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Setting the stage : aesthetics, gender norms and temporality -- Love' very queer construct -- In and out : games of truth and the confessional -- Applause, applause : art into pop -- 'Talking blah blah' : camp into queer -- To be a boy? Masculinity and queer aesthetics -- Futurity and passion's compulsion

Women's movements in Islamic countries have had a long and arduous journey in their quest for the realization of human rights and genuine equality. The author examines whether discriminatory laws against women do in fact originate from Islam and, ultimately, if there is any interpretation of Islam compatible with gender equality. She investigates women's rights in Iran since the 1979 Revolution from the perspectives of the main currents of Islamic thought, fundamentalists, reformists, and seculars, using a sociological explanation. The disputes about human reason and its relation to revelation can be traced in various Islamic schools of thought since the eighth century AD. However, the disputes have intensified since the eighteenth century when Muslims faced challenges to their faith and social order, brought about by modernity and enlightenment from the West. There were various reactions within the Islamic world. These reflections produced different interpretations of Islam that can be categorized based on their understanding of how compatible Islamic laws are with a specific time and space; as well as how they define the relationship between human reason and revelation. The three major interpretations of Islam within a spectrum are on the far right fundamentalists, in the middle reformists, and on the far left secularists; each having diverse views on the legitimacy and applicability of all Islamic law in modern times, and consequently having various perspectives on justice and gender equality. Accordingly, the author aims to investigate the different interpretations on Islam to find out which interpretations are compatible with the global norms of justice, and hence in accord to women's rights and gender equality. In order to analyze the Islamic thought flows through a sociological perspective, a theoretical model is proposed based on theories of sociology of religion (Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann), Structuration theory (Anthony Giddens) and struggles related to universal norms of justice (Nancy Fraser, Axel Honneth, Seyla Benhabib). According to this theoretical model, there is a dialectical relationship between individual and structure. Religion, as a factor of structure, defines a framework of interaction for individual agents in personal and social life. Religion also offers a value and meaning system for human beings. On the other hand, human beings examine the patterns of interaction through 'reflexive monitoring,' and employing human reason and rational explanation. Therefore, human beings do not passively accept all patterns of interaction. In this model of dialectical relationship between individual and structure, justice means providing equal access to political, economic, and cultural resources in society and in the family. On this matter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women provide practical and universal criteria for the protection of human and women's rights, and ensure gender equality in society. Following the theoretical model, the research aims to reconstruct the main interpretations of Islam in three core issues of Islamic law, human reason, and women's rights considering universal norms of justice.

AbstractGender norms, encompassing social and cultural attitudes that dictate suitable behaviors for women and men, are pivotal in shaping societal dynamics. This paper explores the intricate relationship between knowledge accumulation, as reflected in a nation's economic complexity, and its gender norms. Drawing on the revealed preferences of a substantial cohort, totaling 64,954 individuals from up to 49 countries, and their respective countries' economic complexity indices, we uncover a non-trivial relationship. At lower levels of economic complexity, there exists an inverse correlation between less rigid gender norms and technological sophistication. This suggests that the initial stages of knowledge accumulation coincide with inflexible gender norms, particularly regarding women's roles within households. However, as economic complexity surpasses a certain threshold, this correlation reverses. Further knowledge accumulation aligns with more adaptable gender norms, indicating a shift towards less rigidity, especially concerning women's roles in the public sphere. These findings underline the connection between economic development and shifting gender norms. Notably, while economic complexity catalyzes a transition towards less rigid norms regarding women's household roles at lower stages, it is only at a certain threshold that significant changes in norms pertaining to women's public roles become evident. This study contributes to understanding the evolution of gender norms in the context of economic development. By shedding light on the intricate dynamics between knowledge accumulation and gender norms, it emphasizes the significance of considering socioeconomic factors in addressing gender norms. Findings have implications for policymakers and stakeholders offering valuable insights into the mechanisms driving societal change.

During the late-nineteenth century, discussions surrounding female shop assistants permeated British society and culture appearing in newspapers, popular romance novels and political literature. Ultimately, through romantic literary and cultural texts "the shopgirl" emerged as a social construction, obscuring and shaping the experiences and identity of "ordinary" female shop assistants. While Victorian gender norms attempted to restrict women to the domestic sphere, the study of shopgirls illuminates the social anxieties and gender discourses that emerged alongside shifting consumption practices in Britain, resulting in the breakdown of separate gendered spaces. This paper will argue that the emergence of female shop assistants and the socially constructed "shopgirl" in the latter half of the nineteenth century transformed pre-existing Victorian class and gender norms in British society. Not only did shopgirls embody fantasies connected to consumer culture, but disrupted class and gender norms resulting in a variety of social anxieties, pertaining to the loss of female domesticity, social mobility, morality, as well as the dangers of London for women.

I present new evidence on how norms and traditions can affect women's public good preferences in Africa. A substantial literature has examined the determinants of gender differences in political attitudes. Existing work has found a gender gap in public good preferences. However, there are few attempts to explain this gap. In this article, I aim to investigate whether the preferences of men and women differ in Africa, and if so, to explore the source of the observed gender differences. The choice of Africa is meaningful as very few works on gender preferences have been done in this region where the weight of tradition is strong regarding the role of men and women in the society. Using Afrobarometer data for 36 African countries, I investigate whether and how the preferences of men and women differ. The results show that norms about the role of women play a role in explaining differences in gender preferences. Women in Africa have systematically a preference for social field (education, health) and less preference for additional investment in infrastructure, regardless of their level of empowerment or the prevailing norm on gender role. However, in countries where gender norms are less favorable to women, women report higher preferences in agriculture, closing the gender gap with men.

I present new evidence on how norms and traditions can affect women's public good preferences in Africa. A substantial literature has examined the determinants of gender differences in political attitudes. Existing work has found a gender gap in public good preferences. However, there are few attempts to explain this gap. In this article, I aim to investigate whether the preferences of men and women differ in Africa, and if so, to explore the source of the observed gender differences. The choice of Africa is meaningful as very few works on gender preferences have been done in this region where the weight of tradition is strong regarding the role of men and women in the society. Using Afrobarometer data for 36 African countries, I investigate whether and how the preferences of men and women differ. The results show that norms about the role of women play a role in explaining differences in gender preferences. Women in Africa have systematically a preference for social field (education, health) and less preference for additional investment in infrastructure, regardless of their level of empowerment or the prevailing norm on gender role. However, in countries where gender norms are less favorable to women, women report higher preferences in agriculture, closing the gender gap with men.

Women's movements in Islamic countries have had a long and arduous journey in their quest for the realization of human rights and genuine equality. The author examines whether discriminatory laws against women do in fact originate from Islam and, ultimately, if there is any interpretation of Islam compatible with gender equality. She investigates women's rights in Iran since the 1979 Revolution from the perspectives of the main currents of Islamic thought, fundamentalists, reformists, and seculars, using a sociological explanation.

Evidence from democracies shows that making laws more egalitarian can increase individuals' perceptions that others hold egalitarian views. How do citizens in authoritarian regimes that promote women's rights perceive public opinion on gender issues? While regime actions and narratives could increase perceptions that egalitarian attitudes are widespread, the disconnect between policy and public preferences could inhibit the expressive power of law to alter perceived norms. Drawing on original surveys and qualitative evidence from Morocco, an important case of de jure advances in women's rights, I find that Moroccans tend to overestimate others' embrace of patriarchal attitudes on gender issues. The tendency to misperceive conservatism spans demographic categories and is especially pronounced among men. I argue that citizens' awareness that policy processes are divorced from electoral accountability and the raised salience of conservative opposition during reform processes can reinforce perceived conservatism, even as women's rights advance.

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of women's entrepreneurship to bring about greater gender equality. Understanding women's entrepreneurship as a gendered process (Bird and Brush, 2002), the study presents the challenges encountered by women entrepreneurs as a result of gender ideologies. It documents structural barriers, discriminatory interactions and oppressive gender scripts and their effects on the women and their businesses. Acknowledging women's possibilities for agency and resistance, the study analyzes how women entrepreneurs conform, contest or negotiate gender scripts and constraints, and looks at the consequences of these actions.


Design/methodology/approach
Drawing from elements of social interactionism and the doing and undoing gender theories, the authors use a feminist theoretic framework to guide analysis of qualitative data from two focus groups conducted with 19 women entrepreneurs in Colombia.


Findings
Gender ideologies were manifested in the forms of interrelated structural barriers that restricted women entrepreneurs' access to resources. Social interactions represented spaces in which gender ideologies were reinforced, but also spaces women used to produce changes through resistance and accommodation strategies. Entrepreneurship was associated with positive changes toward greater gender equality, although negative consequences were reported.


Research limitations/implications
Due to the limited sample, more studies across countries may be needed for the consolidation of a generalizable theoretical framework.


Originality/value
This study presents a feminist theoretic framework in dialogue with the lived experiences of women entrepreneurs. It observes the processes of change toward gender equality embedded in business development.

AbstractResearch calls for the sexual and reproductive rights field to prioritize gender norms to ensure that women can act on their reproductive rights. However, there is a gap in accepted measures. We addressed this by including important theoretical components of gender norms: differentiating between descriptive and injunctive norms and adding a referent group. Our team originally developed and validated the G‐NORM, a gender norms scale, in India. In this paper, we describe how we subsequently adapted and validated it in Nepal. We administered items to women of reproductive age, conducted exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, and examined associations between the subscales and reproductive health outcomes. Like the original G‐NORM, our factor analyses showed that descriptive norms and injunctive norms comprise two distinct scales which fit the data well and had Cronbach alphas of 0.92 and 0.89. More equitable descriptive gender norms were associated with higher decision‐making scores, increased odds of intending to use family planning, disagreeing that it is wrong to use family planning, and older ideal age at marriage. Injunctive gender norms were only associated with disagreeing that it is wrong to use family planning. Findings offer an improved measure of gender norms in Nepal and provide evidence that gender norms are critical for agency and reproductive health outcomes.