and < 0.05, respectively, were used to determine the statistical significance of variables in the final model. Results: Approximately 72.62% (95% CI = 72.43, 72.83) of households have utilized improved sources of drinking water. Household heads aged 25–35 years (AOR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.14), 36–45 years (AOR = 1.09, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.14), and > 45 years (AOR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.04, 1.14), those with secondary/higher education (AOR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.20–1.29), and individuals in wealth index categories of poorest (AOR = 0.17, 95% CI = 0.16, 0.18), poorer (AOR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.19, 0.22), middle (AOR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.24, 0.27), and richer (AOR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.34, 0.38) were associated with improved sources of drinking water. Additionally, female household leaders (AOR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.20, 1.26), > 30 min of time taken to access the water source (AOR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.95, 2.05), improved toilet facilities (AOR = 2.25, 95% CI = 2.19, 2.31), rural residence (AOR = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.42, 0.45), high community wealth (AOR = 1.31, 95% CI = 1.13–1.51), community media exposure (AOR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.15, 1.51) were associated with improved sources of drinking water, respectively. Conclusion: Approximately three-quarters of the population in East Africa has access to improved drinking water, although the quality of water in the region is still considered poor. It is important for relevant organizations to collaborate in order to improve the quality of drinking water, with special attention given to high-risk groups such as communities with high poverty and low literacy rates, poor households, and rural residents. Strengthening women's empowerment and increasing mass media exposure can also play a crucial role in accelerating the adoption of improved drinking water sources in East Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Despite the decrease in the global under-five mortality rate, the highest rates of mortality are reported in sub-Saharan Africa. More than one-third of all deaths among under-five children are either from lower respiratory tract infections, diarrhea, or malaria. Poor treatment-seeking behavior for fever among mothers of under-five children is a big concern in sub-Saharan Africa. However, the pooled prevalence of prompt treatment of fever and its associated factors among under-five children in the region using nationally representative data is not known. Therefore, the findings of this study will inform policymakers and program managers who work on child health to design interventions to improve the timely and appropriate treatment of fever among under-five children. Methods: Data from the recent demographic and health surveys of 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa conducted between 2006 and 2022 were used. A total weighted sample of 71,503 living children aged under five years with a fever was included in the study. Data extracted from DHS data sets were cleaned, recorded, and analyzed using STATA/SE version 14.0 statistical software. Multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression was used to determine the factors associated with the outcome variable. Intra-class correlation coefficient, likelihood ratio test, median odds ratio, and deviance (-2LLR) values were used for model comparison and fitness. Finally, variables with a p-value <0.05 and an adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval were declared statistically significant. Results: The pooled prevalence of prompt treatment of fever among under-five children in sub-Saharan African countries was 26.11% (95% CI: 25.79%, 26.44%). Factors like maternal education [AOR = 1.18; 95% CI (1.13, 1.25)], maternal working status [AOR = 1.34; 95% CI (1.27, 1.41)], media exposure [AOR = 1.05; 95% CI (1.01, 1.10)], household wealth index [AOR = 1.13; 95% CI (1.06, 1.19)], distance to a health facility [AOR = 1.18; 95% CI (1.13, 1.23)], healthcare decisions [AOR = 1.34; 95% CI (1.01, 1.77)], visited healthcare facility last 12 months [AOR = 1.45; 95% CI (1.38, 1.52)], antenatal care attendance [AOR = 1.79; 95% CI (1.61, 1.99)], place of delivery [AOR = 1.55; 95% CI (1.47, 1.63)], and community-level antenatal care utilization [AOR = 1.08; 95% CI (1.02,1.14)] were significantly associated with prompt treatment of fever among under-five children. Conclusion: The pooled prevalence of prompt treatment of fever among under-five children in sub-Saharan African countries was low. Educated women, working mothers, having media exposure, rich household wealth status, perceiving distance to a health facility was not a big problem, making healthcare decisions with husband or partner, visiting healthcare facility in the last 12 months, antenatal care attendance, health facility delivery, and high community-level antenatal care utilization increase the odds of prompt treatment of fever. Therefore, women's empowerment, information dissemination through mass media, maintaining regular visits to healthcare facilities, and strengthening health facility delivery and antenatal care services are strongly recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do women in the Iranian diaspora contribute to change in their homeland? Drawing on narrative accounts from activists and advocates, this paper offers insight into whether and how change occurs in relation to diasporic initiatives. The results highlight women's perceived success in public education and awareness-raising activities that focus on procedural, discursive and legislative change. At the same time, despite enjoying freedom in the diaspora, diasporic women continue to face operational constraints like those in the homeland and must minimise risk. The findings are timely given the feminist uprisings that have engulfed Iran in 2022–2023, the coherence of which rests upon the patient and persistent work of those that have come before. This research holds significance for practitioners in diasporic communities, and researchers interested in agents and drivers of change in repressive operating environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (HIV PrEP) may help reduce the rate of HIV infection among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study aimed to assess women's knowledge and attitudes toward PrEP, a crucial component of HIV prevention, using nationwide data. It is the first study of its kind conducted in five SSA countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, and Tanzania. The primary objective was to examine women's knowledge and attitudes toward PrEP for the prevention of HIV infection, as well as to explore individual- and community-level factors associated with it. Methods: The current study utilized the 2021/22 demographic and health survey datasets from five African nations, namely Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania. The analysis was performed using Stata 17. A weighted sample of 77,052 women of reproductive age participated in the survey. Univariate and multivariable multilevel logistic regressions were conducted to assess parameters related to knowledge and attitudes toward PrEP in these countries. In both the univariate regression and the final model, the significance of variables was determined using P values of ≤ 0.2 and < 0.05. Results: Overall, only about 13.88 (95% CI: 13.64,14.12) of women had knowledge and attitudes toward HIV PrEP. The highest (34.29%) and lowest (5.61%) values were observed for Kenya and Tanzania respectively. Higher rates of knowledge, and attitude toward HIV PrEP among women were independently associated with age 25–34 years old (AOR = 1.52, 95% CI:1.41,1.64), and 35–49 years old (AOR = 1.56, 95% CI:1.43,1.69), primary education level (AOR = 1.79,95% CI:1.65,1.95), and secondary/higher education level (AOR = 2.92, 95% CI: 2.67,3.20), richer (AOR = 1.14, 95% CI:1.02,1.27), and richest (AOR = 1.21, 95% CI:1.06,1.37), employed women (AOR = 1.82, 95% CI:1.65,1.99), had media exposure (AOR = 1.49,95% CI:1.40,1.59),knowledge of modern contraception (AOR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.94,3.43), had at least one ANC visit (AOR = 1.99, 95% CI:1.47,2.69), gave birth at health institutions (AOR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.02,1.37), ever had given birth (AOR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.41,1.66), female household heads (AOR = 1.24, 95% CI:1.17,1.31), rural women (AOR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.76,0.89). Similarly, women from communities with high ANC coverage (AOR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.61,2.11), high community mass media exposure (AOR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.39,1.88), and high community wealth level (AOR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.30,1.68), and women from the high illiteracy rate community (AOR = 0.71, 95% CI: 0.61,0.82) showed statistically significant associations with the outcome variable in the final model. Conclusions: Less than one-seventh of women exhibited knowledge of and positive attitudes toward HIV PrEP. All stakeholders involved in HIV/AIDS prevention and control have recognized the significance of the factors mentioned above. Enhancing maternal health services, such as promoting institutional delivery, contraception, antenatal care (ANC), and women's empowerment, alongside harnessing the power of media and embracing these transformative changes, will contribute to a greater understanding of and more favorable attitudes toward HIV PrEP within the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores Pakistan's deeply ingrained heteropatriarchal ideologies through the "Doosra Janum" (Second Incarnation) title track from Churails, using multimodal critical discourse analysis, performativity, and postcolonial feminist theory. Amidst the web series' burgeoning role in blending entertainment with social critique in Pakistan, the study illuminates the power of cinematic techniques in forging new narratives around gender and cultural identities that champion female empowerment. Our analysis underscores the pivotal role of these techniques in challenging and overturning patriarchal and gender norms, significantly enriching discussions on the capacity of visual media to address critical social and gender-related concerns in Pakistan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines public attitudes toward ambivalent sexism in the State of Qatar, which has taken considerable initiatives to prioritize women's empowerment strategies and promote equality between men and women. It investigates whether these equality initiatives are reflected in nationals' attitudes toward women by measuring scores on the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (ASI). While prior research has focused almost exclusively on the role of social implications, much less has been explored regarding the public sentiments underlying traditional gender roles and patriarchal attitudes in Qatari society. This study uses original survey data from a national sample of a 2019 survey. The results of the novel analytical descriptive approach used here suggest that individuals in Qatar are highly sexist on average, indicating that as a nation, Qatar scores low on gender equality measures. The analysis also reveals that benevolent sexism is evaluated more positively than hostile sexism, although its underlying dimensions correlate with patriarchal views and gender stereotyping in the context of high gender inequality. These findings are especially important considering the ever-emerging dynamics of gender roles and the increased efforts being gradually expended for improved gender parity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how the post-Cold War geopolitical context penetrated through the struggles and empowerment of North Korean female defector entrepreneurs in South Korea. Reconceptualizing the notion of intersectionality, the study focuses on a grey area of informality and the resilience of these women. Based on in-depth interviews and participant observations, the findings indicate that these women leveraged geopolitical limits to develop their entrepreneurial assets. Informality developed through their involvement in Jangmadang and cross-border mobilities via informal brokerage. Through human-trafficked marriages, they stayed in China, learning the Chinese language and working in South Korean companies. The disadvantages of the job market and gender roles motivated them to start their businesses. The research emphasizes the complex ways in which agency, mobility, and geopolitics intersect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite recognition of the importance of women's political rights for the functioning of modern states, women's participation in political debate and decision‐making remains low around the world. As the first study of its kind, this article examines the impact of women's political empowerment on military spending. Using a sample of 163 developed and developing countries, the article shows that women's political empowerment helps to reduce military spending. Moreover, this result remains robust when dealing with the level of development, endogeneity issues and geographical location. As an explanation, we highlight the role of women politically engaged in improving governance through the reduction of corruption, peacebuilding, their preference for social spending like education and health and their role in reduction discrimination against women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws on ten semi-structured interviews with mothers about their maternal selfie practices in order to explore how they use and navigate the form in relation to their motherhood identities and experiences. Whilst work on the form is still emerging, we examine the claim that maternal selfies offer space for a uniquely subjective expression/depiction of motherhood. As part of this, we explore how discussions of their selfie practices – and appraisals of the cultural circulation of the maternal selfie – resist and (re)produce discourses on acceptable digital and cultural paradigms of motherhood. The themes which emerged from these data were 1) the maternal selfie as empowerment, 2) authenticity as regulatory discourse and 3) the risks of negative affect. In drawing on work on neoliberal and intensive mothering frames, the article examines how the increasing emphasis (in digital cultures in particular) on displaying the complex realities of motherhood are implicated within the surveillance and self-surveillance of maternal visibility in ways which may (further) delimit the possibilities for maternal self-expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While most of the studies have focused on how female PhDs are stereotypically depicted as a sexless third gender and an ultimate leftover in Chinese mainstream media representation, little attention has been paid to how such negative stereotypic representation and its underlying patriarchy are resisted. Drawing on feminist critical discourse analysis (Lazar, 2005, 2014) and legitimization strategies (van Leeuwen, 2007, 2017), this study sets out to investigate how the discursive legitimizing strategies for female PhDs play out on Chinese social media by employing a corpus-assisted approach. The data for the present study comprise 2,124 posts retrieved from China's most popular community question-answering (CQA) site – Zhihu. It is revealed that Zhihu users commonly employ (1) personal authority, specifically that of female PhDs, to establish legitimacy; (2) moral evaluation, involving negation, affirmation and re-evaluation to legitimize the presence of female PhDs and their marital practices; (3) rationalization, including definition, explanation, means-orientation and goal-orientation to achieve the social empowerment of female PhDs. Also, this study probes into the ideologies implicated by the use of these discursive practices in relation to the wider sociocultural contexts. The implications may hopefully shed light on the optimal ways for female PhDs' advocacy in contemporary China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video game communities, as new emerging creators of contemporary culture, have been identified as paradigmatic gendered contexts and are considered essential for understanding gendered contextual dynamics in contemporary society. This research is based on a multi-sited ethnography study of five game jams as contexts of creation and participation in video game communities, to which was added discussion from eight focus groups and an online forum with 30 female participants. It explores and discusses three analytic emerging dimensions about the perceived gendered dynamics, experiences, interactions and characteristics of these contexts through the women's perspectives, silences and meanings. In particular, it focuses on the unequal representation and uncovered power dynamics between men and women, the perceived gender stereotypes, and the internalised discourses. Considering the perceptions of devaluing women´s capacity, experience and knowledge, is discussed the impacts on women's participation. The importance of decoding the video game-gendered contexts is reinforced to create gender-integrated and gender-sensitive environments towards a more diverse and inclusive gaming culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contributes to the burgeoning literature on how women construct resistance, project their agency and sculpt a positive identity for themselves. It employs feminist critical discourse analysis as a framework to examine how Nigerian blogs on gender issues constitute a discursive site for sociopolitical action, the interrogation and deconstruction of gendered social structures and the amplification of women's voices(s). The article analyzes discursive strategies used in the blogposts to resist gender inequality, women's exploitation and female subjugation while constructing a positive image for women and emphasizing their empowerment. The results reveal three main strategies: (1) denouncing patriarchy and gender discrimination, (2) countering toxic gender narratives and (3) calling out sexist attitudes and praising women who resist such behaviour. Together, these mechanisms contribute to a sociopolitical critique of systematic gendering of privilege aimed at social transformation and Nigerian/African women's emancipation. Implications of the study for research on marginalized, disenfranchised groups are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The gendered displacement experiences of Syrian women and girls have been a significant focus of both the academic and development and humanitarian gaze. In response, humanitarian and development organisations have increasingly implemented women and girl safe spaces. Yet, little is known about Syrian women's experiences within them, nor the structures and practice shaping those experiences. Drawing on feminist ethnographic fieldwork in a women and girl safe space in the Beqaa valley in Lebanon, I explore Syrian women's experiences of at-homeness, disclosure, sharing, and alternative futures in relation to the various safety-making practices and structures in the women and girl safe space. My findings highlight the potential for women and girl safe spaces to counteract the everyday isolation and hardship forcibly displaced women face, as well as helping to build the emotional safety and community that they need to navigate forced displacement and strive towards transformative change. I conclude that additional research on the practices and structures that enable collective safety-making and empowerment is imperative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: In rural sub-Saharan Africa, patriarchal social norms and customs often lead to unequal resource access, decision-making power, and intra-household power relations between women and men co-heads of smallholder farm households. Household methodologies are gender-transformative approaches that aim to achieve gender equality and empower women by improving intra-household gender relations. Evidence of the impact of such approaches on women's empowerment is still scarce. Purpose: We assess the effects of a programme that introduces participatory intra-household decision-making to challenge gender relations within households on women's empowerment. The programme was delivered to monogamous couples who head smallholder coffeefarming households in rural south-west Tanzania. Methods and approach: We combine (quasi-)experimental quantitative and qualitative methods to assess the programme's impact on women's empowerment and how that impact fits with women's valued domains of empowerment and individual pathways to empowerment. Findings: Awareness-raising couple seminars, the programme's least intensive intervention, increased women's access to livestock. Intensive coaching in participatory decision-making increased women's control over household coffee income—a priority for women. Couple seminars increased women's highly valued involvement in strategic farm decisions—intensive coaching increased it further. Access to personal income, however, valued by women for independent decision-making for their households' wellbeing, did not change. Policy implications: Gender-transformative approaches that challenge domestic gender relations can increase women's access to household income and resources, and increase their participation in farming decisions. Such approaches need to be complemented by interventions to increase women's human capital, knowledge of enterprises, and personal resources. Catering for women's diverse pathways towards empowerment may increase their effectiveness. Challenging deep gender norms requires long-term engagement and trust between change agents and communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its founding in 2013, the Kutztown University Association for Women in Mathematics student chapter has built a supportive community of women students and faculty on campus and beyond. This article aims to share our successful experiences with the broader community by presenting our pre- and mid-pandemic AWM activities including Mathematics Day for Girls, Women's Empowerment Day, Beyond Pink-Collar Jobs, and our Kutztown University AWM Virtual Lecture Series. Feedback from past and current participants of our AWM student chapter is also included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We estimate the community-level impact of foreign aid projects on women's empowerment in the country with the most complete recent record of geo-coded aid project placement, Malawi. Our estimates can thus be interpreted as the average impact of aid from many different donors and diverse projects. We find that aid in general has a positive impact, in particular on an index of female agency and women's sexual and fertility preferences. Gender-targeted aid has a further positive impact on women's sexual and fertility preferences, and more tentatively on an index focusing on gender-based violence. However, the positive impact of gender-targeted aid disappears in patrilineal communities, and men's attitudes towards female agency in the areas of sexuality and fertility are even negatively affected. This suggests that donors need to consider that the impact of aid on female empowerment can depend on the community context when they decide on aid project design and placement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the impact of generative artificial intelligence, specifically ChatGPT, on human development and education. It explores the paradox of how a technology that enhances our capabilities can also be destructive to our opportunities. The author raises questions about the impact of AI on learning, education, research into human flourishing, policy practice, and social justice. The article also provides an overview of the achievements of the human development and capabilities approaches, as well as their future prospects and limitations. It emphasizes the importance of nuance, specificity, and alternative perspectives when using AI and highlights the potential of the capability approach to create social impact through research and engagement with stakeholders. The article concludes by encouraging the wise and constructive use of artificial intelligence. [Extracted from the article]

Background The aim of the current study was to examine the prevalence and predictors of unmet need for contraception among women in sexual unions in Benin. Methods Data for the study was extracted from the recent 2017–2018 Benin Demographic and Health Survey. A weighted sample of 9513 women of reproductive age was included in the study. We used multivariable multilevel binary logistic regression analysis to examine the factors associated with unmet need for contraception. Results The prevalence of unmet need for contraception was 38.0% (36.7, 39.2). The odds of unmet need for contraception was higher among women with ≥4 births compared with those with no births, and among those who reported that someone else or others usually made decisions regarding their healthcare compared with those who make their own healthcare decisions. Wealth index was associated with a higher likelihood of unmet need for contraception. Also, the region of residence was associated with unmet need for contraception, with the highest odds being among women from the Mono region (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=2.18, 95% CI 1.33 to 3.58). Conclusions Our study shows that the unmet need for contraception among women in Benin is relatively high. Our findings call on relevant stakeholders, including government and non-governmental organisations, to enhance women's empowerment as part of interventions that seek to prioritise contraceptive services for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based conservation has been increasingly recognized as critical to achieve both conservation and socio-economic development goals worldwide. However, the long-term sustainability of community-based conservation programs is dependent on a broadly shared perception among community members that management actions are achieving their stated goals. Thus, understanding the underlying factors driving differences in perceptions of management effectiveness can help managers prioritize the processes and outcomes most valued by resource users and thereby promote sustained support for conservation efforts. Here, we utilize large-scale interview survey data and machine learning to identify the factors most strongly associated with differences in perceived management effectiveness between resource users engaged in marine community-based conservation programs in Kenya and Tanzania. Perceptions of management effectiveness were generally favorable in both countries, and the most important predictors of positive perceptions were associated with community and individual empowerment in resource management and use, but within disparate focal domains. Improved perceptions of management effectiveness in Kenya were closely related to increases in women's empowerment in community-based conservation programs, while inclusionary and transparent governance structures were the most important factors driving improved perceptions in Tanzania. Additionally, the strongest predictors of differences between individuals in both countries often interacted synergistically to produce even higher rates of perceived effectiveness. These findings can help future initiatives in the region tailor management to match community-level priorities and emphasize the need for community-based conservation programs to understand local context to ensure that metrics of "success" are aligned with the needs and desires of local resource users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal and neonatal mortality remains a major concern in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the country's protracted crisis context exacerbates the problem. This political economy analysis examines the maternal and newborn health (MNH) prioritization in the DRC, focussing specifically on the conflict-affected regions of North and South Kivu. The aim is to understand the factors that facilitate or hinder the prioritization of MNH policy development and implementation by the Congolese government and other key actors at national level and in the provinces of North and South Kivu. Methods: Using a health policy triangle framework, data collection consisted of in-depth interviews with key actors at different levels of the health system, combined with a desk review. Qualitative data were analysed using inductive and then deductive approaches, exploring the content, process, actor dynamics, contextual factors and gender-related factors influencing MNH policy development and implementation. Results: The study highlighted the challenges of prioritizing policies in the face of competing health and security emergencies, limited resources and governance issues. The universal health coverage policy seems to offer hope for improving access to MNH services. Results also revealed the importance of international partnerships and global financial mechanisms in the development of MNH strategies. They reveal huge gender disparities in the MNH sector at all levels, and the need to consider cultural factors that can positively or negatively impact the success of MNH policies in crisis zones. Conclusions: MNH is a high priority in DRC, yet implementation faces hurdles due to financial constraints, political influences, conflicts and gender disparities. Addressing these challenges requires tailored community-based strategies, political engagement, support for health personnel and empowerment of women in crisis areas for better MNH outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antenatal care (ANC) is one of the recommended interventions to reduce stillbirth, maternal, neonatal, and child mortality through early identification and management of pregnancy complications or pre-existing conditions. Although increasing number of ANC is a key priority of the 2016 WHO recommendations, ANC uptake in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs) is insufficient. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate factors associated with the number of ANC contacts in LMICs. Methods: Data for the study were drawn from 59 recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in LMICS. We included a total sample of 520,377 mothers who gave birth in the five years preceding the survey. A multilevel negative binomial regression model was applied to identify factors that may affect number of ANC. Adjusted incidence rate ratios (AIRR) with 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were reported to show association. Results: This study found that mothers and their partner with higher educational attainment, mothers aged >35 years, mothers who had decision making autonomy, mothers from female headed household, mothers from richer and richest household, mothers exposed to media, and residing in urban areas had significantly more ANC contacts. However, number of ANC contacts were significantly lower among mothers who initiated ANC after 12 weeks of gestation and perceived healthcare access to be a big problem. Conclusion: Our results suggest that individual, household, and community-level factors were associated with number of ANC contacts among pregnant mothers in LMICs. Hence, local and international policymakers, and programmers should focus on improving community awareness about maternal health care services through mass media and outreach programs with especial emphasis on women's and their partners educational attainment, rural mothers, women's empowerment, and household socioeconomic status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world's health, economic, and social systems have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. With lockdown measures being a common response strategy in most countries, many individuals were faced with financial and mental health challenges. The current study explored the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the psychological well-being, perception of risk factors and coping strategies of two vulnerable groups in Malaysia, namely women and older adults from low-income households (USD592). A purposive sample of 30 women and 30 older adults was interviewed via telephone during Malaysia's Movement Control Order (MCO) regarding the challenges they faced throughout the pandemic. Thematic analysis was subsequently conducted to identify key themes. The themes identified from the thematic analysis indicated a degree of overlap between both groups. For women, seven themes emerged: 1) Psychological challenges due to COVID-19 pandemic, 2) Family violence, 3) Finance and employment related stress and anxiety, 4) Women's inequality and prejudice, 5) Coping strategies, 6) Professional support, and 7) Women's empowerment. Similarly, there were six themes for the older adults: 1) Adverse emotional experiences from COVID-19, 2) Threats to health security, 3) Loss of social connections, 4) Government aid to improve older adults' psychological well-being, 5) Psychological support from family members and pets, and 6) Self-reliance, religion, and spirituality. The findings provide valuable information on the specific burdens faced by these groups, and support psychological interventions and mitigations that would be appropriate to improve well-being during the recovery phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Knowledge of risk factors and symptoms of cervical cancer has been found to promote uptake of screening of cervical cancer. Most interventions targeted women without much involvement of men (husbands/decision makers) who are often decision makers in many low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed at assessing baseline knowledge and intended behavior of both women and men to enable design specific targeted messages to increase uptake of cervical cancer screening and promote early detection of women with symptoms. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in two districts in Western Uganda using the modified African Women Awareness of CANcer (AWACAN) questionnaire. Women aged 30—49 years and their husbands/decision makers were interviewed. Knowledge on risk factors and symptoms, intended behavior and barriers towards participation in cervical cancer screening and treatment were assessed. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were done to establish the association between knowledge levels and other factors comparing women to men. Results: A total of 724 women and 692 men were enrolled. Of these, 71.0% women and 67.2% men had ever heard of cervical cancer and 8.8% women had ever been screened. Knowledge of risk factors and symptoms of cervical cancer was high and similar for both women and men. Lack of decision making by women was associated with low knowledge of risk factors (X2 = 14.542; p = 0.01), low education (X2 = 36.05, p < 0.01) and older age (X2 = 17.33, p < 0.01). Men had better help seeking behavior than women (X2 = 64.96, p < 0.01, OR = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.31—0.50) and were more confident and skilled in recognising a sign or symptom of cervical cancer (X2 = 27.28, p < 0.01, OR = 0.52, CI (0.40—0.67). Conclusion: The baseline knowledge for cervical cancer was high in majority of participants and similar in both women and men. Their intended behavior towards screening was also positive but screening uptake was very low. This study suggests developing messages on multiple interventions to promote screening behavior in addition to education, consisting of male involvement, women empowerment and making services available, accessible and women friendly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the successes of development is that the role of men and women is very influential on the success of development. In this case, the Cirebon City government issued Regional Regulation Number 7 of 2021 concerning the Regional Medium Term Government Plan, namely "In creating a society with human resources that are competitive and superior in all fields". This observation aims to find out implementation policies and expectations in the gender mainstreaming program. in realizing gender equality, what is the reality in the Cirebon City Community, then what are the supporting and inhibiting factors, in an effort to overcome policy obstacles to implementing gender mainstreaming programs in DP3APPKB in Cirebon City. This research uses a descriptive qualitative method using primary techniques, namely from in-depth interviews consisting of the DP3APPKB Gender Mainstreaming Sub-Coordination and the Cirebon City Community. Secondary data has been obtained from documentation and archives at DP3APPKB as well as several statutory regulations and other documents that support this research. George C Edwards' theory used in this research covers the success of policy implementation which is influenced by four aspects, namely: Communication, Resources, Disposition or Attitude of the Implementer and Bureaucratic Structure. The results of this research show that the implementation of the gender mainstreaming program has been quite successful, but there is still a lack of response from the community and an uncertain budget from the government so that it is less than optimal for realizing gender equality in the development sector in Cirebon City. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the relationship between the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Türk-İş) and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) from the 1960s until the 1990s with a focus on the transnational collaboration of activists who organised educational activities for women workers and trade unionists to empower them as rights-seeking political subjects and strengthen their position within the trade union movement. Demonstrating how women's trade union education evolved within the framework of local politics as well as global processes such as the Cold War and the emergence of a UN-led gender equality regime, it argues that global inequalities, geopolitical differences, and Türk-İş leaders' ambivalent attitude towards women's status in the trade union movement led to a loose, sporadic relationship between local activists and those from the west. At the same time, it was often these activists' sustained efforts towards collaboration and the circulation of their agendas that pressured Türk-İş to invest in women's empowerment in trade unions. Utilising archival and trade union sources as well as oral history interviews, the article integrates the work of women labour activists in feminist labour historiography, offering a more comprehensive understanding of trade unions' gender politics in Turkey and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the experiences of self-disclosure of women's support workers within domestic abuse support organizations in England. This research considers the voice of women support workers from a feminist epistemological perspective using thematic analysis , and invites the consideration of who decides readiness to work in the sector, and the appropriateness of organizations making this decision for women who wish to work in the milieu of domestic abuse support work. Semi-structured, qualitative interviews were held with twelve women support workers who identified their lived experience of surviving domestic abuse. Three key themes were generated through thematic analysis (ibid.): women's choice in making a disclosure regarding lived experience, the impact of non-disclosure policies of women's organizations on practitioners and the sense of hope emanating from practitioners with lived experience of domestic abuse. The findings from this study make a useful contribution to an under-researched and overlooked area within research on violence against women, that of the women who undertake such vital work in the sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our world faces potentially catastrophic climate change that can damage human health in multiple ways. The impact of climate change is uneven, disproportionately affecting the lives and livelihoods of women and girls. This conceptual article compiles evidence for a model that argues that climate change has more detrimental consequences for women than men because of women's precarity (unequal power) and corporal (physical) vulnerability. Climate change challenges the human rights of women and girls, triggering displacement, interrupted education, food and water scarcity, economic instability, mental and physical health challenges, reproductive injustice, gender‐based violence, exploitation and human trafficking. Women are effective and essential change agents; their empowerment can directly contravene or mitigate climate change and also break the links between climate change and its negative consequences for women and girls. Gender‐sensitive responses to the effects of climate change are imperative. Women's empowerment will further human rights and achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]