Kay Daniels as feminist historian

Abstract

While spending the better part of two academic years out of her home country, the USA, the author became increasingly perplexed by the current emphasis on poststructural theory in the writing of women's history. She says this because such theory may not only isolate this highly successful new subfield from the ongoing Second Women's Movement in the United States and from history teachers trying to integrate material on women into their classes, but most sadly, isolate American historians of women from their counterparts in Eastern European and Third World countries who are only beginning to write about their past.     

Gender-responsive budgeting: A budget reform to address gender inequity

In recognition of gender inequities, more than 80 countries have applied a gender perspective to their budget process, initiatives referred to as gender-responsive budgeting (GRB). Research on GRB initiatives has focused on whether they reduce gender inequities. However, if it is to have a lasting effect, GRB must reform the budget process and become integral to government administrative routines. We examine the experiences of several countries with GRB initiatives and identify the key factors explaining implementation success or failure. We find that these factors are similar to those that explain the success of earlier budget reforms focused on efficiency and effectiveness. While the equity objective of GRB differentiates it from other budget reforms, these factors provide the context for understanding GRB initiatives. Although gender parity is just one dimension of social equity, the success of GRB initiatives shows that governments can use their budgets to meet social equity objectives.     

Subjective effect of September 11, 2001 among pregnant women: is cumulative history of interpersonal violence important?

Prior history of trauma may sensitize individuals to subsequent trauma, including terrorist attacks. Using a convenience sample of secondary, cross-sectional data, pregnant women were grouped based on lifetime interpersonal violence history. Cumulative risk theory was used to evaluate the association of lifetime interpersonal violence history and subjective impact of the September 11, 2001 (9/11) terrorists attacks. Using hierarchical linear regression, cumulative risk theory was partially supported. Women with a history of only one type of interpfersonal violence reported greater effect of 9/11 than did women without a history, but women with both types of violence did not report a greater effect of 9/11 compared to women endorsing history of one type. These data corroborate the literature in that level of exposure to terrorist-related trauma predicts subjective reaction to the attacks. Future research with a larger sample and standardized instruments is warranted.     

Women and citizenship

Barbara Sullivan and Gillian Whitehouse (eds), Gender, Politics & Citizenship in the 1990s (University of New South Wales Press) Sydney, 1996.

Jan Jindy Pettman, Worlding Women: A Feminist International Politics (Allen & Unwin) Sydney, 1996.     

Linking Climate Litigation and Human Rights

Human activities since the beginning of the industrial age have produced emissions that are accelerating natural forces and changing the global climate. The expected impacts on sea levels, temperature, precipitation and storm intensity will stress many human communities and, in many cases, will threaten basic human rights. Climate litigation provides one tool that can be used to shape climate policy and to seek redress from climate-related injuries. This article explores the advantages and disadvantages of linking climate litigation and human rights in order to find effective strategies for protecting those most vulnerable to threats to well-being created by climate change.     

Frauen und Politik in Osteuropa: 10 Jahre nach dem Zusammenbruch des Sozialismus

Drei Aspekte stehen im Mittelpunkt des Aufsatzes: Erstens geht es um die Partizipation von Frauen am politischen Leben im Allgemeinen, zweitens um den Anteil von Frauen innerhalb gewählter politischer Eliten und schließlich um die Berücksichtigung von Fraueninteressen und -belangen in der Politik. Diese Aspekte sind auf komplexe Weise miteinander verbunden. Sie werden nicht in gesonderten Abschnitten bearbeitet, wohl aber analytisch getrennt. Zunächst zeigt ein Rückblick auf die kommunistische Ära die Bedeutung der Integration von Frauen in die Erwerbssphäre und eine damit zusammenhängende spezifische Bereitschaft von Frauen, sich nach dem Zusammenbruch des kommunistischen Regimes am politischen Leben zu beteiligen. Dann werden einige Implikationen der gesellschaftlichen Transformation in das Zentrum der Aufmerksamkeit gerückt, die für die politische Partizipation von Frauen relevant sind. Es folgt eine Diskussion darüber, welche Konsequenzen Wahlordnungen wie auch jeweilige parteipolitische Positionen auf den Wahlerfolg von Frauen haben. Abschließend werden soziale Faktoren, die den Erfolg von Frauen im politischen Leben beeinflussen, zusammengefasst, und es werden Perspektiven des Wandels angerissen.     

Gender Inequality and Patterns of Abuse Post Leaving

Drawing on Connell’s (Gender and power: Society, the person and sexual politics. California: Stanford University Press, 1987; Masculinities. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1995) model of gender relations, this paper examines patterns of intimate partner violence among women who have recently left an abusive partner. In so doing, we attempt to better understand the social structural factors that shape the relations of power and control in intimate violent heterosexual unions. The data come from the first wave of a longitudinal prospective survey of 309 women who had left an abusive partner in the previous 3 years. Our data suggest that structured relations of inequality, namely relations of production, power and cathexis, shape women’s risk of abuse and harassment after leaving, and do so in ways that shape relations of coercive control. These results have implications for understanding the social context within which male violence against women occurs, and how this context constrains and/or enables women’s strategies for leaving and safety. This research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) New Emerging Team Grant #106054 and Institute of Gender and Health Operating Grant #15156 (Marilyn Ford-Gilboe, Principal Investigator). The authors thank the participants in the Women’s Health Effects Study. We also thank Julie McMullin, Kim Shuey, and the Health Effects research team for their helpful feedback.