University education and women's question: ideas and ideals in the reformed Russian society

The influence of reforms on the promotion of female higher education in Russia is examined. Attention is focused on changing the foundations of public life and socio-economic transformations, which result in the need for vocational education for women. It analyzes not only the economic motives that have become the engine of women's higher education, but also spiritual motives, the struggle for the emancipation of the woman’s personality and the human person in principle. It shows the unanimous attitude of the professorial corps on the issue of education for women and the presence of women in the classroom with young people. The situation with the university issue at the end of the XIX century, the emergence of a broad public campaign requiring women's equality in higher education is investigated. The changes in the attitude of Russian society towards higher education for women are conceptualized; female education is supported by the initiative of the society and its material means. It is concluded that the female issue acts as a barometer of public mood, women choose career and social activities instead of arranging the family hearth, and this indicates a change in traditional worldviews and values.

NARRATIVES OF NAVIGATION: Refugee-Background Women's Higher Education Journeys in Bangladesh and New Zealand

Navigating higher education (HE) is a complex exercise for many students, including those from refugee backgrounds. Internationally, only a very small percentage of refugee-background students access HE. In a 2018 study, we explored 37 women students’ narrative accounts of international study in Bangladesh and New Zealand. Our participants included 10 women from refugee backgrounds. Theoretically, our research was a response to calls from critical scholars to consider the different circumstances that shape students’ international study, and the ethical and pedagogical implications of these for ‘host’ institutions. In this article, we explore the refugee-background women’s accounts of accessing, navigating, and thinking beyond HE, and their thoughts on factors that support refugee-background students’ success in HE. We argue for the need to: reject ‘grand narratives’ in relation to refugee-background students; acknowledge students’ ‘necessary skillfulness’ while supporting their capacity to navigate HE; and recognise refugee-background students’ commitments and influence beyond HE institutions.

Men’s reproductive coercion of women. Prevalence, experiences, and coping strategies. A mixed method study in urban health facilities in León, Nicaragua

BackgroundReproductive coercion (RC) is quite a common form of violence against women. However, it mostly goes unrecognized by victims. It can take several expressions aiming at limiting a woman’s reproductive autonomy. Thus, the frequency and how reproductive coercion can be resisted must be investigated. There is limited research regarding RC in Latin America. Therefore, this study aimed to measure RC prevalence and associated factors and to explore the women experiences and coping strategies for RC.MethodsA convergent mixed-methods approach with parallel sampling was conducted in western Nicaragua. A quantitative phase was applied with 390 women 18–35 years old attending three main urban primary health care facilities. Lifetime and 12 months of exposure to RC behaviors including pregnancy promotion (PP) and contraceptive sabotage (CS) were assessed. Poisson regression with a robust variance estimator was used to obtain adjusted prevalence rate ratios and 95% Confidence Intervals (CIs). In addition, seven in-depth interviews were analyzed using content analysis.ResultsEver RC prevalence was 17.4% (95% CI, 13.8–21.6) with similar proportions reporting ever experiencing PP (12.6%, 95% CI 9.4–16.3) or ever experiencing CS (11.8%, 95% CI 8.7–15.4). The prevalence of last twelve months RC was slightly lower (12.3%, 95% CI, 9.2–16.0) than above. Twelve months PP (7.4%, 95% CI 5.0-10.5) and CS (8.7%, 95% CI 6.1–12.0) were also similar. Women considered that control is an expression of care. Women’s higher education was a protective factor against ever and 12 months of exposure to any RC behaviors by a current or former partner. Informants described a broad spectrum of coping strategies during and after exposure to RC. However, these rarely succeeded in preventing unintended pregnancies or regain women’s long-term fertility autonomy.ConclusionsIn Nicaragua, men’s RC is a pervasive continuous phenomenon that can be enacted through explicit or subtle behaviors. Women used different strategies to cope with RC but rarely succeeded in preventing unintended pregnancies or regain their long-term fertility autonomy. Thus, these findings highlight the need for a comprehensive health system response on different expressions of RC. There are important implications for improving female reproductive agency in Nicaragua and elsewhere.

Migration, Modernization, and Social Change

Chapter 8 unlocks the inter-relationship between migration and modernization by analysing attitudinal changes associated with urban living such as attitudes towards gender division of labour, women’s higher education, and participation in the labour market, to generate broader understanding on women’s empowerment. It also assesses whether, how, and to what extent gender and generational relations are redefined and impacted in relation to migration. It does so by analysing gender roles, attitudes, and aspirations regarding major institutions and practices including marriage, divorce, dowry, and inheritance that govern gender relations. It presents the actual situation of the members of these families on each of these accounts to examine whether there is consistency between what they think and what they practice. In this process, it identifies the factors that are conducive towards progressive attitudes and practices, and those which impede progress, the key determinant of qualitative changes and a migrants’ prospects for a better future.

Educated To Death? Women’s Higher Education, Reproductive Health, And The Scientific Method In The United States, 1870-1900

From 1870-1890, American gynecologists positioned themselves at the center of debates about women’s education. Gynecologists manipulated social anxiety about shifting demographics and falling birthrates among white middle class women in order to legitimate their emerging discipline. In doing so, they couched American understandings of infertility in a politics of blame and demonized women for their inability to reproduce. Although doctors’ conversations about “sterility” primarily took place within the pages of journals published by all-male medical associations, many women engaged in this debate and challenged medical authority in the pages of popular magazines and newspapers. Female doctors, teachers, scholars, women’s college administrators, and their male allies employed a wide range of rhetorical strategies in their responses to male doctors’ theories. They reframed the debate over higher education and sterility into a discussion of the failings of patriarchal gender norms and the importance of objective scientific inquiry. They did so as the medical profession’s commitment to anecdotal evidence and individual treatment faced pressure from the emerging fields of quantitative studies, epidemiology, and medical statistics. A debate that began with a few vocal doctors with passionate but largely unsubstantiated claims had grown to incorporate discussions about scientific method, women’s rights, and female autonomy.

Educated To Death? Women’s Higher Education, Reproductive Health, And The Scientific Method In The United States, 1870-1900

From 1870-1890, American gynecologists positioned themselves at the center of debates about women’s education. Gynecologists manipulated social anxiety about shifting demographics and falling birthrates among white middle class women in order to legitimate their emerging discipline. In doing so, they couched American understandings of infertility in a politics of blame and demonized women for their inability to reproduce. Although doctors’ conversations about “sterility” primarily took place within the pages of journals published by all-male medical associations, many women engaged in this debate and challenged medical authority in the pages of popular magazines and newspapers. Female doctors, teachers, scholars, women’s college administrators, and their male allies employed a wide range of rhetorical strategies in their responses to male doctors’ theories. They reframed the debate over higher education and sterility into a discussion of the failings of patriarchal gender norms and the importance of objective scientific inquiry. They did so as the medical profession’s commitment to anecdotal evidence and individual treatment faced pressure from the emerging fields of quantitative studies, epidemiology, and medical statistics. A debate that began with a few vocal doctors with passionate but largely unsubstantiated claims had grown to incorporate discussions about scientific method, women’s rights, and female autonomy.

Obstacles to Women’s Higher Education in Nepal: A Critical Review of Policies and Practices

This article critically reviews the theoretical and practical issues posing barrier to women for pursuing higher education and reaching professionally leading position in the Nepalese education sector. This article is based on the secondary resources such as cases and materials available in the public domain, and writer’s own experiences. The study concludes that Nepali women are facing numerous obstacles in all sectors, from household to public institution as well as in the education sector. However, the nature and intensity of obstacles differ among certain ethnic groups.