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This research employs a qualitative approach, utilizing the snowball sampling technique to conduct in-depth interviews with women from various roles within the Filipino hospitality sector. The study employs narrative analysis to elucidate discriminatory practices in hiring, remuneration, and professional advancement opportunities. Findings reveal a pattern of gender disparities, with biased recruitment practices directing women into lower-paid service roles while men ascend to leadership positions. A significant pay gap persists, attributed to occupational segregation and undervaluation of female-dominated professions. The study identifies unconscious biases, lack of mentorship, and a corporate culture favoring stereotypically "male" leadership attributes as barriers to career progression. Recommendations include advocating for antidiscrimination legislation, transparent hiring protocols, and addressing pay differentials through audits and awareness initiatives. Employers are urged to implement unbiased recruitment and mentorship programs, while educational institutions and civil society organizations play roles in empowering women and advocating for policy reform. The study underscores the need for collective commitment to gender equality to transform the Filipino hospitality industry into a model of inclusivity and collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite notable progress in human development and gender equality indicators, mental health issues and gender disparities persist due to various socio-ecological factors in the southern state of Kerala, India. This study aims to identify the psychosocial factors of resilience that enabled rural and urban women to cope with during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic, while also comparing the experiences of resilience among women in rural and urban areas of Malappuram district. A demographic profiler and semi-structured interview questions were employed to assess resilience in a cohort of 44 women in rural and urban settings and within the age range of 21-60 years. Interview questions were specifically based on the definition of resilience, resilience factors specific to women, resilience-boosting elements, and obstacles during COVID-19. Qualitative analysis of the participants' responses revealed five key psychosocial factors (psychological factors, support, life experience, external factors, and gender) influencing women's resilience. Similar factors (support, psychological, and external factors) are critical in strengthening women's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. The research also sheds light on subtle gender inequalities, underscoring the need for comprehensive initiatives to promote gender equity and improve men's attitudes towards women. The limitation of the study lies in the regional specificity, which affects its generalizability. The study highlights the importance of designing psychosocial interventions to promote resilience in women across diverse geographical contexts, presenting opportunities for empowering women through comprehensive strategies. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers, enabling the development of effective measures to uplift women and create a more equitable and resilient society. Further research is recommended to bridge knowledge gaps and formulate comprehensive strategies to enhance women's empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's global economy, the role of start-ups is recognized as crucial for a country's competitiveness. Creating a supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem is therefore essential to enable founders to realize their potential optimally. Notably, there is a significant gender disparity in start-ups, suggesting a vast untapped entrepreneurial potential among women. This research aims to enhance the utilization of female start-up potential by providing actionable recommendations, based on an empirical analysis of the pre-start-up process of (potential) female founders. Through a qualitative research methodology, this study investigates the factors influencing women's journey towards entrepreneurship, considering diverse biographies and life situations. Interviews with ten women showed the complexity of the pre-start-up phase and the necessity for a broad support system. The study identifies several key areas for action to foster female entrepreneurship. Firstly, increasing awareness and visibility of self-employment as a viable career path for women is crucial, requiring more female role models and media representation to challenge traditional gender roles and stereotypes. This could cultivate a natural inclination towards entrepreneurship and sectors with high start-up activity. Moreover, lessening the disproportionate burden of family responsibilities on women is essential, suggesting enhancements in childcare facilities and encouraging shared domestic duties. The research further suggests the implementation of support programs to reduce barriers and provide a realistic view of entrepreneurship, alongside the potential benefits of mentorship in both pre- and post-start-up phases. Women's riskaverse, cautious approach in the pre-start-up process often leads to hesitance in developing innovative projects. Encouraging a focus on market needs and early engagement with potential customers, alongside proactive network building, seeking cofounders, or outsourcing, can address knowledge gaps and reduce uncertainties, making self-employment a more attractive option. This study emphasizes the importance of a collaborative effort among various stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem to unlock the entrepreneurial potential among women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmingdale State College (FSC) is primarily a commuter four-year college within a large state college system. Computing degrees at FSC have traditionally struggled with gender disparity in enrollment, consistent with many other national and global computing degrees. While the student enrollment in FSC computing degrees has doubled, the female population has hovered at 8-15% over the last decade. This research study focuses on designing an orientation program for women computing students of FSC and measuring its effectiveness on the female student experience. Details about measurement and assessment of the design decisions and implementation details, and data analysis of pre- and post-orientation survey results from the pilot version of the (re)orientation held in summer 2021 are presented. The main goal of the (re)orientation program is to provide an environment for connections to be established among the small female population enrolled fostering camaraderie and recognition as female students begin their upcoming semester. A secondary goal is for the students to gain familiarity with the campus, department and technical tools used in classes to give an edge to the female students for the new semester. The timing of the (re)orientation session coincided with return to campus after being remote for two and half semesters due to the global COVID19 pandemic and hence implementing the pilot and evaluating its results were additionally important. There is a wide variety in approach, objectives, and outcomes of orientation programs in general, however, it is rare for orientation programs to be focused on gender balance and even more rare in the context of commuter colleges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online support groups offer a new way to users to communicate with others regarding certain health issues. Taking autism‐related support groups on Facebook as an example, we examine whether the expressed emotions differ between female and male users in online health‐related support groups and whether such gender disparity varied based on the topics of the groups. Experimental results reveal a significant gender difference of expressed emotions in the groups. We find that female users tended to express more positive emotions in the group discussions than the male group members did. In addition, users appeared to express different sentiments within the groups focused on various topics. Male users tend to convey more negative emotions in the group that related to treatment, while female users were more positive when posted in the research‐related group than male users were. This study is beneficial for tracking and moderating the emotional environment in online support groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]