Narratives about life-changing events like cancer have become more common in today’s society. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether gender patterns in society can also be found in pathographies about cancer, and further to investigate how gender is expressed in these cancer related narratives. Questions were posed on characteristics of the autobiographical cancer narratives, how gender is constructed by the authors of these narratives, and what these narratives say about gender structures’ liability to change in the individuals affected by this disease. The material consisted of two Swedish pathographies about breast cancer, written by women, and two Swedish pathographies about prostate cancer, written by men. These works were published in the first decade of the present century. Narrative interpretation was used as the analysis method. The results show that gender patterns expressed in these narratives mainly follow conventional standards. Gender structures appear to be resistant to change in men and women diagnosed with cancer. The narratives by the women authors appear though to be somewhat more open to using the notions of manhood than was sees in narratives by the male authors regarding norms of femininity.

The number of women farmers in the US continues to grow even at a time when the number of men farmers is decreasing. But even as women are experiencing growing representation in this historically men-dominated occupation, they are more likely to operate smaller farm operations, own less land, and earn less than men farmers. Additionally, there are barriers to accessing the full farmer identity due to their invisibility in the largely patriarchal structure of agriculture. In this dissertation, I endeavor to learn more about how women farmers navigate the gendered structure of farming, including barriers to accessing occupation-related resources and their farmer identity, and how women farmers are “doing” or “undoing” gender. Utilizing in-depth qualitative interviews, I interviewed 32 women farmers from 11 states and the country of Italy. I find that three main gendered structural barriers were experienced by the women farmers in this study, including access to capital-related resources, learning how to farm, and the women’s perception of conventional agriculture as a masculine occupation. I contributed to the growing “doing and undoing gender” literature by showing that the women in this study were actively engaged in interactions within and outside of their occupation that both conformed to and resisted traditional gendered expectations, demonstrating that doing and undoing gender is contextual and more of a spectrum than mutually exclusive categories of either/or. I also contributed to the “doing difference” literature by including women farmers of color, whose perspectives have been absent from previous research of women farmers. Their narratives included examples of discrimination and unequal treatment due to their race and gender, demonstrating a clear need for an intersectional analysis of women farmers. I conclude with a discussion of these implications and make policy recommendations based on knowledge gained from this research and offer suggestions for future research.

<p>I denna uppsats har de fyra skönlitterära titlarna <em>Kort kjol</em>, <em>Hey Dolly</em>, <em>Den osynlige</em> och <em>Låt den rätte komma in</em> analyserats. Dessa används i svenskundervisning på grundskolans senare år och på gymnasiet. Som teoretisk referenspunkt har genus- och queerteoretiska perspektiv använts. Detta för att få syn på hur den heteronormativa genusordningen framställs och eventuellt problematiseras. Heteronormativiteten ses således som avgörande för karaktärernas skapande av genus. Avstamp tas i kursplanerna då skönlitteraturen, enligt dessa, är av avgörande betydelse för elevernas skapande av identitet. Uppsatsen har en litteratursociologisk ansats för att belysa relationen mellan skönlitteratur och samhälle. Metoden är kvalitativ textanalys och boksamtal.</p><p>Resultatet av analyserna visar att den heteronormativa genusordningen till stor del reproduceras i de fyra titlarna även om den i två av dessa titlar är mycket mindre påtaglig. Det finns i samtliga titlar karaktärer som mer eller mindre utmanar den heteronormativa genusordningen. Det är dock i de två titlarna, <em>Låt den rätte komma in</em> och <em>Hey Dolly</em>, som vi får möta de stora normbrytarna. Dessa karaktärer utmanar och problematiserar den heteronormativa genusordningen både genom hur de framställs och genom deras förhållande till andra. Uppsatsen synliggör således vilka "förebilder" och vilken samhällsnormer som råder i de analyserade böckerna. Alltså de "förebilder" och samhällsnormer som eleverna som läser dessa böcker får möta.</p> / <p>The aim of this paper is to analyse how normative heterosexuality works in the creation of gender in four fiction titles used in the school subject Swedish. A gender and a queer perspective are used when analyzing the characters in the texts. According to queer theory, heteronormativity plays a decisive role in the creation of gender. The syllabus of the subject Swedish serve as the starting point as they proclaim that literature has a decisive influence on pupil's creation of identity.</p><p>The results of the analyses showed that the heteronormative gender structure exists and works in the books. But the result also shows that there are several characters that challenge the structure by breaking social norms and thereby creates possible gender positions.</p>

I denna uppsats har de fyra skönlitterära titlarna Kort kjol, Hey Dolly, Den osynlige och Låt den rätte komma in analyserats. Dessa används i svenskundervisning på grundskolans senare år och på gymnasiet. Som teoretisk referenspunkt har genus- och queerteoretiska perspektiv använts. Detta för att få syn på hur den heteronormativa genusordningen framställs och eventuellt problematiseras. Heteronormativiteten ses således som avgörande för karaktärernas skapande av genus. Avstamp tas i kursplanerna då skönlitteraturen, enligt dessa, är av avgörande betydelse för elevernas skapande av identitet. Uppsatsen har en litteratursociologisk ansats för att belysa relationen mellan skönlitteratur och samhälle. Metoden är kvalitativ textanalys och boksamtal. Resultatet av analyserna visar att den heteronormativa genusordningen till stor del reproduceras i de fyra titlarna även om den i två av dessa titlar är mycket mindre påtaglig. Det finns i samtliga titlar karaktärer som mer eller mindre utmanar den heteronormativa genusordningen. Det är dock i de två titlarna, Låt den rätte komma in och Hey Dolly, som vi får möta de stora normbrytarna. Dessa karaktärer utmanar och problematiserar den heteronormativa genusordningen både genom hur de framställs och genom deras förhållande till andra. Uppsatsen synliggör således vilka "förebilder" och vilken samhällsnormer som råder i de analyserade böckerna. Alltså de "förebilder" och samhällsnormer som eleverna som läser dessa böcker får möta. / The aim of this paper is to analyse how normative heterosexuality works in the creation of gender in four fiction titles used in the school subject Swedish. A gender and a queer perspective are used when analyzing the characters in the texts. According to queer theory, heteronormativity plays a decisive role in the creation of gender. The syllabus of the subject Swedish serve as the starting point as they proclaim that literature has a decisive influence on pupil's creation of identity. The results of the analyses showed that the heteronormative gender structure exists and works in the books. But the result also shows that there are several characters that challenge the structure by breaking social norms and thereby creates possible gender positions.

The aim of this thesis is to analyze women&rsquo / s shelters in the context of the Feminist Standpoint Theory by focusing on a case in Turkey. The majority of the previous studies has not regarded the women&rsquo / s entire subjective experiences of domestic violence and shelter stay. Rather they present a reductionist picture. In this study, women&rsquo / s experiences of violence and shelter stay are analyzed and discussed in relation to / their specificities, the shelter structure, and the system shelters are connected in Turkey, from the perspective of Feminist Standpoint Theory. The issue of to what extent empowerment is attainable within the existing structures of institutions is questioned through qualitative method. Participatory observation is the main data gathering method in this study / semi-structured in-depth interviews are also used as additional data gathering source. Interviews and interpersonal relationships with 78 women are analyzed. The interviews aim at providing individual narratives of these women concerning the experience of violence and the process afterwards. In addition, interpersonal communications with the shelter staff are also added to the analysis. It was understood that the subjective experiences of the women are not wholly understandable under a fixed womanhood categorization of gender / they are mostly underestimated in the existing system of structure / and that the constraints specific to each woman&rsquo / s case combined with the rigid structural practices in the aftermath of violence entrap many women in situations difficult to escape, and the &lsquo / mediating role&rsquo / of the structures and individuals are disempowering for the women.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att analysera hur genus uttrycks och skapas genom fyra populära barnböcker. Böckernas karaktärer analyseras från ett genusperspektiv. En central utgångspunkt är teorin om hur män och kvinnor hålls isär genom att tilldelas olika karaktärsdrag och hur denna uppdelning skapar genus. Uppsatsen analyserar även de fyra böckernas berättelseform, huruvida denna är uttryckt på ett maskulint eller feminint sätt. Risken med dessa stereotypa karaktärsdrag för män och kvinnor är att barnen kan bli påverkade av dem, vilket tvingar in dem i specifika genuspositioner. Detta kan hindra dem från att utveckla sina egna unika identiteter. Uppsatsens metod är en kvalitativ textanalys. Analyserna och resultaten visar att stereotypa genus uttrycks och återskapas genom böckernas olika karaktärer. Vissa karaktärer problematiserar dessa stereotypa genus genom att visa upp såväl feminina som maskulina drag. Min tes är att dessa uttryck av både maskulina och feminina drag är den ultimata problematiseringen av stereotypa genus. De fyra böckerna följer även en liknande berättelseform, där samtliga berättas på ett maskulint sätt genom att vara väldigt strukturerade och tydliga med delar som början, mitt och slut. / The aim of this paper is to analyze how gender is expressed and created through four popular fictive children's books. The characters in the books are analyzed from a gender perspective. A central point of departure is the theory about how males and females are separated by being given different characteristics and how this distinction creates gender. The paper also analyzes the narrative form of the different books, whether this form is expressed in a masculine or feminine matter. The risk with such stereotype characteristics for male and female characters is that children might be influenced by them, forcing them into certain gender positions, which might prevent them from forming their own unique identity. The method for the paper is a qualitative text analysis. The analyzes and results show that stereotype gender is expressed and reproduced through the different characters in the books. Some characters problematize these stereotype genders by showing both feminine as well as masculine characteristics. My thesis is that this expression of both masculine and feminine characteristics is the ultimate problematization of stereotype gender. The four books also contain similar narrative forms where they are all told in a masculine way by being very structured and explicit through parts such as beginning, middle and ending.

Sverige framställs ofta som ett av världens mest jämställda länder där män och kvinnor har samma möjlighet till inflytande och makt. Kvinnor på ledande positioner i Sverige har ökat de senast årtionden men när det kommer till högre positioner brister kvinnor i representationen, framförallt inom det privata näringslivet. Lönsamhetsargumentet har ofta används som ett skäl för att öka andelen kvinnor i börsnoterade styrelser och företagsledning, medan studier om diversifierade styrelser visar på ett blandat resultat både vad gäller lönsamhet och effektivitet. Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka representationen av kvinnor i företagens ledning på Large cap, Stockholmsbörsen men också se på hur denna representation kan förklaras samt hur mångfalden i styrelserna eventuellt kan utvecklas. Ett ytterligare syfte är att undersöka om det finns ett finansiellt argument om lönsamhet som kan motivera en ökning av andelen kvinnor i bolagsstyrelserna och om andelen kvinnor i nomineringskommittéerna leder till fler kvinnliga ledamöter i bolagsstyrelserna. Detta studeras genom en statistisk korrelationsanalys. Analysen förs på en teoretisk nivå utifrån ett genusperspektiv och ett ramverk om diversity management och mångfald. Totalt undersöktes 56 bolag under perioden 2006 till 2010, vilket innebär totalt 280 årsredovisningar. Resultatet visar att representationen av kvinnor i bolagsstyrelserna och ledningsgrupperna på Large cap är låga. Den kvinnliga styrelserepresentationen låg i genomsnitt mellan 2006 och 2010 på ca 21,5 procent och det var endast upp till fem företag som hade jämställd könsblandning bland styrelseledamöterna. Ledningsgrupperna visar på ännu lägre nivåer, med representation av ca 12,5 procent kvinnor och endast ett företag uppnådde jämställd könsblandning i ledningsgruppen år 2010. Studiens korrelationsanalyser visar på ett svagt linjärt samband mellan både andelen kvinnor i bolagsstyrelserna och lönsamhet i form av räntabilitet på sysselsatt kapital och mellan andel kvinnor i nomineringskommittéerna och andelen kvinnor i styrelserna. Slutsatser att dra av denna studie är att den kvinnliga representationen i bolagsstyrelser förändras successivt men förefaller att gå åt rätt håll med en ökning av kvinnor. Det största problemet är möjligen inte den kvinnliga representationen i bolagsstyrelserna utan män och kvinnors olika erfarenheter av organisationer vilket kan härledas till organisationernas könsstrukturer. Diversity management och mångfald kan utgöra argument för att öka representationen av kvinnor, detta genom att då ta tillvara på all kompetens i företagen och på så vis skapa konkurrensfördelar. Dock innebär detta ett arbete i organisationernas alla nivåer och kräver också aktieägarnas engagemang. / This study examines female representation in the board of directors and corporate management in companies listed at the OMX Stockholm Stock Exchange’s Large cap. The purpose of this thesis is to study female appearance in these companies and how it could be explained, as well as how diversity in the board of directors could develop. Another purpose is to explore if more women generate profitability and if more women in the committee of nomination in the companies leads to more women in the companies’ boards of directors. The approach of this thesis is quantitative, using a statistical data correlation analysis, but also applies a gender perspective of the organisation. The empirical results show a low presentation of women both in the board of directors and corporate management and the correlation in both analyses isn’t that strong. The conclusions are that the female appearance changes gradually but appears to have a positive development. The largest problem seems not to be the female appearance in the board of directors rather than the gender structures in the organisations. Diversity management could make an argument to take care of the competence in the organisations and get competitive advantages but that it’s demand collaboration in each level of the companies and the shareholders commitment.

The purpose of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of what preschool educators think about gender work and how they work with gender in preschool. The aim is also to contribute to a broader understanding of the educators way of promoting gender equality in preschool. The study is based on a qualitative method were eight preschool educators were interviewed. Previous research has also highlighted gender, which has also been our central research area. The theory is based on West and Zimmerman's “Doing Gender” theory and Connell's theory "About Gender". The results of the study show different ways of working with gender and the importance of gender work in preschool. Gender work at preschool was evident through conversations with the children, language usage and preschool materials. The importance of gender work was expressed through the educators' norm-critical approach and their approach to non-gender-aware colleagues. The final discussion shows a link between previous research and our results, but also how a gender perspective in the work with the children benefits society as a whole.

is study is composed of two units: manuscript of the author's publication Interpreting Ancient Egyptian Narratives: A Structural Analysis of the Tale of Two Brothers, the Anat Myth, the Osirian Cycle, and the Astarte Papyrus (Nouvelles études orientales, Bruxelles-Fernelmont: EME, 2014) and an additonal chapter entitled Accommodating Ambivalence: Case of the Doomed Prince and His Dog, which follows directly a er the Index of the first unit and which extends the applied methodology to yet another New Kingdom mythological narrative, the so-called Tale of the Doomed Prince. Methodologically, the author follows the neo-structuralist approach. Both studies explain the strong configurational character of ancient Egyptian (mythological) thought which has the ability to connect various ontological levels of human experience with the surrounding world into complex synchronic structures. ese symbolical systems are shown to be mediating between the various cultural paradoxes which were inherent to ancient Egyptian society. Axial role in this process is a ributed to the institution of positional kingship represented by the Pharaoh. Its transformative function is also put into relation to the special status of female characters who are shown to play the part of the "powerful powerless ones" further personifying...