Sexual harassment and sense of entitlement

The resignation of an Indian Administrative Services Officer named Rani Nagar and its non-acceptance by the state government of Haryana had revived the debate around sexual harassment in India. The reason given by the officer was sexual harassment by a senior and non-action of authorities leading to her feeling threatened for her safety. It highlights the fact that position of women in India is not corresponding to their professional achievements. The mindset of society remains attached to the notion of inferior status of women in general, regardless of their professional status. This paper seeks to delve more into the issue of sexual harassment per se and find the actual root cause that serves as a driving force behind such acts of perpetrator. It is done by using cases, theories and examples of contemporary times.

The changing language of women on The Big Bang Theory

This study focuses on how linguistic markers are utilized by women in media to highlight stereotypes and reinforce systems of oppression. Using data from the popular television program The Big Bang Theory, the speech patterns of the three main female characters, Penny, Amy, and Bernadette, were analyzed. It was found that changes in the speed and pitch of the dialog delivered by these characters correlated with the characters enacting certain female stereotypes that are not at the forefront of their personalities. The stereotypes of the traditionally feminine woman, overly aggressive woman, and ditzy blond are key in maintaining the inferior status of women. The stereotype of the traditionally feminine woman serves as an example of how women are supposed to act out their female identity, the overly aggressive stereotype is a warning against utilizing emotions outside of a traditional feminine community of practice, and the ditzy blond stereotype is used to provide proof of the inferiority of women and justify the continued subjugation of them.

Reviewing Racial Microaggressions Research: Documenting Targets’ Experiences, Harmful Sequelae, and Resistance Strategies

In this article, we review the theoretical and empirical literature on racial microaggressions from 2007 to 2020 ( N = 138 articles). First, we refine racial microaggressions theory and update the definition to address mischaracterizations in the literature and clarify the term (i.e., “micro” refers to microlevel interactions rather than degree of harm). Next, we used four superordinate categories (i.e., pathologizing differences, denigrating and pigeonholing, excluding or rendering invisible, and perpetuating color-blind racial attitudes) in which to situate racial microaggression themes from the extant literature. Moreover, we consolidated and renamed existing themes to privilege targets’ perspectives (e.g., facing assumptions of inferior status and enduring exoticization). We then synthesized qualitative and quantitative research that shows harmful sequelae of racial microaggressions (i.e., psychological and physiological symptoms). Extending prior research on coping with gendered racial microaggressions, we describe empirical findings on collective, resistance, and self-protective strategies to mitigate the harmful impact of racial microaggressions. We conclude with directions for future research.

Selection of insulation materials with PSI-CRITIC based CoCoSo method

The performance effect of construction on energy conservation substantially depends upon application of correct materials and energy saving methodologies. A sizable financial impact is accomplished through insulated walls. The criteria explaining the present wall insulating material options may have different values. Furthermore, they may alter in different aspects, i.e. higher values of certain criteria show a preferable status, while for others they denote an inferior status. In this framework, a variant of compromise is needed, which can be situated through multi-criteria assessment methodologies. To diminish the effect of different methodologies on computational results, few diverse techniques can be considered, with descriptions of the mean predicted values. Thus, drawbacks of certain multi-criteria assessment techniques could be compensated through others. A hybrid methodology through the combination of individual techniques will be accurate if there is a relationship between the values determined through diverse methodologies. In this study, the most efficient insulation material used at external walls is selected by using PSI-CRITIC based CoCoSo Method. The analytical results are important both from financial and engineering point of views as the applied methodology is commercially viable and practically implementable. Precise and up-to-date material properties are derived from the leading companies in the sector.

Male Chauvinism in Afghan Society: An Analysis of A Thousand Splendid Suns

The paper is an attempt to analyze the dominant role of the male community in Afghan society. Western Feminists such as Judith Butler claim that all women face the same problems. However, their claim is challenged by Chandra Talpade Mohanty (1991) who is of the view that the claim of universal sisterhood is based on ethnocentricity. This paper analyses the inferior status of women in the patriarchal system of Afghanistan where people live under their cultural code called Pashtunwali. Pashtunwali assigns an active role to the male community under their privileged status while women are restricted to homes. In this society, a man has to be rigid, authoritative and must keep women under his iron hands. A man of weak nerves has no respect in Afghan society; he has to be strong enough to protect the honor of his family. The study is based on textual analysis of Khaled Hosseini's novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, in the light of Mohanty's views (1991). Hosseini (2008) criticizes the marginalized status of women in Afghan society. Though the Afghan society is influenced by globalization which gives some space to women for social activities, male chauvinism remains the main feature of Pashtun culture wherein people are ruled by a male-oriented code of conduct called Pashtunwali.

Epistêmê Is of What Is

If Plato’s epistemology is indeed objects-based, then he conceives of epistêmê first and foremost as the cognition of a certain kind of object. What is this object? We find a clear answer in the powers argument: epistêmê is of what is, or being. Indeed throughout the dialogues Plato treats this claim as a basic principle, something that everyone will accept. But this may seem an unhelpful answer, for Plato’s talk of being is famously ambiguous, and much debated. I will argue that there is nonetheless a general characterization available: in contexts relevant to the correlation of epistêmê with being, regardless of what ‘being’ or variants mean, the label ‘being’ serves a common function: it privileges certain items above others. The key notion should be understood as the ontologically superior, or of what really is, by contrast with things that have some derivative or inferior status. Epistêmê’s defining object is Being in this sense.

Thematic Analysis of Oromo Proverbs Said About Women

The purpose of this study is to look at the representation of women in the Oromo proverbs and to evaluate the awareness of the society about the effects of these proverbs on women. To achieve this goal, an attempt was made to collect proverbs that refer to women. The data was collected from pre documented books because of the inconvenience of data collection in the field due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The collected data was translated from the original language ‘Afaan Oromoo` to the target language `English` and finally analyzed and interpreted qualitatively. From the result, women are portrayed both positively and negatively in Oromo proverbs, and the image of a mother and wives are positive. They are represented as excellent house makers and obedient servants of their family. This study, also found out that women are perceived negatively and disrespected in Oromo proverbs. Male dominance and the inferior position and the low status of women are clearly observed. In these proverbs, women are perceived as ignorant, dependent, weak, irresponsible, unpredictable, and as inferior members of their community. In general, the actual characteristics of women are considered as nothing and ideal behaviors are disseminated in proverbs and in cultural trends. The transmission of these proverbs has a contribution to the perpetuation of the negative images of women and this causes women’s negative self-image and their low participation in different social affairs in their community. Therefore, educating women, giving awareness creation training about women’s equality to the society, increasing women’s participation, and discouraging the use of the proverbs that socialize the inferior status of women may be a solution to create a better positive image of women in the society.

Gender Paradox and Women’s Spatiality: A Case Study of “Mothers Accompanying Children in Education” at the Chiang Mai Chinese Christian Church

This article explores a group of new Chinese migrant “peidu mamas” or “mothers accompanying children in education” in the Chiang Mai city, Thailand. By using ethnography as the research methodology, this article examines the gender role and women’s spatiality issues that exist between the church and the community. After interviewing informants and doing participation observation at Chiang Mai Huaren Jidu Church for several months, the researchers unravel how the “peidu mamas” in the church have faced an extreme level of gender paradox and gender hierarchy while participating in the church activities. These “peidu mamas” strategically utilize Christian interpretation by deploying the traditional Chinese concept with regards to “obedience” and “reserved patriarchal bargaining.” It is an attempt to reduce the inferior status encountered by the female Chinese Christian “peidu mamas” and to negotiate the paradoxical Confucianism beliefs regarding gender hierarchy and family values. Keywords: Gender paradox, Patriarchal bargain, Spatiality

Borders and boundaries in the lives of migrant agricultural workers: Towards a more equitable health services approach.

In 2018, over 70% of the 69,775 temporary migrant agricultural labourers arriving in Canada participated in the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP). Despite having legal status in Canada, these individuals are often systematically excluded from community life and face barriers when accessing health and social services. SAWP workers’ exclusion from many public spaces and their incomplete access to the benefits of Canadian citizenship or residency provide us a unique opportunity to examine social and political mechanisms that construct (in)eligibility for health and protection in society. As individuals seeking to care for the sick and most marginalized, it is important for nurses to understand how migrant agricultural workers are positioned and imagined in society. We argue that the structural exclusion faced by this population can be uncovered by examining (1) border politics that inscribe inferior status onto migrant agricultural workers (2) nation-state borders that promote racialized surveillance and; (3) everyday normalization of exclusionary public service practices. We discuss how awareness of these contextual factors can be mobilized by nurses to work towards a more equitable health services approach for this population.

A qualitative study on midwives’ identity and perspectives on the occurrence of disrespect and abuse in Maputo city

Background Midwifery care plays a vital role in the reduction of preventable maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity. There is a growing concern about the quality of care during facility based childbirth and the occurrence of disrespect and abuse (D&A) worldwide. While several studies have reported a high prevalence of D&A, evidence about the drivers of D&A is scarce. This study aims to explore midwives’ professional identity and perspectives on the occurrence of D&A in urban Mozambique. Methods A qualitative study took place in the central hospital of Maputo, Mozambique. Nine focus group discussions with midwives were conducted, interviewing 54 midwives. RQDA software was used for analysing the data by open coding and thematic analysis from a grounded theory perspective. Results Midwives felt proud of their profession but felt they were disrespected by the institution and wider society because of their inferior status compared to doctors. Furthermore, they felt blamed for poor health outcomes. The occurrence of D&A seemed more likely in emergency situations but midwives tended to blame this on women being “uncooperative”. The involvement of birth companions was a protective factor against D&A together with supervision. Conclusion In order to improve quality of care and reduce the occurrence of D&A midwives will need to be treated with more respect within the health system. Furthermore, they should be trained in handling obstetric emergency situations with respect and dignity for the patient. Systematic and constructive supervision might be another promising strategy for preventing D&A.