Gelijkheid, daar gaat ze

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Gendering the diversification of diversity

This article presents an analysis of the recent headscarf debate in Belgium, and explores in particular to what extent issues of gender equality and feminist arguments were central to the discussion. It is argued that compared to France, concerns about secularity and state-neutrality, national identity and equality, all find resonance in the Belgian context, but are articulated in a more ambiguous and less `principled' way. This partly explains the paradoxical situation in which, despite a widespread resistance to a general law banning the wearing of religious symbols in public schools, in practice, headscarf prohibitions are on the rise throughout various regions of the country. Although issues of gender equality and cultural diversity often cut and flow across debates and policies in European nation states, the Belgian hijab question provides a unique case, because of various lines of fracture and processes of increasing diversification that characterize Belgian society

'If I have only two children and they die. who will take care of me?' : a qualitative study exploring knowledge, attitudes and practices about family planning among Mozambican female and male adults

Background: By focusing upon family planning counselling services, the Mozambican government has significantly enhanced the general health of female and male clients. However, little is known about the experiences of family planning by female and male adults. This article focuses on knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding contraceptive methods and fertility intentions. Methods: An in-depth qualitative study of female and male clients was conducted in two settings in Maputo province - Ndlavela and Boane. A total of sixteen in-depth interviews, four informal conversations, and observations were equally divided between both study sites. The analysis followed a constructionist approach. Three steps were considered in the analysis: examining commonalities, differences and relationships. Results: Although there was a high level of family planning knowledge, there were discrepancies in clients' everyday practices. Male and female clients are confronted with a variety of expectations concerning fertility intentions and family size, and are under pressure in numerous ways. Social pressures include traditional expectations and meanings connected to having children, as well as religious factors. Short interaction time between clients and health workers is a problem. Additionally, imposed contraceptive methods, and typically brief conversations about birth control between couples only adds to the burden. Because family planning is largely viewed as a woman's concern, most clients have never attended counselling sessions with their partners. Attitudes towards responsibility for contraceptive use and risk-taking are strongly gendered. Conclusions: Female and male clients have differing expectations about contraceptive use and fertility intentions. They participate differently in family planning programs leading to their inconsistent and ambivalent practices as well as vague perceptions of risk-taking. Therefore, policymakers must address the reasons behind ambivalence and inconsistency regarding contraceptives and family planning

Women with infertility complying with and resisting polygyny : an explorative qualitative study in urban Gambia

Background. In many low-and middle-income countries women with infertility are often in polygynous marriages. From a human and women's rights perspective, the practice of polygyny is commonly understood as harmful. Studies indicate that polygyny aggravates negative life circumstances of women with infertility with respect to their health and social well-being. The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore how women with infertility experience polygyny and to understand their decision-making regarding these marriages.Methods. An explorative qualitative study was conducted among women with infertility in the urban communities of the West Coast region of The Gambia using in-depth interviews (30). Data analysis involved an emergent and partially inductive thematic framework and was carried out using NVivo 11.Results. With the exception of some women with infertility who described positive experiences within polygynous marriages, most women emphasised conflicts that exist within polygynous households and reported financial and emotional difficulties. Thematic analysis identified several strategies of women with infertility to cope with and resist polygynous marriages, including overcoming childlessness, addressing conflict, spending time outside the compound, looking for social support, kanyaleng kafoolu, living separately and initiating divorce. Moreover, the experiences and decision-making power of women with infertility when it comes to polygynous marriages was found to be closely related to their socio-demographic background.Conclusion.This work highlights how women with infertility in polygynous marriages are in a precarious situation in urban Gambia. Women utilize a mix of compliance, coping and resistance strategies to navigate the challenges of polygynous marriages in a structurally constraining context

Être féministe, ce n’est pas exclure !

Bien que les analyses des politologues et des sociologues insistent sur la complexité du contexte multiculturel en Belgique néerlandophone, on s’est peu intéressé à la façon dont la question du genre s’articulait au sein de ce contexte. S’appuyant sur l’analyse de quelques cas — la reconnaissance de la répudiation dans le Code du droit international privé, l’interdiction de la mutilation génitale, la prise en compte de la violence liée à l’honneur et le débat sur le port du voile —, cet article examine la façon dont les intérêts et la position des femmes de groupes minoritaires sont abordés à différents niveaux et registres institutionnels.Nous montrerons la différence analytique entre la position féministe de principe et le pragmatisme féministe. Alors que pour la première, la question est de savoir quels principes priment — l’égalité des sexes ou le respect de la diversité culturelle —, pour la seconde, le dilemme est plutôt de type politique et stratégique : quelles mesures et actions contribuent à l’amélioration de la position vulnérable des femmes des groupes minoritaires ? Du fait que celle-ci nécessite qu’on tienne compte des contextes historiques particuliers et du fonctionnement, aussi bien que de l’influence de divers facteurs d’inégalités socio-économiques et de la discrimination, elle suscite souvent des réactions paradoxales.Being a Feminist, is not to Exclude! Feminist Pragmatism in the Debate on Multiculturalism in Flanders. Whereas analyses of political scientists and sociologists emphasize the complexity of the Belgian and Flemish multicultural context, less attention has been spend on how gender issues articulate within or across the different dimensions of diversity. This article discusses how the so-called gender-culture debates have been brought forward and how the interests and positions of minority and migrant women have been integrated in different levels and institutional frameworks, by focusing on some particular cases, i.e.: the recognition of repudiation in Belgian International Private Law, the Belgian law banning genital mutilation, the (lack of) attention to the issue of honour-related violence and the debate on the wearing of the headscarf in schools and public office. Two main positions are analytically distinguished; i.e. a principal and a pragmatic feminist position. Instead of debating which principles should prevail —gender equality or respect for cultural diversity— the pragmatic position regards the dilemma as mainly strategic and political. The main question it aims to address is what kind of measures and actions could contribute to the amelioration of the vulnerable position of minority and migrant women. This however requires taking into account the historical contexts and the interplay of different factors and dimensions of inequalities and discriminations and often leads to paradoxical outcomes.Ser feminista es no excluir ! El pragmatismo feminista en del debate del multiculturalismo en Flandes. No obstante que en las ciencias políticas y sociólogas constatamos un interés profundo por la compleja realidad multicultural de Bélgica neerlandófona, este interés no se ha emitido de la misma manera en las interrogaciones sobre la importancia de la dimensión del género en el contexto multicultural. A través de algunas ilustraciones – el reconocimiento de la repudiación en el Código de Derecho Internacional Privado, la interdicción de la mutilación genital femenina, la violencia mandada por la idea de honor y el debate a propósito del velo – este articulo examina la manera en la cual los intereses y la posición de las mujeres de grupos minoritarios contribuyen a comprender el multiculturalismo sobre diferentes niveles y registros institucionales.De esta manera aclararemos las diferencias analíticas entre la posición feminista principialista y el pragmatismo feminista. Mientras para la primera es cardinal saber qué principios prevalecen – la igualdad de los géneros o el respecto a la diversidad multicultural –, las interrogaciones que conmueven al feminismo pragmático son más bien del carácter político y estratégico: ¿qué prácticas, leyes o medidas contribuyen a reformar la vulnerable posición de las mujeres de grupos minoritarios? Por la razón que esta posición esta mediada y determinada por contextos históricos particulares y por la influencia de diversos factores de desigualdades socio-económicas y de discriminaciones, este enfoque promueve profundas reacciones paradójicas

Between compliance and resistance : exploring discourses on family planning in Community Health Committees in Mozambique

Objectives: Although the Mozambican government has implemented a community-based approach to family planning (FP), little is known about the appropriateness of this process. We explore how members of Community Health Committees (CHCs) address and act regarding FP. Methods/settings: An in-depth qualitative study of CHCs was conducted at two sites in Maputo province -Ndlavela and Boane-using focus group discussions (n=6), informal conversations (n=4) and observation. The analysis followed a phenomenological approach. Results: CHCs in Ndlavela appeared to transfer more of the expected information than those in Boane. However, in the CHCs at both study sites, we found heterogeneity in CHCs' perspectives leading to conflicting views among committee members (CMs). Arising issues included contraceptive type, target groups, the desirable number of children per family as well as the way FP was to be represented. Moreover, weak communication between CMs and health workers, and lack of payment for CMs' activities influenced promotion of FP. Conclusions: The two CHCs framed FP in different ways leading to inconsistent participation of CHC members in promoting FP. Policymakers should consider the diversity of discourses and aspirations of these committees when delivering information to them