Parity,Power and Representative Politics: The Elusive Pursuit of Gender Equality in Europe

In recent years the concept of parity democracy has rapidly risen up the European political agenda. Using a threefold typology of sex-quotas, this article undertakes a classification of the measures taken by the 15 old E.U. member states to improve the gender balance in representative assemblies. This is then used as the basis for an exploration of the advantages and disadvantages of the parity approach as a tool to promote gender equality, including the constitutional obstacles which stand in its way. The article goes on to present a comparative study of several national systems in which attempts to achieve parity democracy have been pursued, concluding that, in order to maximise their effectiveness, parity measures must operate within a system of unbiased political structures and be properly adjusted to suit the particularities of individual national electoral regimes.     

Mental Disorder, Violence, and Gender

Recent studies have reported comparable rates of violence among men and women with mental disorder, raising important issues for clinical risk assessment. This study examines the relationship between gender and violence using data from the MacArthur Violence Risk Assessment Study. Patients in acute psychiatric wards were interviewed 5 times over the year following their discharge to the community. Results showed some differences between men and women in the violence committed immediately following discharge, with rates for men being higher. But the prevalence of violence over the 1 year was similar for female and male discharged patients. However, there were substantial gender differences in the situational context of the violence committed. Men were more likely to have been drinking or using street drugs, and less likely to have been adhering to prescribed psychotropic medication, prior to committing violence. The violence committed by men was more likely to result in serious injury than the violence committed by women, and men were more likely than women to be arrested after committing a violent act. Women were more likely to target family members and to be violent in the home.     

Women and Asylum: A Particular Social Group

This note examines the judgement of the House of Lords in the cases of Islam andShah, particularly with regard to their conclusion that women in Pakistan who were victims of domestic violence and not protected by their state could qualify as members of a particular social group under the Geneva Convention, and therefore attain refugee status. The note considers the Refugee Women's Legal Group's Gender Guidelines for the Determination of Asylum Claims in the U.K. and discusses the problems faced by women who claim refugee status. Finally, the conceptualisation of domestic violence as a political issue and therefore a matter falling within the scope of the Convention issue is analysed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

社会性别的马克思主义诠释

对社会性别的马克思主义诠释是社会性别理论本土化和丰富发展马克思主义妇女理论的需要。本文认为社会性别是社会历史的产物,消除不合理性别差异的最终目的是人的解放,实现这一目标的途径是在发展生产力的基础上进行制度文化的变革。社会性别理论在某种程度上存在忽视生理区别、片面归因于文化、抹杀性别差异的局限,需要从马克思主义立场加以补充和校正。     

中国妇女参政十年回顾与评估

该文对于1995年至2005年的中国妇女参政进行回顾评估,从四个方面展开:第一,将十年妇女参政置于解放后的历史背景下,描述加强制定性别保障政策的意义和实践。第二,发现女性民主参与对我国公共政策推进的价值。第三,与国际社会妇女参政进行比较,与我国民主党派进行比较,分析这十年妇女参政停滞不前的状况和原因。第四,分析参政女性在权力结构中的边缘地位,认为导致女性政治参与更多表现出的是非权力的外围参与,对公共政策的影响效果有限。     

有关传播法规与政策的社会性别分析

本文检视了中国现行的传播法律、法规、行政规章和其它行政规范性文件,简要介绍了其中涉及女性权益的法条和规定,指出存在的问题,并就如何改进和完善保障女性权益的传播法制环境提出了对策性的建议。     

现实社会中性别意识的盲点

用性别意识的眼光审视我们的现实社会 ,会发现无论是在社会参与上、大众传媒中 ,还是广大公众中都不同程度地存在着性别意识的盲点或误区。这些盲点或误区已严重影响女性发展 ,阻碍社会进步 ,因此我们不能等闲视之。     

代际互惠还是福利不足?——城市双职工家庭家务劳动中的代际交换与社会性别

老人帮助已婚儿女承担家务劳动,不能简单地被视为一种代际互惠。第一,在代际及性别权力关系改变与工业社会变迁相互作用的背景下,这种传统意义上的代际互惠发生了改变。第二,代际互惠观念背后隐藏了一些意识形态,它们与工业化进程中家庭功能外移之间存在矛盾和冲突。文章在父系家庭和工业社会变迁的理论框架下,从代际和性别权力关系的视角,着重分析了城市双职工家庭中,在第一个孩子出世到上小学之前这段家庭生命周期内,祖父母特别是祖母协助双职工家庭中的儿子和儿媳承担育儿及其他家务工作这一现象,探讨了在经济力量改变社会性别和父权制家庭关系的背景下,老年女性的福利遭到削减、家庭面临工业化挑战、社会政策被期待做出调整等相关问题。     

婚姻身份协议的社会性别分析

婚姻身份协议正以越来越丰富的形态出现,中国民事立法尚未对其效力作出明确规定,司法实践对其效力认定不一。婚姻身份协议不同于一般的民事契约,它是饱受家庭暴力、婚外情等行为困扰的女性自我保护的一种救济手段。但建立在性别不平等基础的婚姻身份协议必然存在着难以解决的现实问题,因此这些受侵害女性的权益保障命题绝不仅仅通过婚姻身份协议就能够完成,它需要国家公共政策主要是法律作出相应的制度安排。     

社会性别视角下当代高校女生节现象研究

高校女生节现象是随在校女大学生群体日趋壮大,社会性别教育逐渐由第一课堂发展到第二课堂而出现的产物。女生节活动的开展逐渐改变了校园文化的性别无差异状态,提供给女大学生成长发展更加开阔的舞台,培育了女子社团组织活动的场域空间,也为女性研究和行动组织介入校园文化建设,开展社会性别意识教育提供了新的途径。