Key points for abolishing Female Genital Mutilation from the perspective of the men involved

Introduction: female Genital Mutilation is internationally considered an affront on human rights and an act of violence against women and young girls. Furthermore, it hierarchises and perpetuates inequality and denies the right to bodily and psychosocial integrity of women and young girls. Aims: to detect the key points for the abolition of Female Genital Mutilation as well as the necessary resources for its eradication. Material and Method: a qualitative methodology with an ethnonursing perspective, via semi-structured interviews, held both individually and in groups, in 21 men familiar with Female Genital Mutilation. Findings: through the voices of men familiar with this tradition, five key points are presented for its gradual eradication: sensitisation and awareness building, team action, abolition-promoting media, focusing action on rural areas and applying educational means before punitive ones. Conclusion and practical implications: awareness-raising via the combined efforts of families, communities and governments, together with the promotion of health education programmes in demonstrating the complications derived from this practice, play a vital part in eradicating Female Genital Mutilation.

Deporte e igualdad: las voces de las deportistas de élite

El objetivo de esta investigación ha sido analizar y valorar las percepciones de las deportistas de élite ante su insuficiente presencia en el deporte. La metodología utilizada permite examinar e interpretar los pensamientos y creencias de una cohorte de deportistas de alto rendimiento. El instrumento utilizado para el tratamiento de los datos ha sido el programa informático AQUAD 7. En este estudio se abordan diferentes modalidades de relación de las participantes (el balonmano como deporte colectivo, el atletismo como individual y la lucha judo como una competición entre dos individuos). Los resultados muestran que las deportistas perciben situaciones de discriminación de género y ausencias de igualdad de oportunidades en su desarrollo profesional. Las conclusiones de este estudio aconsejan proponer un cambio en las políticas tendentes a la equiparación efectiva en la carrera deportiva de las mujeres.

Gender portrayals in food commercials: a content analysis of Spanish television advertisements

Content analysis of media messages from a gender perspective has a long tradition. In the particular field of advertising, most of the researches have been focused on generic samples of advertisements or on the advertising traditionally associated to a masculine or a feminine audience. However, few authors have analyzed gender contents in food advertising, in spite of the close relationship between gender structures and the social processes of food purchase and preparation. Thus, gender representations in food advertising broadcast in Spanish television are analyzed in this article. The main results obtained show clear gender differences. For example, there is a clear predominance of masculine voices over and a more balanced situation regarding protagonists. Besides, feminine protagonists are more frequently located indoors, portrayed as attractive women and connected to advertising claims related to beauty or to the healthy qualities of the product.