This thesis explores the constitutionality of compulsory electoral quotas for women imposed by law. The central question this thesis attempts to answer is what makes these quotas constitutional or unconstitutional in a given jurisdiction. A double methodology was employed to answer this question: theoretical and comparative. From a theoretical perspective, it is proposed that the constitutionality of electoral quotas for women depends on the approach that domestic legal orders adopt to four issues: political representation, equality, affirmative action and political rights. An additional crosscutting factor that influences the constitutionality of these quotas is gender, mainly through its effects on the understanding of political representation and equality. From the comparative law perspective, three jurisdictions were analysed: France, Spain and Mexico. After exploring these systems' approaches to political representation, equality, affirmative action and political rights, the process of adoption of electoral quotas for women is discussed, particularly the constitutional litigation about quota laws. Finally, the relationship between the theory and the practice of assessing the constitutionality of electoral quotas for women is analysed, concluding that although courts use a theoretical framework formed by political representation, equality, affirmative action and political rights, they adopt a somewhat simplistic approach to these issues, using only one of these theoretical factors as the primary determinant, often side-stepping the most controversial issues connected with these factors, and almost completly ignoring the particularities of the target group (women). Additionally, in each jurisdiction the decisions of the courts are also influenced by domestic political and legal factors.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:20:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lucia Soares da Silva.pdf: 2000228 bytes, checksum: bbd567c308049e053bdb06ff35c4333e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-06 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Television as a producer of truths operates in the speed of the flows in the society of control. As the main media after the post-war period, television connected to the internet convokes the spectator citizen consumer to adhere and participate by the means of probing, public opinion and shared collaboration from the media democracy. As an audio-visual instrument, the television invests in collective apparatuses such as the family, while producing its programs it allies entertainment and information 24 hours per day. As a connection amplified to other technological apparatuses, it fosters the interactions and participation exercising a continuous control, modeling and adapting social relationships and promoting other realities. The modulations of the female entertainment television programs and the journalists police program produce subjectivities and re subjectivities in the spectator citizen consumer, leading it to the self government and entrepreneurship, to the conformity, balance and conservative moderation. Politics and modulations of the television entertainment: women and denunciation doesn t intend to tell, construct and re construct the origin of the programs addressed to women, but it departs from the foucaultian genealogical analysis and from deleuzian and guattarian analytical to analyze the political history of the present and its effects on women and families / A televisão como produtora de verdades opera na velocidade dos fluxos da sociedade de controle. Como a principal mídia do pós-guerra, a televisão acoplada à Internet convoca o telespectador-cidadão-consumidor a aderir e participar por meio das sondagens, opinião pública e colaborações compartilhadas da democracia midiática. Como aparelho audiovisual, a televisão investe nos equipamentos coletivos como a família e ao produzir seus programas alia entretenimento e informação, 24 horas por dia. Com uma conexão amplificada a outros aparelhos tecnológicos, fomenta a interação e participação, exercitando um controle contínuo, modelando e adaptando as relações sociais promovendo outras realidades. As modulações dos programas televisivos femininos de entretenimento e os programas jornalísticos policialescos produzem subjetividades e ressubjetivações no telespectador-cidadão-consumidor, levando-o ao empreendedorismo de si, à conformidade, equilíbrio e moderação conservadora. Política e modulações do entretenimento televisivo: mulheres e denúncias , não pretende contar, construir e reconstruir a origem dos programas destinados às mulheres, mas parte das sugestões da análise genealógica foucaultiana, da analítica deleuziana e guattariana, para revolver uma história-política do presente e seus efeitos sobre as mulheres e à família

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:53:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lucia Soares da Silva.pdf: 2000228 bytes, checksum: bbd567c308049e053bdb06ff35c4333e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-06-06 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Television as a producer of truths operates in the speed of the flows in the society of control. As the main media after the post-war period, television connected to the internet convokes the spectator citizen consumer to adhere and participate by the means of probing, public opinion and shared collaboration from the media democracy. As an audio-visual instrument, the television invests in collective apparatuses such as the family, while producing its programs it allies entertainment and information 24 hours per day. As a connection amplified to other technological apparatuses, it fosters the interactions and participation exercising a continuous control, modeling and adapting social relationships and promoting other realities. The modulations of the female entertainment television programs and the journalists police program produce subjectivities and re subjectivities in the spectator citizen consumer, leading it to the self government and entrepreneurship, to the conformity, balance and conservative moderation. Politics and modulations of the television entertainment: women and denunciation doesn t intend to tell, construct and re construct the origin of the programs addressed to women, but it departs from the foucaultian genealogical analysis and from deleuzian and guattarian analytical to analyze the political history of the present and its effects on women and families / A televisão como produtora de verdades opera na velocidade dos fluxos da sociedade de controle. Como a principal mídia do pós-guerra, a televisão acoplada à Internet convoca o telespectador-cidadão-consumidor a aderir e participar por meio das sondagens, opinião pública e colaborações compartilhadas da democracia midiática. Como aparelho audiovisual, a televisão investe nos equipamentos coletivos como a família e ao produzir seus programas alia entretenimento e informação, 24 horas por dia. Com uma conexão amplificada a outros aparelhos tecnológicos, fomenta a interação e participação, exercitando um controle contínuo, modelando e adaptando as relações sociais promovendo outras realidades. As modulações dos programas televisivos femininos de entretenimento e os programas jornalísticos policialescos produzem subjetividades e ressubjetivações no telespectador-cidadão-consumidor, levando-o ao empreendedorismo de si, à conformidade, equilíbrio e moderação conservadora. Política e modulações do entretenimento televisivo: mulheres e denúncias , não pretende contar, construir e reconstruir a origem dos programas destinados às mulheres, mas parte das sugestões da análise genealógica foucaultiana, da analítica deleuziana e guattariana, para revolver uma história-política do presente e seus efeitos sobre as mulheres e à família

A dissertação tem como objetivo analisar o impacto da Organização das Nações Unidas – ONU no Direito Internacional das Mulheres e suas consequências no Brasil. Para a execução deste propósito, utilizou-se do método teórico-pragmático para a verificação do efeito e influência da ONU sobre a temática escolhida. A técnica de pesquisa empregada foi a investigação bibliográfica e documental, por meio de consulta doutrinária, jurisprudencial e legal. Nesse sentido, elucida-se a noção de desigualdade e vulnerabilidade feminina, descrevendo a situação das mulheres na sociedade internacional, e o consequente desenvolvimento do tema no âmbito da ONU, destacando-se a criação da Comissão sobre a Situação das Mulheres – CSW, e, recentemente, da ONU Mulheres, entidade especificamente instituída para fomentar a igualdade de gênero e o empoderamento das mulheres. Em seguida, aborda-se o quadro normativo global e as conferências mundiais organizadas pela ONU acerca dos direitos das mulheres, com a definição de um importante marco jurídico-político: a Declaração de Pequim e sua Plataforma de Ação. Dessas compreensões, realiza-se uma análise do contexto brasileiro, refletindo sobre o impacto da ONU e os desafios impostos ao Brasil. Nas conclusões obtidas, verificou-se um progresso lento e irregular na condição das mulheres, apesar da expansão dos compromissos normativos internacionais favorecidos pela ONU. Constatou-se como maior contribuição da Organização, além do diagnóstico traçado sobre a situação feminina, o respaldo e a concessão de um espaço propício para o fortalecimento do ativismo feminista transnacional, que contribuiu para o quadro jurídico internacional formado. No Brasil, em que pese ainda não se ter alcançado a almejada transformação da realidade social, podem ser apontados como consectários da atuação da ONU os avanços legislativos obtidos, a exemplo, da previsão legal de cotas de gênero para candidatura, eliminação de disposições discriminatórias nas Leis Civil e Penal, além da Lei Maria da Penha e a mais recente Lei do Feminicídio. / The aim of this thesis is to analyze the impact of United Nations – UN on International Women’s Law and it’s consequences in Brazil. For this purpose, we have choosen the theoretical and pragmatic method to verify the effects and influence of UN on the selected theme. As a technique of research, we used bibliographical and documentary exploration, with doctrinal, jurisprudential and legal consultation. In this regard, the first chapter elucidates the notion of women’s inequality and vulnerability, describing the women’s situation in international society and its development within the UN, including the creation of the Commission on The Status of Women – CSW, and recently the UN Women, an entitity specifically established for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The second chapter adresses the global normative framework, the UN World Conferences on women’s rights, and the definition of an important juridical-political milestone: Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. From these understandings, the third chapter analyses the Brazilian context, reflecting on the impact of UN work and it’s challenges in Brazil. In conclusion, it was found slow and uneven progress in the status of women, despite the expanded international normative commitments to women’s and girls’ human rights favored by UN. The Organization’s greatest contribution was its diagnosis on the situation of women, as well as it’s support and granting of a friendly space for the strenghtening of transnational feminist activism, which contributed to the international legal framework. In Brazil, alhthough we haven’t achieved yet the desired transformation on social reality, legislative advances like electoral gender quotas, elimination of discriminatory provisions in the Civil and Criminal law, besides Maria da Penha Law and the most recent Law on Feminicide can be pointed out as UN impact and influence in Brazil.

D’une manière générale, les droits de l’Homme sont reconnus dans toutes les cultures au nom de la dignité que l’on attribue à l’être humain en tant que tel. L’Afrique reconnait des prérogatives à l’homme pour lui préserver sa fierté et un profond respect à la femme dans sa fonction domestique. Au-delà de cette sphère ménagère la femme a du mal à obtenir plus de droits. La prise de conscience des chefs d’États et de gouvernements en la matière a donné naissance à un instrument régional de garantie des droits aux femmes sur le continent. Notre étude a pour but le développement de la théorie et de la pratique des droits de la femme en Afrique de l’ouest afin que son affermissement progressif contribue à faire évoluer la garantie du droit international en Afrique, et que cette évolution se produise sur la base de l’objectif selon laquelle la femme devrait posséder des droits propres opposables à l’État. Notre but dans cette étude est de démontrer que les femmes africaines sont également sujettes à cette inégalité homme-femme mais que des progrès pour y remédier ont été amorcés. Nous mettons aussi en évidence les domaines où la femme et l’homme ne sont pas protégés de la même manière tant au niveau de la législation qu’au niveau de la pratique culturelle en Côte d’Ivoire et au Mali où les violations des droits de la femme sont principalement favorisées par le déficit législatif en matière de droits des femmes qui prévaut également dans de nombreux pays africains en demeurant particulièrement préjudiciable aux femmes. / General speaking, humans rights are recognized in all cultures in the name of dignity that is attributed to humans. Africa recognize privileges to men to preserve their pride and respect women in their home work. Beyong the domestic sphere, woman have difficulty to get more rights and freedom. The awareness of head of state and governement of the situation, gave some regional rules to protect women rights in the african countries. Our assignment in this study is to devellope theories and practics witch are for or against women right évolution in west Africa, specialy in Ivory Cost and in Mali states where national laws are ambiguous as to women rights protection. We note that women rights changes according to religion convictions, culture, the traditional practice in each country. This situation is also favored by the legislative deficit that need to be repared. It is aloso apparent that women rights promotion and garanted in war situation that Africa states know continualy and in where women and children are the favorit targets. So lets try to find how to integrate women rights protection to african costums.

Abortų problema yra prieštaringai vertinama daugelyje pasaulio valstybių. Dažniausiai diskusijų sukelia tokios temos kaip vaisiaus ir motinos teisės, tačiau tėvo teisės sulaukia mažiau dėmesio, nors šis klausimas yra ne mažiau aktualus. Jei tėvas prisideda prie gyvybės sukūrimo, tai kodėl neturėtų dalyvauti sprendžiant ir jos nutraukimo klausimą? Vyro teisės priimant aborto sprendimą ne visada buvo vienodos ir keitėsi su laiku. Jeigu senovėje nutraukiant nėštumą lemiamą sprendimą priimdavo vyras, tai dabar ši teisė priklauso moteriai. Tačiau vyrai toliau kovoja už teisę turėti palikuonį, remdamiesi vaisiaus teisės į gyvybę teorija, moterų ir vyrų lygių teisių įstatymais, Konstitucija ir kitais teisės aktais. Atlikus tarptautinių dokumentų, Jungtinių Amerikos Valstijų, Jungtinės karalystės ir Lietuvos nacionalinių teisės aktų bei tarptautinių ir nacionalinių teismų praktikos analizę vyro teisės priimant aborto sprendimą klausimu, prieita prie išvados, kad tarp būsimųjų tėvų iškilus nesutarimui dėl nėštumo nutraukimo sprendimo priėmimo, lemiamas žodis atitenka motinai, o tėvui tenka susitaikyti su moters priimtu sprendimu, kadangi jis neturi jokių įstatymuose garantuotų teisių uždrausti moteriai darytis abortą, nesvarbu ar jis būtų moters sutuoktinis ar ne. Šiomis dienomis, kai visur yra pabrėžiamos vyrų ir moterų lygios teisės, kai moterys ir vyrai atrodo, kad visose srityse pasiekė lygybės, liko bent viena sritis, kurioje vyrai turi mažiau teisių negu moterys – tai priimant... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Abortion is a very controversial issue in various countries. The discussion it arises is mainly concerned with mother’s and unborn fetus’s rights but father’s rights are rarely discussed. The aim of this thesis is to analyze father’s rights in abortion decision. The attitude towards father’s rights has been changing with time. The first law against abortion appeared in ancient times protecting the father's right to have an offspring and the woman’s opinion was not important. But nowadays the situation has changed – the abortion decision is left for the mother. In most countries men have no right to stop a woman from having an abortion with a small exception of some mostly Muslim countries. The thesis analyzes international documents and jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR); national laws, related to abortion decision and father’s rights and case law in the United States of America, the United Kingdom (UK) and Lithuania. The analysis of international and national laws and jurisprudence shows that when a woman becomes pregnant, the man who impregnated her has few legal rights with respect to that pregnancy. He can neither require the woman to remain pregnant if she chooses to have an abortion nor force her to have an abortion if she wants to give a birth. Furthermore, if the woman chooses to bear a child, the father is legally liable for child support. The question arises – if men have financial responsibilities for their children, should not they have... [to full text]

A dissertação tem como objetivo analisar o impacto da Organização das Nações Unidas – ONU no Direito Internacional das Mulheres e suas consequências no Brasil. Para a execução deste propósito, utilizou-se do método teórico-pragmático para a verificação do efeito e influência da ONU sobre a temática escolhida. A técnica de pesquisa empregada foi a investigação bibliográfica e documental, por meio de consulta doutrinária, jurisprudencial e legal. Nesse sentido, elucida-se a noção de desigualdade e vulnerabilidade feminina, descrevendo a situação das mulheres na sociedade internacional, e o consequente desenvolvimento do tema no âmbito da ONU, destacando-se a criação da Comissão sobre a Situação das Mulheres – CSW, e, recentemente, da ONU Mulheres, entidade especificamente instituída para fomentar a igualdade de gênero e o empoderamento das mulheres. Em seguida, aborda-se o quadro normativo global e as conferências mundiais organizadas pela ONU acerca dos direitos das mulheres, com a definição de um importante marco jurídico-político: a Declaração de Pequim e sua Plataforma de Ação. Dessas compreensões, realiza-se uma análise do contexto brasileiro, refletindo sobre o impacto da ONU e os desafios impostos ao Brasil. Nas conclusões obtidas, verificou-se um progresso lento e irregular na condição das mulheres, apesar da expansão dos compromissos normativos internacionais favorecidos pela ONU. Constatou-se como maior contribuição da Organização, além do diagnóstico traçado sobre a situação feminina, o respaldo e a concessão de um espaço propício para o fortalecimento do ativismo feminista transnacional, que contribuiu para o quadro jurídico internacional formado. No Brasil, em que pese ainda não se ter alcançado a almejada transformação da realidade social, podem ser apontados como consectários da atuação da ONU os avanços legislativos obtidos, a exemplo, da previsão legal de cotas de gênero para candidatura, eliminação de disposições discriminatórias nas Leis Civil e Penal, além da Lei Maria da Penha e a mais recente Lei do Feminicídio. / The aim of this thesis is to analyze the impact of United Nations – UN on International Women’s Law and it’s consequences in Brazil. For this purpose, we have choosen the theoretical and pragmatic method to verify the effects and influence of UN on the selected theme. As a technique of research, we used bibliographical and documentary exploration, with doctrinal, jurisprudential and legal consultation. In this regard, the first chapter elucidates the notion of women’s inequality and vulnerability, describing the women’s situation in international society and its development within the UN, including the creation of the Commission on The Status of Women – CSW, and recently the UN Women, an entitity specifically established for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The second chapter adresses the global normative framework, the UN World Conferences on women’s rights, and the definition of an important juridical-political milestone: Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. From these understandings, the third chapter analyses the Brazilian context, reflecting on the impact of UN work and it’s challenges in Brazil. In conclusion, it was found slow and uneven progress in the status of women, despite the expanded international normative commitments to women’s and girls’ human rights favored by UN. The Organization’s greatest contribution was its diagnosis on the situation of women, as well as it’s support and granting of a friendly space for the strenghtening of transnational feminist activism, which contributed to the international legal framework. In Brazil, alhthough we haven’t achieved yet the desired transformation on social reality, legislative advances like electoral gender quotas, elimination of discriminatory provisions in the Civil and Criminal law, besides Maria da Penha Law and the most recent Law on Feminicide can be pointed out as UN impact and influence in Brazil.

Submitted by Morgana Silva (morgana_linhares@yahoo.com.br) on 2016-07-04T18:21:14Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1161919 bytes, checksum: bf47c9b4b22ba06ecc7ec01dde7c8407 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-04T18:21:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1161919 bytes, checksum: bf47c9b4b22ba06ecc7ec01dde7c8407 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-14 / This work’s goal is to analyze Nísia Floresta’s 1832 text Direitos das Mulheres e Injustiça dos Homens, product of her translation of Vidications of the Rights Of Woman, by Mary Woolstonecraft, as a way of promoting and claiming women rights in Brazil. To substantiate our research, we used cultural translation studies as theoretical referential, as well as current research on comparative law, aiming to draw a parallel between women rights history, Nísia Floresta’s cultural translation, and the idea that the law circulates as both cultural and social practices, using a bibliographic deductive methodology. Assuming that the translation practice is a dynamic process of constant movement that mobilizes knowledge, and is, therefore, incompatible with the fixed, stable, and universal idea of the literal translation(which was defended by the traditional theory for many years), we’ve reached the conclusion that the cultural translation accomplished by Nísia Floresta in the text that founded feminism in Brazil, despite being a literary and non-legal one, contributed decisively to the historical statement of women’s human rights, and represents what we can call law’s cultural voyage. / O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o texto elaborado por Nísia Floresta em 1832, intitulado Direitos das Mulheres e Injustiça dos Homens em resultado à tradução do livro Vidications of the Rights Of Woman de Mary Woolstonecraft, como meio de promoção e reivindicação do direito das mulheres no Brasil. Para fundamentar a pesquisa, foi utilizado como referencial teórico os estudos da tradução cultural, bem como, as atuais pesquisas em direito comparado, buscando traçar uma aproximação entre a história do direito das mulheres, a tradução cultural levada a efeito por Nísia Floresta e a ideia de que o direito circula enquanto cultura e prática social, por meio de uma metodologia dedutiva bibliográfica. Partindo do pressuposto de que a atividade de tradução é envolvida por um processo dinâmico, em constante movimento, capaz de mobilizar saberes, incompatível, portanto, com a ideia fixa, estável e universal da tradução literal, a qual foi pregada durante muitos anos pela teoria tradicional da tradução, foi possível concluir que a tradução cultural operada por Nísia Floresta ao texto fundante do feminismo no Brasil, embora não se trate de um texto jurídico e sim literário, contribui decisivamente para a afirmação histórica dos direitos humanos das mulheres, assim como representa um efeito daquilo que se pode chamar de viagem cultural do direito.

A dissertação tem como objetivo analisar o impacto da Organização das Nações Unidas – ONU no Direito Internacional das Mulheres e suas consequências no Brasil. Para a execução deste propósito, utilizou-se do método teórico-pragmático para a verificação do efeito e influência da ONU sobre a temática escolhida. A técnica de pesquisa empregada foi a investigação bibliográfica e documental, por meio de consulta doutrinária, jurisprudencial e legal. Nesse sentido, elucida-se a noção de desigualdade e vulnerabilidade feminina, descrevendo a situação das mulheres na sociedade internacional, e o consequente desenvolvimento do tema no âmbito da ONU, destacando-se a criação da Comissão sobre a Situação das Mulheres – CSW, e, recentemente, da ONU Mulheres, entidade especificamente instituída para fomentar a igualdade de gênero e o empoderamento das mulheres. Em seguida, aborda-se o quadro normativo global e as conferências mundiais organizadas pela ONU acerca dos direitos das mulheres, com a definição de um importante marco jurídico-político: a Declaração de Pequim e sua Plataforma de Ação. Dessas compreensões, realiza-se uma análise do contexto brasileiro, refletindo sobre o impacto da ONU e os desafios impostos ao Brasil. Nas conclusões obtidas, verificou-se um progresso lento e irregular na condição das mulheres, apesar da expansão dos compromissos normativos internacionais favorecidos pela ONU. Constatou-se como maior contribuição da Organização, além do diagnóstico traçado sobre a situação feminina, o respaldo e a concessão de um espaço propício para o fortalecimento do ativismo feminista transnacional, que contribuiu para o quadro jurídico internacional formado. No Brasil, em que pese ainda não se ter alcançado a almejada transformação da realidade social, podem ser apontados como consectários da atuação da ONU os avanços legislativos obtidos, a exemplo, da previsão legal de cotas de gênero para candidatura, eliminação de disposições discriminatórias nas Leis Civil e Penal, além da Lei Maria da Penha e a mais recente Lei do Feminicídio. / The aim of this thesis is to analyze the impact of United Nations – UN on International Women’s Law and it’s consequences in Brazil. For this purpose, we have choosen the theoretical and pragmatic method to verify the effects and influence of UN on the selected theme. As a technique of research, we used bibliographical and documentary exploration, with doctrinal, jurisprudential and legal consultation. In this regard, the first chapter elucidates the notion of women’s inequality and vulnerability, describing the women’s situation in international society and its development within the UN, including the creation of the Commission on The Status of Women – CSW, and recently the UN Women, an entitity specifically established for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. The second chapter adresses the global normative framework, the UN World Conferences on women’s rights, and the definition of an important juridical-political milestone: Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. From these understandings, the third chapter analyses the Brazilian context, reflecting on the impact of UN work and it’s challenges in Brazil. In conclusion, it was found slow and uneven progress in the status of women, despite the expanded international normative commitments to women’s and girls’ human rights favored by UN. The Organization’s greatest contribution was its diagnosis on the situation of women, as well as it’s support and granting of a friendly space for the strenghtening of transnational feminist activism, which contributed to the international legal framework. In Brazil, alhthough we haven’t achieved yet the desired transformation on social reality, legislative advances like electoral gender quotas, elimination of discriminatory provisions in the Civil and Criminal law, besides Maria da Penha Law and the most recent Law on Feminicide can be pointed out as UN impact and influence in Brazil.

Previous studies targeting youth participation in physical activity have argued that self-motivation is the main key to increasing participation. However, few studies have focused specifically on the role of structural factors in prompting youth participation in physical activity. The structure may include people, and institutions that are introducing, providing and facilitating physical activity to youth. Therefore, this study focuses on the role of the structure surrounding youth. The study takes youth in Saudi Arabia aged 15-24 as its subjects in order to examine the use of three online social networks (OSNs), i.e., Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, for communication and exchange of resources and the influence on participation of key decision makers such as home (parents and siblings), school (Ministry of Education and PE teachers), physical activity and sports clubs (General Authority of Sports [GAS]), and friends. The study uses mixed methods and follows the social network structural theory to examine how the exchange of resources (e.g., information, emotional support, financial support, and facilities and services) takes place between agent and structure. The main findings are that the structure plays a role in influencing participation among Saudi youth. Friends are of great influence, as they occupy the longest hours of youth time both at school, where friends interact in person, and outside of school, where friends communicate through OSNs. An Islamic and conservative society prevails in Saudi Arabia, where 99 per cent of the population is Muslim. Therefore, in addition to the structural factors noted above, religion is also investigated. Indeed, Islam drives motivation in this large conservative group as individuals learn to obey and implement the religious advice and Islamic teachings of the prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), including those messages with relation to becoming a healthy and strong Muslim. Finally, the study also focuses on the participation of Saudi female youth in physical activity. Due to cultural reasons preventing women from participating in physical activity as freely and equally as their male peers in the country, Saudi Arabia has seen an increasing percentage of obese women. The main aim of this research is to understand the relationship between agency and structure and thereby to identify the role of structure in increasing the participation of youth in physical activity. The research question (How do OSNs facilitate Saudi youth participation in physical activity?) investigates the relationship between agency and structure to delineate the pattern of information exchange regarding resources for involvement in physical activity. Through the use of mixed methods including face-to-face interviews, online survey and digital ethnography, the researcher investigates how youth social networks function both offline and online. The study concludes that decision makers in the field of physical activity participation in Saudi Arabia vary in their level of encouragement, influence and communication. Family members do not seem to communicate with youth via online platforms, but they do play a crucial role in offline social networks. Private institutions are becoming very active in OSNs, and public institutions are following the trend, albeit at a slower pace. The study shows that physical activity facilitators in Saudi Arabia are still failing to effectively reach youth and encourage them to participate in physical activity. Various policies need to be reviewed and enhanced if the public institutions do indeed want to reach more youth and benefit youth and the community, including the female youth, who make up more than half of the population. The study shows that the way to develop these policies is to communicate with youth via OSNs and to provide youth with more facilities, venues and services in the country that are suitable for both genders.