On Norms and Agency

On Norms and Agency PDF

Author: Ana María Muñoz Boudet

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2013-05-03

Total Pages: 232

ISBN-13: 0821398628

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On Norms and Agency explores some of the power dynamics of gender relations within the household and communities in different contexts. These processes are analyzed from the perspectives of groups of men and women and boys and girls who participated in focus groups in 97 communities around the world. From gender differences and inequalities to intra-household decision making, more than 4,000 women and men in 500-plus single-sex focus groups reflected on how social norms that define what it means to be and act as a woman or a man affect their life outcomes and their access to opportunities. The analysis reveals not only how little gender norms have changed and how similar they are across countries, but also how change in norms and in individual empowerment and capacity to act and decide takes place. Change takes place at private as well as community and society levels -- and adjustments within one of these realms shape the pace and direction of change in the other. The process of gender-norm change appears to be uneven and challenging. The easy coexistence of new and old norms means that households in the same community can vary markedly in how much agency women can exercise; women feel less empowered when opinions and values of families and communities stay within traditional norms. This book seeks to understand the pathways toward greater gender equality by looking at the deepest constraints present for women and men alike. Unlike men, women are less dependent on the economic conditions of their environment. Men's power and agency are tightly intertwined with their identity and capacity as breadwinners. The main pathways for women to gain agency are education, employment, and decreased risk of domestic violence. A safer space encourages women to negotiate for more participation and equality in household discussions and decisions. Women's ability to contribute to family finances and to control (even partially) major or minor assets helps them gain more voice at home and in public spheres. Women's aspirations and empowerment to break gender barriers can be observed almost everywhere, even when economies are stagnant. These evident aspirations are partly due to women's perceptions of having more power and freedom in their lives and a greater ability to make decisions. Yet many women around the world, the study shows, still face norms and practices that limit them.

Women and Trade

Women and Trade PDF

Author: World Bank;World Trade Organization

Publisher: World Bank Publications

Published: 2020-09-04

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 1464815569

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Trade can dramatically improve women’s lives, creating new jobs, enhancing consumer choices, and increasing women’s bargaining power in society. It can also lead to job losses and a concentration of work in low-skilled employment. Given the complexity and specificity of the relationship between trade and gender, it is essential to assess the potential impact of trade policy on both women and men and to develop appropriate, evidence-based policies to ensure that trade helps to enhance opportunities for all. Research on gender equality and trade has been constrained by limited data and a lack of understanding of the connections among the economic roles that women play as workers, consumers, and decision makers. Building on new analyses and new sex-disaggregated data, Women and Trade: The Role of Trade in Promoting Gender Equality aims to advance the understanding of the relationship between trade and gender equality and to identify a series of opportunities through which trade can improve the lives of women.

Gender Roles & Equality

Gender Roles & Equality PDF

Author: The Editors of Salem Press

Publisher:

Published:

Total Pages: 119

ISBN-13: 9781429842976

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The Sociology Reference Guide series is designed to provide a solid foundation for the research of various sociological topics.

Bridging the Gender Gap

Bridging the Gender Gap PDF

Author: Lynn M. Roseberry

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0198717113

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Despite decades of efforts to promote gender equality, most leadership positions in business, politics, education, and even NGOs are occupied by men, and most people still work in occupations dominated by one sex. This book argues that gender imbalances in leadership and occupations are not simply a moral issue or an economic issue, but a governance issue. Gender imbalances persist in large part because the very people with the authority and influence to do something about them know very little about gender and how it works in their organizations and in society at large. Gender imbalanced governance is an expression of entrenched ideas about masculinity and femininity that lead to poor decision making. Improving the quality of governance requires action to counteract the main justifications for the status quo. Based on interviews and conversations with leaders and managers in Europe and the United States, the book presents seven of the most common explanations for persistent gender imbalances and shows how they are based on common stereotypes and myths about men's and women's abilities and preferences. This book provides a guided tour of current research about gender from a multi-disciplinary perspective. It challenges commonly held assumptions and offers alternative explanations and corresponding principles to guide individual decisions, action, and behaviour toward achieving gender balance.

Discourses on Gender and Sexual Inequality

Discourses on Gender and Sexual Inequality PDF

Author:

Publisher: Emerald Group Publishing

Published: 2017-10-06

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 1787432521

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This edited collection examines the significance of Sandra L. Bem’s research for current debates on gender and gender roles in the social sciences, with contributions that question how the institution of gender has been, and remains, deeply contested.

Couples, Gender, and Power

Couples, Gender, and Power PDF

Author: Carmen Knudson-Martin, PhD

Publisher: Springer Publishing Company

Published: 2009-02-16

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 0826117562

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"[A] comprehensive, critical, empirical, and practical compilation of investigations about how diverse couples are trying to implement change and pursue equality in their relationships." -Katherine R. Allen, PhD Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University "[A] true gift to couple researchÖ.The studies reported in this marvelously disciplined collection hold living implications for couples and their therapists." -Evan Imber-Black Director, Center for Families and Health, Ackerman Institute for the Family While numerous couples strive for equality in their relationships, many are unaware of the insidious ways in which gender and power still affect them-from their career choices to communication patterns, child-rearing, housework, and more. Written for mental health professionals and others interested in contemporary couple relationships, this research-based book shows how couples are able to move beyond the dangers of gendered inequality and the legacy of hidden male power. The book analyzes the relationships of couples from various racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. The contributors present innovative clinical interventions, and suggest strategies therapists can use to help couples transform their relationships from being gender-based to equality-based. Explores these key issues: The risks of being in a relationship ruled by "gender legacy" behavior The differences between couples who get caught in gender legacy patterns and those who do not Gender-based patterns across the life cycle, including newly formed couples; early marriage; child-rearing; mothering and fathering Gendered power in couples dealing with illness; ethnic and racial differences; immigration and displacement issues

Gender Equality & Inequality: Gender Roles in Different Time Periods and in Different Cultures Gr. 6-Adult

Gender Equality & Inequality: Gender Roles in Different Time Periods and in Different Cultures Gr. 6-Adult PDF

Author: Taryn McKenna

Publisher: Classroom Complete Press

Published: 2020-12-01

Total Pages: 29

ISBN-13: 0228304407

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**This is the chapter slice "Gender Roles in Different Time Periods and in Different Cultures Gr. 6-Adult" from the full lesson plan "Gender Equality & Inequality"** Understand the history of inequality and persecution that surrounds gender and sexual orientation. Students will recognize that equality is the state of equal access to opportunities and resources, regardless of gender or orientation. They will get to know how all genders have dealt with stereotypes, bias and discrimination throughout history. Highlighted are individuals who have fought for gender and orientation-related rights. Students will learn about gender roles in different cultures and time periods. Written in a simplified vocabulary and comprised of reading passages, graphic organizers, real-world activities, crossword, word search and comprehension quiz.

Gender in the Twenty-First Century

Gender in the Twenty-First Century PDF

Author: Shannon N. Davis

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2017-07-18

Total Pages: 310

ISBN-13: 0520291395

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Gender as an institution (Davis, Winslow, & Maume) -- The family -- Higher education -- The workplace -- Religion -- The military -- Sport -- Corporate boards and international policies -- Corporate boards and U.S. policies -- Work-family integration -- Health -- Immigration -- Globalization -- Sexuality -- Unstalling the revolution: policies toward gender equality (Winslow, Davis, & Maume)

Paradoxes of Gender

Paradoxes of Gender PDF

Author: Judith Lorber

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 1994-01-01

Total Pages: 446

ISBN-13: 9780300064971

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In this pathbreaking book, a well-known feminist and sociologist--who is also the Founding Editor of Gender & Society--challenges our most basic assumptions about gender. Judith Lorber views gender as wholly a product of socialization subject to human agency, organization, and interpretation. In her new paradigm, gender is an institution comparable to the economy, the family, and religion in its significance and consequences. Drawing on many schools of feminist scholarship and on research from anthropology, history, sociology, social psychology, sociolinguistics, and cultural studies, Lorber explores different paradoxes of gender: --why we speak of only two "opposite sexes" when there is such a variety of sexual behaviors and relationships; --why transvestites, transsexuals, and hermaphrodites do not affect the conceptualization of two genders and two sexes in Western societies; --why most of our cultural images of women are the way men see them and not the way women see themselves; --why all women in modern society are expected to have children and be the primary caretaker; --why domestic work is almost always the sole responsibility of wives, even when they earn more than half the family income; --why there are so few women in positions of authority, when women can be found in substantial numbers in many occupations and professions; --why women have not benefited from major social revolutions. Lorber argues that the whole point of the gender system today is to maintain structured gender inequality--to produce a subordinate class (women) that can be exploited as workers, sexual partners, childbearers, and emotional nurturers. Calling into question the inevitability and necessity of gender, she envisions a society structured for equality, where no gender, racial ethnic, or social class group is allowed to monopolize economic, educational, and cultural resources or the positions of power.