Converging Crises and the Cost of Exclusion: Unveiling the Invisible Women of Sri Lanka's Economy

In Sri Lanka, womens labor force participation has never exceeded 35% in over three decades. As of 2022, the country was ranked 110 out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forums Gender Gap Index. The gaps in womens participation in the formal economy alongside womens limited political empowerment are two leading causes for the country to be lagging in such global gender equality indicators. At a large cost to the economy, the existence of archaic gender norms that promulgate womens unpaid care work often exclude women from the formal labor force. This paper dissects the socio-economic and socio-political factors that lead to the invisibility of women in Sri Lankas economy, while seeking to understand how such underlying causes have been aggravated within the precarity of the post-pandemic context. It is important, now more than ever, to recognize the invisibility of women in Sri Lankas formal economy, while bringing about a transformative vision with a multi-pronged approach to address existing gaps and challenges. With reference to key principles of feminist economics, including the theoretical foundations of Claudia Goldin, Nancy Folbre, and Diane Elson, among others, the paper will make a case for inclusivity and intersectionality in policy recommendations aimed at encouraging womens entry, active engagement, contribution, and retention in Sri Lankas economy. The paper reaches a conclusion that when women lead, participate, and benefit equally in all aspects of life, societies and economies will thrive, thereby contributing to sustainable development and inclusive economic growth.

The impact of COVID-19 on women and children in the UK who were victims of domestic abuse: a practitioner perspective

PurposeThis study aims to explore the impact of COVID-19 on women and children in the UK who were victims of domestic abuse.Design/methodology/approachThe authors draw from their experiences of working in the domestic abuse sector to reflect on the impact of lockdown restrictions on women and children, focussing on the impact of government restrictions that created an environment in which abusers could control the movement of victims.FindingsThe impact of the pandemic was significant as victims were locked into the abuse, unable to escape for fear of breaching lockdown rules. The lockdown affected victims of different forms of violence against women and girls in the UK including forced marriage and female genital mutilation, which highlighted the ramifications of intersectional inequalities for abuse victims.Originality/valueThis paper articulates the devastating impact of the pandemic on vulnerable women, and their fair and just access to the family courts. This paper concludes that women were failed by the government and that there was not nearly enough support from support agencies, which has left many at risk and suffering significant harm.

Women, Work and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Paving the Path Forward

This paper focuses on the pandemic's impact on women's participation in the economy. The author outlines the various barriers to the full and equal participation of women in the Indian economy such as the gender division of labour which requires women to shoulder the burden of unpaid domestic work, the occupational segregation of the labour market, gender-blind development policies, regressive social norms and patriarchal attitudes. The challenge facing women only increased with the pandemic which led to large numbers of women dropping out of the workforce. The author suggests that in the immediate future the State has a crucial role in redressing this injustice. In the longer term, she calls for rethinking the dominant models of development that pursue economic growth and rise in GDP as the panacea for all problems. Such models have given rise to the rampant exploitation of labour, among whom women are the most vulnerable. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2023.

Meeting the challenge of gender inequality through gender transformative research: lessons from research in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

While the global development agenda has prioritized gender equality, many challenges remain, and the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated inequalities. Gender transformative approaches to social change have the potential to address the underlying causes of inequality. This paper draws insights from studies funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre to understand how integrating gender transformative approaches to research can support social change. The findings suggest that gender transformative research is most successful in supporting change when it analyzes and addresses the multiple causes of inequality, takes an intersectional and structural approach, embeds the research in local contexts, and engages power holders and perpetrators of inequality.Alternate :RÉSUMÉSi les objectifs de développement mondial ont donné la priorité à l'égalité des genres, il y a encore de nombreux défis à relever dans ce domaine et la crise de la COVID-19 a exacerbé les inégalités. Les approches transformatrices du genre nous permettent de faire face aux causes sous-jacentes de ces inégalités. Cet article base son analyse sur des études financées par le Centre de recherches pour le développement international, au Canada, et vise à mieux comprendre comment l'adoption d'approches transformatrices du genre dans le contexte de la recherche peut appuyer le changement social. Nos résultats suggèrent que la recherche se basant sur une approche transformatrice du genre a de meilleurs chances d'inciter des changements sociaux lorsqu'elle analyse et répond aux différentes causes des inégalités, lorsqu'elle adopte une approche intersectionnelle et structurelle, lorsqu'elle intègre la recherche dans des contextes locaux et lorsqu'elle confronte les détenteurs du pouvoir et les responsables des inégalités.

The "epidemic within the pandemic”: meeting the needs of racially minoritised women experiencing domestic abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic

PurposeIn March 2020, the UK entered its first lockdown responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. In the same month, the Domestic Abuse Bill had its first reading in Parliament. Charities and non-governmental organisations critiqued the Bill for failing to protect migrants from domestic abuse, and not complying with the Istanbul Convention. Drawing on interviews with staff from Southall Black Sisters, this paper aims to foreground the experiences of practitioners within the women's sector to explore the unique experiences and challenges migrant and racially minoritised women encountered when seeking support from domestic abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic. It highlights how the pandemic-related lockdowns created barriers to accessing support services and housing, creating an epidemic within the pandemic, and how minoritised women and the organisations that supported them had to overcome structural barriers and racism.Design/methodology/approachIn-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with staff from a leading women's organisation that supports migrant and racially minoritised women. Four participants were asked questions within four themes: domestic abuse before and during the pandemic;accessing support from and reporting domestic abuse;accessibility of resources;and post-pandemic challenges. A phenomenological approach was used to analyse the transcribed interviews.FindingsParticipants consistently highlighted the unique threats and barriers migrant and racially minoritised women faced when seeking support. Barriers included racism, language barriers, cultural constraints, the triple threat of destitution, detention, deportation, and political resistance to protect migrant women from destitution/homelessness.Originality/valueThis paper provides a unique insight into the experiences of staff members within a specialist by and for women's support organisation in England and their perspectives on the barriers racially minoritised and migrant women experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. It offers rare insights into how service users' needs changed during the lockdowns and how the pandemic affected their ability to operate.

Black women and girls: Racism and intersectional oppression

The duel systemic societal harms of the COVID-19 pandemic and violent racial injustice have reexposed centuries-long oppression and violence that affects Black people in the United States. These systemic harms, however, are not unilaterally distributed across racial lines, as Black women and girls endure intersectional oppression, including the unique amalgamation of racism and sexism. It is within these interlocking oppressions that sexual abuse flourishes. This chapter opens with critical visioning regarding how we understand inequality in social justice movements. It introduces scholarship on anti-Black racism, intersectional oppression, and Crenshaw's (1991) theories of intersectionality to frame the contextually oppressive experiences of Black women and girls. The chapter provides an application for examining intersectionality within the field of psychology. It details what such intersectional oppression can actually look like in the lives of Black women and girls. Finally, the chapter closes with summary bullet points of the main takeaway messages. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The case for online education: success factors in an MSW program through a critical feminist lens

Social work has seen a dramatic rise in online MSW programs;however, there is a paucity of research surrounding programmatic reviews. Given the dearth of supporting evidence, data were collected from online students at the University of Tennessee, College of Social Work surrounding several noted key measures for success demonstrating the compatibility between online programming and social work education. These key measures include student demographics, knowledge, student perceptions, alumni perceptions, and faculty perceptions. Data were also collected regarding the university's COVID−19 response, perceptions surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion work, and the use of a dedicated advisor to support online students. Results were viewed through a critical feminist lens and revealed that this online MSW program either did meet or exceeded success factors described in the literature. Results also identified new success factors that include alumni outcomes and the importance of dedicated advisors for online students. Implications for online teaching, administration, and research are discussed. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Social Work Education is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

Notes from the portal: Feminist educational practices in/post- pandemic art and design classrooms

This chapter addresses post-secondary arts educators' need to apply intersectional feminist educational pedagogies and methodologies while navigating during and post-COVID-19. By deconstructing oppressive pre-pandemic educational ideologies within the liminal portal of COVID-19, students and faculty can embrace this new state of change. Feminist educational practices can steady educators in this transitory time as it historically values and utilizes unease, flexibility, multiplicity, and self-reflection. Specific classroom approaches and examples highlight how and why feminist practices can create inner awareness, community, and transformational change. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021. All rights reserved.

Closer to and further away – emergency-remote teacher education, orientations and student-bodies

This paper contributes knowledge on the effects of materiality and space on teaching and equal access to teacher education. Through an intersectional analysis, with a specific focus on orientations, bodies and materiality, we show how student-bodies orientate closer to or further from various parts of teacher education as an effect of the materiality of emergency-remote vs. on-campus education. We elaborate on three different student-body orientating processes that take place during teacher education. These are all related to the emergency-remote education implemented as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. We call these processes ‘remote education as relief ', ‘the embodiedness of raising the hand on Zoom' and ‘energy-draining pre-recorded lectures'. We show how the materiality of emergency-remote education orientates the participants situated within the bodily horizons of intersectional positions of being deaf, female, racialized as non-white and not having Swedish as a first language, both closer to and further away from various parts of their teacher education. The analysis is based on both individual and group interviews with twelve teacher students. The paper contributes insights to emergency-remote education, remote education and on-campus educating. © 2022 Emilia Åkesson, Edyta Just & Katarina Eriksson Barajas.

On the Margins: Exploring Minority News Media Representations of Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionately negative affect on women, especially women from minoritized groups. Minority news media are an important information source for these groups, when it comes to providing alternative views, and health related information. Whilst the poor representation of women in COVID-19 related mainstream news coverage is acknowledged, little is known regarding the representation of women in digital minority news content, during the pandemic and beyond. Considering this gap, we examine how women have been represented within a diverse corpus of minority news, and explore how these representations serve to bridge between different social groups. Critically analyzing the representation of these marginalized groups offers a lens through which we can better understand the function of minority news media in a democracy. Using critical discourse analysis, this study examines three online minority newspapers and one podcast from the US. Findings show that women are covered in an inclusive and empowering way, containing perspectives and concerns unique to the minority group, strengthening identities, platforming community-specific issues, communicating a call to action, and promoting intersectional solidarity. These representations also reveal the complex tensions between counterhegemonic and dominant publics which minority news media sources constantly negotiate through their content.

National Campaigns and Organizations Focused on Gender Equity in Pediatrics

This chapter explores the organizations, campaigns, and movements that advocate for gender equity in medicine, equity in specialties with the highest percentages of individuals who identify as women, and those which support women in pediatrics such as the work of the Federation of Pediatric Organizations (FOPO). It discusses these in the context of disparities in compensation, promotions, and research, the disproportionate effects of COVID on women in medicine, as well as the compounded effects of intersectionality in pediatrics. It also reviews studies that raise awareness of gender-based concerns in pediatrics like the Pediatric Life and Career Experience Study (PLACES) study and delves into one of the most recently launched pediatric advocacy groups, ADVANCE PHM. Through these avenues, there has been an increase in the awareness of gender equity and humanization of a profession that has historically had standards that are difficult to live up to and do not reflect the full potential of women who enter the profession. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.

Adaptation of Environmental and Sustainability Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The delivery of environment and sustainability education in pre-service teacher programmes was challenged due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown conditions. In this chapter, we examine our histories and experiences as three academics adapting environment and sustainability education during forced remote learning. While there is research regarding remote learning, an examination of the unique circumstances that transpired when shifting to forced remote learning conditions during a pandemic is necessary. Using collaborative autoethnography, we explore meaning making and how we adapted our thinking and delivery from outdoor experiential activities to remote learning activities whilst trying to create meaningful experiences for our students who were restricted in their environments. Drawing on Yuval-Davis' theory of situated intersectionality, we recognise that adapting to forced remote learning gave us an opportunity to lean on each other for support despite the various academic stages we occupied. Our diverse histories and experiences re-emerged in a collective and yet different learning space. The situated intersectionality of our collaboration and the physicality of our present locations enhanced how we learnt and worked together by deepening our own understanding and practices. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2022.

Igniting an Intersectional Shift in Public Policy Research (and Training)

Tout au long des années 2010, l'une des principales préoccupations en ce qui concerne les politiques publiques et les débats sur celles-ci était la compréhension des sources d'inégalité, de même que le rôle du gouvernement dans la lutte contre l'inégalité des revenus. Bien que des progrès aient été réalisés, d'importantes lacunes subsistent en matière d'inégalité – lacunes qui vont bien au-delà de l'inégalité des revenus et que la pandémie de COVID-19 a mises en évidence. L'expérience de la pandémie nous rappelle que les individus qui forment la société vivent des expériences distinctes et que l'attention à l'inégalité et à la diversité doit s'intégrer étroitement à des cadres stratégiques actualisés. Après la COVID-19, alors que les gouvernements s'engagent à ce que la relance soit équitable et dans le contexte d'un désir généralisé pour une société plus juste, une approche inclusive de l'analyse des politiques est nécessaire afin de remédier aux défaillances de longue date de l'économie et de la société. Les cadres stratégiques actualisés doivent être plus représentatifs des expériences et des luttes des populations marginalisées et sous-représentées, et leur accorder plus d'attention. L'intersectionnalité est un outil analytique ancré dans le paradigme de la justice sociale qui met au jour les liens entre les notions d'identité et les systèmes de pouvoir à travers lesquels elles se déploient. L'intersectionnalité tient compte de la façon dont nos identités se forment : à l'intersection de divers construits sociaux, tels que la race, la capacité, la classe et le genre, et dans des contextes et des structures de pouvoir plus vastes, comme le marché du travail et les institutions gouvernementales. L'intégration complète de l'intersectionnalité à l'analyse des politiques permettrait de mettre en place une structure d'analyse des politiques qui ferait avancer les programmes politiques centrés sur la diversité, l'inclusion et l'équité.Alternate :Throughout the 2010s, a major focus of public policy and public policy debates was about understanding the sources of inequality and understanding the role of government in addressing income inequality. While progress has been made, significant gaps in inequality remain-gaps that go well beyond income inequality and that were emphasized throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. The experiences of the pandemic have served as a reminder that individuals in society have distinct experiences, and that attention to inequality and diversity needs to be seriously incorporated into modernized policy frameworks. As governments commit to a fair recovery from COVID-19 amid a broad desire for a more just society, a more inclusive approach to policy analysis is required to address longstanding failures in the economy and society. Modernized policy frameworks need to be more representative of and attentive to the experiences and struggles of marginalized and underrepresented populations. Intersectionality is an analytical tool rooted in the social justice paradigm that makes clear the links between notions of identity and the systems of power through which they play out. Intersectionality considers the ways in which our identities are formed at the intersections of various social constructs, such as race, ability, class, and gender, and within broader contexts and structures of power, such as the labour market and government institutions. Fully integrating intersectionality into policy analysis could create a policy analysis structure that would advance policy agendas of diversity, inclusion, and equity.

Editorial Introduction: Special Issue: Time, Urgency, and Collaboration in the Corporate University

Elite universities saw huge gains on their endowments while community colleges are struggling to survive4 and lipservice to "diversity" does not translate into job security.5 We began this work with the conviction that transnational, intersectional collaborative strategies are urgently needed in response to the global rise of neo-nationalism within a persistent system of neoliberal racial capitalism: violence, poverty and displacement are escalating while wealth disparities continue to increase. Productivity translates into numbers and speed, resources are distributed based on seemingly neutral algorithms, while teaching and scholarship are assessed in terms of numerically measurable outcomes. [...]while right wing movements frame academia as a hub of subversive, radical thinking and activism, innovation and collaboration in the service of transformation often face institutional obstacles. The emphasis in the essays in this volume is not just on identifying injustice and violence but on creating paths for alternatives to emerge, to, with cover artist Althea Murphy-Price, position anew, create new spaces and paces, new materials, notions of beauty, and forms of resistance, to build communities and collaborations that will "imagine otherwise" (Sharpe 2006, 115)7 and make different collaborations and worlds possible. On Our Cover Art Althea Murphy-Price received her B.A. in Fine Art from Spelman College before completing her Master of Arts in Printmaking and Painting at Purdue University and her Master of Fine Arts at Tyler School of Art, Temple University.

Critical Orthodoxies and (Re) Imagining Scholarship for a Brave New World

Introduction to the special issue.

Exploring racism and racialization in the work of healthcare chaplains: a case for a critical multifaith approach.

The global COVID-19 pandemic has revealed healthcare settings as sites of much-needed scrutiny as to the workings of racism and racialization in shaping healthcare encounters, health outcomes, and workplace conditions. Little research has focused on how healthcare chaplains experience and respond to social processes of racism and racialization. We apply a critical race lens to understand racism and racialization in healthcare chaplaincy, and inspired by Patricia Hill Collins, propose a "critical multifaith approach." Drawing on research in healthcare in Canada and England, we generated four composite narratives to analyze racialization's variability and resistances employed by Indigenous, Arab, Black, and White chaplains. The composites disclose complex intersecting histories of colonialism, religion, race, and gender. Developing a critical multifaith perspective on healthcare delivery is an essential competency for chaplains wanting to impact the systems in which they serve in the direction of more equitable human flourishing.

Articulations of 'Funeral' in Swedish Newspapers During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

This article explores how 'funeral' was articulated in Swedish newspapers during the Covid-19 pandemic and how such articulations relate to power and ideology. Articles from the six most prominent Swedish newspapers, published over 2 years, have been analyzed using critical discourse analysis and intersectionality. The study reveals three funeral discourses dominating during different periods of the pandemic: 'Funeral as a risk,' 'Funeral as an essential ritual,' and 'Funeral as a profession.' Altogether, the three discourses expose an ideal of 'the responsible mourner.' This rational woman follows the funeral restrictions and arranges a church funeral shortly after the death of a relative. The 'good funeral' is portrayed as a church funeral with physically present mourners, performed according to the deceased's will and in honor of the dead. The 'bad funeral,' described as the opposite of the 'good funeral,' dominates the understanding of the pandemic funeral situation.

All Shades of Anxiety: A Review of Therapeutic and Psychotropic Considerations for Child and Adolescent Youth of Color.

The literature on anxiety in Black, Indigenous, and other persons of color youth is a developing area. This article highlights distinct areas for the clinician to consider in working with these populations. We highlight prevalence and incidence, race-related stress, social media, substance use, spirituality, the impact of social determinants of health (including COVID-19 and the Syndemic), as well as treatment considerations. Our aim is to contribute to the readers' developing cultural humility.

Kindness-informed allyship praxis

PurposeThis paper explores intergenerational perceptions of kindness in the context of Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and the COVID-19 global pandemic. The purpose of this exploratory study is to investigate perceptions of kindness in the context of traumatic events and its potential value in authentic allyship in organizational environments.Design/methodology/approachAuthors interviewed 65 individuals (31 self-identifying as non-racialized and 34 self-identifying as Black, Indigenous and People of Colour aka BIPOC). Participants included Generation Z (Gen Z;born between 1997-2012/5) and Generation Y (Gen Y;also referred to as Millennials, born between 1981 and 1994/6) across North American, Europe and Africa. Millennials currently represent the largest generation in the workplace and are taking on leadership roles, whereas Gen Z are emerging entrants into the workplace and new organizational actors.FindingsThe paper offers insights into how to talk about BLM in organizations, how to engage in authentic vs performative allyship and how to support BIPOC in the workplace. The study also reveals the durability of systemic racism in generations that may be otherwise considered more enlightened and progressive.Research limitations/implicationsThe authors expand on kindness literature and contribute theoretically and methodologically to critical race theory and intertextual analysis in race scholarship.Practical implicationsThe study contributes to the understanding of how pro-social behaviours like kindness (with intention) can contribute to a more inclusive discourse on racism and authentic allyship.Originality/valueAuthors reveal the potential for kindness as a pro-social behaviour in organizational environments to inform authentic allyship praxis.

"This Person is Safe": An Exemplar of Conducting Individual Interviews in Qualitative Research with Black Women

Significant conceptual and empirical evidence has been found through qualitative research about the benefits, limitations, and uses of individual interviews. However, there is scant research illustrating how researchers use specific techniques that center participants' intersecting identities to build rapport, trust, and authentic connections during individual interviews, and especially during interviews with Black women. We illustrate how we used eight empirically grounded techniques in our qualitative individual interviews with Black women. Through our analysis of the interviews, the concept of safety emerged. "This person is safe" reflects the combined stories the women reported regarding their experiences engaging in individual interviews. In this article, we provide a brief background on individual interviewing in qualitative research, followed by the framing of our work. Thereafter, we provide context about the exemplar study, outline techniques shown to be effective in the literature, and provide examples from the exemplar study to show how each technique was used. Further research is needed to examine how researchers use various techniques in qualitative individual interviews in general, but with Black women more specifically.