Excellence and gender

2015 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farinaz Fassa
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
Academic Careers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Feminist Movements

Purpose – Discussing the Swiss case, the purpose of this paper is to examine how gender equality policies deal with the present requirements for scholars to be considered “excellent”. It aims to pinpoint the lines of tension or coherence between excellence, meritocracy and gender politics. Design/methodology/approach – In order to specify the norms of academic careers and their different renditions, the author draws on two studies (at local and national levels) to illustrate where the changes and resistances are taking place. Findings – The translations of a number of demands of feminist movements into the policies set up to favour equality between the sexes may combine to challenge the norms of academia as a gendered realm. Nevertheless, without strong pressure from feminists at local level and the conduct of research pursuing the enterprise of deconstructing norms, top-down policies may prove less “corrective” than affirmative action. This pressure is not only useful to build gender equality in science but also to broaden the spectrum of knowledge that can become a common good. Research limitations/implications – As neither the names nor the positions of the experts who select the candidates at national level are made public, we had to opt for other, less satisfactory means. Originality/value – The originality of the paper lies in the link made between the enhancements brought by Equalities policies and the changes they bring. It attempts to bring to light the extent to which gender equality policies conform to the neo-managerial order or challenge its norms to build a world that is more just.

Accounting and gender equality in (times of) crisis: toward an accounting that accommodates for emotional work?

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ludivine Perray-Redslob ◽  
Dima Younes
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Emotional Work ◽  
Emotional Display ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Traditional Roles

PurposeEmpirically, this paper questions whether accounting can help cope with crisis and preserve some form of feminist ideals. Theoretically, this paper aims to explore how accounting affects the division of emotional work in times of crisis.Design/methodology/approachThe paper relies on a qualitative study that investigates “life under lockdown” during the COVID crisis and focuses on middle-class well-educated couples aspiring for some form of gender equality and who introduced accounting tools (schedules, charts, to-do-lists, etc.) in their daily life to achieve it.FindingsThe paper argues that accounting tools are not able to prevent couples from adopting traditional ways of carrying out emotional work. By favoring the masculine way of displaying emotions, they make invisible women's efforts for comforting. They even mask the unequal distribution of emotional work under some form of “neoliberal equality”. Also, in a context where middle-class standards are perceived as crucial to meet for both parents to keep their social position, accounting tools, by holding parents accountable for these standards, let no time to find alternative ways of living. Consequently, traditional roles become impossible to reverse.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper investigates accounting, gender and emotions by showing the importance of making emotional work visible at a household but also at an organizational and societal level. It calls for an “integrative” emotional display that is crucial for resilience in times of crisis and invites to challenge neoliberal middle-class standards that make household life difficult for most women. Theoretically, it invites for further exploring how accounting tools are constructed and negotiated and how unpredictable elements of life other than emotions affect gender when accounting tools are introduced in times of crisis.Originality/valueThis article contributes to the literature on gender-in-accounting by introducing the concept of emotional work and showing how accounting tools affect the gendered division of emotional work in praxis.

scholarly journals Independent advocacy in adult support and protection work

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Sherwood-Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Late Stage ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Local Authority ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Facilitators And Barriers ◽  
Perceived Impact ◽  
Adult Support

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider independent advocates’ perspectives on their roles in Scottish adult support and protection (ASP) work, and the facilitators and barriers impacting on these roles in practice. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 managers and staff from six independent advocacy agencies operating across nine local authority areas. Findings – Participants described key roles in supporting individuals to understand their rights and to negotiate ASP processes. They conceptualised their independence to be the key distinguishing feature of their role. Participants noted lower than expected rates of referral of ASP concerns to advocacy and variable experiences of communication with the statutory services. Particular emphasis was placed on the late stage at which many referrals are received. Awareness, understanding and acceptance of advocacy amongst the statutory services was felt to vary at both practice and strategic levels. Research limitations/implications – The sample is not a representative one. However, some commonalities are worthy of note: particularly the participants’ commitment to ASP work and the perceived impact of statutory agencies on their involvement in it. The issue of late referrals merits some consideration at a national level. Issues of awareness and understanding amongst the statutory services, and their links with referral rates, are for further local-level exploration. The independent advocacy community might wish to discuss further the impacts on them of incorporation into statutory frameworks. Originality/value – Advocacy perspectives have been little drawn on in pre-existing ASP research.

A cross-national investigation into the effects of religion on gender equality

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamid Yeganeh
Keyword(s):  
Gender Equality ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Religious Diversity ◽  
National Level ◽  
World Value Survey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
And Gender

PurposeThis study aims to analyze the effects of religion on gender equality at the national level.Design/methodology/approachThe study distinguishes between the concepts of religiosity and religious affiliation and introduces a measure of religious diversity. The study defines religiosity and gender equality as multidimensional concepts and relies on a wide range of secondary data from credible sources such as the World Value Survey, the United Nations, Gender Gap Report and the World Economic Forum to analyze the effect of religious factors on gender equality in more than 70 countries.FindingsThe analyses show that after controlling for the effects of socio-economic development, religiosity tends to impede gender equality. It is found that Muslim and Hinduism affiliations are negatively and Protestant affiliation is positively associated with gender equality. Furthermore, Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox affiliations and religious diversity do not significantly affect gender equality.Originality/valueAt the theoretical level, this study distinguishes between religious affiliations and religiosity and relies on the modernization theory to offer valuable insights into the relationship between religion and gender equality. This study's findings could serve managers and policymakers in dealing with gender disparities in different spheres of social life at the practical level.

Theory into practice in Australian progressive education

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-127
Author(s):  
John P. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Progressive Education ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Historical Trends ◽  
Content Type ◽  
School Practice ◽  
Historical Literature

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to scrutinize the avowedly progressive curriculum delivered in the 1930s at the Enmore Activity School. Through this examination it delineates a gap in Australia between the theoretical formulations of progressive education and school practice. The study of this curriculum is used to locate historical trends and influences that aided or hindered the application of progressive education in Australia during the 1930s. Design/methodology/approach – Through a review of the archival and historical literature on the curriculum at the Enmore Activity School the paper defines the ways progressive education was understood in Australia at that time. Findings – The analysis reveals that Enmore delivered a type of progressive education Tyack dubs “administrative progressivism” in a programme that remained essentially orthodox. Yet although an authentically progressive curriculum proved elusive at Enmore the school did, by example, influence several later curriculums. Originality/value – This close up study provides insights into how central tenets of progressive education were understood, accepted, or rejected at the local level in Australia in the 1930s. It offers fresh perspectives on contemporary educational debates about progressive education.

scholarly journals The importance of specificity in occupation‐based social classifications

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (5/6) ◽  
pp. 179-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul S. Lambert ◽  
Koon Leai Larry Tan ◽  
Kenneth Prandy ◽  
Vernon Gayle ◽  
Manfred Max Bergman
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Service Grid ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Technological Developments ◽  
Specific Occupation ◽  
Data Environment ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThis paper aims to present reasons why social classifications which use occupations should seek to adopt “specific” approaches which are tailored to the country, time period and gender of the subjects under study.Design/methodology/approachThe relative motivations for adopting a specific approach to social classifications are discussed and theoretical perspectives on specificity and empirical evidence on the contribution of specific approaches are reviewed. Also the practical costs of implementing specific social classifications are evaluated, and the authors' development of the “GEODE” data service (grid‐enabled occupational data environment), which seeks to assist this process, is discussed.FindingsSpecific approaches make a non‐trivial difference to the conclusions drawn from analyses of occupation‐based social classifications. It is argued that the GEODE service has reduced the practical challenges of implementing specific measures.Research limitations/implicationsThere remain conceptual and pragmatic challenges in working with specific occupation‐based social classifications. Non‐specific (“universal”) measures are adequate for many purposes.Practical implicationsThe paper argues that there are few excuses for ignoring specific occupation‐based social classifications.Originality/valueThe paper demonstrates that recent technological developments have shifted the balance in the long‐standing debate between universal and specific approaches to occupation‐based social classifications.

Using transfer learning for diabetic retinopathy stage classification

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Enas M.F. El Houby
Keyword(s):  
Diabetic Retinopathy ◽  
Transfer Learning ◽  
Grade Level ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Stage Classification ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Retinal Fundus ◽  
Automated Methods

PurposeDiabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the dangerous complications of diabetes. Its grade level must be tracked to manage its progress and to start the appropriate decision for treatment in time. Effective automated methods for the detection of DR and the classification of its severity stage are necessary to reduce the burden on ophthalmologists and diagnostic contradictions among manual readers.Design/methodology/approachIn this research, convolutional neural network (CNN) was used based on colored retinal fundus images for the detection of DR and classification of its stages. CNN can recognize sophisticated features on the retina and provides an automatic diagnosis. The pre-trained VGG-16 CNN model was applied using a transfer learning (TL) approach to utilize the already learned parameters in the detection.FindingsBy conducting different experiments set up with different severity groupings, the achieved results are promising. The best-achieved accuracies for 2-class, 3-class, 4-class and 5-class classifications are 86.5, 80.5, 63.5 and 73.7, respectively.Originality/valueIn this research, VGG-16 was used to detect and classify DR stages using the TL approach. Different combinations of classes were used in the classification of DR severity stages to illustrate the ability of the model to differentiate between the classes and verify the effect of these changes on the performance of the model.

Measuring tourism success: alternative considerations

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Butler
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
National Level ◽  
Major Change ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Economic Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Indicators Of Success ◽  
Local Levels ◽  
Economic Criteria

PurposeThe study aims to explore the possibility of redefining success in tourism and measuring such a phenomenon by considering alternatives to economic factors, and to identify the ways such measurement could be implemented.Design/methodology/approachThe study reviews and explains current approaches to defining and measuring success in tourism in the literature, followed by identification of alternative factors which could be measured and the implications of such a change in approach.FindingsThere has been a long-standing emphasis and priority placed on measuring tourism at the national level with a focus on economic criteria, and this has been followed at regional and local levels. The result has been that success has become equated with volume, supporting the aim of continued growth in tourism. Such an approach and attitude mitigate against achieving or moving towards sustainability, and other measures are needed to avoid problems such as overtourism.Originality/valueThere has been little discussion of moving to a wider range of indicators of success in tourism, and the previous focus has been on economic criteria and competitiveness as shown by tourist numbers. This paper presents a discussion of an alternative approach, showing that tourism stakeholders from national to local levels need to redefine success as including factors such as community and environmental well-being and focus on a wider concept of success. Using existing data and organisations would enable measuring such concepts to be done without major change or greatly increased costs to agencies.

Advancing the Agenda of the Confederation of Trade Unions on the Prevention of Sexual Violence in the World of Work in Indonesia

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Atnike Nova Sigiro
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Gender Equality ◽  
Trade Union ◽  
Trade Unions ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Gender Based Violence ◽  
The World ◽  
Gender Based ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Set Up

<p>This article was formulated based on interviews with 5 (five) trade union confederations from a number of confederations in Indonesia, namely: Konfederasi Serikat Pekerja Nasional (KSPN), Konfederasi Sarikat Buruh Muslimin Indonesia (KSarbumusi), Konfederasi Serikat Buruh Seluruh Indonesia (KSBSI), Konfederasi Serikat Pekerja Indonesia (KSPI), and Konfederasi Kongres Aliansi Serikat Buruh Indonesia (KKASBI). This article seeks to explore the efforts made by the trade union confederation in promoting gender equality - specifically in advancing the agenda for the prevention and elimination of sexual violence in the world of work. This article was compiled based on research with a qualitative approach, with data collection methods through interviews and literature studies. The results of this study found that the confederations interviewed had already set up internal structures that have specific functions on issues related to gender equality, gender-based violence, and women’s empowerment; although still limited and on ad-hoc basis. This research also finds that the role of the trade union confederation is particularly prominent in advocating policies related to sexual violence and gender-based violence in the world of work, such as advocating the Bill on the Elimination of Sexual Violence, and the ratification of the ILO Convention No. 190 on Violence and Harassment.</p>

Seeking transparency makes one blind: how to rethink disclosure, account for nature and make corporations sustainable

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Quattrone
Keyword(s):  
Social Inequality ◽  
Common Good ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Institutional Arrangements ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Corporate Behavior ◽  
Income Statement ◽  
The Common ◽  
Human Actors

PurposeFinancial and nonfinancial disclosures are still anchored to conventional notions of transparency, whereby corporations “push” information out to various stakeholders. Such information is now “pulled” from various sources and addresses aspects of corporate behavior that go well beyond those envisioned by the disclosure framework. This shift makes notions of values, measurement and accountability more fragmented, complex and difficult. The paper aims to bring the accounting scholarly debate back to what and how transparency can be achieved especially in relation to issues of social inequality and sustainability.Design/methodology/approachAfter an analysis of the limitations of current approaches to disclosure, the paper proposes a shift toward normative policies that profit of years of critique of positivism.FindingsDrawing on the notion of value-added, the paper ends with a new income statement design, labeled as Value-Added Statement for Nature, which recognizes Nature as a further stakeholder and forces human stakeholders to give voice, or at least acknowledge the lack of voice, for non-human actors.Originality/valueThe author proposes a shift in the perspective, practice and institutional arrangements in which disclosure occurs. Measurement and transparency need to happen in communication exercises, which do not presuppose what needs to be made transparent once and for good but define procedures on how to make fragmented, complex, multiple and volatile notions of value transparent. Income statements and accounting more in general is to be reconceived as a platform where stakeholders will have to continuously negotiate what counts as the common good in the interest of all, including Nature.

“Toxic Masculinity” in the age of #MeToo: ritual, morality and gender archetypes across cultures

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 274-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Paul Louis Veissière
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Moral Panics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ideal Types ◽  
Biological Sex ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Gender Archetypes ◽  
Cultural Shifts

Purpose This paper aims to take the “toxic masculinity” (TM) trope as a starting point to examine recent cultural shifts in common assumptions about gender, morality and relations between the sexes. TM is a transculturally widespread archetype or moral trope about the kind of man one should not be. Design/methodology/approach The author revisits his earlier fieldwork on transnational sexualities against a broader analysis of the historical, ethnographic and evolutionary record. The author describes the broad cross-cultural recurrence of similar ideal types of men and women (good and bad) and the rituals through which they are culturally encouraged and avoided. Findings The author argues that the TM trope is normatively useful if and only if it is presented alongside a nuanced spectrum of other gender archetypes (positive and negative) and discussed in the context of human universality and evolved complementariness between the sexes. Social implications The author concludes by discussing stoic virtue models for the initiation of boys and argues that they are compatible with the normative commitments of inclusive societies that recognize gender fluidity along the biological sex spectrum. Originality/value The author makes a case for the importance of strong gender roles and the rites and rituals through which they are cultivated as an antidote to current moral panics about oppression and victimhood.

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