This book examines the status of women in ancient Celtic society, looking at powerful fgures such as Boadicea and her struggle with the Romans. Ellis examines the rights of women in Celtic law, their position in mythology and the view that ultimately Christianity degenerated their role.
Women vs. Women is a book about power dynamics and competition between women. The author argues that women have been mired in competitive quicksand since the beginning of time, often beginning in earnest during adolescence, to their social, economic, and political detriment. Exacerbating differences between women has become a strategy for maintaining male-dominated power structures, so - while competition will always exist and can at times be useful - self-inflicted and counterproductively imposed competition between women must end, as it dilutes their power and opportunities. From a security perspective, gender inequality is a destabilizing societal force. This book represents a confluence of ideas. First, the ill effects of gender inequality from the individual to the national and global level (and the fact that this is far from being universally recognized and addressed). Second, the negative influence of extremes, especially political and religious, on society at large and women in particular. Third, the societal stresses imposed on girls and the subsequent lifetime effects. While the challenges of careers, motherhood and old age are all significant for women, the author contends that how they handle these challenges can be shaped by adolescent experiences. As a multidisciplinary work, this book is intended as a supplementary text in undergraduate and graduate courses on American politics, American foreign policy, gender and diversity studies, global studies, sociology, security studies, culture-focused courses, economics and religion. It will also interest general audiences increasingly eager to understand the dynamics of the world they live in.
In this time of crisis, the 'women's issue' is more relevant than ever. The solution does not lie in 'a return to the home', as some have imagined, but in the greater involvement of women in the business world. Women are as well qualified as their male counterparts, and often more qualified. Women are also better equipped in times of crisis because they are often experienced managers and organisers. It would indeed be a mistake not to involve them at this difficult point in time. But these vital developments are struggling to emerge naturally; stumbling blocks still exist that maintain a 'glass ceiling' which is becoming increasingly difficult to bear. Change is occurring instead due to incentives and legislation. Feminisation is still progressing too slowly in some countries, but it is occurring. Europe as a whole is experiencing this phenomenon. It is about time the situation changed. And women have begun to network together in order to facilitate these changes.
Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a pervasive problem that follows victims from the home into the workplace. Many women who experience violence in their homes are also harassed at work and are abused in the workplace. For the current study, 30 women who reported a history of workplace violence were recruited from a homeless women's shelter. Of the participants, 13 experienced domestic violence in the workplace; this article focuses on the results obtained from those 13 respondents. This article also discusses the link between homelessness, IPV, and workplace violence.
Australian women activists have never been enthusiastic about federalism because of its reputation as a system that restricts the scope of government and obstructs the path of progressive social change. Like their sisters in other countries, women's groups have sought collectivist solutions to economic and social problems. In the last couple of decades, however, orthodox ideas about the restrictive impact of federalism have been questioned. A revisionist view has emerged, which holds that the system sometimes facilitates the adoption of innovative policies and may lead to an expansion of the role of government. The revisionist perspective raises the question of whether women's groups have been wise to oppose federalism. This article examines relevant Canadian and Australian studies in order to test the validity of orthodox and revisionist perspectives and to draw conclusions about appropriate feminist approaches to federalism. The evidence is mixed. The main argument of this article is that, to the extent that we can distinguish its independent effect, federalism sometimes obstructs policy development and sometimes facilitates it. There are serious methodological problems involved in trying to isolate the impact of the federal variable from the many factors that influence policy, making generalisations precarious. Experience, therefore, offers little guidance to women's groups seeking to decide whether to support centralised or decentralised decision‐making structures. However, this study concludes that in the context of present Australian federal arrangements, women are more likely to achieve their aims when the Commonwealth government takes action, either alone or in cooperation with sub‐national jurisdictions.
The authors distinguish between women-targeted and women-positive programs, citing examples of unsuccessful education programs in South Africa that were targeted at women. They question the educational and political aims of these initiatives and suggest that women-positive programs foreground gender within a broader context of transformation involving both men and women.