1.  Peer Reviewed Title: The 'problem' of Asian women's sexuality: public discourses in Aotearoa/New Zealand. Author: Simon-Kumar R Source: Culture, Health and Sexuality. 2009 Jan;11(1):1-16. Abstract: Public health research in New Zealand views Asian health - particularly, Asian women's sexual health issues - as a priority problem. In recent years, high rates of abortion and the growing incidence of unsafe sex among younger age Asian migrants have been publicized as a health concern. Public health research implicates migrant experiences and cultural factors as responsible for these trends. Loneliness and isolation among international students, inability to communicate effectively in English and lack of knowledge of available services are highlighted as reasons for the growing sexual ill-health in the Asian population in New Zealand. Extending from these, public health measures aim at improving culture-sensitive services, including targeted education. The present paper offers a critical commentary on these accepted public health perceptions that inform policy in New Zealand. It takes a Third World feminist approach to critique dominant public health discourses on Asian women's sexuality and questions the construction of knowledges about what are 'normal' and 'pathological' sexual practices. The paper revisits the data used to describe the 'problem' of Asian sexuality and argues that in order to understand sexual practices, it is important to query the cultural lenses that are used to describe and define them. Language: English Keywords: NEW ZEALAND | CRITIQUE | EVALUATION | ASIANS | WOMEN | IMMIGRANTS | ETHNIC GROUPS | SEXUALITY | SEX BEHAVIOR | RISK BEHAVIOR | ABORTION RATE | CULTURE | PSYCHOSOCIAL FACTORS | PUBLIC OPINION | FEMINISM | Oceania | Developed Countries | Cultural Background | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Migrants | Migration | Population Dynamics | Personality | Psychological Factors | Behavior | Fertility Control, Postconception | Family Planning | Sociocultural Factors | Attitudes Document Number: 341121 |
| 2. Title: Prospects for feminism in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Author: Barlow R; Akbarzadeh S Source: Human Rights Quarterly. 2008;30:21-40. Abstract: There is a stark contrast between the level of Iranian women's social and political engagement and what the conservative regime prescribes. The gap between the reality of women's participation in public life and their restricted legal status has emboldened women's groups to campaign for legal reforms. But the Iranian regime has adopted an uncompromising position in relation to such demands. This is seen as an existential matter for the state. As a result, the Islamic regime has adopted a highly intolerant and repressive approach to women's groups. This is most evident in relation to secular-oriented feminists, such as the Nobel Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi, driving a wedge between the latter and the more religiously-oriented feminists. (author's) Language: English Keywords: IRAN | CRITIQUE | EVALUATION | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | WOMEN'S GROUPS | GOVERNMENT | ISLAM | FEMINISM | POLITICAL FACTORS | WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT | LEGISLATION | WOMEN'S STATUS | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | Developing Countries | Middle East | Economic Development | Economic Factors | Interest Groups | Sociocultural Factors | Religion | Socioeconomic Factors | Human Rights Document Number: 324454 |
| 3. Title: From convenience to hazard: a short history of the emergence of the menstrual activism movement, 1971-1992. Author: Bobel C Source: Health Care for Women International. 2008 Aug;29(7):738-754. Abstract: In this article, I explore the early history of contemporary menstrual activism in the United States by looking through the lens of the first seven editions of the feminist women's health classic, Our Bodies, Ourselves (OBOS). This analysis illustrates the development of a critical menstrual consciousness as three key phases of the emerging movement, offers a representation of the dynamic nature of feminist health consciousness, and highlights the importance of linking current activism to its past. Language: English Keywords: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | RESEARCH REPORT | MENSTRUATION | FEMINISM | ADVOCACY | CHANGES | TOXIC SHOCK SYNDROME | Developed Countries | North America | Americas | Reproduction | Sociocultural Factors | Communication | Social Change | Infections | Diseases Document Number: 308019 |
| 4. Title: The violence against women campaigns in Latin America: new feminist alliances. Author: Cole S; Phillips L Source: Feminist Criminology. 2008 Apr;3(2):145-168. Abstract: This article urges caution in reading the backlash against gender-sensitive policies as a global phenomenon. Drawing inspiration from Latin America, the authors consider how international agreements for nation-states to adopt measures to prevent violence against women have been taken up in proactive ways through the collaboration of international organizations, national governments, and expanding and evolving women's movements. The push for the development of democratic citizenship in Latin America has opened up possibilities for bringing awareness of violence against women to a public that is in the process of engaging with a range of social justice issues and collaborating on multiple fronts. The authors argue that strategic coalitions across difference have been central to the success of the efforts to combat violence against women. They show how new feminist alliances have not only helped denormalize and deprivatize gender violence but revitalized feminist issues as part of a broad front to build progressive societies. (author's) Language: English Keywords: LATIN AMERICA | BRAZIL | ECUADOR | CRITIQUE | VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN | POLICY DEVELOPMENT | INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION | GOVERNMENT PROGRAMS | WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT | WOMEN'S GROUPS | GENDER ISSUES | FEMINISM | SOCIAL CHANGE | SOCIAL MOBILIZATION | Americas | Developing Countries | South America, Eastern | South America | South America, Western | Domestic Violence | Crime | Social Problems | Sociocultural Factors | Planning | Organization and Administration | Political Factors | Programs | Women's Status | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Interest Groups Document Number: 307972 |
| 5. Title: Disciplinary discourses: Rates of cesarean section explained by medicine, midwifery, and feminism. Author: Lee AS; Kirkman M Source: Health Care for Women International. 2008 May;29(5):448-467. Abstract: In the context of international concern about increasing rates of cesarean sections, we used discourse analysis to examine explanations arising from feminism and the disciplines of medicine and midwifery, and found that each was positioned differently in relation to the rising rates. Medical discourses asserted that doctors are authorities on birth and that, although cesareans are sometimes medically necessary, women recklessly choose unnecessary cesareans against medical advice. Midwifery discourses portrayed medicine as paternalistic toward both women and midwifery, and feminist discourses situated birth and women's bodies in the context of a patriarchally structured society. The findings illustrate the complex ways in which this intervention in birth is discursively constructed, and demonstrate its significance as a site of disciplinary conflict. (author's) Language: English Keywords: AUSTRALIA | GLOBAL | RESEARCH REPORT | DATA ANALYSIS | PREGNANT WOMEN | CESAREAN SECTION | CHILDBIRTH | FEMINISM | MIDWIVES AND MIDWIFERY | MEDICAL SUPERVISION | DECISION MAKING | WOMEN'S HEALTH | Developed Countries | Oceania | Research Methodology | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Obstetrical Surgery | Surgery | Treatment | Medical Procedures | Medicine | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Health | Pregnancy Outcomes | Pregnancy | Reproduction | Sociocultural Factors | Health Personnel | Supervision | Management | Organization and Administration | Behavior Document Number: 326444 |
6.  Title: Going home: A feminist anthropologist's reflections on dilemmas of power and positionality in the field. Author: Alcalde MC Source: Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism. 2007;7(2):143-162. Abstract: In this essay, I draw on my fieldwork in Lima, Peru to critically explore the power relationships within my own feminist research and practice and illustrate what feminist research in one's own society might include. I pay special attention to my roles as academic and advocate and reflect on how power asymmetries based on race, educational status, and class were both reproduced and reshaped during my fieldwork, and how my feminist research agenda and partial insider status were directly tied to the creation and continuation of these power asymmetries. As I illuminate potential dilemmas, rewards, and difficulties that may result from feminist research in one's own society, I foreground the potential for effecting social change from within, the researcher's social responsibility and engagement in the field, and the blurring of boundaries between insider and outsider. (author's) Language: English Keywords: PERU | PHILOSOPHICAL OVERVIEW | VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN | DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | ADVOCACY | RESEARCH METHODOLOGY | ANTHROPOLOGY, CULTURAL | POWER | FEMINISM | South America, Western | South America | Latin America | Americas | Developing Countries | Crime | Social Problems | Sociocultural Factors | Communication | Anthropology | Social Sciences | Science | Political Factors Document Number: 321187 |
| 7. Peer Reviewed Title: Disarmament, peace and solidarity in the changing world order: A woman's vision. Reprinted from development 1991 no 1:79. Author: Antrobus P Source: Development. 2007 Jul;50(S1):96-97. Abstract: Someone observed that men appear to have power and no responsibility while women have responsibility and no power. This exaggerated generalization of masculinity and femininity serves nevertheless to draw attention to the separation of private and public domains: the former governed by women who are given the primary responsibility for taking care of people, leaving men free to operate in the public domain, without any concern for people's well-being (e.g. IMF/World Bank-defined polices of structural adjustment which cut social services while leaving unchallenged mounting defense budgets - according to figures quoted in UNDP's 1990 Human Development Report military expenditure is 104 percent of expenditure on health and education in all developing countries.) This sexual division of labour, with its rigid sex role stereotyping and separation of the private from the public, the personal from the political, the household from the economy is the basis for gender relations at all levels of human society ^ from the domestic to the international where it is reflected in armed conflict, as at the domestic level it is reflected in domestic violence. (excerpt) Language: English Keywords: GLOBAL | CRITIQUE | POWER | GENDER RELATIONS | WAR | VIOLENCE | RESOURCE ALLOCATION | SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT | FEMINISM | PEACEMAKING | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Gender Issues | Behavior | Financial Activities | Economic Factors Document Number: 319949 |
| 8. Title: Family law reform and the feminist debate: Actually-existing Islamic feminism in the Maghreb and Malaysia. Author: Archer B Source: Journal of International Women's Studies. 2007 May;8(4):49-59. Abstract: For an increasing number of Muslim women and women s rights activists, the stark disparity between the principles of justice and equality guaranteed by international and domestic legal norms on the one hand, and the oppressive environment of their homes that is legitimated by repressive family laws on the other, has acted as the catalyst for a unified call for reform. In the Maghreb, an influential Islamic feminist movement has successfully lobbied for family law reform, and this movement s positivist framework has recently been adopted as the model for Malaysia s increasingly vociferous demands for gender equality. Although secular feminists in the West frequently criticize the aims of this Islamic feminism as an oxymoronic anti-feminism, the Maghreby movement serves as proof that only an Islamic feminist reform model can serve as a pragmatic challenge to discriminatory laws. (author's) Language: English Keywords: NORTH AMERICA | MALAYSIA | CRITIQUE | WOMEN | ISLAM | FEMINISM | FAMILY AND HOUSEHOLD | LAWS AND STATUTES | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | SOCIAL DISCRIMINATION | INEQUALITIES | Developed Countries | Americas | Developing Countries | Asia, Southeastern | Asia | Demographic Factors | Population | Religion | Sociocultural Factors | Human Rights | Political Factors | Social Problems | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors Document Number: 319964 |
| 9. Title: A women's non-movement: What it means to be a woman activist in an Islamic state. Author: Bayat A Source: Comparative Studies of South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. 2007;27(1):160-172. Abstract: Feminists have long argued that probably all modern states possess, albeit in different degrees, patriarchal tendencies. But patriarchy figures especially prominently in those authoritarian regimes and movements that exhibit conservative religious (Islamic, Christian, Jewish, or Hindu) dispositions. Indeed, patriarchy is entrenched in religious authoritarian polity. It is known that in many authoritarian Muslim states, such as Egypt, the Sudan, Saudi Arabia, or the Islamic Republic of Iran, where conservative Islamic laws are in place, women have turned into second-class citizens in many domains of public life. Consequently, a central question for women's rights activists is how to achieve gender equality under such circumstances. A common strategy proposed consists of organizing strong women's movements to fight for equal rights. Movements are usually perceived in terms of collective activities of a large number of women organized under strong leaderships, with effective networks of solidarities,procedures of membership, mechanisms of framing, and communication and publicity-the types of movements that are associated with images of marches, banners, organizations, lobbying, and the like. (excerpt) Language: English Keywords: ASIA, SOUTHERN | AFRICA | MIDDLE EAST | RESEARCH REPORT | COMPARATIVE STUDIES | WOMEN | WOMEN'S STATUS | FEMINISM | SEX DISCRIMINATION | INEQUALITIES | RELIGIOUS ASPECTS | ISLAM | Developing Countries | Asia | Studies | Research Methodology | Demographic Factors | Population | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Social Discrimination | Social Problems | Religion Document Number: 317525 |
| 10. Title: China's transition and feminist economics. Author: Berik G; Dong XY; Summerfield G Source: Feminist Economics. 2007 Jul-Oct;13(3-4):1-33. Abstract: Since 1978 China has been undergoing transition from a socialist to a capitalist economy and the opening up to international trade and investment. This process has been accelerated by WTO membership. This article presents an overview of the gendered processes and outcomes associated with China's reforms, mainly focusing on the post-1992 period when the pace of reforms accelerated. The imperative for accumulation and efficiency has resulted not only in impressive growth but also in the weakening of land rights for women, disproportionate layoffs for women workers in state enterprises, rising gender disparities in urban and rural wage employment, growing income insecurity, declining access to healthcare, and the adoption of Western/global commodified beauty standards. While jobs are expanding in new sectors and foreign-invested enterprises, these jobs are often associated with poor working conditions. This volume argues for reprioritizing equity and welfare on the policy agenda. (author's) Language: English Keywords: CHINA | RESEARCH REPORT | WOMEN | FEMINISM | ECONOMIC FACTORS | INEQUALITIES | GENDER ISSUES | LAND TENURE | EMPLOYMENT | Asia, Eastern | Asia | Developing Countries | Demographic Factors | Population | Sociocultural Factors | Socioeconomic Factors | Macroeconomic Factors Document Number: 320522 |
| 11. Title: Stories of significance: Redefining change. An assortment of community voices and articulations. A report based on an evaluation of a programme on "Community Driven Approaches to Address the Feminisation of HIV / AIDS in India" by means of the 'most significant change' technique. Author: Bhattacharya N Source: New Delhi, India, India HIV / AIDS Alliance, 2007 Mar. 33 p. Abstract: The project has achieved significant impacts on people's lives where it was implemented in conjunction with other ongoing programmes of the implementing organisation. For instance, Child Survival India (CSI) integrated the project with its longer term programmes on women empowerment and adolescent girls' vocational skills training. Similarly, Social Awareness Service Organisation placed this project in those areas where their Care and Support programme with Injecting Drug Users (IDUs) were ongoing. Most of their 'target population', therefore, were wives of current IDUs or ex-IDUs. As a result, not only were the existing groups further strengthened by awareness on sexual and reproductive health issues, legal rights, and linkages with health care providers, but there was wider community acceptance and influence, as was seen in Delhi. In Manipur, this led to the affected women getting the much needed psychological support, awareness and opportunities for earning an income. (excerpt) Language: English Keywords: INDIA | RESEARCH REPORT | METHODOLOGICAL STUDIES | QUALITATIVE RESEARCH | WOMEN | PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV/AIDS | HIV PREVENTION | TREATMENT | GENDER ISSUES | FEMINISM | COMMUNITY HEALTH SERVICES | EVALUATION METHODOLOGY | PROGRAM EVALUATION | Developing Countries | Asia, Southern | Asia | Research Methodology | Demographic Factors | Population | HIV Infections | Viral Diseases | Diseases | Medical Procedures | Medicine | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Health | Sociocultural Factors | Primary Health Care | Evaluation | Programs | Organization and Administration Document Number: 325162 |
| 12. Peer Reviewed Title: Sexual and reproductive health needs of sex workers: Two feminist projects in Brazil. Author: Chacham AS; Diniz SG; Maia MB; Galati AF; Mirim LA Source: Reproductive Health Matters. 2007 May;15(29):108-118. Abstract: The sexual and reproductive health needs of sex workers have been neglected both in research and public health interventions, which have almost exclusively focused on STI/HIV prevention. Among the reasons for this are the condemnation, stigma and ambiguous legal status of sex work. This paper describes work carried out by two feminist NGOs in Brazil, Mulher e Saude (MUSA) in Belo Horizonte and Coletivo Feminista Sexualidade e Saude in Sao Paulo, to promote sexual and reproductive health for sex workers. MUSA's project "In the Battle for Health", was begun in 1992; sex workers were trained as peer educators and workshops were offered on self-care for sex workers and their clients. In Sao Paulo, the Coletivo project "Get Friendly with Her", begun in 2002, offers clinic consultations and self-care workshops on sexuality, contraception, STI/HIV prevention and self-examination. Health care needs during menstruation and unhealthy vaginal practices led to promotion of the diaphragm as a contraceptive, for prevention of reproductive tract infection and to catch menstrual blood. Meeting the sexual and reproductive health needs of sex workers depends on the promotion of their human rights, access to health care without discrimination, and attention to psychosocial health issues, alcohol and drug abuse, and violence from clients, partners, pimps and police. (author's) Language: English Keywords: BRAZIL | SUMMARY REPORT | NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS | SEX WORKERS | REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH | NEEDS | HUMAN RIGHTS | FEMINISM | HIV PREVENTION | SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE PREVENTION | PROGRAM ACTIVITIES | CONDOM USE | VAGINAL DIAPHRAGM | Developing Countries | South America, Eastern | South America | Latin America | Americas | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Sex Behavior | Behavior | Health | Economic Factors | HIV Infections | Viral Diseases | Diseases | Sexually Transmitted Diseases | Reproductive Tract Infections | Infections | Programs | Organization and Administration | Risk Reduction Behavior | Vaginal Barrier Methods | Barrier Methods | Contraceptive Methods | Contraception | Family Planning Document Number: 313518 |
| 13. Peer Reviewed Title: Women's organizations and local democracy: Promoting effective participation of women in Central America. Author: Clulow M Source: Development. 2007;50(1):86-89. Abstract: Michael Clulow presents four feminist non-governmental organizations that have played a leading role in democratizing local activities to include the participation of women. Las Dignas and Las Melidas from El Salvador, CEM-H from Honduras and Grupo Venancia from Nicaragua individually and collectively have successfully developed many tools and approaches to promote women's participation. He suggests at the heart of all their work, and the key to their successes are the building of strong participatory organizations and the empowerment and training of women. (author's) Language: English Keywords: NICARAGUA | EL SALVADOR | HONDURAS | PROGRESS REPORT | CRITIQUE | WOMEN | NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS | FEMINISM | WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT | GENDER ISSUES | GOVERNMENT | POLITICAL FACTORS | DEMOCRACY | SOCIAL CHANGE | Central America | Latin America | Americas | Developing Countries | Demographic Factors | Population | Organizations | Sociocultural Factors | Women's Status | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Political Systems Document Number: 317533 |
| 14. Title: Transnational feminisms and the World Social Forum: Encounters and transformations in anti-globalization spaces. Author: Conway J Source: Journal of International Women's Studies. 2007 Apr;8(3):49-70. Abstract: What would it mean to place feminism(s) -- as movement(s), politics and ethics -- at the centre of our understandings of the World Social Forum? The author argues that transnational feminisms have been among the significant forces constituting the WSF, although this has been uneven across different time-spaces and scales of the WSF. She further asserts that transnational feminisms, understood as movement(s), politics and ethics, are making particular and irreducible contributions to contemporary emancipatory movements in and beyond the WSF. This study historicizes and analyzes some major expressions of transnational feminism at the WSF with implications for understanding the inter-relationality of feminisms, anti-globalization movements and the WSF and for illuminating contemporary debates over the future of feminism taking place in transnational feminist networks. (author's) Language: English Keywords: GLOBAL | CRITIQUE | CONFERENCES AND CONGRESSES | WOMEN | FEMINISM | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | WOMEN'S STATUS | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | COMMERCE | POLITICAL FACTORS | GENDER ISSUES | Demographic Factors | Population | Sociocultural Factors | Human Rights | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Macroeconomic Factors Document Number: 319956 |
| 15. Title: Walking the talk. Putting women's rights at the heart of the HIV and AIDS response. Author: Corby N; O'Farrell N; Podmore M; Sepulveda Zelaya C Source: London, United Kingdom, ActionAid, [2007]. 57 p. Abstract: Using research from 13 countries, this report demonstrates that gender inequalities and the persistent and systematic violation of their rights are leaving women and girls disproportionately vulnerable to HIV and AIDS. Poverty and limited access to education and information, discriminatory laws and ingrained gender inequalities all deny women and girls their rights. Gender-based violence, health systems that serve the needs of women poorly and limited participation in decision-making processes all fuel the feminisation of the HIV and AIDS epidemic. (excerpt) Language: English Keywords: NIGERIA | SUMMARY REPORT | WOMEN | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | INEQUALITIES | HIV PREVENTION | HIV INFECTIONS | TREATMENT | CARE AND SUPPORT | ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY | POVERTY | FEMINISM | SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS | EDUCATION | CONDOM USE | MICROBICIDES | VIOLENCE | RECOMMENDATIONS | PROGRAM ACCESSIBILITY | Developing Countries | Africa, Western | Africa, Sub Saharan | Africa | Demographic Factors | Population | Human Rights | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Economic Factors | Viral Diseases | Diseases | Medical Procedures | Medicine | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Health | HIV | Risk Reduction Behavior | Behavior | Drugs | Program Evaluation | Programs | Organization and Administration Document Number: 324500 |
| 16. Peer Reviewed Title: Gender myths and feminist fables: The struggle for interpretive power in gender and development. Author: Cornwall A; Harrison E; Whitehead A Source: Development and Change. 2007 Jan;38(1):1-20. Abstract: Gender and development has grown enormously as a field over the last thirty years. In this introduction, we interrogate the ambivalence that underpins feminist engagement with development and examine what current dilemmas may suggest about the relationship between feminist knowledge and development practice. In recent years, there has been growing frustration with the simplistic slogans that have come to characterize much gender and development talk, and with the gap between professed intention and actual practice in policies and programmes. Questions are now being asked about what has become of 'gender' in development. This collection brings together critical reflections on some ideas about gender that have become especially resonant in development narratives, particularly those that entail popularization and the deployment of iconic images of women. This introduction explores more closely the issues raised by such myth-making, arguing that these myths stem from exigencies within the politics and practices of development bureaucracies, within the difficult politics of feminist engagement with development policy and practice and within feminist politics itself. (author's) Language: English Keywords: GLOBAL | LITERATURE REVIEW | FEMINISM | GENDER ISSUES | SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT | PERCEPTION | POWER | Sociocultural Factors | Economic Factors | Psychological Factors | Behavior | Political Factors Document Number: 312081 |
| 17. Title: Negotiating with men to help women: The success of Somali women activists. Author: Dini S Source: Critical Half. 2007 Winter;5(1):33-37. Abstract: In 1991, Somalia's government collapsed and the nation became engulfed in a deadly civil war that continues to cause enormous suffering, destruction, and displacement today. The subsequent anarchy has made it impossible for Somalis to form lasting state institutions that provide essential services such as healthcare, employment, and education to the population. In response, some Somali women have emerged as grassroots activists seeking to provide services to those who bear the brunt of the war, particularly vulnerable women. However, these activists have encountered numerous obstacles from male leaders who are suspicious of their women-specific activities. This paper will briefly examine the status of women within Somalia and the rise in Somali women's activism. Then, drawing upon interviews conducted by the author in Puntland and Somaliland in 2005 and 2006, it will discuss how women activists have come to understand the importance of working with male leaders to deliver services to women in need, and the methods that they have used to overcome men's suspicions and increase their support for anti-female genital mutilation (FGM) and literacy initiatives designed to assist and empower women. (excerpt) Language: English Keywords: SOMALIA | RESEARCH REPORT | EVALUATION | MEN | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | GENDER RELATIONS | MALE ROLE | WAR | WOMEN'S STATUS | FEMINISM | WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT | LEADERSHIP | INTERVIEWS | ATTITUDES | Africa, Eastern | Africa, Sub Saharan | Africa | Developing Countries | Demographic Factors | Population | Economic Development | Economic Factors | Gender Issues | Sociocultural Factors | Social Behavior | Behavior | Political Factors | Socioeconomic Factors | Organization and Administration | Data Collection | Research Methodology | Psychological Factors Document Number: 316418 |
| 18. Title: World YWCA leaders and the UN decade for women. Author: Garner K Source: Journal of International Women's Studies. 2007 Nov;9(1):212-233. Abstract: This essay analyzes the contributions of three Young Women's Christian Association leaders who chaired the nongovernmental organization forum planning committees during the UN Decade for Women (1975-1985). It assesses the effectiveness of their leadership and addresses questions of distribution and uses of power within women's international NGOs and in relationship to the global feminist community. (author's) Language: English Keywords: GLOBAL | UN | ORGANIZATIONS | WOMEN | WOMEN'S GROUPS | LEADERSHIP | NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS | FEMINISM | CHRISTIANITY | International Agencies | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Demographic Factors | Population | Interest Groups | Organization and Administration | Religion Document Number: 323855 |
| 19. Title: Interpreting gender mainstreaming by NGOs in India: A comparative ethnographic approach. Author: George GR Source: Gender, Place, and Culture. 2007 Dec;14(6):679-701. Abstract: This article examines the way gender mainstreaming is interpreted by specific non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in India whose development initiatives draw upon particular ideologies of gender equality in their attempts to apply gender analysis. Its purpose is to locate and situate gender mainstreaming in the culturally specific contexts in which it is practiced to capture the complex realities in which gender policies are implemented and women are positioned to effect change. This is an important focus given that gender mainstreaming now pervades transnational governance and yet is informed by feminist analysis. Moreover, NGOs form key sites in which these policies are expected to be implemented. Of the critiques of gender mainstreaming which have emerged in the last 10 years, I examine how potentially conflicting models of gender inequality and equality take local expression and expand on the importance of framing in making gender mainstreaming meaningful by attending to indigenous interpretations of feminism and gender equality. The analysis I offer provides an ethnographic and comparative contribution to an understanding of gender mainstreaming as a contested site whose possibilities and limitations can be revealed by an attention to its feminist origins, namely a focus on context, process and identity formation. (author's) Language: English Keywords: INDIA | RESEARCH REPORT | QUALITATIVE RESEARCH | NONGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS | GENDER ISSUES | FEMINISM | INEQUALITIES | CULTURAL BACKGROUND | ANTHROPOLOGY, CULTURAL | INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS | CASTE | Developing Countries | Asia, Southern | Asia | Research Methodology | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Population Characteristics | Demographic Factors | Population | Anthropology | Social Sciences | Science | Behavior | Social Class | Socioeconomic Status Document Number: 321899 |
| 20. Title: Ways of being: Feminist activism and theorizing at the global feminist dialogues in Porte Alegre, Brazil, 2005. Author: Gouws A Source: Journal of International Women's Studies. 2007 Apr;8(3):28-36. Abstract: This article attempts to capture some reflections by an African feminist scholar and activist on the activism and academic debate at the Global Feminist Dialogues (FD) in Porte Alegre, Brazil in January 2005. The activism and the space for dialogue is a feminist space that includes different types of feminism, but is also a space that attempts to build a movement within diverse feminist networks. This form of activism is contrasted with the depoliticization of activism caused by gender mainstreaming in Africa. The academic debate at the FD takes place in the intersections between activism and theorizing and opens a space for discussing the politics of the body, the problems of strategizing and the problems of translation of the local to the global, as well as the creation of strategies for action. (author's) Language: English Keywords: GLOBAL | AFRICA | CRITIQUE | CONFERENCES AND CONGRESSES | WOMEN | FEMINISM | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | WOMEN'S STATUS | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | COMMERCE | POLITICAL FACTORS | GENDER ISSUES | Developing Countries | Demographic Factors | Population | Sociocultural Factors | Human Rights | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Macroeconomic Factors Document Number: 319955 |
| 21. Peer Reviewed Title: Feminist democracy? Interview with Helen O'Connell. Author: Harcourt W Source: Development. 2007 Mar;50(1):14-16. Abstract: WH:When we spoke about putting the journal issue on Democracy, together we spoke about visions as well as practical issues. As both of us have been working in the feminist movement for many years, I would be very interested to know what is your vision for a feminist democracy. HO'C: My vision of a feminist democracy is a system of politics and governance that enables women, and men and children, to enjoy and exercise their full human rights. A feminist democracy would have the elimination of the oppression of women, all gender-based inequalities and other forms of social, economic and cultural inequalities as its central goal, and would have a strategy and an action plan to remove patriarchal structures. It would end violence against women and guarantee that women have control over their own bodies. It would develop and install economic and social policies which furthered economic and social justice. (excerpt) Language: English Keywords: GLOBAL | INTERVIEWS | DEMOCRACY | FEMINISM | HUMAN RIGHTS | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT | POLITICAL FACTORS | POLITICAL SYSTEMS | Data Collection | Research Methodology | Sociocultural Factors | Women's Status | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors Document Number: 319938 |
| 22. Title: The silences between: Are lesbians irrelevant? World Social Forum, Mumbai, India, 16-21 January. Author: Hawthorne S Source: Journal of International Women's Studies. 2007 Apr;8(3):125-138. Abstract: In this essay, I reflect on my experience at the Mumbai World Social Forum in 2004. I begin with a discussion of silence as methodology in research with, by and about lesbians. I examine the silence around lesbian politics as well as the silences between lesbian activists and those they encounter in discussion, political activism and research settings. I explore some of the differences and similarities between Australia and India both within the mainstream culture and in the freedoms or otherwise of lesbians. I then go on to describe the workshop I organized for the Mumbai World Social Forum on "Torture of lesbians: what can be done?" in which a number of politically silencing factors come into play. I investigate the ramifications of this session in terms of the marginalization of lesbians at the World Social Forums and the implications for future Forums. The poem that accompanies the essay is extracted from "India Sutra," a long poem that arose out of my attendance at the Mumbai World Social Forum and my subsequent travels in India with two lesbians, one of whom was born in India. (author's) Language: English Keywords: AUSTRALIA | INDIA | CRITIQUE | METHODOLOGICAL STUDIES | CONFERENCES AND CONGRESSES | WOMEN | HOMOSEXUALS | FEMINISM | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | WOMEN'S STATUS | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | COMMERCE | VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN | POLITICAL FACTORS | Developed Countries | Oceania | Developing Countries | Asia, Southern | Asia | Demographic Factors | Population | Sex Behavior | Behavior | Sociocultural Factors | Human Rights | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Macroeconomic Factors | Domestic Violence | Crime | Social Problems Document Number: 319958 |
| 23. Peer Reviewed Title: Abortion and politics in Nicaragua: The women’s movement in the debate on the Abortion Law Reform 1999 -- 2002. Author: Heumann SG Source: Culture, Health and Sexuality. 2007 May-Jun;9(3):217-231. Abstract: This paper analyses discussion on a proposed reform to the abortion law in Nicaragua between 1999 and 2002, as a struggle between different actors-politicians, religious leaders, doctors and feminists-over the meaning of abortion, motherhood and sexuality, and ultimately the value of women's lives. It shows how the interplay of gender discourses and political practices shaped the process of discussion: on one hand by making a broad alliance against abortion possible, on the other by highlighting the contradictory role of the women's movement in this discussion, between a dominant leadership and a low mobilizing capacity. The paper argues for the need of an inwards oriented process within the women's movement, that departs from the recognition of the personal issues at stake for women in order to break the silence surrounding abortion, such as prevailing feelings of fear and guilt. This entails recognition of the limits of the liberal feminist claim to 'abortion as a free choice', as a discourse of rights that is disconnected from the everyday life conditions and constraints under which women make choices and develop their notions of rights. (author's) Language: English Keywords: NICARAGUA | CRITIQUE | EVALUATION | WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT | POLICYMAKERS | PRO-CHOICE GROUPS | ABORTION LAW | POLITICAL FACTORS | WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT | SOCIAL MOBILIZATION | CATHOLICISM | FEMINISM | Central America | Latin America | Americas | Developing Countries | Economic Development | Economic Factors | Administrative Personnel | Organization and Administration | Interest Groups | Sociocultural Factors | Fertility Control, Postconception | Family Planning | Women's Status | Socioeconomic Factors | Social Change | Christianity | Religion Document Number: 317697 Notification |
| 24. Title: Reflections on Islamic identity, citizenship rights and women's struggle for gender justice: Illustration from India. Author: Hussain S Source: Journal of International Women's Studies. 2007 Nov;9(1):63-79. Abstract: Women's rights face an uncertain future throughout much of the Islamic world. The fate of women's rights throughout the Islamic world crucially hinges upon the outcome of debates on reforms of family and penal codes including new understandings of Islamic law and teaching. It requires mention that there is no monolithic trend of women's struggle for gender justice even in Islamic countries. It varies with the cultural setting, the political structure of the state and the location of the community. In the Islamic world, the question of gender justice often becomes a struggle to be fought at two levels: against the forces of conservatism in society and against its anti-democratic effects on the political structure of the country. There is growing tension between gender justice and rising conservatism. Fundamentalist forces try to impose greater control over women, even though this approach may or may not have to do anything with religion. In such a context, Muslim women face several new dilemmas. Dothey stand with their community under attack and hold in abeyance their struggle against the fundamentalist leaders or do they foreground their critique of Islamic conservatism at a time when imperialism uses women's unequal status under Islamic law to garner ideological support for their imperial project? A similar dilemma is faced by Muslim women in India as members of a minority community faced with majoritarian communalism. A significant challenge before Muslim women is to find ways to overcome the dilemma and question the foundations of Islamic law where it is incompatible with democratic rights without compromising their sense of solidarity with their community. What must be done to overcome the practical hurdles that stand in the way of reconciling Islam with universal principles of women's rights? How can Muslim feminists win the interpretive struggle against the conservatives? (author's) Language: English Keywords: INDIA | CRITIQUE | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | RELIGIOUS ASPECTS | ISLAM | CONSERVATISM | DEMOCRACY | FEMINISM | LEGISLATION | COURT DECISION | ADVOCACY | Developing Countries | Asia, Southern | Asia | Human Rights | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Religion | Political Systems | Litigation | Communication Document Number: 323704 |
| 25. Title: Domestic violence politics in post-Soviet states. Author: Johnson JE Source: Social Politics: International Studies in Gender, State and Society. 2007 Fall;14(3):380-405. Abstract: This article, drawing upon three approaches from comparative political science, compares domestic violence politics in Russia with Ukraine, Moldova, and Armenia. It suggests that foreign assistance, not without unintended consequences, holds the best promise for initiating reform. It also shows that there is nothing particular about Russian culture that limits reform, especially, as activists can manipulate gender neo-traditionalism. Finally, the study suggests that institutionalized political channels for considering women's issues can facilitate feminist policy-making when pushed by an autonomous women's movement. In conclusion, the article suggests that studying gender politics in non-Western contexts requires integrating comparative with international theories. (author's) Language: English Keywords: RUSSIA | UKRAINE | MOLDOVA | ARMENIA | LITERATURE REVIEW | COMPARATIVE STUDIES | WOMEN | DOMESTIC VIOLENCE | POLICY DEVELOPMENT | FOREIGN AID | WOMEN'S STATUS | FEMINISM | POLITICAL FACTORS | GENDER ISSUES | Asia, Northern | Asia | Developing Countries | Europe, Eastern | Europe | Asia, Southwestern | Studies | Research Methodology | Demographic Factors | Population | Crime | Social Problems | Sociocultural Factors | Planning | Organization and Administration | Financial Activities | Economic Factors | Socioeconomic Factors Document Number: 320887 |
| 26. Title: Challenging the margin: Gender equality and the UN reform process. Author: Kettel B Source: Third World Quarterly. 2007 Jul;28(5):871-886. Abstract: In 2006 the Secretary General's High-Level Panel on UN Systemwide Coherence called for a dynamic new gender entity led by an Under-Secretary General. The follow-up to this recommendation is still ongoing, leaving the UN gender machinery in its current fragmented and weakened state. This enduring dilemma has its origins in bureaucratic incoherence, lack of senior management support for UN gender equality efforts, the failure of member states to support the Beijing Platform for Action, the impact of conservative regimes, and recent US dominance over the UN reform process. Is a new women's agency, with increased authority, new staffing and significantly increased resources possible, or should transnational feminists seek to establish an autonomous women's agency outside the UN system to provide better leadership for gender equality efforts world-wide? (author's) Language: English Keywords: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA | CRITIQUE | EVALUATION | POLICYMAKERS | WOMEN | INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES | UN | GENDER ISSUES | INEQUALITIES | PANEL DISCUSSION | WOMEN'S STATUS | WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT | CONSERVATISM | SOCIAL POLICY | FEMINISM | Developed Countries | North America | Americas | Administrative Personnel | Organization and Administration | Demographic Factors | Population | Organizations | Political Factors | Sociocultural Factors | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Group Meeting | Communication | Policy Document Number: 313569 |
| 27. Title: Parallel or integrated "other worlds": Possibilities for alliance-building for sexual and reproductive rights. Author: Klugman B Source: Journal of International Women's Studies. 2007 Apr;8(3):88-112. Abstract: The author proposes that the paradigms within which struggles for reproductive and sexual rights are waged fail to engage with those dimensions of sexuality and reproduction that are inscribed into the broader organization of social and economic life nationally and globally. In the case of reproductive rights she argues that the possibility of delivering quality reproductive health services is determined not only by ideological struggles regarding people's right to control their sexual and reproductive selves but also by the extent of the state's commitment to delivery of services as well as global factors influencing state capacity, such as debt, or the impact of international trade agreements and corporate policies on costs of health commodities. Yet reproductive rights activism does not seek alliances with others concerned with questions of state capacity and accountability for provision of services to the public. This is evident in the presentation of parallel events at the WSF, rather than the inclusion of health services including sexual and reproductive health services as part of the discussion on the dominant themes of the WSF regarding both citizenship and globalization. In relation to sexual rights, the author argues that the dominance of identity politics as the paradigm of mobilization leads to failure to recognize that many of the impacts of discrimination on the basis of sexual or gender diversity are also experienced, albeit in different ways, by other marginalized groups, whether immigrants, poor people or different ethnic groups. The use of an essentialist identity paradigm prevents the development of alliances around the more fundamental problem of lack of access to the benefits of full citizenship for all of those who do not fit the hegemonic norm. She proposes that an effort to rethink these challenges would contribute towards the development of alliances at the World Social Forum and beyond to challenge those factors that ultimately undermine both sexual and reproductive rights. (author's) Language: English Keywords: GLOBAL | CRITIQUE | CONFERENCES AND CONGRESSES | WOMEN | FEMINISM | REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | WOMEN'S STATUS | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | COMMERCE | POLITICAL FACTORS | GENDER ISSUES | Demographic Factors | Population | Sociocultural Factors | Human Rights | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Macroeconomic Factors Document Number: 319957 |
| 28. Title: A liberatory space? Rumors of rapes at the 5th World Social Forum, Porto Alegre, 2005. Author: Koopman S Source: Journal of International Women's Studies. 2007 Apr;8(3):149-163. Abstract: Rumors were that 90 women were raped in the youth camp at the Fifth World Social Forum in Porto Alegre, in January of 2005. Later reports were that there had been two. Yet the rumors speak to how the space of the forum is socially produced and what sort of space it is. How does space then shape the forum and what we can do from there? Lefebvre argues that revolutionary festivals are an important challenge to the abstract space of capitalism. Revolutionary festivals can liberate us, but our bodies must be free if we are to create a revolutionary space, another world. We need freer revolutionary spaces from which to nurture our struggles for freedom. Another forum is possible. Honoring our bodies, and making room for pleasure, is a way to create a freer forum. It is also an effective strategy for building that other world that we know is possible. (author's) Language: English Keywords: GLOBAL | BRAZIL | CRITIQUE | CONFERENCES AND CONGRESSES | WOMEN | FEMINISM | SEXUALITY | RAPE | VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | WOMEN'S STATUS | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | COMMERCE | POLITICAL FACTORS | GENDER ISSUES | South America, Eastern | South America | Latin America | Americas | Developing Countries | Demographic Factors | Population | Sociocultural Factors | Personality | Psychological Factors | Behavior | Crime | Social Problems | Domestic Violence | Human Rights | Socioeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Macroeconomic Factors Document Number: 319960 |
| 29. Title: The abortion debate in Mexico: Realities and stalled policy reform. Author: Kulczycki A Source: Bulletin of Latin American Research. 2007 Jan;26(1):50-68. Abstract: Over 500,000 clandestine abortions occur annually in Mexico, many under unfavourable health conditions. An uneasy silence about this situation has long prevailed. Since the 1970s, abortion has appeared periodically in public discourse and on the decision-making agenda, only for action to be repeatedly postponed. Mobilisation around the abortion issue grew slowly, but debate and controversy became nationwide as the country began to experience systemic change in 2000. Despite increasing political pluralism and growing awareness of the existing problems, for now in Mexico, as elsewhere in Latin America, the question of abortion is not judged sufficiently pressing to merit major policy change. However, improved contraceptive use and the institution of new technologies and post-abortion care are helping to make abortions safer and rarer. (author's) Language: English Keywords: MEXICO | PHILOSOPHICAL OVERVIEW | WOMEN | HEALTH POLICY | ABORTION LAW | ABORTION | REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH | HUMAN RIGHTS | FEMINISM | CATHOLICISM | RELIGIOUS ASPECTS | POLITICAL FACTORS | North America | Americas | Developing Countries | Demographic Factors | Population | Policy | Sociocultural Factors | Fertility Control, Postconception | Family Planning | Health | Christianity | Religion Document Number: 314444 Notification |
| 30. Title: Sex, gender and health: Developments in research. Author: Lagro-Janssen T Source: European Journal of Women’s Studies. 2007;14(1):9-20. Abstract: The feminist movement was from its start in the 19th century involved in the struggle for better health care for women. The first feminists aimed at better information on birth control and sexuality. The second feminist wave focused on the unequal division of power roles between men and women. A lot of the problems women experienced could be seen as a consequence of their subordinate role in society. At the end of the 1980s and in the 1990s, the discipline women and health or women and medicine was developed. In this introduction to the theme, the developments in this discipline are described. The starting points of the new discipline followed the principles of 'women's health care'. These principles can be summarized as the emphasis on control and autonomy by the patient, demedicalization, the importance of the psychosocial context of complaints, empowerment of women and good information and communication. The central issue of the article is: what is the actual scientific state of the art and what important changes have been made on the subject gender and health? The article ends with ideas for future research. (author's) Language: English Keywords: EUROPE | RESEARCH REPORT | WOMEN | FEMINISM | WOMEN'S RIGHTS | WOMEN'S HEALTH | POWER | FEMALE ROLE | MALE ROLE | EMPLOYMENT | WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT | INFORMATION | COMMUNICATION | SOCIAL CHANGE | BIOLOGY | REPRODUCTION | MEDICINE | GENDER ISSUES | RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT | Developed Countries | Demographic Factors | Population | Sociocultural Factors | Human Rights | Political Factors | Health | Social Behavior | Behavior | Macroeconomic Factors | Economic Factors | Women's Status | Socioeconomic Factors | Health Services | Delivery of Health Care | Technology Document Number: 322414 |
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