Troublesome Issues: Current Debates on Tensions between Gender Equality and Cultural Diversity in Austria

This paper will first deal with the legal and social situation of Islam and Muslims in Austria and then turn to particular “troublesome issues” at the intersection of gender equality and ethnic/religious diversity. The public debate on Muslims particularly focuses on the notion “not willing to integrate” and in the assumption of “parallel societies”. Hierarchical gender relations and “harmful traditions” such as veiling, female genital cutting, forced marriage and honour based violence recently became the centre of attention. We will show that the Austrian debate on these issues is shaped by the idea of “dangerous cultural difference” as something coming from outside and being concentrated in segregated Muslim enclaves. Despite the public authorities’ rejection of the idea that Islam was responsible for “harmful traditions”, legal as well as political measures in Austria not only combat violence against women but also fuel “cultural anxieties” between different ethnic and religious groups.

Feminism, gender equity and sexual/reproductive health in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region

Sexual/reproductive/health and rights are crucial public health concerns that have been specifically integrated into the Millennium Development Goals to be accomplished by 2015. These issues are related to several health outcomes, including HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence (GBV) among women. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region comprises Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates (UAE), West Bank and Gaza (WBG), and Yemen. This region is primarily Arabic speaking (except for Israel and Iran), and primarily Muslim (except for Israel). Some traditional and cultural views and practices in this region engender gender inequalities, which manifest themselves in the economic, political and social spheres. HIV and gender-based violence in the region may be interlinked with gender inequalities which breed justification for partner violence and honour killings, and increase the chance that HIV will transform into an epidemic in the region if not addressed. A feminist framework, focused on economic, political and social empowerment for women would be useful to consider applying to sexual/reproductive health in the region.^

Violencia de género en mujeres inmigrantes y españolas: magnitud, respuestas ante el problema y políticas existentes

Objetivo: Comparar la prevalencia de la violencia de género entre mujeres inmigrantes y españolas. Describir sus respuestas ante esta situación y posibles diferencias entre ellas. Identificar intervenciones ya existentes en España sobre prevención y atención sociosanitaria de violencia de género dirigidas a inmigrantes. Métodos: Estudio transversal mediante encuesta autoadministrada en 10.202 mujeres que acudieron a centros de atención primaria en España (2006-2007). Análisis de contenido del informe de seguimiento de la ley 1/2004 de medidas de protección integral contra la violencia de género remitido por las comunidades autónomas (CC.AA.) (2005) y las leyes y planes autonómicos más recientes. Resultados: La prevalencia de violencia de género en las españolas es del 14,3% y en las inmigrantes del 27,3%. La probabilidad de violencia de género en las inmigrantes es mayor (odds ratio ajustada: 2,06; intervalo de confianza del 95%: 1,61–2,64). Las inmigrantes dijeron haber denunciado a su pareja con más frecuencia, así como que no sabían resolver su situación. Algunas CC.AA. ya han emprendido intervenciones para superar las barreras de acceso a los servicios sociosanitarios, pero sólo tres facilitan el número de mujeres inmigrantes beneficiarias de ayudas económicas y laborales hasta 2005. Conclusiones: Existe una desigual distribución en la prevalencia de la violencia de género según el país de origen, afectando en mayor medida a las mujeres inmigrantes. Éstas denuncian con más frecuencia que las españolas, pero tal actuación no supone una garantía de resultados efectivos. Aunque se han identificado otras intervenciones específicas en algunas CC.AA., sería necesario evaluarlas para asegurar que las mujeres inmigrantes se están beneficiando.

Gender sensitivity in national health plans in Latin America and the European Union

Objectives: To evaluate the situation regarding gender sensitivity in national health plans in Latin America and the European Union for the decade 2000–2010. Methods: A systematic search and content analysis of national health plans were carried out within 37 countries. Gender sensitivity, defined as the extent to which a health plan considers gender as a central category and develops measures to reduce any gender-related inequalities, was analysed through an ad hoc checklist. Results: The description of health problems by sex was more frequent than intervention proposals aimed at reducing gender health disparities. The greatest number of specific intervention proposals targeted at overcoming gender-based health inequalities were associated with sexual and/or reproductive health, gender based violence, the working environment and human resources training. Compared to the European Union member states, Latin American health plans were found to be generally more gender sensitive. Conclusions: National health plans are still generally lacking in gender sensitivity. Disparities exist in health policy formulation in favour of men, whilst women's health continues to be identified mainly with reproductive health. If gender sensitivity is not taken into account, efforts to improve the quality of clinical care will be insufficient as gender inequalities will persist.

Professionals’ Perceptions of Support Resources for Battered Immigrant Women Chronicle of an Anticipated Failure

The aim of this study was to explore the experience of service providers in Spain regarding their daily professional encounters with battered immigrant women and their perception of this group’s help-seeking process and the eventual abandonment of the same. Twenty-nine in-depth interviews and four focus group discussions were conducted with a total of 43 professionals involved in providing support to battered immigrant women. We interviewed social workers, psychologists, intercultural mediators, judges, lawyers, and public health professionals from Spain. Through qualitative content analysis, four categories emerged: (a) frustration with the victim’s decision to abandon the help-seeking process, (b) ambivalent positions regarding differences between immigrant and Spanish women, (c) difficulties in the migratory process that may hinder the help-seeking process, and (d) criticisms regarding the inefficiency of existing resources. The four categories were cross-cut by an overarching theme: helping immigrant women not to abandon the help-seeking process as a chronicle of anticipated failure. The main reasons that emerged for abandoning the help-seeking process involved structural factors such as economic dependence, loss of social support after leaving their country of origin, and limited knowledge about available resources. The professionals perceived their encounters with battered immigrant women to be frustrating and unproductive because they felt that they had few resources to back them up. They felt that despite the existence of public policies targeting intimate partner violence (IPV) and immigration in Spain, the resources dedicated to tackling gender-based violence were insufficient to meet battered immigrant women’s needs. Professionals should be trained both in the problem of IPV and in providing support to the immigrant population.

Niñas y adolescentes en América Latina y el Caribe: deudas de igualdad

El presente estudio entrega un panorama sobre las desigualdades que experimentan las niñas y las adolescentes de la región y pretende aportar a la discusión sobre políticas que busquen eliminar todas las formas de discriminación que les afecten. Para ello, se adopta una perspectiva enfocada en las vulnerabilidades específicas que niñas y adolescentes enfrentan, reconociendo la diversidad de sus identidades e identificando las barreras que es necesario derribar. Esto es un imperativo, por una parte, para su ejercicio de derechos, la adquisición de activos y acceso a oportunidades y la construcción de su autonomía y ciudadanía, y por otra parte, para el desarrollo social y económico de los países en el presente y futuro, comprendiendo que las desigualdades que se padecen desde la infancia, además de ser fuente de injusticia en esta etapa de la vida, se proyectan y amplifican hasta la edad adulta. La información que se presenta busca aportar al diseño de políticas públicas pertinentes y eficaces que permitan garantizarles la realización de sus derechos con miras a cimentar en la región un desarrollo con igualdad, más aún en el contexto de la recientemente aprobada Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible (ONU, 2015).

40 años de agenda regional de género

Hace casi 40 años, se celebró la primera Conferencia Regional sobre la Integración de la Mujer al Desarrollo Económico y Social de América Latina (La Habana, 1977), que abrió un espacio de intercambio regional después de la Conferencia Mundial del Año Internacional de la Mujer (Ciudad de México, 1975), un espacio que apostaba a que las demandas sociales en favor de los derechos de las mujeres y la igualdad de género que empezaban a cruzar los países se convirtieran en compromisos gubernamentales. En aquella oportunidad se acordó el Plan de Acción Regional para la Integración de la Mujer en el Desarrollo Económico y Social de América Latina, que fue la primera hoja de ruta que tuvo la región para avanzar hacia el reconocimiento del aporte de las mujeres a la sociedad y los obstáculos que enfrentan para mejorar su situación. También en esa oportunidad, los Gobiernos le dieron a la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) el mandato de convocar con carácter permanente y regular, con una frecuencia no superior a tres años, una Conferencia Regional sobre la Mujer. A lo largo de las siguientes cuatro décadas, en cumplimiento de este mandato, la CEPAL, a través primero de la Unidad Mujer y Desarrollo, y posteriormente de la División de Asuntos de Género, ha organizado 12 Conferencias sobre la mujer. Esta articulación intergubernamental, con la presencia activa del movimiento feminista y de mujeres y el apoyo de todo el sistema de las Naciones Unidas, se ha convertido en el principal foro de negociación de una agenda regional para la igualdad de género amplia, profunda y comprehensiva, en que la autonomía y los derechos de las mujeres están en el centro, y en cuyas reuniones siempre ha ocupado un lugar protagónico la preocupación por las políticas de desarrollo y de superación de la pobreza. En la presente publicación se recopilan todos los acuerdos adoptados por los Gobiernos en las conferencias regionales, de modo que constituya una herramienta para la consulta, pero sobre todo para la acción y la construcción de un futuro basado en la memoria colectiva de las mujeres de América Latina y el Caribe.

40 years of the regional gender agenda

The first Regional Conference on the Integration of Women into the Economic and Social Development of Latin America and the Caribbean was held almost 40 years ago (Havana, 1977). It provided a regional forum for exchange after the World Conference of the International Women’s Year in Mexico City in 1975, where participants supported the idea of social demands for women’s rights and gender equality (which were starting to spread from country to country) being converted into government commitments. On that occasion they adopted the Regional Plan of Action for the Integration of Women into Latin American Economic and Social Development, the region’s first road map for progress towards the recognition of women’s contribution to society and the obstacles that they face in improving their situation. At that same conference, the Governments gave the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) a mandate to convene periodically, at intervals of no more than three years, a Regional Conference on Women. In fulfilment of this mandate, over the next four decades ECLAC organized 12 Regional Conferences on Women, first through its Women and Development Unit, then its Division for Gender Affairs. This interaction between governments, with the active participation of the women’s and feminist movement and the support of the entire United Nations system, has become the main forum for the negotiation of a broad, profound and comprehensive regional agenda on gender equality, in which women’s autonomy and rights are front and centre. Policies for development and overcoming poverty have always been a key focus at these meetings. This publication is a compilation of all the agreements adopted by the Governments at the regional conferences and will serve not only as a tool for reference, but above all as a tool for action and for building a future based on the collective memory of the women of Latin America and the Caribbean.

Manual de formación regional para la implementación de la resolución 1325 (2000) del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas relativa a las mujeres, la paz y la seguridad

La Resolución 1325 del Consejo de Seguridad de las Naciones Unidas marca un hito en los derechos humanos de las mujeres, la paz y la seguridad al constituir el primer instrumento de dicho Consejo que exige a las partes en conflicto que los derechos de las mujeres sean respetados. La resolución reconoce el impacto diferenciado y desproporcionado que los conflictos armados y situaciones de inseguridad tienen sobre las mujeres, especialmente la violencia de género, subrayando la importancia de la contribución de las mujeres en los procesos de resolución y prevención de conflictos, así como en la consecución de la paz y el desarrollo sostenible en contextos democráticos. Este programa de formación promueve un mayor conocimiento de la Resolución 1325 y otras resoluciones conexas en América Latina y el Caribe, de modo que la incorporación de la perspectiva de género en la paz y la seguridad sea un compromiso y una tarea crecientemente asumida por los gobiernos de la región. El objetivo es capacitar a personas de diferentes sectores: público, academia y sociedad civil, a la vez que promover el diálogo y el fortalecimiento de capacidades para el trabajo intersectorial que requieren las políticas para la igualdad. La metodología y el contenido del programa, que se estructura en módulos temáticos, fueron desarrollados en la División de Asuntos de Género de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), con apoyo del UNFPA, y responden a la realidad y las necesidades específicas de formación en esta materia que tiene América Latina.

Feminist Street Performances in Puerto Rico: Alternative Imaginaries Shifting the Ideal(ized) National Body

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Trata de mujeres con fines de explotación sexual en el marco de cooperación de Naciones Unidas y su Oficina UNODC. Colombia (2007—2010)

El interés de este caso de estudio es mostrar un diagnóstico sobre la situación de trata de mujeres con fines de explotación sexual en Colombia, basado en el avance de las acciones emprendidas por parte de los Organismos Internacionales y del Estado, durante el periodo comprendido entre los años 2007 y 2010. A partir de lo anterior, se utilizaron tres conceptos claves los cuales fueron: Globalización, Derechos Humanos y Perspectiva de Género con el fin de hacer una descripción del fenómeno de trata en Colombia. Se plantean como propósitos particulares contextualizar el fenómeno de la trata y su impacto a nivel mundial, identificar las políticas del Estado; y finalmente identificar el rol que tuvo la participación de Organización de las Naciones Unidas y su oficina especial UNODC frente al delito de trata de mujeres con fines de explotación sexual en Colombia.

Gendered perceptions of experiential value in using web-based retail channels

Purpose – This paper compares the experiential consumption values that motivate consumer choice to purchase online for both male and female purchasers and non-purchasers. Design/methodology/approach – Using the theory of consumption value the study examines gendered perceptions of the functional, social and conditional value of using a virtual consumption setting for purchasing. Data was collected through an online survey and analysed using multiple discriminant analysis to determine meaningful differences between male and female purchasers and non-purchasers. Findings – The findings show that male online purchasers are discriminated from female purchasers by social value and from male non-purchasers by conditional value. Female purchasers are discriminated from male purchasers by functional value and from female non-purchasers by social value. Female non-purchasers are discriminated from female purchasers by conditional value. Male non-purchasers are discriminated from male purchasers by functional and social value. Research limitations/implications – Limitations include using an Internet survey and an Australian sample which may impact the generalisability of the findings to a wider population of Internet users. Future research should involve replication of the study in a country more or less developed in terms of gender composition of internet users to extend the generalisability of the findings. Additionally, researchers should examine whether other dimensions of consumption value,such as social influence through on- and off-line communication networks, may influence consumer choice to purchase online. Practical implications – The study provides practical implications for marketers to leverage consumption values that influence male and female consumers’ choice to purchase online and then drive their behaviour online through integrated marketing campaigns that involve both on- and offline strategies. Originality/value – The research makes an original contribution to the consumer behaviour literature as to date, no research has been found that undertakes such a comprehensive gender-based comparison of the perceived value of using a virtual consumption setting for purchasing.

Explaining Gendered Sentencing Patterns for Men and Women in the Late Victorian Period

Contemporary studies of disparities in the sentencing of male and female offenders claim that the differences found are caused by gender-related contextual factors, but not by a gender bias. In contrast, historical studies have suggested that women were disadvantaged by appearing to offend both against the law and the conventions of femininity. This article analyses minor assaults prosecuted in ten English magistrates’ courts between 1880 and 1920. It is based on a data-set that combines court cases and newspaper reports, and allows for the control of gender differences in sentencing outcomes through four contextual factors: severity of the assault, bonds between victim and assailant, culpability, and evidence. The findings reveal a differentiated pattern of sentences that questions the assumption that ‘doubly deviant’ women were more often convicted, and received higher penalties, throughout the Victorian period. The results show that the contextual factors of the offence affected judicial decision-making to the extent that they virtually account for gender differences in conviction rates, but do not, on their own, account for the different penalties handed out to men and women. Women who committed similar assaults to men were likely to receive a lighter punishment. Magistrates clearly targeted ‘male’ contexts of violence, and handed down more convictions and harsher penalties to men involved in these, in contrast to women involved in 'female' contexts. The findings of a strong gender bias in sentencing that disadvantaged lowerclass men indicate that local magistrates directed their efforts of 'civilizing' lower-class communities at 'dangerous masculinities', and deemed assaults committed by women as less important in this task.

From “somatic scandals” to “a constant potential for violence”? The culture of dissection, brain-based learning, and the rewriting/rewiring of “the child”

This article analyzes the “messy and numberless beginnings” of the hope placed upon neurological foundationalism to provide a solution to the “problem” of differences between students and to the achievement of educational goals. Rather than arguing for or against educational neuroscience, the article moves through five levels to examine the conditions of possibility for subscribing to the brain as a causal organological locus of learning.