Gender Equality in E.U. Nations

Gender Equality in European Research

Ray King

For this weeks blog, I found an article that is an accumulation of data from the nations of the European Union regarding gender equality in math and scientific research fields. The report, called She Figures 2012: Gender in Research and Innovation, analyzes all of these countries to come to some surprising conclusions. On average, 33% of all researchers are women. Lithuania and Latvia had more female than male researchers, while in Luxembourg women only held 21% of these positions. Interesting to note is that across the E.U. Female researchers increased in number by about 5% annually since 2002 while men increased only about 3%. In terms of advanced degrees, there is more strive toward gender equality overall with women claiming 46% of all the degrees within scientific fields in 2010. Looking a bit closer, in specific fields like engineering, women only earned 26% of degrees, while in fields like humanities, business, and veterinary men and women were predominantly on equal ground with almost 50% of degrees going to both. Further into the article, the author mentions a 'glass ceiling index' system in order to measure how difficult it is for women to reach full professorship in certain countries. As of 2010, women overall in the European Union held a 1.8 on this scale (with a 1.0 meaning full equality with men). Specific countries like Romania have a 1.3 rating, while Cyprus held a 3.6 rating of equality. Another stated that only ten percent of all the universities across the EU had a female rector. Finally, as far as being able to secure funding for research, men were more successful than women, thought that gap varies from 1% in Belgium to 11% in Austria. These numbers stack up to show both that the EU is serious about giving women more of a voice and representation in science and math driven fields, yet there is also much work to be done to accomplish this. Women have made great strides in these areas, yet many countries block women with the glass ceiling in some form. In order for equality to be universal, they will have to make sure men are more involved and understand why it is crucial for the success of all of these fields and their nations to allow women fair opportunity. I certainly hope that these numbers continue to move toward more equal numbers, and maybe the EU can be a model to other areas of the world that are not as fair towards women.

http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2013_04_16/caredit.a1300076

Gender Inequality in Namibia

Gender Inequality Deeply Ingrained in Namibian Society

This week I found an article on the recent push for gender equality at the government level in Namibia, a country northwest of South Africa on Africa's west coast. According to Rosalia Nghidinwa, the Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, traditional gender inequality still exists widely in Namibian society, especially on the governmental level. There was a recent summit of South African nations (SADC Gender Protocol Summit and Awards) that had set a goal of having a fifty-fifty percentage of men and women in government positions by 2015. the SADC protocol on Gender and Development, which proposed 50/50 gender equality was signed by Namibia and 12 other countries in August of 2008. Currently though, the representation is only around 25% of women. The ambassador of Spain to Namibia, Carmen Diez, also spoke at the conference. She said, “despite signs of progress in international policy towards addressing gender inequality, this progress should be converted into concrete changes at local level.” This is the idea that significant change needs to start from the ground-up, rather than from the top-down. Changing attitudes of men on the local level is the goal in order to empower women. The male dominated leadership has not readily address issues of gender equality, making it difficult for changes to occur. Promoting an atmosphere of gender inclusiveness was a topic included in a speech that Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba's gave for the State of the Nation this past Wednesday. He pointed out that part of the problem was the wide spread use of alcohol and drugs, which helped contribute to abuse of women and children in Namibia. He went further to say that this issue needed to be addressed with a sense of urgency. While there is a push towards equality here, there is still much work to be done.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201304050647.html

Blog 8: Gender Equality in Iceland

Creating Gender Equity: Lessons from Iceland

This week I have come across a piece discussing gender equality in Iceland. The government here decided that after the global market crash of 2008 that things needed to change, and they choose a somewhat radical method to accomplish this. They made a mandate that they must incorporate 'feminine values' into the system and ensure that 40% of corporate boards were composed of women. They felt that the “mainly male spheres of private equity, wealth management, and corporate advice” had been a significant reason why the system failed to begin with. Approaching gender parity here, while the US is lagging behind with only 17% of women in comparable positions.

To further this approach to creating gender equality between men and women, they have also created legislation that gives women and men a very significant level of maternity and paternity leave upon child birth. From here, the government criminalised the purchase of sex in 2009 and banned strip clubs in 2010, which met with criticism from a lot of North Americans as they claimed it 'restricts' women's choice of being objectified. This came across as a completely absurd form of criticism as no human being should want to be objectified. Currently, there is more legislation in the works that would restrict or ban 'hardcore or violent' pornography which is considered violent against women. This form of pornography strictly uses women as a means for male sexual gratification and dehumanizes them. Professor Gail Dines notes that in these instances women are often depicted being choked, being called demeaning names, and often forced into rough intercourse with multiple men. Though some have cried foul saying that the Icelandic government is infringing on freedom of speech, Dines points out one distinguishing factor that shows otherwise. "Iceland is going after corporate speech produced by a global industry," (meaning the porn industry, which is now a multi-billion dollar industry). She believes that the porn industry controls the discussion of sex. Since the target here is not individuals' freedoms, "The question is: Do we want to have broader debates and a broader discourse about sex, or do we want the pornographers to control it?" she is quoted asking. This raises a good question, and outside of the porn industry, I think many don't want to depict sex and male-female sexual relations in this manner. Maybe it's possible that the US can borrow a few pages from Iceland's approach to gender parity and equality in their society and apply it here?

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2013/04/20134274739879996.html

Blog7: Seeking Gender Equality in Singapore

Ray King

More women leaders needed for gender equality to truly exist: congress

This week I came across an article that discusses strives for gender equality in Singapore. At this years Singapore Women's Conference, there was a panel discussion revolving around women's current level of involvement in government and higher business in the country. Currently, women's involvement in parliament is at 24% which is above the global average of 20%, however there is a strong desire to give women more opportunity. One of the speakers was Malaysian social and political activist, Marina Mahathir. One interesting quote that she said in her speech here was, "When it comes to women, numbers matter because men are just not going to think of these things. Their experience in life is different from ours. And so they are not going to know what affects us." So not only is it important to help women gain access to these higher positions in congress and business, but its equally important to help men understand what it is that women encounter in their lives. Bringing men into the fold will help begin to diminish long-standing gender stereotypes. In order to accomplish this, a mental mindset that women in powerful positions is normal and that its acceptable for men to do their fair share of domestic chores needs to come into place. The smart men in power now should be able to look at a woman and what she could bring to a business or governmental position and instantly see how valuable she is to society. I especially found it profound that in order to bring about these changes that you needed to fairly include men in the discussion. There's always been a vast amount of talk about women pushing for equality and fairness as their male counter parts, however talk involving men hasn't always been brought up. In order for this change to happen in places like Singapore, it needs to begin almost on a lower level. Among everyday men and women where they can see how one another are equally valuable and each bring a skill set to the world to contribute to a working whole. Through this, equality can rise up through the higher levels of society and, eventually, we will see a more equal society for women and men.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1261731/1/.html

Blog 6: Gender Equality in Brazil

Gender Equality Pays Off in Brazil

Ray King

In Brazil, they have become well-known for their efforts to reduce poverty and income inequalities in more recent years. However, they have also been focusing on gender equality in the last two decades. Illiteracy rates for women from 20.3 percent in 1991 down to 9.8 percent in 2008. The number of women with college-level education in the work force went from 7.4 percent in 1992 to now above the number of men with college education. In light of these great strides of progress for women, there is still work to be done. On average, women in Brazil make 84 percent of what a Brazilian man earns. Women also seem to take the majority of household work at home in many Brazilian families. According to the World Bank's World Development Report for 2012, lessening gender inequality can have positive effects on both economic growth and social welfare. It is believed that having women's 'take-home' pay become equal to men's would increase Brazil's GDP by 0.2 percent. There will be other dramatic effects occur when you place talented and skilled women into higher and more productive positions. They believe placing women in higher and more productive positions within their society will also trigger growth in public infrastructure and transportation as it would create an environment where everyone is equally motivated to work hard because they are treated and compensated equally regardless of gender. Included here are some findings from the Symposium on Gender Inequality in Emerging Markets states that “Gender inequality is bad economics. It deprives national economies of women's talents. It reduces the productive potential of labor forces. It constrains consumption, diminishes tax yields and curtails the national and personal benefits of investment in female education by forcing women into professions and occupations that make less than full use of their skills and capabilities.” Certainly, leaving out roughly half of the population from positions where they can contribute fairly doesn't just deprive women, but men also. The society as a whole needs equal input from both sexes in order to be optimally productive, and it seems as if Brazil is definitely on the way to being just that.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/otaviano-canuto/gender-equality-pays-off_b_2828480.html

Blog 5: Christian Feminists and Gender Equality

Christian Feminists Aim to Spread the Word on Gender Equality

This week I came across an article that discusses women's equality and Christian religious view of women. Many people may think that the Bible speaks of women's place being in the home serving and working for their husbands. In general, many feel that the Bible paints a patriarcal picture of gender. A new group in England, the Christian Feminist Network have a strong belief that no where in the Bible was it intended for women to be less than men. Some examples of this are that during the time of Jesus, women were viewed in this way, but he still helped a woman who was an adulterer and 'unclean'. It was also a woman that first found out that Jesus was no longer in his tomb on the third day. It is believed that in order to help change the image of the church, they need to get more women into higher positions within the church. This is not where this group of five women that are experts in theology, relationships, and race and gender equality want to stop. They want to change beliefs that women have been the cause of many problems and should not be thinking about going to college or taking birth control. Gender equality may not have been directly taught by Jesus, but the Christian Feminist Network believes it is about time to let people know. In the initial meeting that was held a month prior, the general attitude of all of the attendees was very positive, full of energy and excitement and supportive. After the meeting, many Christian men and women began blogging and investigating the church's views on gender, relationships, and sex. The Christian Feminist Network hopes to continue working and building on their foundation and getting the word of pro-gender equality out in the coming months and year.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/the-womens-blog-with-jane-martinson/2013/feb/28/christian-feminists-message-gender-equality

Israeli Gender Equality

What Should Ultra Orthodox Do About Gender Equality on Israeli Buses?

For this weeks blog I am discussing an article regarding gender equality within Israel's public transport system. Based on social and religious beliefs, some men believe that a woman ought to sit at the back of public buses. The Israeli Supreme Court has officially deemed gender-segragated buses illegal, though incidents of 'sex-bullying' still occur. In this article, police arrested a man who was suspected of sex bullying a woman. The report states that two men boarded a bus and demanded a woman leave her seat at the front of the bus and move to the back so they could sit. She refused, and the men shouted that she was 'impure' and began reciting prayer and screaming at her. Police were dispatched to meet the bus at its destination and confront every one involved. Even the police asked if she was 'willing to respect the men and move to the back?” In response, she said, “I respected them enough with my modest dress and don't plan to humiliate myself to respect them or anyone else.” The man who screamed at her opted to stay at the bus stop rather than travel with the woman in question. This is a glaring example of the gender inequality that still exists in parts of the world, and particular in the middle east region. We in America have already gone through similar situations here, and to us this is unacceptable. I admire this woman for standing up to these guys that were trying to force her to give up her seat. Gender equalization is slowly working its way through these regions of the world. It is definitely a bit behind where we are, but according to what we have learned about in class I feel they will be away from discriminating and bullying women for the basic things that men are entitled to.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/02/19/what-should-the-ultra-orthodox-do-about-gender-equality-on-israeli-buses.html

Gender equality 'central' to all other development, say women's groups

For my blog this week, I came across an article from The Guardian from the U.K. discussing how women and children were at the core of alleviating the impoverished conditions of Liberia. This was a direct result of a series of UN High-Level Panel meetings. One of the goals here to improve the condition of women was to get women more involved in the work place and into higher positions in the private sector of Uganda's economy. Another area of focus the article mentions is to reduce violence against women here by empowering women. One of the ways to empower women was through more involvement in business and government, but another way was to give women a stronger say over their own bodies, especially with sexual and reproductive rights. Sheelagh Kathy Mangones of the UN Women in Liberia said, “the right of women to have control over their bodies and decide when and if they have children is more than just a health issue; it's crucial for transforming the global economy.”  

Not only as a basic human right, but violence against women has large negative impacts on women's and has huge social and economic costs. A very interesting proposition from this reading was that it recognizes the 'unpaid' work that women do when it comes to domestic chores and caring for children. It even goes as far as calling the unpaid work a 'hidden tax' on their society. It points out that women need assistance in alleviating the sole burden of domestic work so that they can be more productive and fulfill their economic potential. The objective of the UN council meetings is to help protect women's rights and move them out from the 'informal' sector of home and out into the 'formal' sector to greatly improve their economic fortunes.

(http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2013/feb/01/gender-equality-central-development-women)

Ray King 2/8/2013 Gender Inequality

Ray King

2/8/2013

4:05PM

For this week, I have come across an article that looks at how the mass media portrays gender roles and stereotypes, especially in children's movies. The article points out how there is a disjunct between how media portrays gender and how young boys and girls act and interact with the opposite sex. The research was conducted by Colin Stokes who is a director at a nonprofit organization and a father of two children. He was interested in looking at how gender was portrayed by the protagonists in these movies.

"The movies are very, very focused on defeating the villain and getting your reward and there's not a lot of room for other relationships and other journeys," Stokes said of kids' movies.

It was observed that the messages that were supposed to be sent to boys weren't important messages about what being a 'man' is all about. Young girls, however, were given many important lessons on gender roles and how to present themselves confidently and resist patriarchy. Boys were not left with any real role models that gave them in-depth views at how they should behave and interact in today's society.

Given that traditional gender roles are in flux toady, young boys and girls need to be able to see positive portrayals of how they should act out 'gender'. The goal from the article is for boys to see fewer needs to have 'quests' alone and work together with girls to take on the real 'bad guys'. The study includes a Gender and Media Toolkit that is geared toward grade school teachers to help them guide young boys and girls in developing gender identity. In addition, one of the key focuses of this study was also that young males gained more self esteem and worth by increasing the amount of media they consumed portraying male characters. Though interestingly, the article did not go into detail about how the amount of media watched by girls affected their esteem levels.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865572475/Boys-to-men-tools-and-messages-to-look-for-gender-equality-in-media.html

Blog1: Gender Equality Charter

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Blog#1: Universities Sign Gender Equality Charter

In France, a new charter was signed into law in an effort to make the playing field more fair for men and women in educational attainment. According to recent statistics, women only make up 24% of professors, 27% of central committee members, and 8% of managers. The charter committee was made up of Genevieve Fioraso (minister for higher education) and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem (minister for women's rights) plus the heads of three conferences of university presidents. On the international stage, France has only about 43% of its new PhD recipients as women. This is below Iceland (63%), The U.S.(52%), and the U.K.(45%).

The article cites that students favored disciplines based on gender stereotypes. Male students favoring sports and applied sciences, and female students favoring languages, arts and social sciences. This new charter would aid in decreasing and hopefully removing these gender stereotypes from certain college courses of study. One method cited directly was the 'elimination of sexist language in administrative documents.' Such language of course could inadvertently cause men or women to feel out of place by registering for 'male' or 'female' courses while they attend college, so I think that is very helpful.

In addition to this, the universities say that men and women should both be fairly represented at all levels and encouraged to participate in gender equality training. It is believed that creating more fair conditions for men and women that this will help women move up into higher administrative positions and be fairly represented as the men are. Other goals here are that this new charter will stop violence against, and the sexual harassment of women.

http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20130131131317448

Inequality

For my blog topic, I am choosing inequality. In society, there have always been people that have held an advantage over others. I am fascinated by the level of inequality in many groups, but I think gender inequalities are probably my favorite to explore as gender exists in all human cultures. Why is it that men generally have had more opportunities in society than women? How have shifts in gender roles affected relations between men and women? How have opportunities or lack of opportunities affected people? This is an area that I would like to explore.