Flexible work arrangements and gender differences in research during the COVID-19 period in Zimbabwean higher learning institutions

This study sought to investigate the impact of COVID-19-induced flexible work arrangements (FWAs) on gender differences in research outputs during COVID-19. A mixed research methodology was used, focusing on higher learning institutions in Zimbabwe. Purposive sampling was applied to select 250 researchers from the 21 registered universities in Zimbabwe. The study's findings revealed that institutions of higher learning in Zimbabwe did not provide the necessary affordances to enable both male and female academics to work from home effectively. The study also established that FWAs were preferred and appreciated by both male and female academics. However, whilst both male and female academics performed their teaching responsibilities without incident, unlike males, females struggled to find time for research, thus affecting professional growth and development negatively for female academics. Cultural traditions were found to subordinate females to domestic and caregiving responsibilities unrelated to their professions. The findings raise questions on the feasibility of the much-recommended FWAs for future work on female academics' research careers. Thus, without the necessary systems and processes to support female researchers, FWAs can only widen the gender gap in research outputs. This study contributes to the Zimbabwean higher learning institutions' perspective on how FWAs' policies and practices could be re-configured to assist female researchers in enhancing their research outputs as well as their career growth.

MASCULINIDAD HEGEMÓNICA, ROLES DE GÉNERO Y VIOLENCIA INTRAFAMILIAR EN PUEBLA-TLAXCALA, MÉXICO

El objetivo del artículo es analizar, desde la perspectiva de género, la incidencia de la masculinidad hegemónica y los roles de género estereotipados en la armonía familiar en la Zona Metropolitana de Puebla-Tlaxcala (ZMTP), donde se reporta un incremento de violencia durante el confinamiento por Covid-19 como resultado del reparto desigual en los quehaceres domésticos y el machismo en México. Es una investigación cualitativa donde se empleó el método de encuesta telefónica y descriptivo-exploratorio. Al final del trabajo, se evidencia que las tradiciones culturales y la normalización de la dominación masculina impiden la erradicación de los abusos en el hogar.Alternate :The objective of the article is to analyze, from the gender perspective, the incidence of hegemonic masculinity and stereotyped gender roles in family harmony where it refers to an increase in violence during confinement by Covid-19 in the Metropolitan Area Puebla-Tlaxcala (ZMTP) as a result of the unequal distribution of domestic chores and sexism in Mexico. It is a qualitative investigation where the method of telephone and descriptive-exploratory survey was used. At the end of the work, it shows that cultural traditions and the normalization of male domination prevent the eradication of abuse in the home.

Emissions of black carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Potential implications of cultural practices during the Covid-19 pandemic

Emissions of black carbon (BC) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from various anthropogenic activities are often reported, yet cultural practices such as the multi-day Diwali festival and its influences on the emissions of these compounds are often overlooked. Major activities during this festival include burning rows of oil-filled earthen lamps (diyas) and fireworks (bursting of crackers). A comprehensive field investigation was conducted to document the role of Diwali celebrations on the releases of BC and PAHs during the ongoing Covid pandemic. The results show that large-scale releases of BC and PAHs were observed on the first day of Diwali compared to the remaining four days. BC and PM2.5 mass concentrations throughout the monitoring period ranged from 3.24 to 27.64 µg m−3 and 83.33 to 288.13 µg m−3, respectively. The source apportionment was performed based on the calculated backward trajectories. The results show that the contribution of fossil fuel emission at Adityapur (ADP), Sakchi (SAK), and Gamharia (GMA) was approximately 36.1 %, 34.4 %, and 55.56 %, while biomass burning contribution was approx. 56.9 %, 59.9 %, 41.67 %, respectively. The result showed that fossil fuel emissions were lower compared to biomass combustion during Diwali. Simultaneously, PAHs diagnostic ratio showed that vehicular discharge and coal burning significantly contributed to PAHs at these study sites. © 2022 The Author(s)

Art in the age of the pandemic: creative search in the context of the intersection of Russian painting and Chinese culture

The article discusses the experience of creating oil paintings in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. The material for the analysis was the results of the author's plein air practice, presented in the album "Oil Painting by Liao Zhengding `Fields and haystacks in the surroundings of Pushkin'". Based on the current research literature regarding the COVID-19-pandemic impact on the arts, the article provides systematization and analysis of landscape works created by the author during self-isolation;a number of problematic issues of the "pandemic art" theory are brought into sharp focus.