| Dr. Kathryn Yount
(Co-investigators Arland Thornton, University of
Michigan; Hoda Rashad, Social Research Center, American University
in Cairo)
Email: kyount@sph.emory.edu
Phone: 404-727-8511
Emory affiliation or department: International Health, Sociology
Project Title:
Developmental Idealism, Gender Relations, and the Work-Family Nexis
in Egypt
The “developmental paradigm” and assertions among
scholars that developmental trajectories of societies and families
could be inferred from cross-sectional data dominated the social
sciences during the 1700s to the 1900s. Scholars since have challenged
many of the assertions about societal and familial change that earlier
scholars made, but others argue that this paradigm and its applications
produced the influential “developmental ideals” that
“modern society” is good and attainable, the “modern
family” is good and attainable, the “modern family”
is a cause and effect of “modern society,” and that
“individuals” should be free and equal and social relationships
based on consent. Imbedded in the propositions of “modern'”
society and “modern” family are the ideals of gender
equality and women's empowerment in public and private life. These
ideals have been widely disseminated through various mechanisms,
including occupational networks; educational systems; expanded networks
of communication, transportation, and the media; governmental and
non-governmental “community-development programs;” and
organized social movements. Scholars posit that exposure to and
acceptance of these propositions have influenced the ways that couples
organize and negotiate their commitments to work and family life.
In this study, we will adapt the framework of developmental idealism
and expand qualitative and quantitative instruments that have been
piloted in
Nepal and Argentina to explore the determinants of men's and women's
adherence to internationally recognized ideals pertaining to gender
equality
and women's empowerment in a community-based sample of families
in one urban and one rural district in Ismailia, Egypt. We will
explore the local salience of these ideals and perceptions about
their origins. We will assess the degree to which adult women and
men (15-54 years) can rank selected societies according to internationally
recognized benchmarks of gender equality and women's empowerment,
which include (among others) indicators for gender equality in economic
participation and decision-making, political participation and decision-making,
power over economic resources, and achievement of a decent standard
of living. We will assess whether respondents are aware of and agree
with associations between internationally recognized constructs
pertaining to “modern families/gender relations” and
“modern society.” Finally, we will explore the determinants
of adherence to these ideals, as well as associations of adherence
to these ideals and the ways in which women and men negotiate their
work and family life, including recent occupational decisions, occupational
attainments, participation in household budgeting and decision making,
control over household resources, allocation of time to domestic
chores, and care of children and other dependents.
Links:
http://www.sph.emory.edu/ih/yount.html
http://www.emory.edu/SOC/kyount/Index.html
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