'I am, by God, fit for high positions' : on the political role of women in al-Andalus

Narrating and explaining the fairly emancipated women in al-Andalus has been fraught with ambiguity for the approximately one century of scholarship on the subject. There has been much stereotyping depending upon the investigator's particular perspective. This paper clarifies the roles of Andalusian women in political relations from the Muslim Conquest in 711 through the fall of Granada in 1492. The interpretations used in historiography pit a traditionalist trend, in which continuity from the pre 1slamic past is stressed, against the anti-continuist trend, in which an Oriental culture of the Muslims added the distinctive features of Iberian character today. In order to evaluate the two historiographic approaches, the contributions of seven prominent women are presented and evaluated for their social contexts during the eight centuries of al-Andalus. Comparisons are then made to prominent women in other political contexts within the Arab world in order to evaluate the strength of the two competing historiographic perspectives.

A gender for change : the future for women in surveying

Women now make up 50% of the working population in the UK, with similar figures reflected across Europe (Williams et al, 2000). Despite this growth, the number of women entering and working in the surveying profession remains consistently low, estimated at 9% of the total of RICS membership in 1999 (Ellison, 1999).

So what is preventing the surveying profession in mimicking the law and medical professions in increasing the participation of women? Is it the lack of awareness of the profession in Schools, Colleges and Careers Education? Is it a traditional perception of a gender-biased profession? Is it the lack of role models for young women? Or is it plain discrimination? If it is one or more of these, then what action should be taken to address the barriers? The paper describes the results of two studies exploring barriers to female entry to the surveying profession and progress made in the profession by women in the UK. The methodologies included questionnaires and interviews with school leavers and with surveying practitioners, male and female, at varying stages of their career.

The studies undertaken by female surveying students found that barriers exist at different points in surveying - at entry and employment, and that some of those barriers are being addressed by the profession in different ways. At the entry point to surveying there is still a lack of awareness of the profession as a career for girls and women. This can be addressed by greater liaison between schools and surveyors in the profession and by increased information and awareness of career advisers. Within the profession there are still barriers for women surveyors to overcome, including work-life balance issues and traditional attitudes of some male surveyors. There are, however, signs of positive change within a number of surveying firms in the UK. The RICS has been identified as an institution that needs to re-examine its attitudes to gender in a number of aspects.

The paper also outlines the work of a project in the UK (which has developed from a European funded project) that is involved in actively addressing the remaining barriers at all levels. The partnership aims to mainstream good practice in recruitment, teaching and learning and employment. Let's TWIST has recently (November 2001) been successful in gaining funds from EQUAL (funded through European Social Fund) with other partners for a major three year project. The aim of the project is to break down gender desegregation in target sectors of employment, and address cultural and attitudinal barriers that promote discrimination by building on the work already developed. Change is clearly happening, and Let's TWIST is one of a number of active groups in this area who are moving things forward towards mainstreaming which, according to the Equal Opportunities Commission (2001)

Measuring the success of intervention programmes designed to increase the participation rate by women in computing

Many intervention programmes to encourage greater female participation in computer education and careers have been conducted in the last twenty years. These intervention programmes take considerable time, effort and money to design and implement. If success were to be measured by an increase in the percentage of female students undertaking computing courses then these programmes would have to be considered a failure. This paper describes a research project which examined fourteen intervention programmes in detail. From the perspective of the programme champions each of the intervention programmes was considered successful, even when this success was restricted to specific areas or limited to small groups of individuals. Formal evaluation appeared to have been an afterthought rather than a priority of many of the programme champions. Some programmes appeared to be less effective due to the lack of targeted and clear goals or predetermined evaluation criteria. It is recommended that during the initial planning phase for intervention programmes a clear objective is to consider what a successful programme would look like and what the evaluation criteria would be. Further work is needed to understand how intervention programmes can be better designed and evaluated so that their impact and success can be expanded.

Effect of labour market reform on women in the Australian banking industry

[No Abstract]

Filipino women in Tasmania : negotiating gender ideologies

This paper investigates the experiences of Filipino women who have migrated from the Philippines to Tasmania, Australia. Commonly referred to as 'mail-order brides,' the women have migrated to Tasmania for the purpose of marriage, usually after a long process of letter writing and friendship. This paper argues that Filipino women in Tasmania do not always regard themselves as 'victims' as suggested in many scholarly and media representations of 'mail-order brides.' Instead, based on their accounts, this paper provides insights into the phenomenon of Filipino migration for marriage, questioning and challenging the many assumptions that are made about their migration and settlement.

Executive women in Australia

Women currently comprise approx. 25% of the Australian workforce in the Australian Bureau of Statistics category of Managers & Administrators. Little is known of their health status. HBA Health Management made available the results of corporate health assessments of 600 female clients in this category to carry out this health status study based on a range of medical, lifestyle and fitness indicators. Comparisons were drawn from women working within other occupational categories. Analysis showed there to be few detrimental health effects associated with being employed as a Manager & Administrator or with being married. Being a mother and employed does have some negative health effects.

Women in exercise to music : individual experiences of influences to be slim

This qualitative study explores reasons why women who participate in exercise to music continue to do so long-term. Thirteen women were interviewed. Generational differences of body perceptions were easily identifiable.

Field fitness testing and training patterns for women in three masters sports

This study involved 33 women, aged 44-71 years involved in either masters swimming, field hockey or lawn bowls. Subjects undertook a 12-week competitive training program and participated in one fitness test session, to trial field-based tests of aerobic fitness, muscle power, body fat and flexibility. The field-based fitness testing proved practical. Athlete fitness was affected by age, competitiveness, training intensity and volume.

Reproduction and social control : women in Australia 1900-1999

Examines the conditions of Australian women in their reproductive lives, in a social and scientific context throughout the twentieth century. Aims to identify those areas which have influenced change (if it has occurred), the types of change and the impact those changes have had on the lives of women, given the premise that the social life of women, in all its forms, is predicated by their reproductive function.

International collaboration for women in IT : how to avoid reinventing the wheel

This paper uses information contributed by ACM-W Ambassadors from nine countries to build a picture of women working to improve the gender balance in IT around the world. The focus on women’s participation in education, the workforce and the political arena is presented using Hofstede and Hofstede’s (2005) dimensions of cultural masculinity, power distribution and individuality for each of the ACM-W Ambassador countries to set the scene. It is apparent from this compilation of information that different social and cultural climates in many parts of the world will necessitate different actions by ACM-W Ambassadors in their respective countries. While the ACM-W Ambassador program provides a forum for ideas, support and strategies to deal with the under-representation of women in IT, many of the current Ambassadors have more pressing issues to deal with, and indeed a ‘one size for all’ model for programs to promote IT to women will not be suitable. Exploring the network from an Australian perspective this work demonstrates that much is to be gained from increasing international networks to share the strategies and support required to encourage more women into IT.