Exploring gender and elder abuse from the perspective of professionals

We conducted an online survey of professionals working in two Canadian provinces to learn about their knowledge of elder abuse from a gender-based perspective. A total of 169 professionals (90% women) completed a survey in either French or English. Five topic areas emerged from the analysis: the influence of gender on the risk of abuse; types of abuse detected; knowledge gaps; capacity to respond to gender-based abuse; and awareness of resources. To gain further insight into these results, we conducted three focus groups with a total of 24 professionals. Professionals held relatively little recognition of, or knowledge about, gender related to elder abuse. Our results indicate the need to develop educational and awareness raising opportunities for professionals who work with abused older adults in both French and English to identify and respond to the unique needs of older women and men.     

Gender,Pay and Work Satisfaction at a UK University

This article examines a modern, former polytechnic granted the status of university in 1992, to illustrate the state gender pay gap in the UK and suggests that to talk of the state pay gap is too simplistic as it does not take into account variations in the size of the pay gap in different job grades. The article also examines satisfaction levels with pay for two groups of staff, administrative and academic and shows how satisfaction with pay, promotion and conditions also varies between the grades. Previous research that concluded that women are more satisfied with their pay than men is, again, too simplistic as it does not consider the affect of staff grade. The article argues that there is a link between the size of the pay gap, staff grade, occupational gender segregation and expressing dissatisfaction.     

Gender training for development practitioners: only a partial solution

This article considers gender training for Oxfam staff working on a development program or project in a particular context where their experience of gender relations and ability to seek gender equality is informed by their hierarchial position, by their national culture, and by the fact that institutions are also gendered. Thus, the article focuses on contextualizing gender training and on the potential of such training to transform institutions. The first section looks at gender training in the Oxfam head office and notes that, although Oxfam identifies itself as a learning organization, the former Training Department has been devolved into separate divisions, so there is no longer any centrally available gender training. The next section describes gender training in the field context where hierarchial positions that may influence the effectiveness of training are created by the age and sex of the trainer and where it is important to distinguish between gender frameworks (what is taught) from pedagogy (how it is taught). Oxfam's present gender training is limited by a lack of documentation of gender training efforts, by trainees' personal resistance to concepts of gender, by language barriers, and by logistical problems. The article then explores Oxfam's use of gender training as a transformative tool and notes that Oxfam focuses on individual rather than internal organizational transformation. It is concluded that gender training is only a partial solution unless its potential for personal and political transformational is recognized and fostered.     

The Impact of Gender and Marital Status on Attitudes and Responses to Unemployment

The study examined differences in job search intensity, attitudes toward unemployment, and related responses among a sample of Israelis, based on gender and marital status (single vs. married). The findings indicate that gender-based differences were greater than those based on marital status. Regarding the impact of gender, women were more likely than men to reject jobs because of conflict with family responsibilities or unsuitable working conditions. Both men and women mentioned gender atypical characteristics of occupations as a reason for rejecting employement, although this tendency was especially prevalent among married women. Women also reported more stress reactions and decline in health as an outcome of unemployment. Regarding the impact of marital status, married men tended to seek jobs more intensively than respondents in the other research groups. Single respondents of both sexes were more likely than their married counterparts to view unemployment as a personal advantage because it gives them more time to themselves. Moreover, married respondents of both sexes were more likely to reject job offers because of conflict with family responsibilities or unsuitable working conditions. In light of the findings, practical recommendations for counselors are provided.     

Women's relationships with women at work: Barriers to solidarity

Voluminous scholarship documents the wage gap, occupational segregation, sexual harassment, and other forms of gender inequality at work. Few sociological studies explore women's work relationships with other women. Our article summarizes existing research from several disciplines on women's working relationships with other women. Specifically, three themes about the conditions of work emerge that discourage women's support for other women: (a) negative stereotypes about women, (b) lack of recognition of gender inequality, and (c) the devaluation of women's relationships, groups, and networks. We assert that these conditions reinforce essentialized notions of women, ignore larger structural inequalities at work, and cast women as the primary culprit in perpetuating gender inequality at work. We conclude with promising areas for future research on women's working relationships with other women.     

Field Instructors' Perceptions of Evidence-Based Practice in BSW Field Placement Sites

This exploratory study surveyed 17 BSW-level field instructors on their experience, beliefs, and perceived self-efficacy regarding evidence-based practice (EBP). The authors conducted focus groups concerning EBP in participants’ agencies and with BSW students under their supervision. Results indicate that although they felt positive toward EBP and reported moderate levels of perceived self-efficacy regarding EBP, implementation occurred in a piecemeal fashion, if at all. Factors identified to enhance EBP in the agencies include training, resources, supervision, matching EBP to client populations, and trust between administrators and staff members. According to our study, students’ experience with EBP in field settings could probably be facilitated by students' research readiness, collaboration between field instructors and faculty, access to university resources, and training.     

The Democratic Sex: Gender Differences and the Exercise of Power

ABSTRACT

Few have studied differences between how women and men lead, particularly at the local level. This article addresses this gap by reporting the results of a unique study of 192 female mayors and 192 male mayors in cities with populations of over 30,000 to consider whether the female mayors emphasized different policy issues and whether the women in local leadership created alternative decision-making processes in allocating resources. Overall, the results show similarities on policy issues, the use of power, and budget issues. However, some key gender differences emerge. Female mayors were far more willing to change the budget process, be more inclusive, and seek broader participation. Finally, more women mayors than men were willing to admit fiscal problems and discuss changes in their goals. Women mayors were also more likely than their male counterparts to believe that women face gender-based obstacles in the exercise of leadership.     

Bitch,slut, skank,cunt: patterned resistance to women’s visibility in digital publics

Resistance to women’s public voice and visibility via street harassment and workplace sexual harassment have long constrained women’s use of and comfort in physical public spaces; this gender-based resistance now extends into digital arenas. Women face extreme hostility in the form of digital sexism in discussion rooms, comment sections, gaming communities, and on social media platforms. Reflecting on two years of in-depth interviews with women who have been on the receiving end of gender-based digital abuse (n?=?38), conversations with industry professionals working in content moderation and digital safety, the extant literature, and news stories about digital attacks against women, I offer a lens to think through the prominent patterns in digital sexism, showing (1) that aggressors draw upon three overlapping strategies – intimidating, shaming, and discrediting – to limit women’s impact in digital publics, (2) the way femininity and femaleness are used to undermine women’s contributions, and (3) men call attention to women’s physicality as a way to pull gender – and the male advantage that comes with it – to the fore in digital exchanges. Finally, I argue that when digital sexism succeeds in pressing women out of digital spaces, constrains the topics they address publicly, or limits the ways they address them, we must consider the democratic costs of gender-based harassment, in addition to the personal ones.     

A formative assessment of gender awareness and ability of staff based on the service programs of the All-China Women's Federation: The case of the “3861 My Home” program

In order to achieve “gender mainstreaming” which is a global strategy to promote the development of women, it has in recent years been a major task for the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) to improve the gender awareness and ability of policy makers and implementers. Thus, researchers should constantly propose and evaluate various possible attempts to improve gender awareness and the ability of individuals. There are few empirical studies on the assessment of gender awareness and the improvement of the ability of staff who have been trained and educated. Research studies focusing on the promotion of gender-sensitive awareness and ability of staff by participating in programs are even rarer.This study presents a specific case, namely the evaluation of promoting social service workers’ gender awareness and ability within the implementation of the “3861 My Home” program. Based on this case, this study examines how to promote gender awareness and ability of social service workers through the implementation of the service program of Women's Federation, and also assesses the quality of the results of this implementation. Moreover, this study also contributes to the literature pertaining to assessing the development of social service workers’ gender awareness and ability. In addition, the study provides an option for enhancing the gender awareness and ability of social service workers in addition to training: The participatory learning or action pertaining to gender awareness and ability based on the Women's Federation programs are able to effectively improve the gender awareness and ability of staff.     

A Reappraisal of the Quality of Women Candidates

Abstract

This article focuses on “second-wave” feminist perspectives on the role of the state and its effectiveness in removing gender-based inequality in Indian society. The major argument is that feminist rethinking of the relationship of women to the state illustrates the maturity of the Indian women's movement and its recognition that well-planned, mobilized, and effective state policies are crucial to the promotion of women's interests. Recent scholarship has addressed, more systematically and more critically than any in the past, the nexus between social and political processes and the subordination of women. It provides a contextualized and nuanced understanding of the complex interconnections between gender, state, religion, and community. Consequently, not only have feminist writings of the past two decades in India added to current gender sensitive scholarship on the state and development, they have also facilitated the construction of programmatic guides for realizing “strategic gender interests.”     

Utilizing findings from a gender-based analysis to address chronic disease prevention and management among African-American women in a Michigan community

This research note underscores the importance of including strategies to address gender-based disparities when planning and implementing community health improvement programs. Working in collaboration with the Inkster Partnership for a Healthier Community (IPHC), the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan conducted a gender-based analysis as part of its broader community health needs assessment efforts in Inkster, MI. The findings from these studies revealed significant challenges impacting women that were not being adequately addressed within the community. In response to these findings, the IPHC created a strategic action plan to respond to the highest priority needs by increasing community awareness of and linkages to resources that provide supportive services for low-income African-American women.     

IT'S A MAN'S JOB, OR SO THEY SAY: The Maintenance of Sex Segregation in a Manufacturing Plant

Following Reskin's call for case studies that investigate how inequality is maintained, this article investigates the mechanisms that limit women's mobility into traditionally male job titles in a manufacturing plant and the barriers to women's resistance of these mechanisms. The article demonstrates the ways in which formal structures, such as departmental design and promotion procedures, combine with informal social interactions in maintaining sex segregation in the plant's job titles and departments. Blocked opportunity promotes competition for social rewards and animosity between mobile and immobile women, which divide women. Coupled with allegiances across gender lines, these divisions undermine the potential for solidarity among female workers, making resistance to gender-based barriers unlikely.     

Men,masculinities, and gender-based violence: The broadening scope of recent research

Men's relationships to gender-based violence (GBV) have long been an area of sociological inquiry, but until recently men have primarily been framed as perpetrators of violence against women. More recently, research on men and GBV has broadened to include studying men as victims/survivors, as investigators and law enforcement officers, as passive or active bystanders, and as allies in working to address this social problem. We review this research in an effort to bridge these divergent bodies of work; we identify methodological trends and gaps in existing research, make recommendations for improved theoretical and methodological robustness, and suggest that research perspectives on men and GBV have shifted over time as wider understandings of gender and masculinities become more hopeful and more inclusive. While we see optimism and promise in new directions of GBV research, we urge ongoing research to retain the wisdoms and critical perspectives that marked the beginnings of GBV inquiry.     

‘Now,We Have the Same Rights as Men to Keep Our Jobs’: Gendered Perceptions of Opportunity and Obstacles in a Mexican Workplace

Drawing on extensive qualitative data at a Mexican‐owned multinational corporation, this case study investigates professional employees’ perceptions of changes to a prohibitive work policy requiring women to quit working upon marriage and having children. Employees believed the policy change meant working women were valued employees, but how this translated into opportunity highlighted distinct views of the types of positions professional women could occupy at the company, reinforcing sex‐segregated job allocation. Whereas women's narratives pointed to cultural resistance, men's narratives attributed the dearth of women in higher level positions to their lack of professionalism and commitment to work. The work policy change only guaranteed the right for women to work as the company modernized to fit the neoliberal demands of the global marketplace. Now women faced the challenge of turning that right into career advancement in a traditionally masculine‐defined company. I argue that even with the policy change, gendered discourses on women in professional occupations constructed and maintained gender inequities in the workplace. This study contributes to the scholarly discussion on gendered discourses within the context of global restructuring by showing how mechanisms at work maintain gender inequity in the workplace.     

Pragmatic ex-ante evaluation using an innovative conceptual framework: The case of a high-tech entrepreneurship program for women

Program designers at local project level usually design interventions under conditions of scarce resources and bounded rationality lacking sufficient information about the process and impact mechanisms of the complex social programs they design and implement. This paper proposes a model for pragmatic ex ante evaluation using an innovative conceptual framework for practitioners working in the field to improve gender equality in research and innovation.The presented and applied model is pertinent to the theory-oriented evaluation tradition using a logic frame and a theory of change approach adapted to the special requirements of ex-ante evaluation. The model is illustrated by the case study of a program for the promotion of women entrepreneurship in the STEM fields.It is concluded that in a setting with limited resources and information, ex-ante evaluations should aim at defining clear conditions of proportionality and need to take into account the extent to which contextual factors hinder or facilitate the implementation of a program, and the specific institutional and system mechanisms at play, in order to enable proactive risk management from the beginning.     

Female Part‐Time Managers: Careers,Mentors and Role Models

This paper explores the careers of 27 women employed as part‐time managers in a range of UK public, private and not‐for‐profit sector organizations. Drawing upon semi‐structured interviews, the article briefly summarizes the career trajectories of these women, prior to and after a transition to part‐time working, before exploring whether and how career progression is linked to the support of role models and mentors. The part‐time managers in this sample held varied careers while working full‐time, but careers often stalled following a transition to part‐time work. Given research has identified role models and mentors as having a positive impact upon career progression, this paper explores the existence of role models and mentors within the sample of female part‐time managers. While the majority of interviewees identified role models, just over half identified these as negative role models who did little to champion part‐time working. Drawing upon Gibson's ‘positive/negative’ role model dimensions, we argue the likelihood of identifying positive and negative role models alters when an analysis takes account of gender and working hours. Few interviewees identified mentors: just four women spoke of being mentored currently, though ten others identified being mentored in the past. We argue this lack of mentors and the identification of negative role models, the majority of whom were women, exacerbates the already precarious position of these female part‐time managers. The paper concludes by commenting on the lack of support for female part‐time managers, and the paucity of influential people working part‐time in organizations, despite the rapid growth of part‐time work in the UK over the past four decades.     

Gender and development from a Christian perspective: experience from World Vision

This article reports the effectiveness of incorporating religious faith in World Vision?s development work and organizational practice for gender issues related problems. World Vision, founded by Bob Pierce in 1950, is a Christian organization whose work includes transformational development, emergency relief, and promotion of justice, public awareness, and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. As part of their mission, varied programs were developed in response to women's needs and issues. By 1989, the gender issues became the priority for World Vision's Council and International Board. This led to the organization of staff to manage programs to promote gender issues. The gender policy adheres to the norms of World Vision?s core values and mission statements, which uses biblical evidences to promote gender equality. The implementation process of the gender policy took a slow pace, which involves awareness building, attitudinal change, and resource allocation, to ensure that the barriers and prejudices that prevent women from full participation are dismantled. Being able to use Jesus' teachings and examples has given the management and the staff of World Vision the ability to promote gender issues with credibility and strength. World Vision will continue to implement good development practices and gender-sensitive programs.     

DISPARATE IMPACT AND THE QUOTA DEBATES: Law, Labor Market Sociology, and Equal Employment Policies

Bringing sociological theory and research to bear on the "quota debates' dogging discussion of federal civil rights legislation in the early 1990s, this article highlights sociology's role in shaping employment law and shows how apparently technical legal arguments about allocating burdens of proof affect labor market resource allocation among the classes, races, and genders. Contrasting institutional-sociological with liberal-legal concepts of discrimination, the article shows why disparate impact theory has been the most sociological approach to Title VII enforcement. It also shows how disparate impact—a theory and method for establishing legally cognizable employment discrimination injurious to women and minorities—is, and is not, related to affirmative action—a policy encompassing a broad range of procedures intended to provide positive consideration to members of groups discriminated against in the past. Finally, a competing incentive framework is used to show that, although disparate impact creates some incentives for employers to adopt quota hiring, such incentives are counter-balanced by major incentives working against race- and gender-based quotas. Major counterincentives stem from disparate impact itself, from other aspects of equal employment law, and from organizational goals shaping business response to the legal environment.     

Unsettling Universities' Incongruous,Gendered Bureaucratic Structures: A Case‐study Approach

Recent research shows that women faculty members in academia continue to face systemic barriers to opportunity and advancement and that these barriers are particularly strong in science and engineering, and in university administration. University administrators and faculty members, however, have been slow to recognize that systemically gendered barriers will have to be reduced or eliminated in order for women faculty to advance in their careers. One key problem is that many, if not most, leaders in powerful decision‐making roles in universities continue to embrace women‐centred explanations for gender disparities in advancement through the academic ranks. University leaders' lack of recognition of institutionalized gender barriers suggests the need for greater dissemination of research findings (and training) about how systemic barriers operate and why these barriers disproportionately disadvantage women. In this article I first theorize universities as incongruous, gendered bureaucratic structures. I then outline an intervention strategy for enabling university faculty members and administrators to see incongruous, gendered bureaucratic structures and to then use this knowledge to develop strategies for addressing the problem of women's underrepresentation among science and engineering faculty. The strategy described is a case‐study approach recently implemented at a mid‐sized research‐intensive university in the US Midwest. The workshop was part of a broader university programme aimed at transforming the university's cultures, practices and structures in ways that help to enhance the recruitment, retention and promotion of women scientists. I conclude by discussing the benefits and limitations of the case‐study approach as a method for unsettling accepted knowledge about the gendered structures and normative practices of the university.