Gender mainstreaming vs positive action: an ongoing conflict in EU gender equality policy

This article examines the development of a gender mainstreaming strategy in the EU by illustrating how this strategy was shaped by other than gender equality policy goals. Gender mainstreaming was originally launched in 1996 to promote gender equality in all EU policies, in the context of international and European mobilization on women's issues. It was aimed to transform mainstream policies by introducing a gender equality perspective. However, it has been largely used as an alibi for neutralizing positive action. The successful implementation of positive action in political decision-making had challenged the gender distribution of political power over policy institutions and technical, human and financial resources. This led to policy softening and institutional weakening due to counteracting by the EU political and administrative hierarchies. The argument is based on text analyses of relevant Community acts and on direct observations of the policy process, based on personal working experiences in the European Commissio

Methods for Exerting and Sensing Force in Polymer Materials Using Mechanophores

In recent years, polymer mechanochemistry has evolved as a methodology to provide insights into the action-reaction relationships of polymers and polymer-based materials and composites in terms of macroscopic force application (stress) and subsequent deformation (strain) through a mechanophore-assisted coupling of mechanical and chemical phenomena. The perplexity of the process, however, from the viewpoint of mechanophore activation via a molecular-scaled disruption of the structure that yields a macroscopically detectable optical signal, renders this otherwise rapidly evolving field challenging. Motivated by this, we highlight here recent advancements of polymer mechanochemistry with particular focus on the establishment of methodologies for the efficient activation and quantification of mechanophores and anticipate to aptly pinpoint unresolved matters and limitations of the respective approaches, thus highlighting possible developments. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA

Twenty years of EU gender mainstreaming: rebirth out of the ashes?

Twenty Years of EU Gender Mainstreaming: Rebirth out of the Ashes? The article looks at the progressive development of gender mainstreaming as a strategy to achieve gender equality in the EU and the role played by policy makers to implement and/or instrumentalise this new concept. From the outset, bureaucracies seized it as an opportunity to dilute the focus on gender and cut resources, transforming its development into a permanent power struggle. The article starts with a brief overview of the major steps and research findings on GM during its launch in the early 1990s and discusses problems arising from related concepts. It then assesses the backlash directed against gender equality, and the demotion of gender mainstreaming, precipitated by the 2004 Eastern enlargement, and the sovereign-debt turned Euro-crisis after 2008. The article concludes by highlighting issues that suggest gender mainstreaming remains the only effective strategy for tackling gender inequalities in the EU, as long as it is understood and implemented in the “policy transformative way”. The article is based on the authors’ insider view stemming from extensive experience in gender equality policies at the European and national level. (author's abstract)Der Beitrag befasst sich mit der fortlaufenden Entwicklung von Gender Mainstreaming als gleichstellungspolitischer Strategie der EU und der Rolle die dabei politische Entscheidungsträger*innen haben, dieses neue Konzept zu implementieren und/oder zu instrumentalisieren. Von Beginn an wurde Gender Mainstreaming genutzt um den vorherigen Fokus auf Geschlecht auszudünnen und Ressourcen zu streichen, während zeitgleich die Entwicklung von GM sich in einem permanenten Machtkampf transformierte. Der Artikel fasst eingangs die zentralen Schritte und Forschungsergebnisse zur Einführung von Gender Mainstreaming in den frühen 1990er-Jahren zusammen und diskutiert entstehende Probleme durch verwandte Konzepte. Dann wird die Gegenreaktion zur EU Gleichstellungspolitik und die Herabstufung von Gender Mainstreaming bewertet, die sich im Zuge der 2004er Osterweiterung und der Finanz- und Staatsschuldenkrise seit 2008 entwickelte. Abschließend wird erläutert, warum Gender Mainstreaming dennoch die einzig effektive Strategie zum Abbau geschlechtsspezifischer Ungleichheiten in der EU bleibt – jedenfalls so lange die Strategie in ihrem ursprünglichen „transformativen Ideal“ verstanden und umgesetzt wird. Der Artikel basiert auf den Innenansichten der beiden Autorinnen als langjährige Gleichstellungsexpertinnen auf EU und nationaler Ebene. (Autorenreferat

Migrant mothers' everyday practices in nurseries and kindergartens as a strategy for social integration.

Access to nurseries and kindergartens for children of migrant domestic workers is adual path to social integration: (a) it is a condition for their integration into the labourmarket: their children’s access to nurseries and kindergartens and the conditions underwhich this is possible to a large extent determine the mothers’ prospects of getting apaid job, (b) it shapes their perspectives on long-term settlement, which becomescontingent on their children’s performance at school. This paper discusses formal andinformal practices related to access to nurseries and schools, as well as migrantmothers’ reactions to xenophobic attitudes and behaviour by teachers and otherchildren. Migrant working mothers seem to be determined to fight for their children’saccess to nurseries and schools. Their strong commitment to achieving the bestpossible childcare on the one hand reflects traditional gender roles (it is women’s ratherthan men’s task to find care facilities) and on the other contributes to strengtheningtheir role in the household vis-à-vis their husbands

Fractography of poly(: N -isopropylacrylamide) hydrogel networks crosslinked with mechanofluorophores using confocal laser scanning microscopy

Due to their soft and brittle nature, the mechanical characterization of polymer hydrogels is a difficult task employing traditional testing equipment. Here, we endowed poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogel networks with Diels-Alder adducts of π-extended anthracenes as mechanofluorophore crosslinkers. After swelling the networks with varying amounts of water and subjecting them to force, we visualized the subsequent fluorescence caused by covalent bond scission with confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and related the intensities to the macroscopic fracture mechanics and the elastic moduli recorded with traditional uniaxial compression. The sensitivity of the mechanofluorophores allowed the analysis of low levels of mechanical stress produced via a hand-induced needle-puncturing process and, thus, is an alternative to conventional force application methods. The detection and precise localization of covalent bond scission via CLSM helps elucidating the interrelationship between molecular structure and the macroscopic properties of chemically crosslinked polymeric hydrogels. We believe that this micro-scale mechanophore-assisted fractography can establish a new paradigm for the mechanical analysis of soft matter in fields covering traditional polymer and life sciences. © 2019 The Royal Society of Chemistry

Microstructure and mechanical properties of metal/ceramic-matrix composites

The aim of this research was to fabricate metal-ceramic composites with enhanced mechanical properties via a suitable processing route (slip-casting) followed by sintering under a reducing atmosphere. Four different compositions were fabricated including samples of: (i) pure alumina, (ii) alumina reinforced with metallic copper, (iii) alumina reinforced with tungsten, (iv) alumina reinforced with mixed tungsten and copper. The composites were characterized in terms of their macro- and micro-structure, their mechanical response was evaluated, and the structure was correlated to the mechanical properties. The sintered samples exhibited a sufficiently dense microstructure over the entire metal loading range and a rather high density for low additions of metallic particles. A uniform structure and a homogeneous distribution of second-phase inclusions was achieved, which was attributed to the processing route that has been followed. The composites exhibited notably enhanced fracture properties derived from the dispersion and even distribution of (small amounts of) metal particles in the ceramic matrix. The accompanying reduction in stiffness and hardness was due to the addition of the softer metal particles, but was not compromised, and followed a theory-based trend after the corresponding correction for residual porosity and metal content.Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή είχε ως στόχο την σύνθεση σύνθετων υλικών κεραμικής μήτρας ενισχυμένων με μεταλλικά εγκλείσματα με βελτιωμένες μηχανικές ιδιότητες. Η σύνθεση έγινε μέσω μιας κατάλληλης μεθόδου μορφοποίησης (χύτευσης αιωρήματος) και αναγωγικής πυροσυσσωμάτωσης. Παρασκευάστηκαν και μελετήθηκαν τέσσερις διαφορετικές συνθέσεις δειγμάτων: (α) καθαρή, μη ενισχυμένη αλούμινα, (β) αλούμινα ενισχυμένη με σωματίδια χαλκού, (γ) αλούμινα ενισχυμένη με σωματίδια βολφραμίου, δ) αλούμινα ενισχυμένη με συνδυασμό σωματιδίων βολφραμίου/χαλκού, σε διάφορες περιεκτικότητες. Τα δείγματα μελετήθηκαν ως προς την μάκρο- και μίκρο-δομή τους, αξιολογήθηκε η μηχανική τους απόκριση, και βρέθηκε ο συσχετισμός ανάμεσα στη δομή τους και τις μηχανικές τους ιδιότητες. Τα σύνθετα υλικά παρουσίασαν ομοιογενή δομή, υψηλή πυκνότητα και χαμηλό πορώδες. Αυτό φαίνεται ότι οφείλεται στην επιλεγμένη μέθοδο μορφοποίησης, η οποία μπορεί να δημιουργήσει ωμά υλικά με υψηλή πυκνότητα, και στην κατάλληλη επιλογή της κοκκομετρίας της μήτρας. Η δυσθραυστότητα του κεραμικού βελτιώθηκε με την προσθήκη μικρών ποσοστών μεταλλικής ενίσχυσης. Το μέτρο ελαστικότητας και η σκληρότητα των συνθέτων αυτών υλικών δεν επηρεάστηκαν αρνητικά από την προσθήκη των (κατά κανόνα) μαλακότερων μεταλλικών κόνεων. Συμπερασματικά η εργασία απέδειξε ότι μικρά ποσοστά μεταλλικής ενίσχυσης μπορούν να βελτιώσουν τη δυσθραυστότητα των κεραμικών υλικών. Με την κατάλληλη επιλογή των συστατικών καθώς και των μεθόδων μορφοποίησης και πυροσυσσωμάτωσης του συνθέτου η βελτίωση αυτό επιτυγχάνεται χωρίς να συνοδεύεται από σημαντική μείωση της ακαμψίας και της σκληρότητας του υλικού

Methods for Exerting and Sensing Force in Polymer Materials Using Mechanophores

In recent years, polymer mechanochemistry has evolved as a methodology to provide insights into the action-reaction relationships of polymers and polymer-based materials and composites in terms of macroscopic force application (stress) and subsequent deformation (strain) through a mechanophore-assisted coupling of mechanical and chemical phenomena. The perplexity of the process, however, from the viewpoint of mechanophore activation via a molecular-scaled disruption of the structure that yields a macroscopically detectable optical signal, renders this otherwise rapidly evolving field challenging. Motivated by this, we highlight here recent advancements of polymer mechanochemistry with particular focus on the establishment of methodologies for the efficient activation and quantification of mechanophores and anticipate to aptly pinpoint unresolved matters and limitations of the respective approaches, thus highlighting possible developments. © 2020 The Authors. Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA