Gender differences in active travel in major cities across the world

There is lack of literature on international comparison of gender differences in the use of active travel modes. We used population-representative travel surveys for 19 major cities across 13 countries and 6 continents, representing a mix of cites from low-and-middle income (n = 8) and high-income countries (n = 11). In all the cities, females are more likely than males to walk and, in most cities, more likely to use public transport. This relationship reverses in cycling, with females often less likely users than males. In high cycling cities, both genders are equally likely to cycle. Active travel to access public transport contributes 30–50% of total active travel time. The gender differences in active travel metrics are age dependent. Among children (< 16 years), these metrics are often equal for girls and boys, while gender disparity increases with age. On average, active travel enables one in every four people in the population to achieve at least 30 min of physical activity in a day, though there is large variation across the cities. In general, females are more likely to achieve this level than males. The results highlight the importance of a gendered approach towards active transport policies. Such an approach necessitates reducing road traffic danger and male violence, as well as overcoming social norms that restrict women from cycling.

A Study of Prominent Ears Among Undergraduates in Delta State University at Abraka in Nigeria

The goal of this inquiry is to establish the pervasiveness of prominent ears among undergraduates of Delta State University, Abraka in Nigeria.The outcome can act as a guide during correctional surgical measures in congenital or acquired ear defects. This enquiry adopted an observational cross-sectional study plan. The study sample comprised of both male and female undergraduates of Delta State University, Abraka aged between 16-30 years. Exactly 384 individuals (184 males and 200 females) were sampled and the cluster sampling procedure was practiced. Data was collected with the aid of a sliding vernier caliper, pencil, and a data collection sheet. Every subject’s head was kept in Frankfort’s horizontal plane and dimensions were taken with a sliding caliper. Ear projection greater than 21mm was defined as ear prominence. Totality of 36 (9.38%) had small right ear while 28 (7.29%) had small left ear. Prominent ear was more prevalent on the right region (n=44, 11.45%) than on the left (n=19, 4.95%). Entirety of 63 (16.4%) had prominent ears with more males affected compared to the females. The gender disparity in the occurrence of prominent ears is not remarkable (p>0.05). The relationship between age and the occurrence of prominent ears was remarkable (p=.000). Indubitably prominent ear is not widespread among the considered undergraduates.

Determinants of Gender Disparity in Nutritional Intake among Children in Pakistan: Evidence from PDHS

The purpose of this study is to analyze early age malnutrition on a gender basis in Pakistan. Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) 2012–13 data related to households’ characteristics that affect the nutrition of children less than 5 years of age are used for the estimation of results. Gender disparity (measured by girl malnourished in household/boy malnourished in a household) is constructed for the measurement of gender disparity in early age child nutrition. After synthesizing the PDHS data set, 2119 observations are used for regression results of gender disparity. Regression results are analyzed at the level of 5% confidence interval otherwise insignificant. egression results for gender disparity show that households in good socioeconomic status, a greater number of household members, a mother’s higher level of education, mother employment, and the male head of the household, causes a decrease in gender disparity in nutrition intake of children.

Social Protection and Gender Inequality in Using Enabling Technology: An Analysis with the Framework of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

This article explores the relationship between social protection and gender gaps in using enabling technology with the perspective of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as both are SDG Indicators. A cross-country comparative examination of 38 countries shows that gender disparity in mobile phone ownership is significantly and negatively correlated with the overall mobile phone owning rate and the proportion of females owning a mobile phone in a country. The coverage of social insurance programmes in a country has very weak and negative association with gender disparity in mobile phone ownership, and the correlation is statistically insignificant. The cross-country variations in mobile phone ownership are significant if gender is not considered. The results suggest that the social protection systems in these countries may not be gender-sensitive enough. A number of practical implications are provided based on the empirical evidence, and improvements in future studies are also suggested since this article is an initial output of a series of follow-up research in the author’s plan.

Missing men in family planning: understanding the socio-spatial differentials in male sterilization and male spacing methods of contraception in India

Male involvement in family planning results in improved reproductive health and gender outcomes for women. In India, the use of family planning methods remains largely female-dominated. Recent media reports have indicated a rapid decline in male sterilization use in the past few years. This study aimed to assess the trends in, patterns of and factors associated with the use of male sterilization and male spacing methods in India using data from four rounds of the National Family Health Survey, conducted from 1992 to 2016. Bivariate analysis was done to see the trends in, and patterns of, male sterilization and spacing methods, while multinomial logistic regression was used to understand the factors associated with male spacing methods and sterilization. The results show a marked decline in the prevalence of male sterilization from 1992–93 (3.5%) to 2015–16 (0.3%) in India. Of the 640 districts, only 21 had a more than 2% prevalence of male sterilization. Scheduled tribe couples were two times more likely to use male sterilization than other (upper/no caste) groups. Couples from the northern region were significantly more likely to use male sterilization (aOR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.43–1.97) compared with those from the south. There was a regional disparity in male condom use, with a very small proportion of couples in the southern (1.1%), north-eastern (2.4%) and eastern (3.3%) regions using the method compared with couples from the northern region (9.7%). Couples from the northern (aOR: 8.89, 95% CI: 8.44–9.38), north-eastern (aOR: 11.37, 95% CI: 10.62–12.18), eastern (aOR: 6.96, 95% CI: 6.60–7.34), western (aOR: 4.65, 95% CI: 4.40–4.92) and central (aOR: 10.89, 95% CI: 10.35–11.46) regions were also significantly more likely to use male spacing methods than those from southern India. Therefore, a greater focus on increasing the use of male sterilization and condoms is required in India to reduce the gender disparity in the use of family planning methods.

Health perception among the elderly in India: A gender perspective

There is an urgent need to understand and study the gender-based comprehensive own-perception approaches about health status. Our primary interest is to elucidate and capture whether and what determinants of gender disparity exist in own-perception about current and change in health status in Indian settings among the elderly. Therefore, we intended to examine the gender disparity in own-perception and their differences among the elderly in India. We used cross-sectional data from the 75th National Sample Survey Organizations (NSSO), collected from July 2017 to June 2018. The analytical sample constitutes 42759 cases of the elderly (eliminating two points of transgender). Thus, 21902 older men and 20857 older women have been considered. Two different measurements of own-perception about health status among the elderly have been used. We have calculated absolute gaps in the prevalence of current self-perception and change in health status by background characteristics. We carried out an ordered logistic regression model (or proportional odds model) to determine the predictors of health perception among the elderly. There is a clear gap between men and women in terms of rating poor perception about health; men generally have reported higher perception about their current health status when it comes to rating them excellent in terms of socio-economic outcomes like income, place of residence, and household structure. Despite numerous limitations, this study addressed the significant public health concern, which is crucial to address the challenge of the elderly health and their perception of well-being. Keywords: current health perception; change in health perception; gender gap; elderly.

Sixty years of gender representation in children’s books: Conditions associated with overrepresentation of male versus female protagonists

As a reflection of prominent cultural norms, children’s literature plays an integral role in the acquisition and development of societal attitudes. Previous reports of male overrepresentation in books targeted towards children are consistent with a history of gender disparity across media and society. However, it is unknown whether such bias has been attenuated in recent years with increasing emphasis on gender equity and greater accessibility of books. Here, we provide an up-to-date estimate of the relative proportion of males and females featured as single protagonists in 3,280 children’s books (0–16 years) published between 1960–2020. We find that although the proportion of female protagonists has increased over this 60-year period, male protagonists remain overrepresented even in recent years. Importantly, we also find persistent effects related to author gender, age of the target audience, character type (human vs. non-human), and book genre (fiction vs. non-fiction) on the male-to-female ratio of protagonists. We suggest that this comprehensive account of the factors influencing the rates of appearance of male and female protagonists can be leveraged to develop specific recommendations for promoting more equitable gender representation in children’s literature, with important consequences for child development and society.

Trends in authorship by women at Canadian universities 2006 to 2019

Despite much progress since the mid-20th century, there still exists a disparity in the number of female academics relative to their male colleagues. This gender gap has come under increased focus as universities take steps to foster diversity and inclusiveness. Bibliometrics can provide a window into the gender disparity in research by measuring the metadata of academic publications. By determining the ratio of female to male authors, the gender bias at the level of the institution can be quantified. This study examines the proportion of female authors of academic articles at thirty Canadian universities across five broad fields of research.