Pinning down social vulnerability in Sindh Province,Pakistan: from narratives to numbers,and back again

This paper reflects critically on the results of a vulnerability assessment process at the household and community scale using a quantitative vulnerabilities and capacities index. It validates a methodology for a social vulnerability assessment at the local scale in 62 villages across four agro‐ecological/livelihood zones in Sindh Province, Pakistan. The study finds that the move from vulnerability narratives to numbers improves the comparability and communicational strength of the concept. The depth and nuance of vulnerability, however, can be realised only by a return to narrative. Caution is needed, therefore: the index can be used in conjunction with qualitative assessments, but not instead of them. More substantively, the results show that vulnerability is more a function of historico‐political economic factors and cultural ethos than any biophysical changes wrought by climate. The emerging gendered vulnerability picture revealed extremes of poverty and a lack of capacity to cope with contemporary environmental and social stresses.     

How violence against women and girls undermines resilience to climate risks in Chad

What consequences does ‘everyday violence’ have on the abilities of survivors to protect themselves from further risks? This paper seeks to establish the linkages between violence and people's resilience capacities to survive and adapt to environmental changes, particularly those living in fragile economic and political contexts such as Chad. It investigates not only how the adverse consequences of violence against women and girls affect the health status and livelihoods of survivors, but also their capacities, and those of their household and community members, to further protect themselves from other risks. Empirical evidence collected in Chad as part of the BRACED (Building Resilience and Adaptation to Climate Extremes and Disasters) programme shows that ‘everyday violence’ undermines resilience‐building at the individual, household, and community level. These results have serious implications for development programmes and the role they need to play to better promote both gender equality and resilience to shocks and stresses.     

某金属冶炼厂周围居民人发的6种元素含量特征

为研究金属冶炼对人体健康的危害水平,利用原子吸收分光光度计和AFS-930型原子荧光光度计对浙江富阳郊区某金属冶炼厂周围部分人发的6种元素Cu、2n、Pb、Cd、As、Se含量进行了测定.结果表明,研究区居民人发样品中具有较高含量,其中Cu、Zn、Pb和Cd最高含量分别达312、513、700和7.41 μg·g-1, As和Se最高量达10.08和0.85 μg·g-1.人发中Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd、As含量呈明显相关关系,这在一定程度上反映了人发中元素污染程度的相似来源可能是小高炉冶炼.不同年龄的人发元素含量分析表明,40岁以上人发中Cu、Pb、Cd、As平均含量高于40岁以下约2倍;不同性别的人发元素含量分析表明, Cu、Zn、Cd、Se没有多大差别, Pb和As表现为男性略高于女性,但是经统计检验各元素在年龄和性别差异上均不显著.     

Beyond men and women: a critical perspective on gender and disaster

Consideration of gender in the disaster sphere has centred almost exclusively on the vulnerability and capacities of women. This trend stems from a polarised Western understanding of gender as a binary concept of man—woman. Such an approach also mirrors the dominant framing of disasters and disaster risk reduction (DRR), emphasising Western standards and practices to the detriment of local, non‐Western identities and experiences. This paper argues that the man—woman dichotomy is an insufficient construct with which to address the gendered dimensions of a disaster as it fails to capture the realities of diverse gender minorities in non‐Western contexts. The paper presents case studies from the Philippines, Indonesia, and Samoa, where gender minorities display specific patterns of vulnerability associated with their marginal positions in society, yet, importantly, also possess a wide array of endogenous capacities. Recognition of these differences, needs, skills, and unique resources is essential to moving towards inclusive and gender‐sensitive DRR.     

农民农地转出意愿及影响因素的性别差异——基于天津市578份调查问卷的实证分析

基于2015年对天津市农民的调查数据,运用二元Logistic回归模型,在性别差异的视角下,分析了农民农地转出意愿的影响因素。研究发现:对男性和女性农地转出意愿均有显著影响的主要是年龄、家庭农业收入比重、家庭劳动人口数量、非农就业年工资水平、对农地的态度、对政府土地流转服务评价、对农民工子女入学政策的评价。只对男性农地转出意愿有显著影响的是农地经营成本、农地经营收益、是否签订劳动合同、外出找工作途径、农地转出程序评价、对开展就业技能培训的评价、是否参与新农保、对新农保保障能力评价。只对女性农地转出意愿有显著影响的是文化程度、婚姻状况、对非农就业工作生活环境的感知、所在地区。基于上述结论,提出了相关对策建议。     

Sexualize one,objectify all? The sexualization spillover effect on female job candidates

We examined whether sexualizing a businesswoman impacts attitudes toward subsequently evaluated, nonsexualized females applying for a corporate managerial position. Research shows that sexualized women are perceived as less warm and competent (i.e., objectified). Integrating this work with research on social cognition, we hypothesized that the negative effect of sexualization “spills over” onto other nonsexualized women, reducing their hireability. Across two experiments, initially sexualized women were perceived as less warm and competent, as were subsequently evaluated nonsexualized female job candidates. In turn, these negative perceptions reduced the applicants' probability of being hired. Sexualization of women also increased intentions to hire a subsequently evaluated male candidate. The results were robust when we controlled for evaluators' gender and age. Our findings demonstrate that female job applicants can experience detrimental effects from sexually based objectification, even when they are not the individuals initially sexualized. We discuss implications for women's careers.     

Gender and international crisis response: do we have the data,and does it matter?

For more than a decade the humanitarian community has been mandated to mainstream gender in its response to crises. One element of this mandate is a repeated call for sex-disaggregated data to help guide the response. This study examines available analyses, assessments and academic literature to gain insights into whether sex-disaggregated data are generated, accessible and utilised, and appraised what can be learned from existing data. It finds that there is a gap between policy and practice. Evaluations of humanitarian responses rarely refer to data by sex, and there seems to be little accountability to do so. Yet existing data yield important information, pointing at practical, locally-specific measures to reduce the vulnerability of both males and females. This complements population-level studies noting the tendency for higher female mortality. The study discusses some possible obstacles for the generation of data and hopes to spur debate on how to overcome them.     

Flooding and the ‘new normal’: what is the role of gender in experiences of post-disaster ontological security?

Disaster researchers have long analysed disruption to affected residents' ontological security, often represented by routines and familiar landmarks. Surprisingly little of this work, though, assesses who is most likely to experience feelings of disruption. Using a representative set of survey data, complemented by follow-up interview data from 40 residents affected by the Southern Alberta Flood of June 2013, this paper explores how demographic characteristics, such as gender and place attachment, impact on residents' sense of disruption and loss. The findings indicate that women and people with stronger emotional and social ties to their neighbourhoods are most likely to experience disrupted ontological security; home flooding and evacuation orders are also significant predictors. The qualitative interview data reveal that many participants felt unsettled and disrupted by myriad factors, such as ongoing construction, which prevented them from establishing a ‘new normal’. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for policymakers and service providers.     

食物相暴露下三丁基锡(TBT)在疣荔枝螺(Thais clavigera)体内的吸收和代谢动力学

将牡蛎消化腺分别暴露在1000 ng·L-1和100 ng·L-1 TBT水溶液中4周,然后将染毒的牡蛎消化腺分别投喂疣荔枝螺(Thais clavigera).经过45 d的暴露和30 d的净化,我们发现雌雄疣荔枝螺的消化和生殖系统能较快地吸收TBT(吸收速率ku=0.004-0.022·d-1),并且其代谢(生物代...     

Governance of seed and food security through participatory plant breeding: Empirical evidence and gender analysis from Syria

This paper presents the findings of a study on the governance of seed conducted in the framework of a participatory plant breeding (PPB) programme, based on a multi‐year inquiry with a panel of ten Syrian households. The study assessed the interactions between governance regimes regulating the rights to access and control genetic resources at international and national level, compared to the actual ability of the respondent women farmers to access and control the seed of varieties they co‐developed with the PPB programme. The paper argues that gender equal access to seed can “optimally” contribute to enhancing household food security in small scale farming. The paper also argues that to support a gender‐equal access to seed in the respondent households legislation needs to explicitly protect the rights of women farmers to access and share the benefits of genetic material and draw from empirical evidence of the actual access to and control of seed at ground level.