Gender Studies

AGAINST HER WILL...  The Open Society Foundation

Women worldwide have been forced or coerced by medical personnel to submit to permanent and irreversible sterilization procedures. Despite condemnation from the United Nations, cases of forced and coerced sterilization have been reported in North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe. Women who are poor or stigmatized are most likely to be deemed “unworthy” of reproduction. Perpetrators are seldomly held accountable and victims rarely obtain justice for this violent abuse of their rights.

Forced and coerced sterilizations are grave violations of medical ethics and can be described as acts of torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment. Forcefully ending a woman’s reproductive capacity may lead to extreme social isolation, family discord or abandonment, fear of medical professionals, and lifelong grief.

This Open Society Foundations fact sheet provides information on instances of forced sterilization of racial and ethnic minorities, poor women, women living with HIV, and women with disabilities. It also provides recommendations for governments, medical professionals, UN agencies, and donors to end the practice of forced and coerced sterilization.

• l Shifting policy to focus on the creation of quality jobs
• l Implementing gender equality measures on the labour market
• l Providing universal access to social security through the implementation of a social protection floor for all workers regardless of their employment situation
• l Taking up the challenge of organising workers in insecure forms of work.

1.1 The effects of the global economic crisis 7
1.2 A gendered perspective of the global economic crisis 7

2.1 Precarious work 11
2.2 The informal economy and informal employment 18
2.3 Vulnerable work and female working poor 19

3.1 Economic crisis cuts global wage growth by half 21
3.2 Wage inequality, low pay and gender 21
3.3 Unequal Pay for Women in Industrialised Economies: the case of part-time workers 22

Recommendations 23

Link to full-text

Nollywood and the Femme Fatale: The portrayal of women in Nigerian English-language films

Written by Aidan Prinsloo

When Nigerian film first appeared on the scene in 1992 with Keneth Nnuebe’s Living in Bondage, poor quality and obscurity threatened to overwhelm this tiny industry. Nigerian English-language film, or ‘Nollywood’ as it is commonly referred to, is now the world’s second most productive film industry (Bollywood is the most productive).(2) Thanks to the easily accessible medium, the English language, Nollywood films are being watched not only throughout Nigeria, but also across Africa. They even have a strong following in the Caribbean and among African-Americans.(3) Nollywood films cover a range of real life issues such as “premarital sex, money problems, victimisation of women, jealousy, college life, and independent women balancing their professions and family life,”(4) which are not unique to Nigeria. The subject matter is however explored from a uniquely African perspective. “For the first time and in the purest, rawest form, Africa is representing and interpreting Africa,” states Zina Saro-Wiwa.(5) This statement seems to ignore the pre-existence of African art, poetry and theatre which have played this role in the past, but certainly picks up on the fact that Nollywood makes African representations and interpretations of Africa more widely available for enjoyment and analysis. In addition, Nollywood’s representations of women are highly valuable windows for those who wish to gain more insights into African feminist discourses...[More] Consultancy Africa Intelligence

The State of Food and Agriculture 2010-11: Women in Agriculture Closing the gender gap for development is now available. The report notes that women make significant contributions to the rural economy in all developing country regions. Read more and download the report in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.

Building resilience: 2011 Humanitarian Action for Children

UNICEF's '2011 Humanitarian Action for Children' report, which appeals for $1.4 billion to aid children and women affected by increasingly severe emergencies worldwide.

 “Strengthening communities and enabling them to manage anticipated risks before crisis strikes is not only critical to reducing their suffering when emergencies arise,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Hilde F. Johnson. “It also shortens their road to recovery.”

Catastrophic floods in Pakistan, and an earthquake that killed hundreds of thousands in Haiti, were just two examples of disasters that overwhelmed already fragile nations last year. “We know that the number of natural disasters and people affected is growing year by year,” said UNICEF Director of Emergency Programmes Louis-Georges Arsenault.

Crises in 32 countries

Around the world, millions are affected by drought, famine, violent conflict and long-term displacement. ‘Humanitarian Action for Children’ highlights 32 countries and stresses the need to help vulnerable communities to help themselves.

The report also requests funding to respond to so-called forgotten crises, such as those in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Afghanistan. In addition to basic needs such as water, food and education, the children and families affected by these emergencies need protection from violence and abuse.

“It’s about making sure that communities have a better capacity to absorb risk or threat, triggered either by natural disaster or conflict,” said Mr. Arsenault. “It’s about ensuring that there is a level of preparedness.”

Emergency preparedness

Whether it means teaching children disaster safety techniques or constructing sturdier health clinics and schools, preparation not only saves lives – it builds confidence and hope in the future.

UNICEF is appealing for a 21 per cent increase in emergency funding over the 2010 level. This amount reflects the growing severity and frequency of natural disasters, as well as the need for immediate action to avert the worst impact of crises to come.

“After a year of devastating natural disaster and human tragedy, it has never been more timely to strengthen the resilience of people and communities who are placed in harm’s way again and again,” said Ms. Johnson.

THE STATE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE 2010-2011. FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS, Rome, 2011 

Download Full PDF

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword   (Download  495 Kb)
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations and acronyms

PART I - Women in agriculture: closing the gender gap for development

1. The gender gap in agriculture  (Download  215 Kb)

Structure of the report and key messages
Key messages of the report

2. Women’s work (Download  498 Kb)

Women in agriculture
Women in rural labour markets
Key messages

3. Documenting the gender gap in agriculture (Download  693 Kb)

Land
Livestock
Farm labour
Education
Information and extension
Financial services
Technology
Key messages

4. Gains from closing the gender gap (Download  130 Kb)

Productivity of male and female farmers
Production gains from closing the gender gap
Other social and economic benefits of closing the gender gap
Key messages

5. Closing the gender gap in agriculture and rural employment (Download  105 Kb)

Closing the gap in access to land
Closing the gap in rural labour markets
Closing the financial services gap
Closing the gap in social capital through women’s groups
Closing the technology gap
Key messages

6. Closing the gender gap for development (Download  47 Kb)

PART II - World food and agriculture in review (Download  1Mb)

Trends in undernourishment
Food production, consumption and trade during the crises
Recent trends in agricultural prices: a higher price plateau, and greater price volatility
Conclusions

PART III - Statistical annex (Download  374 Kb)

Notes on the Annex tables

Table A1  Total population, female share of population and rural share of population
               in 1980, 1995 and 2010

Table A2  Female share of national, rural and urban population aged 15–49, most
               recent and earliest observations

Table A3  Economically active population, female share of economically active population and
               agricultural share of economically active women in 1980, 1995 and 2010

Table A4  Economically active population, agricultural share of economically active population
               and female share of economically active in agriculture in 1980, 1995 and 2010

Table A5  Share of households in rural areas that are female-headed, most recent and earliest
               observations, and total agricultural holders and female share of agricultural holders,
               most recent observation

Table A6  Share of adult population with chronic energy deficiency (CED – body mass index
               less than 18.5) by sex and share of children underweight by sex, residence and
               household wealth quintile, most recent observations

(Download   233 Kb)

UNFPA has published a report titled Delivering as One on Gender-Based Violence.This report summarizes the proceedings and recommendations of the November 2010 global consultation on violence against women that brought together various stakeholders, including United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and representatives of the 10 pilot countries selected under the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality.         
UN Pulse Permanent Link: Delivering as One on Gender-Based Violence Meeting Report

The United Nations Development Fund for Women’s (UNIFEM) publication on women and peace is now available. 

The publication is downloadable in English full text, it has been issued as a landmark on the 10th anniversary of the UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security (2000) and highlights commitments to enable women’s contributions to all stages of peacebuilding, peacemaking, peacekeeping and conflict prevention.  From UN Pulse

The World’s Women 2010: Trends and Statistics is the fifth issue of The World’s Women and is being produced to coincide with the first-ever World’s Statistics Day, 20.10.2010. The current issue highlights the differences in the status of women and men in eight areas – population and families, health, education, work, power and decision-making, violence against women, environment and poverty. Analyses are based mainly on statistics from international and national statistical sources.

The World’s Women 2010 shows that progress towards gender equality has been made in some areas, such as school enrolment, health and economic participation. At the same time the report shows that much more needs to be done to close the gender gap in critical areas such as power and decision-making and violence against women.

The report is downloadable in English.   From UN Pulse: 

Permanent Link: UNIFEM Annual report 2009-2010

 Can Women Ever Become Modern?
Discussant: Jane Bennett, African Gender Institute, UCT
Date: Tuesday 2^nd March, 2010
Time: 2h00 - 3.30 pm
Venue:Centre for Humanities Research Seminar Room, UWC

Women's and Gender Studies and the Centre for Humanities Research, University of the Western Cape  Invite you to a seminar by Sandra Harding, University of California, Los Angeles.


Sandra Harding is a Professor of Education and Women's Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles.  She is a philosopher.  She taught for two decades at the University of Delaware before moving to UCLA in 1996. She directed the UCLA Center for the Study of Women from 1995-2000, and co-edited the journal Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society from 2000 to 2005. 

She is the author or editor of fifteen books and special journal issues including:  

• Sciences From Below: Feminisms, Postcolonialisms, and Modernities   2008.
• Science and Social Inequality: Feminist and Postcolonial Issues . 2006.
• The Feminist Standpoint Theory Reader .  Edited. 2004.
• Science and Other Cultures: Issues in Philosophies of Science and Technology , co-edited with Robert Figueroa. 2003.
• Decentering the Center: Philosophy for a Multicultural, Postcolonial and Feminist World , co-edited with Uma Narayan. 2000.
• Is Science Multicultural? Postcolonialisms, Feminisms, and Epistemologies . 1998.
• The 'Racial' Economy of Science: Toward a Democratic Future .  Edited. 1993.
• Whose Science? Whose Knowledge: Thinking From Women's Lives .  1991.
•  Feminism and Methodology: Social Science Issues . Edited. 1987.
• The Science Question in Feminism . 1986.
• Discovering Reality: Feminist Perspectives on Epistemology, Metaphysics, Methodology, and Philosophy of Science; Co-edited with Merrill Hintikka. 1983.  Second edition 2003.
  
  
  Prof Harding's visit is sponsored by the UKZN and at UWC by International Relations, Faculty of Arts, Women's and Gender Studies and the Centre for Humanities Research.