Splitting and blaming: The psychic life of neoliberal executive women

The aim of the article is to explore the psychic life of executive women under neoliberalism using psychosocial approaches. The article shows how, despite enduring unfair treatment and access to opportunities, many executive women remain emotionally invested in upholding the neoliberal ideal that if one perseveres, one shall be successful, regardless of gender. Drawing on psychosocial approaches, we explore how the accounts given by some executive women of repudiation, as denying gender inequality, and individualization, as subjects completely agentic, are underpinned by the unconscious, intertwined processes of splitting and blaming. Women sometimes split off undesirable aspects of the workplace, which repudiates gender inequality, or blame other women, which individualizes failure and responsibility for change. We explain that splitting and blaming enable some executive women to manage the anxiety evoked from threats to the neoliberal ideal of the workplace. This article thereby makes a contribution to existing postfeminist scholarship by integrating psychosocial approaches to the study of the psychic life of neoliberal executive women, by exploring why they appear unable to engage directly with and redress instances of gender discrimination in the workplace

Gendered Patterns of Time Use over the Life Cycle: Evidence from Turkey

Using data from the 2006 Turkish Time-Use Survey, we examine gender differences in time allocation among married heterosexual couples over the life cycle. While we find large discrepancies in the gender division of both paid and unpaid work at each life stage, the gender gap in paid and unpaid work is largest among parents of infants compared to parents of older children and couples without children. The gender gap narrows as children grow up and parents age. Married women's housework time remains relatively unchanged across their life cycle, while older men spend more time doing housework than their younger counterparts. Over the course of the life cycle, women's total work burden increases relative to men's. Placing our findings within the gendered institutional context in Turkey, we argue that gender-inequitable work-family reconciliation policies that are based on gendered assumptions of women's role as caregivers exacerbate gender disparities in time use

Quality Control Assessment in the River of Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia

Abstract This paper investigates the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and the pH level along Jelok River, Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia. The BOD and pH level are of major interest as microbial activity. Five water sampling locations along the river have been selected. To test the pH level of each water sample, a pH meter was used. To test the BOD of each water sample, the 5-days BOD test was conducted. Using the collected data, the Pearson’s correlation coefficient between the pH and BOD was calculated. The computed Pearson correlation coefficient is -0.67988, indicating that pH does affect BOD of the water, specifically for this river. In addition, it demonstrates that when pH value increases, BOD of the water will decrease. The results show that water pH was quite stable, range between 7.05 to 7.65, while BOD fluctuates wildly, range between 1.4 to 4.3 mg/L. According to the BOD value, the high BOD value was found along the bridge at Changkat Road with 4.3 mg/L, and the lowest was found to be the one at Shell Petrol Station along Semenyih Road with BOD value of 1.4 mg/L. From the findings, public and authority shall be alert of the water performance and actions are necessary to preserve the water quality along this river. In addition, it is recommended to compare the water quality parameters among few rivers in future studies.</jats:p