Search Results (18)

In pursuit of sustainable development goal 5 (SDG5), this study underscores gender equity and women’s empowerment as pivotal themes in sustainable development. It examines the drivers of women’s empowerment, including education, economics, finance, and legal rights, using data from $n=223$ individuals, primarily women (68.4%) aged 20–30 (69.6%). The research methodology integrates descriptive statistical measures, machine learning (ML) algorithms, and graphical representations to systematically explore the fundamental research inquiries that align with SDG5, which focuses on achieving gender equity. The results indicate that higher educational levels, captured through ordinal encoding and correlation analyzes, are strongly linked to increased labor market participation and entrepreneurial activity. The random forest (RF) and support vector machine (SVM) classifiers achieved overall accuracies of 89% and 93% for the categorization of experience, respectively. Although 91% of women have bank accounts, only 47% reported financial independence due to gendered barriers. Logistic regression correctly identified financially independent women with a 93% recall, but the classification of non-independent participants was less robust, with a 44% recall. Access to legal services, modeled using a neural network, was a potent predictor of empowerment (F1-score 0.83 for full access cases), yet significant obstacles persist for those uncertain about or lacking legal access. These findings underscore that, while formal institutional access is relatively widespread among educated women literate in the digital world, perceived and practical barriers in the financial and legal realms continue to hinder empowerment. The results quantify these effects and highlight opportunities for tailored, data-driven policy interventions targeting persistent gaps. Full article

Compared to studies in school settings, little attention has been paid to bullying in the child protection system (PS), even though these children, adolescents, and youth are one of the most vulnerable groups, with the highest prevalence of bullying. This study aims to analyze, according to gender and nationality, the perception of adolescents and youth in the Spanish PS of the bullying and gender-based bullying situations that take place in their protection facility, as well as their response to these situations and the relationship with the training they received in gender equality, sexual diversity and bullying. Two hundred forty-nine adolescents and youth from 58 centers/facilities of the PS in Spain, with an average age of 16.38 years, participated. Of these, 37.3% had Spanish nationality. A correlational study was conducted using a cross-sectional random sample survey. It was found that 30.9% of the participants identify bullying situations, which reached 34.9% for LGBTIQ-phobic bullying and 37.7% for sexist bullying. Girls identify situations of both bullying and sexist bullying more, and girls and both male and female Spanish adolescents and youth attribute greater severity to these problems and respond more positively in favor of the victims. Those who have received more training in gender equality, sexual diversity, and bullying support bully victims more significantly. According to our current knowledge, this study addresses for the first time the phenomenon of bullying and gender-based bullying in the context of the PS from a perspective of gender, nationality, and the formative dimension. It also highlights the need for mandatory training in gender-equality and sexual diversity for adolescents/youth and educational professionals of the PS, as well as the creation of specific anti-bullying protocols with an inclusive approach. Full article

The persistent gender gap in executive leadership remains a challenge to sustainable development. Despite evidence linking diverse leadership to enhanced organizational performance and economic growth, women still face barriers to leadership roles. This study examines cultural norms, organizational policies, and workplace practices sustaining gender inequality in executive positions in Taiwan and Guatemala. Using a quantitative research design, data were collected from a cross-sectional survey of 250 women executives in private organizations. The findings highlight cultural norms and organizational policies as key factors perpetuating the gender gap. Traditional gender roles and male-dominated networks act as barriers, while inclusive practices and leadership development programs promote equality. Organizational culture also mediates the relationship between inclusivity and leadership opportunities, emphasizing the role of empathy-driven policies. This research aligns with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), underscoring the need for gender-equal leadership to foster innovation and sustainable growth. Full article

The transition to parenthood exacerbates gender inequality in couples’ division of paid work. While this is widely documented for general populations, in particular, potential underlying mechanisms of this phenomenon remain un(der)explored for couples with different migration backgrounds. Hence, this paper examines how women’s pre-birth relative wage potential affects the gender division of paid work after the transition to parenthood in Belgium among native, Southern-European and non-European origin couples. Our results show that, among all couples, the division of paid work is more gender-equal after childbirth when women’s wage potential is higher than or similar to that of their male partner. However, there is substantial variation by couples’ migration background and relative wage potential in partners’ gender division of paid work and the extent to which it changes after parenthood. These findings suggest that both normative and institutional factors moderate the impact of partners’ relative resources on couples’ division of paid work after parenthood, particularly among non-European origin couples. Full article

In this paper, we analyse the impact of gender equality in managerial positions on wages and the gender wage gap in 22 European countries. We draw on the employer–employee microdata from the European Structure of Earnings Survey (E-SES) for the year 2018, which allows us to include firm fixed effects in our econometric specifications, thus controlling for both observed and unobserved heterogeneity at the firm level. The analysis is carried out not only at the mean but also across the wage distribution through unconditional quantile regressions. The results on the impact of gender equality in management on wages are mixed. However, we find that gender equality has a predominantly positive effect in the upper part of the wage distribution, and a negative effect in the middle and lower parts. The results on the impact on the gender wage gap show that in many cases, a more gender-equal management reduces the gender wage gap. Furthermore, gender equality in management reduces the gender wage gap mainly in the middle and lower part of the wage distribution. Full article

The links between built environments (BE) and commute durations have been extensively studied. However, relatively few studies have considered the effects of BEs at different spatial levels within a unified framework, or identified the gendered relationships between BEs and commute durations. Using survey data from 3209 household couples in 97 Chinese cities, this study investigates the effects of neighborhood- and city-level BEs on commute durations and the potential differences in these effects between the male and female members of the same household couple. A multi-group generalized multilevel structural equation model is applied to reveal the gendered relationships between neighborhood- and city-level BEs and commute durations. The findings suggest that the BE variables at two levels have significant effects on the commute duration. The mediating roles that the traffic congestion, car ownership, and commuting modes play in linking these BEs and commute durations are confirmed. Both levels of the BE variables are more influential factors for males’ commuting durations. These findings have policy implications for the design of gender-equal transportation systems. Full article

Changes in clinical presentation, radiographic progression (RP), bone mineral density (BMD), bone turnover (BT), and cartilage turnover (CT) markers were compared in two groups of patients with hip osteoarthritis (HOA) over a period of 7 years. Each group consisted of 150 patients, including a control group on standard-of-care therapy (SC) with simple analgesics and physical exercises, and a study group (SG) on standard-of-care therapy supplemented by vitamin D3 and intravenous administration of zoledronic acid (5 mg) yearly for 3 consecutive years. Patient groups were homogenized regarding the following: (1) radiographic grade (RG), including 75 patients with hip OA RG II according to the Kellgren–Lawrence grading system (K/L), and 75 with RG III on K/L; (2) radiographic model (RM), as each of the K/L grades was subdivided into three subgroups consisting of 25 patients of different RMs: atrophic (‘A’), intermediate (‘I’), and hypertrophic (‘H’); (3) gender-equal ratio of men and women in each subgroup (Female/Male = 15/10). The following parameters were assessed: (1) clinical parameters (CP), pain at walking (WP-VAS 100 mm), functional ability (WOMAC-C), and time to total hip replacement (tTHR); (2) radiographic indicators(RI)—joint space width (JSW) and speed of joint space narrowing (JSN), changes in BMD (DXA), including proximal femur (PF-BMD), lumbar spine (LS-BMD), and total body (TB-BMD); (3) laboratory parameters (LP)—vitamin D3 levels and levels of BT/CT markers. RV were assessed every 12 months, whereas CV/LV were assessed every 6 months. Results: Cross-sectional analysis (CsA) at baseline showed statistically significant differences (SSD) at p < 0.05 in CP (WP, WOMAC-C); BMD of all sites and levels of CT/BT markers between the ‘A’ and ‘H’ RM groups in all patients. Longitudinal analysis (LtA) showed SSD (p < 0.05) between CG and SG in all CP (WP, WOMAC-C, tTHR) parameters of RP (mJSW, JSN), BMD of all sites, and levels of CT/BT markers for all ‘A’ models and in 30% of ‘I’-RMs (those with elevated markers for BT/CT at baseline and during the observation period). Conclusion: The presence of SSD at baseline (‘A’ vs. ‘H’) supported the thesis that at least two different subgroups of HOA exist: one associated with ‘A’ and the other with ‘H’ models. D3 supplementation and the intravenous administration of bisphosphonate were the treatment strategies that slowed down RP and postponed tTHR by over 12 months in the ‘A’ and ‘I’ RM with elevated BT/CT markers. Full article

Debates on the gendered effects of universal basic income (UBI) tend to bifurcate into two opposing views. On the one hand, UBI is seen as a strong incentive for women to stay at home and be permanently locked into their care responsibilities. On the other hand, UBI is seen as a tool for empowerment, increasing women’s autonomy, fortifying their capacity to act, and guaranteeing their individual income and income security. This paper contributes to these debates by asking if UBI enhances women’s empowerment or not. Using the survey data compiled in the context of the Finnish basic income experiment (2017–2018), we compare survey responses from the UBI treatment group (n = 586) and the control group (n = 1047). Our results based on χ² statistics and regression analyses show that, while UBI did not affect employment, it was positively associated with individual capacities and confidence in various aspects of life. However, these empowering effects were universal and did not differ between women and men. Our results indicate that UBI is not a gender equality-related issue in established gender-equal Nordic welfare states. On the basis of our findings, we also argue that the previous academic discussion on UBI and on results from various experiments is too universalising. It does not pay sufficient attention to the national social policy contexts where experiments have been carried out. Full article

Micro- and macro-nutrient deficiencies among women are considered a global issue that the food industry has not adequately considered until recently. The industry must provide and guarantee a diversity of food products worldwide that allow women to get a correct and balanced diet according their life stage. The food industry must focus on this challenge within a framework of sustainable production, minimizing the use of natural resources and avoiding the emission of waste and pollutants throughout the life cycle of food. Food coproducts are presented as potential bioactive functional compounds which can be useful for technological purposes, due to the fact that they can serve as non-chemical, natural and health-improving food ingredients. In this review, we focus on the potential use of food processing coproducts which must be part of a strategy to promote and improve women’s health and well-being. This knowledge will make it possible to select potential ingredients from coproducts to be used in the fortification of foods intended for consumption by females and to introduce sustainability and gender perspectives into food innovation. The attainment of fortifications for foods for women has to be linked to the use of sustainable sources from food coproducts in order to be economically viable and competitive. Full article

Gender equality through the empowerment, representation, and provision of equal opportunities for all, regardless of gender, is increasingly recognised as a driver of social outcomes and a fundamental human right. This study explores the longitudinal (2006–2018) relationship between gender equality, human development, and education results as measured by PISA. Gender equality and human development are consistently correlated with PISA scores at each time point; however, when controlling for starting values and country effects only change in gender equality positively predicts change in PISA scores (F = 22.6, p < 0.001, R² = 0.58). Research and policy implications for the longitudinal interpretation of the relationship of PISA results with system-level factors as well as the relationship between gender equality and education are discussed in this paper. In consideration of the impact of COVID-19 on education and gender equality, the findings from this study support continued political effort towards gender-equal human development in a post-COVID-19 world. Full article

Integrated policy strategies represent an increasingly popular approach in urban development and gender policies. This article analyses the integration between integral urban policies and gender mainstreaming in the European Union. A specific analytical proposal is elaborated and applied to urban policies promoted by the EU in Spain between 1994 and 2013. The Comparative Urban Policy Portfolio Analysis is used to study the inclusion of gender-sensitive policy measures in local project portfolios, their transversality across policy sectors, and the relevance of two main approaches to analyse them. The results show that integral urban development programmes have incorporated gender-sensitive policy measures. Results also show a low level of transversality focused mainly on social integration, although they combine objectives focused on a women-centred approach to classical areas of gender inequality affecting women, i.e., employment, education, health, and a gender approach focused on new welfare challenges linked to care and defamilisation. These results show the relevance of analysing gender approaches included in integral urban policies to comprehend the character of their gender mainstreaming and their potential effects on more gender-equal cities. Full article

The aim of this research is to outline, for the first time, the changes in attitudes towards gender equality among 10th graders in Iceland based on data obtained from the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) in 1992, 2006, and 2014. The sampling proportions were high (85.1% in 1992, 43.2% in 2006, and 77.9% in 2014), thereby reflecting parameters (population values) rather than statistics (sample values). Boys and girls are viewing gender roles as being more equal with time, while, concurrently, girls tend to have more gender-equal attitudes than boys. The present paper provides an unparalleled examination of changes in attitudes towards gender equality. After a backlash in adolescents’ attitudes, revealed in the 2006 study, there are positive signs of more gender-equal attitudes in the 2014 results. Full article

Women take on 57% (men: 43%) of all volunteering globally (UN 2018). In this paper, we follow an epidemiological approach to explore the possible role of culture in determining this reverse gender gap in the time devoted to volunteer activities. To that end, we merge data from the American Time Use Survey for the years 2006–2019 and the Gender Gap Index (GGI) of the World Economic Forum 2021. We use a sample of early-arrival first- and second-generation immigrants who live in the United States. Our empirical approach rests on the fact that all these individuals have grown up under the same host country’s labor market, regulations, laws, and institutions but differ in their cultural heritage. Thus, in this setting, gender discrepancies in the time devoted to volunteer activities can be interpreted as the effect of culture. We find that more gender-equal norms in the country of origin are associated with women devoting less time to volunteer activities relative to men. We further analyze the channels shaping the culture from the country of ancestry and the existence of horizontal (within-communities) transmission of culture. Our results are robust to the use of different subsamples and to the inclusion of demographic and socio-economic controls. Full article

Encouraging the participation of a diverse workforce in academia increases plurality as it broadens the range of skills, ways of thinking, and experiences. Institutions and professional societies have been putting efforts on building plans that help make workplaces, conferences, education, and extension programs more relatable to a highly diverse population. Argentina has an overall gender-balanced workforce in the sciences (~53% women/total), with an even higher representation in disciplines related to plant sciences. However, media outlets and national conferences related to genetics, botany, plant physiology, ecology, and molecular biology, fail to reflect those numbers as the proportion of women invited for interviews, plenary lectures, and symposia falls below ~30%. As a way to increase the visibility of the wealth of plant science topics and experimental approaches in which Argentinian women work, and to facilitate connections among them across the country and abroad, we created the Argentinian Women in Plant Science network. This group has grown to over 200 members, representing a wide range of career stages and research topics. Since April, and taking advantage of the confinement situation, our weekly webinar series highlighting women plant scientists has reached an average audience of 60–70 participants, with a record of 100. Recently, we have begun a series of open professional development webinars to reach a wider public. Our first webinar, focused on scientific poster design, had ~250 participants, most of them undergrad and graduate students from all over the country covering a diverse range of disciplines, including the social sciences. Even though we have immersed ourselves in the plant science community with our weekly seminars, we have expanded our goals with activities aimed to reach out to a much wider audience with webinars and teacher training workshops, hopefully making plant science more attainable to all. Full article

Mangroves of tropical and subtropical shores and deltas contribute to ecosystem functioning and human wellbeing in numerous ways but continue to be lost or degraded worldwide at a rapid pace. Overexploitation driven by poverty is often the root cause of mangrove destruction and degradation. The negative feedback cycle between destruction and poverty can only be broken by justly valuing current or introducing new sustainable livelihood options to foster long-lasting local support for mangroves. The large array of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) that mangroves offer have rarely been developed beyond the subsistence level and remain undervalued as “products of the poor”. In light of the global trends towards sustainability and bio-economy, today they represent a major business opportunity for forest communities to produce high value-added end-user products. Even though mangrove NTFPs have been recognized to have high potential toward inclusive development and poverty alleviation and to be highly gender-equal, the development of mangrove NTFPs has continued to attract very little funding or research interest. Several ecological characteristics make commercialization of mangrove NTFPs particularly challenging. Production at economies of scale, including quality standards, as well as marketing and value chain management are all essential in order to develop these products beyond their subsistence role. To be most effective, a systems perspective on NTFP development is needed, whereby product-market development occurs in unison and based on a participative, inclusive and fair development approach. The species/product of choice for value-added product-market development in any specific community or area will depend on several factors. To address many of the typical constraints and maximize the chances of success, we suggest that the use of village or district-level cooperatives may be particularly useful. A better use of the untapped potential of mangroves for local livelihoods may form a most convincing advocate for local protection and restoration of mangrove forests. Therefore, funding agencies, governments and researchers alike are called to invest in mangrove NTFP development as a way to locally incentivize sustainable mangrove protection and restoration. Full article