‘IN ANY CASE WE ARE SUFIS’: THE CREATION OF HIJRA SPIRITUAL IDENTITY IN SOUTH ASIA

Providing spiritual ‘safe spaces’, the Sufi shrine-world throughout the Indian Subcontinent is generally open to those who do not identify with conventional gender categories. Ajmer Sharif Shrine (dargāh) in the northern Indian town of Ajmer in Rajasthan is renowned for being particularly ‘inclusive’. It accepts all pilgrims without discrimination, including the so-called ‘third gender’, often referred to as hijras or kinnars, terms that transgress the socially-defined binary gender divide. Marginalized, and often socially stigmatized, these groups are naturally drawn towards liminal spaces such as Sufi dargāhs which encourage the transcendence of socio-religious boundaries. This paper explores certain typological aspects of traditional Sufi ritual and belief that make it particularly receptive to hijras, and the way in which hijras in turn appropriate and reconfigure Sufi religious belief to negotiate the tension between the liminality of their lived experience and the exclusive duality of the society around them. As well as utilizing fieldwork undertaken at the 808th

Occupation and Sickness Absence in the Different Autonomous Communities of Spain

The occupation of a worker is a determining factor of sickness absence (SA) and can influence both the beginning and continuation of the latter. This study describes SA in Spain, separately in the different Autonomous Communities (AC) in relation to the occupation of workers, with the aim of determining the possible differences in its frequency and duration, relating it also to the diagnosis. A total of 6,543,307 workers, aged 16 years and older, who had at least one episode of SA in the year 2019, constituted the study sample. The obtained results indicate that SA is more frequent and shorter in more elemental occupations. The average duration increases with age and is longer in women, except in technical and administrative occupations, where there is no gender divide. Sickness absences caused by musculoskeletal and mental disorders are more frequent in the lower occupational classes, although their average duration is shorter than in other, more qualified groups. The ACs with shorter duration in almost all the occupational groups are Madrid, Navarre and the Basque Country. In conclusion, SA is more frequent and shorter in lower occupational classes.

"Gendercide—Gender Divide": reflections on organising a conference... and then moving it online

This is a personal reflection on the experience of organising, postponing, and then reorganising an international conference online during a pandemic. It considers the very real elements of the external chaos, suffering, and confusion which were held in mind throughout the conference planning and delivery, as we also navigated different time zones and constantly changing advice regarding Covid-19. It is about how we transformed our initial feelings of frustration, disappointment, and loss into the drive to keep as much of our original plan alive, and, in the process, how the first IAFP conference with a large group and live simultaneous translation was created online.

Encouraging Undergraduate Marketing Students to Reflect on Critical Thinking and the Digital Gender Divide

In today’s society where there is an abundance of accessible, complex, and often false information, critical thinking (CT) is an essential skill so that citizens in general and students in particular can make complex decisions based on scientific evidence, rather than on prejudices, biases, and pre-established beliefs. In this context, the purpose of this study is to discover whether Active Learning (AL) methodology, using different technologies, contributes to improving the CT of the student body, applying it to the Digital Gender Divide (DGD). Three questionnaires were used to collect information, using both a quantitative and a qualitative approach. Open-ended questions are included for fuller answers, which are complemented by content analysis of the recordings and virtual presentations made. The results show that the AL methodology favours the development of CT in the DGD in a remarkable way. Likewise, the various technologies implemented in the methodology (e.g., the Google Applications Site, online round table discussions, role-plays, virtual presentations, and forms) are relevant to improving CT in DGD. It concludes by recommending the implementation of AL with CT as in the one carried out, to help prepare better professionals and raise awareness of how to reduce the DGD.

Cardiovascular disease: the gender divide

Although cardiovascular disease (CVD) is recognised to be a condition that affects men more than women overall, this risks underplaying the significant challenges relating to the diagnosis and management of CVD in women. Women are adversely affected compared to men in terms of diagnosis, acute management and implementation of secondary prevention, and the evidence base for treating women is lacking, due to the low numbers of women included in trials. Hormonal fluctuations throughout a woman's lifetime can also affect CVD risk. GPNs are ideally placed to consider the challenges of recognising and addressing CVD risk in women and to support them with engaging in reducing their lifetime risk.

COVID-19: Unmasking the Digital Gender Divide in a Pandemic

The digital revolution has paved the way to a digital world that stimulates economic growth, develops health outcomes, and raises millions out of poverty by means of new technologies and services. The COVID-19 outbreak hastened the implementation of digital solutions at an exceptional speed, producing unforeseen opportunities for alternative methods to social and economic life. On the other hand, the COVID-19 crisis threatens to repel hard-won achievements in gender equality, further revealing women’s vulnerabilities based on their already existing economic, social and political situations. Tackling the digital gender divide is essential to guaranteeing sustainability of women’s livelihood. Therefore, the aim of this study is to find out if the COVID-19 crisis is enforcing existing digital inequality keeping in mind that failure to address the gender digital divide will increase gender inequality. Keywords: Digital revolution, COVID-19, gender equality, digital gender divide, digital inequality

Ending the Digital Gender Divide. Are Coding Clubs the Solution?

There is a shared lasting concern in both developed and developing countries regarding the low rates of participating women in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). In this context, one of the most frequent actions is the development of STEM and coding workshops as a way to increase the presence of women in these fields. The main object of this article is not only to provide a description of the programs that support girls into STEM, but also to make a critical analysis of their design. This research employs the content analysis approach, a technique to make replicable and valid inferences from texts. The methodology sample came from a comprehensive review of 64 programs announced online that aim to support the incorporation of girls and women into STEM, particularly Information technology. As the final outcomes will show, besides the high popularity of these programs, there are important questionings regarding their design and implementation, particularly about the effectiveness of their actions in reducing the problems associated with the digital gender divide and the inclusion of women into STEM academia and STC industry. Acabar amb la bretxa digital de gènere, ¿els clubs de programació són una solució viable? Hi ha una preocupació compartida entre països desenvolupats i en vies de desenvolupament respecte a les baixes taxes de dones en àrees STEM (ciència, tecnologia, enginyeria i matemàtiques). En aquest context, una de les estratègies més freqüents és el desenvolupament de tallers per aprendre a programar i de cursos amb activitats relacionades amb disciplines STEM, amb la finalitat d’augmentar la presència de dones en aquestes àrees. L’objectiu principal d’aquest article no és tan sols proporcionar una descripció dels programes que donen suport a la inclusió de les nenes en la ciència, sinó també fer-ne una anàlisi crítica sobre el disseny i la implementació. Aquesta investigació utilitza la tècnica d’anàlisi de contingut, una tècnica que permet fer inferències vàlides i replicables des dels textos. La mostra estadística de la metodologia prové d’una revisió exhaustiva de 64 programes anunciats en línia que tenen l’objectiu de donar suport a la incorporació de nenes i dones en les disciplines STEM, sobretot en les tecnologies de la informació. Els resultats finals demostren que, tot i la gran popularitat d’aquests programes, se’ls qüestiona força pel que fa a la seva execució, especialment l’efectivitat de les seves accions per reduir la bretxa digital de gènere i la inclusió de les dones en la ciència. Key words: Digital gender divide, STEM girls, empowerment, coding clubs, gen¬der inequality. Paraules clau: bretxa digital de gènere, nenes STEM, empoderament, clubs de programació, iniquitat de gènere.