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Recent global social changes and phenomena like #MeToo and Time's Up Movement, the visibility of feminism in popular media (e.g., Beyonce or the TV series Orange is the New Black), the increase of datafication and fake news have not only put pressure on the media and entertainment industry and the content produced, but also generated critique, change and questions in the public debate on gender in general and (the backlash on) gender studies around the world. But are these phenomena also game changers for research on media and gender? In this thematic issue we want to provide insight in recent developments and trends in research on gender and media. What are the dominant ideas and debates in this research field and how do they deal with all of the changes in the media scape (e.g., platformization, the dominance of algorithms and datafication, slacktivism, and gender inequalities in media production). Moreover, how do current debates, theoretical insights and methods communicate with those in the past? The research field has changed rapidly over the last 10 years with repercussions on the conceptualisation of gender, its intersections with other identities markers (e.g., age, ethnicity, class, disabilities, sexualities, etc.), and media audiences' responses to these developments. We welcome contributions within the scope of gender and media and which are topical in the way they introduce new concepts, theoretical insights, new methods or new research subjects.

Recent global social changes and phenomena like #MeToo and Time's Up Movement, the visibility of feminism in popular media (e.g., Beyonce or the TV series Orange is the New Black), the increase of datafication and fake news have not only put pressure on the media and entertainment industry and the content produced, but also generated critique, change and questions in the public debate on gender in general and (the backlash on) gender studies around the world. But are these phenomena also game changers for research on media and gender? In this thematic issue we want to provide insight in recent developments and trends in research on gender and media. What are the dominant ideas and debates in this research field and how do they deal with all of the changes in the media scape (e.g., platformization, the dominance of algorithms and datafication, slacktivism, and gender inequalities in media production). Moreover, how do current debates, theoretical insights and methods communicate with those in the past? The research field has changed rapidly over the last 10 years with repercussions on the conceptualisation of gender, its intersections with other identities markers (e.g., age, ethnicity, class, disabilities, sexualities, etc.), and media audiences' responses to these developments. We welcome contributions within the scope of gender and media and which are topical in the way they introduce new concepts, theoretical insights, new methods or new research subjects.

Decolonial thinking has introduced border thinking as an epistemological position that contributes to a shift in the forms of knowing in which the world is thought from the concrete incarnated experiences of colonial difference and the wounds left. In this chapter, Argentinean feminist philosopher Maria Lugones' (1992) interpretation of Gloria Anzaldua's Borderlands foregrounds its main argument: border thinking as an embodied consciousness in which dualities and vulnerability are central for a decolonisation of how we think about the geo and body politics of knowledge, coloniality, political economy and of course, gender in International Relations and Global Politics.

This article is a contribution to critical International Relations scholarship on European Union foreign and security policy and to the debates on "Normative Europe". It focuses on the ways in which the EU engages with their own gender equality policies in external Security Sector Reform (SSR) missions. By analysing visual materials of the European Union Advisory Mission-Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine) and European Union Capacity Building Mission in Sahel Mali (EUCAP Sahel Mali) missions, this article identifies the discrepancies between the EU's proclaimed policy goals about gender equality and visual representations of women and men in the missions' newsletter photos. These representations reflect a lacklustre approach and suggest a lack of commitment to practices of gender equality and positive role modelling in SSR's day-to-day activities. This article suggests the EU-SSR missions overhaul their public communication strategies to focus first on "how" to communicate gender equality norms and only then on "what" to communicate. This study shows one concrete opportunity and space where this can be achieved.

Across politics and public discourse, feminism is experiencing a global renaissance. Yet feminist academic work is divided over the burgeoning use of the term, particularly in reference to economic and international development policy. For some, feminism has been co-opted for neoliberal economic ends; for others, it remains a critical force across the globe. This article explores the nascent feminist foreign policies of Sweden and Canada. Employing a discourse analysis of both states' policy documents, it asks what the term "feminist" meant in preliminary attempts at constructing a feminist foreign policy. It argues that although both use the term "feminist," they understand the term very differently, with Sweden centering it in domestic and international commitments to change, while Canada places greater emphasis on the private sector. This suggests that this policy agenda is still developing its central concepts, and is thus ripe for intervention on the part of policymakers and civil society organizations.

Research Background: When it comes to social justice, leadership plays a significant role in fostering vision, ensuring compliance with policies and their implementation, in addition to embodying a responsibility for institutional growth. This is important in the current global drive to address gender inequality, one of the Sustainable Development Goals of United Nations. Public institutions of authority, particularly higher education institutions (HEIs), play a significant role for the public good in this regard. However, the staff composition of Indian public HEIs presents a dismal picture with women occupying only 7% of positions of leadership. Objectives: The paper aims to study the role of institutional leaders in implementing, monitoring and evaluating gender policies. It further wants to understand the individual and systemic constraints faced by leaders in their efforts to attain the vision of gender equity in their institutions. Methods: We present findings from a collaborative research project studying the dominant cultures within universities in the post-colonial contexts of India and South Africa. It draws from data generated through mixed methods in 2019, with participation of 185 academic staff and leaders. Findings: While the leadership ensured the existence of gender policies in their universities, mechanisms of implementation, monitoring and evaluation were weak and left much to be desired. The rhetoric of gender mainstreaming covered up for the lack of awareness of the intentionality of policies for gender equity. The policies were considered more of a constitutional obligation rather than being looked upon with a politico-ethical vision to include those marginalized with regard to gender and its intersections with caste, sexuality, ability and language. The resources of 'ghettoised' areas of specialization were not utilized to the optimum therefore rendering the institutional functioning to remain exclusionary, elitist, sexist and casteist.

This article makes the case for the investigation of the post-adoption stages of gender equality policies. We develop the Gender Equality Policy in Practice Approach built on: (1) the mix of instruments for policy action, (2) the process of inclusive empowerment in practice and (3) gender transformation as ultimate outcome. For the gender and politics community, we demonstrate the importance of incorporating implementation in taking policy success seriously; for the policy studies community, we shows how engaging with gender provides a compelling critical case to test general propositions about policy success and the intersectional complexity of the policy process.

This chapter describes my experiences of conducting research on commercial sex in Belfast, Northern Ireland which was conducted as part of a larger British Academy – Leverhulme Trust funded study that examined the policing and legal regulation of commercial sex in Belfast (Northern Ireland) along with three other cities: Manchester (England), Berlin (Germany) and Prague (Czech Republic). This study provided the first empirical analysis of commercial sex in the jurisdiction and was instrumental in shedding light on prevalence rates for those involved in the industry as well as providing demographic information on the age, nationality and sexual orientation of sex workers along with the sector worked in, whether on-street or off-street. In the chapter I consider my role as a researcher and highlight some of the difficulties that I experienced conducting what was seen as controversial research in the politically, socially and culturally conservative context of Northern Ireland.

Collective bargaining is widely advocated as one means of addressing continued gender pay disparities. However, since collective bargaining has been weakened as a mode of employment regulation, its efficacy relative to statutory regulation is a matter of debate. This article examines the relationship between collective bargaining and the law and the impact of bargaining content and structures on gender equality outcomes, by focusing on France and the United Kingdom, two EU countries which have markedly different collective bargaining traditions and structures, contrasting legal traditions and different gender regimes. The comparison highlights the respective contributions of supportive legislation, bargaining structures and bargaining equity as drivers of change, emphasizing the particular importance of supportive legislation in the two countries, as well as the particular vulnerability of UK gains (in the context of recessionary conditions, a voluntaristic approach and a weakened and localized bargaining framework) and the weakness of bargaining in relation in France, in the context of supportive legislation but inadequate legal enforcement.

Institutional support for gender equality in the devolved Scotland has been the subject of international policy learning, national evaluation and reassessment almost continuously in the ten years of devolved government in Scotland. This short article briefly considers the main structural and policy changes to promote gender equality introduced by devolution, and offers a critical perspective on the extent to which gender equality has become embedded in public policy institutions and practice in this period. Particular attention is drawn to the activities of the Scottish Women's Budget Group and the attempts to promote a more gender-aware approach to the budget process within a Scottish public policy context.

This is the introductory article for a special issue edited by Irene van Staveren, Abena Oduro and Caren Grown. Abstract: Despite Africa's relatively commendable growth performance since 2000, growth has not been accompanied by structural transformations. First, there has been little diversification from agriculture into industry, particularly manufacturing. Second, the poverty headcount and inequality remain high in many countries, even as African countries continue to rank lowest on the United Nations Development Programme's Gender Inequality Index. This contribution goes beyond the individualistic approach of supply-side policies and unveils deeper mechanisms that need to be tackled for the two transformations (diversification and inequality reduction) to occur. It demonstrates that gender inequality relies on unwritten but dominant social norms, hence, informal institutions. The removal of formal legislation that constrains women's agency, the enactment of formal laws, and the implementation of economic policies designed specifically to create incentives for behavior change are recommended.

Occupational gender segregation remains an enduring challenge everywhere and a key contributor to the gender pay gap. Gender Impact Analysis tools are an important aid for evaluating the impact of social and economic policies from a gender perspective. In particular, gender budget analysis can help to show the impact of public spending and the extent to which it can reinforce or break down persistent gender inequalities. A key component of the Scottish Government's employability strand of its Economic Strategy has been additional investment in the Modern Apprenticeship Programme. As part of a project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, the authors undertook an assessment of the Modern Apprenticeship programme in Scotland using Gender Disaggregated Public Expenditure Incidence Analysis. This is a gender budget analysis tool that shows the gender responsiveness of budgets and specific policies by assessing the distribution of expenditure on men and women. Analysis of the investment in different occupational frameworks and at different levels of training found that, despite an increase in women's participation in Modern Apprenticeships, significant occupation gender segregation persists. Men predominate in the higher level training programmes and women in the lower level apprenticeships, resulting in a substantial gender gap in public investment in the Modern Apprenticeship Programme. This kind of approach to gender analysis has the potential to be an important tool for policymakers and practitioners to improve understanding of the implications of spending decisions and priorities and to contribute to developing strategies to tackle them in relation to gender, but also other protected characteristics such as disability, ethnic origin and age.

The concept of gender mainstreaming was adopted by the EU in the mid-1990s and became a requirement for EU Cohesion Policy delivered through the 2000-6 Structural Funds programme, which continued into the 2007-13 period. This chapter explores the impact of gender mainstreaming on projects funded under the Structural Funds in Scotland in the 2007-13 period. A cross-section of ESF- and ERDF-funded projects that supported labour market participation was investigated. The main issues examined included the extent to which the participants understood and were aware of gender mainstreaming and whether they undertook any gender-based monitoring and evaluation. The case of Scotland is then contextualised within the experience of the EU as a whole, highlighting the relevance for achieving Europe 2020 targets. Finally, the chapter discusses what lessons we can learn from this experience and whether gender mainstreaming can deliver in terms of increasing female employment opportunities.

Upon request by the Committee on Legal Affairs, this study analysis is mapping across all 28 EU Member States the representation of women and men in legal professions. The aim of this study is to identify areas where women or men are currently underrepresented and to analyse the underlying reasons and constraints.

Objectives In recent years, Ethiopia has made enormous strides in enhancing access to healthcare, especially, maternal and child healthcare. With the onset and spread of COVID-19, the attention of the healthcare system has pivoted to handling the disease, potentially at the cost of other healthcare needs. This paper explores whether this shift has come at the cost of non-Covid related healthcare, especially the use of maternal and child health (MCH) services. Setting Data covering a 24-month period are drawn from 59 health centres and 29 public hospitals located in urban Ethiopia. Primary and secondary outcomes measures The primary outcome measures are the use of MCH services including family planning, antenatal and postnatal care, abortion care, delivery and immunisation. The secondary outcome measures are the use of health services by adults including antiretroviral therapy (ART), tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy and dental services Results There is a sharp reduction in the use of both inpatient (20%-27%, p<0.001) and outpatient (27%-34%, p<0.001) care, particularly in Addis Ababa, which has been most acutely affected by the virus. This decline does not come at the cost of MCH services. The use of several MCH components (skilled birth attendant deliveries, immunisation, postnatal care) remains unaffected throughout the period while others (family planning services, antenatal care) experience a decline (8%-17%) in the immediate aftermath but recover soon after. Conclusion Concerns about the crowding out of MCH services due to the focus on COVID-19 are unfounded. Proactive measures taken by the government and healthcare facilities to ring-fence the use of essential healthcare services have mitigated service disruptions. The results underline the resilience and agility displayed by one of the world's most resource-constrained healthcare systems. Further research on the approaches used to mitigate disruptions is needed.