Structural Gender Inequality and Mental Health among Chinese Men and Women

Little is known about the association between structural gender inequality and health in patriarchal China.This study employed a sample from the Chinese Women’s Social Status,consisting of 26,139 participants aged 18 and 70 years(13,494 women and 12,645 men).Structural gender inequality was assessed at the macro-,meso-,and micro-levels.Mental health was measured by the summed scores of eight questions on depressive symptoms.Multilevel linear regression was applied for analysis.Results showed that total sex ratio at birth was associated with poorer mental health among women and men but sex ratio at birth of the second-born child predicted better mental health.Gender inequality at meso-level resulted in poorer mental health and gender inequality at micro-level was associated with poorer mental health both for men and women.Eliminating structural gender inequality promotes populations’mental health in China.

Arab Women in Israeli Politics： Aspirations for Fundamental Equality or Preservation of Gender Inequality？

This paper focuses on reviewing the factors that operate to reduce gender inequality in political representation among Arab women in Israel. A theoretical debate about the changes in the status of Arab women as they are reflected in political representation patterns is conducted in the context of the political reality in the last decade in Israel and the ＂Arab Spring＂ events. The paper also focuses on clarifying the significance of the changes in political representation patterns as future trends of reducing gender inequality, within the acknowledged social patterns, which do not subvert the gender order in Arab society in Israel or in the frame of fundamental social change.

Will Exam Credits for Women Help Erase Gender Inequality?

Xinyang,a city in central China’s Henan Province,is well known for the green tea it produces called Xinyang maojian,a rare brew that is much in demand.Recently, however,the city made headlines for an en- tirely different reason—a new set of policies to take care of its women.

Gender Inequality Can Not Be Tolerated

ON January 8, 1996, China Women’s News carded this incredible news on the front page: at the second graduate supply-demand meetings held by the national personnel market, 27 of 42 state organizations, said either that they would not employ female graduates, or would restrict the numbers. This news drew strong responses from the public. In September, 1995, the UN Fourth World Conference on Women with "equality, development and peace" as its theme was held in Beijing. At the Conference, Jiang Zemin, President of the People’s Republic of China, solemnly announced that gender equality is a basic national policy of China. And the government recently promulgated a platform called The Program for the Development of Chinese Women. The female graduates

The Roles of Female Involvement and Risk Aversion in Open Access Publishing Patterns in Vietnamese Social Sciences and Humanities

Purpose:The open-access(OA)publishing model can help improve researchers’outreach,thanks to its accessibility and visibility to the public.Therefore,the presentation of female researchers can benefit from the O A publishing model.Despite that,little is known about how gender affects OA practices.Thus,the current study explores the effects of female involvement and risk aversion on OA publishing patterns among Vietname se social sciences and humanities.Design/methodology/approach:The study employed Bayesian Mindsponge Framework(BMF)on a dataset of 3,122 Vietnamese social sciences and humanities(SS&H)publications during 2008-2019.The Mindsponge mechanism was specifically used to construct theoretical models,while Bayesian inference was utilized for fitting models.Findings:The result showed a positive association between female participation and OA publishing probability.However,the positive effect of female involvement on OA publishing probability was negated by the high ratio of female researchers in a publication.OA status was negatively associated with the JIF of the journal in which the publication was published,but the relationship was moderated by the involvement of a female researcher(s).The findings suggested that Vietnamese female researchers might be more likely to publish under the OA model in journals with high JIF for avoiding the risk of public criticism.Research limitations:The study could only provide evidence on the association between female involvement and OA publishing probability.However,whether to publish under OA terms is often determined by the first or corresponding authors,but not necessarily gender-based.Practical implications:Systematically coordinated actions are suggested to better support women and promote the OA movement in Vietnam.Originality/value:The findings show the OA publishing patterns of female researchers in Vietnamese SS&H.

Post-2015 Development Priorities for the Arab World

The paper addresses the failure of renewing the same millennium development goals （MDGs） format in measuring achievement in a region like the Middle East and North Africa （MENA） region which is drastically being transformed. A new approach focusing on ＂human security＂ principles based on freedom, dignity, justice, equality, solidarity, tolerance, and respect articulated in the millennium declaration is needed. Achieving this requires a more integrated, inclusive, and comprehensive development framework that is able to analyze and understand the context with its progress and setbacks. The paper realizes that measuring MDGs achievement does not only need a comprehensive integrated approach, but also a defmition of risks and challenges that the region faces. Issues like poverty, inequality, unemployment of graduates, personal and collective insecurity due to conflict, migration, and brain drain, food insecurity, and gender inequality are all issues that need to be redefined when analyzing the region to suit the context. The paper concludes that in order to understand the context, re-definition of concepts like poverty reduction, participation, and empowerment is needed to make concepts more relevant to the context. Lastly, the paper reflects the new call from youth for a new development model that is not based on market economy, ends political economy of the rentier states, and emphasizes a productive oriented economy that is able to generate employment and decent work. It also emphasizes democratic governance as an only path for a sustainable participatory development that can realize ambitions and aspirations of the majority of population.

Women in a Urban Zone Experience Against Covid

The two-year follow-up as participating observer at the Urban Zone training group and WhatsApp related platform,took place in Roseto degli Abruzzi-a small seaside town in Abruzzi,Italy,during the pandemic crisis for Covid-19.This experience has been a way to keep training despite the pandemic confinement,but it has also become a kind of self-help and therapeutic group.The conditions for its implementation are linked to the impossibility of any indoor sports and also the fact that the online lessons were not very successful.Urban Zone is an outdoor activity that can be carried out in the urban context,whose peculiarity is the opening of the gyms training to the urban or natural outdoor space,through wireless headphones(so people could respect the 2-meter social distancing implied in the prevention measures for Covid-19)in which the music and the trainer instruction can be heard.

Assessing intersectional gender analysis in Nepal’s health management information system:a case study on tuberculosis for inclusive health systems

Background Tuberculosis(TB)remains a major public health problem in Nepal,high in settings marked by prevalent gender and social inequities.Various social stratifiers intersect,either privileging or oppressing individuals based on their characteristics and contexts,thereby increasing risks,vulnerabilities and marganilisation associated with TB.This study aimed to assess the inclusiveness of gender and other social stratifiers in key health related national policies and the Health Management Information System(HMIS)of National Tuberculosis Programme(NTP)by conducting an intersectional analysis of TB cases recorded via HMIS.Methods A desk review of key policies and the NTP’s HMIS was conducted.Retrospective intersectional analysis utilized two secondary data sources:annual NTP report(2017-2021)and records of 628 TB cases via HMIS 6.5 from two TB centres(2017/18-2018/19).Chi-square test and multi-variate analysis was used to assess the association between social stratifers and types of TB,registration category and treatment outcome.Results Gender,social inclusion and concept of intersectionality are incorporated into various health policies and strategies but lack effective implementation.NTP has initiated the collection of age,sex,ethnicity and location data since 2014/15 through the HMIS.However,only age and sex disaggregated data are routinely reported,leaving recorded social stratifiers of TB patients static without analysis and dissemination.Furthermore,findings from the intersectional analysis using TB secondary data,showed that male more than 25 years exhibited higher odds[adjusted odds ratio(a OR)=4.95,95%confidence interval(CI):1.60-19.06,P=0.01]of successful outcome compared to male TB patients less than 25 years.Similarly,sex was significantly associated with types of TB(P<0.05)whereas both age(P<0.05)and sex(P<0.05)were significantly associated with patient registration category(old/new cases).Conclusions The results highlight inadequacy in the availability of social stratifiers in the routine HMIS.This limitation hampers the NTP’s ability to conduct intersectional analyses,crucial for unveiling the roles of other social determinants of TB.Such limitation underscores the need for more disaggregated data in routine NTP to better inform policies and plans contributing to the development of a more responsive and equitable TB programme and effectively addressing disparities.

Roll the Cameras

The Fifth China Women＇s Film Festival showcased more than30 Chinese and international films on the theme of feminismAS in its previous four editions,the China Women＇s Film Festival（CWFF）was held to full houses.On September 16-24,the audience,stakeholders and organizers gathered in Beijing for a series of screenings,forums and discussions on the issue of gender inequality.On one of those sweet late-summer evenings,

Development of educational attainment and gender equality in China:new evidence from the 7th National Census

This paper discusses the status and changes in educational attainment and gender inequality in education for the Chinese population based on the data from the 7th National Census of China and previous censuses since 1982.The results indicate that gender inequality in education has lessened while educational attainment has improved.However,it is necessary to continue to eradicate illiteracy in the West,further promote compulsory education rates,increase the advancement rate to high school,and reduce the urban-rural gap in education to further develop education.This paper indicates that the increased educational opportunities for women combined with their relatively superior academic abilities have resulted in a new reversed gender inequality in that males are at a disadvantage,especially in higher education.The fact that women have benefited more from the expansion of higher education than men have was an unintended consequence of China's one-child fertility policy since the family resources are less diluted by fewer children in a household and daughters are regarded as long-term family members.This paper further reveals that although women outperform men at every level of the educational system,they often voluntarily withdraw from pursuing doctoral degrees due to the increasing pressure as they age and age discrimination which drives them to enter marriage and the labor market earlier than men do.

Steering the Digital Transformation of Education: UNESCO’s Human-Centered Approach

While digital technology holds great potential to help realize our collective educational commitments and to build the futures of education beyond 2030,it also comes with negative consequences and uncharted risks.To be effective,digital education needs to be properly steered and governed to ensure it serves public interests,happens in public spaces,and is accountable to the public.This paper first provides a comprehensive overview on UNESCO’s human-centered approach to steering digital education that counter-balances dominant techno-solutionist thinking.This includes ensuring that the use of digital technology enhances human capacity,rather than undermining it,adequately addresses digital divides and digital gender inequality,and assures effective regulation to minimize the negative impact both on human well-being,and on the environment.This paper then presents recommendations to help build integrated digital education systems which prioritize support for teachers,and which address connectivity issues,not only with opportunities for the strengthening of competencies,but also with open access inclusive quality digital learning content.Finally,this paper shares a forward-looking vision for the futures of school systems,exemplified by a framework of digital open schools.

More Rights but Less Gains:Relaxed Birth Control Policyand the Loss for Women

In view of its aging population,China initiated in 2012 a relaxed birth control policy after a three-decades-long implementation of the restrictive one-child policy.This paper examines how China's relaxed birth control policy leads to gender inequality.It specifically focuses on migrant workers because they account for a significant portion of the working group.Using the National Migrant Population Dynamic Monitoring Survey from 2014 to 2016,we found that China's two-child pilot policy reduced female labor force participation by 1.4 percentage points.This negative effect was more pronounced for women with higher educational levels or working in the private sector because employers foresee greater risks of productivity decline.We demonstrated that the gender pay gap increased from RMB956 to RMB1,053 during this same period.Pinpointing these unintended consequences brought about by the relaxation of the one-child policy helps provide a more complete picture of inequality and make sense of persistent relative poverty in Chinese society.To counteract gender discrimination,females are advised to work outside their home jurisdictions and take advantage of positive peer effects.

Educational Investment for Future Marriage? Evidence of Missing Girls from China

Numerous studies have shown that a sex ratio imbalance(more boys than girls in a society)may result in a sequence of social problems.This study investigated the expected effect of a high sex ratio on educational investment.Using nationally representative data from the China Family Panel Studies and the 2010 Census,we determined the following:(i)a high sex ratio increased educational expenditure for boys relative to girls;(ii)parents who took education seriously and who cared about their children's education were more likely to invest in education to appear attractive in the future marriage market,and(iii)the profound impact of a high sex ratio on educational expenditure was more pronounced in less educated and poorer families.Our findings raised the possibility that the effect of the sex ratio may bring about more gender inequality in the future.The implicit cost of a high sex ratio may further lead to a vicious cycle of family fertility and childbearing.

Cohabitation among Chinese minorities in Western countries: an alternative family formation strategy for disadvantaged groups?

Using data of Chinese immigrants extracted from the Belgian National Register registering a cohabitation or marriage between 2005 and 2015(N=3945),this study aims to advance the understanding of cohabitation among disadvantaged groups in local marriage markets.From the difference in prevalence of cohabitation between Chinese men and women,we conclude that Chinese immigrants could use cohabita-tion rather as a practical living arrangement in the context of recent migration rather than as an alternative to marriage,as the receiving society does.The practical living strategy of ethnic minorities enhances our understanding of cohabitation among dis-advantaged groups,for whom the choice for cohabiting would be largely influenced by the home familial culture.

Women in Disasters and Conflicts in India:Interventions in View of the Millennium Development Goals

The Millennium Development Goals(MDGs)with their holistic perspective of development are focused on different issues of vulnerability.This article highlights the situation of women in disasters and the challenges in achieving the MDGs with special reference to India.It is accepted that there is no disaster without human engagement and that issues of differential impact on genders is an essential consideration for recovery.The international guidelines on disaster management and intervention have a considerable focus on gender equality,balance,mainstreaming,and sensitive programing,yet the situation is quite grim.India still lacks separate policy guidelines on gender aspects in disaster.In the twenty-first century,India has witnessed a series of disasters in different parts of the country.The author's personal experiences of working in intervention programs of these disasters showed that gender vulnerability depends on various factors like the intensity of the disaster impact,local sociocultural perspectives,effective disaster intervention strategies,the specific focus on issues of women in training of personnel,and gender-sensitive disaster intervention programs in the community.In the context of the MDGs,while development has become a priority concern to end age-old inequalities in society,the added challenge of disasters needs considerable focus on gender inequalities to achieve the goal of gender equity.