The development of pre-conception and post-conception reproductive technologies has substantial implications and consequences for women. To better establish the impact of the eugenic and sexist traditions which support the elimination of disability/defect and the propagation of "designer babies," a survey of literature outlining the scientific, feminist, legal, cultural, and social perspectives regarding new reproductive technologies was undertaken. Three conclusions of this review are that while new reproductive technologies are not responsible for the environment which fosters bias and intolerance towards oppressed members of society, they have created eugenic demands by supporting genetic perfection; they have informally displaced women's rights to bodily autonomy in favour of the fetus' or potential future person's rights by supporting fetal personhood; and they have perpetuated sexism within the Indian community in Canada by supporting patriarchal institutions.

Based on the assumption that the work of contemporary Swedish poet Helena Eriksson, in various ways elaborates the inseparable relation between body and language, this study aims to investigate how this view of language comes to expression in her poetry. Stepping from a theoretical background of feminist perspectives on the body, as well as recent theories on poetic materiality, the analysis points out how the concepts of aesthetic and/or linguistic materiality, social and technological materiality, and what can be described as the ethical dimension of materiality, all as termed by Jesper Olsson and Fredrik Hertzberg, take on feminist implications in Eriksson’s poetry. Through the theory of feminist anthropologist Vicki Kirby and her account of Derrida’s general view of writing, the study makes use of a deconstructive approach to the later work of Eriksson. It is shown in the analysis how this poetry can be effectively mirrored against Kirby’s concept of corporeography, in order to make visible the elision of the breach between meaning and materiality. In this respect, Kirby’s theoretical device ”The body as the scene of writing” in particular, is vastly adapted. Arriving at its conclusion, the study suggests that by engaging the body in the writing of poetry, allowing it to re-inscribe the scripture already made upon it by culture, the poet as woman can preserve her subjectivity and her sense of corporeality.

This paper examines whether Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg demonstrates any evidence of a "feminine voice" in her opinions. There has been much jurisprudential literature written recently regrading the possible existence of a "feminine voice." This paper surveyes the literature and defines what is meant by a "feminine voice." The paper proceeds to analyze some of Justice Ginsburg's opinions to determine if a "feminine voice" is present. This study focuses on four areas of law the literature suggests evidence of a "feminine voice" might be found: cases involving gender, race, the Establishment Clause, and physician-assisted suicide. With the exception of cases concerning race, no evidence of a "feminine voice" was found. In race cases, there is evidence to suggest that Justice Ginsburg arrives at her decision in a way that is different from her male colleagues. The lack of evidence of a "feminine voice" in the other areas does not mean that no such voice exists; rather, it is just not present in all of the decisions written by Justice Ginsburg. The paper concludes that, at least in cases involving race, Justice Ginsburg does reason in a "feminine voice." While this is a narrow finding, the fact that there is evidence of a "feminine voice," at least in some cases, suggests that gender does play a role in judicial decision-making at the United States Supreme Court level. / Department of Political Science

The thesis is about the re-incorporation of women, on feminist terms, in corporate law and structure. Working from the idea of feminism as a theory about exclusion, the thesis endeavours to include women's voices in how the dominant discourse shapes corporations and the securities markets. Moreover, it attempts to capture the feminist continuum and use it as a critique of the existence of the separate entity of the corporation and limited liability. The thesis also joins the corporate governance debate on feminist terms, reshaping its scope to include feminist aspirations. The market for securities and insider trading are also subject to a feminist analysis and the problems in policing and preventing insider trading are rethought through a feminist lens.

This dissertation seeks to fill two lacunae in contemporary feminist discussions of essentialism: first, a lack of critical analysis of the term "essentialism" and its cognates, and second, a paucity of feminist work that aims to develop anti-essentialist methods rather than merely presenting anti-essentialist critiques of existing feminist theories. I propose a typology of feminist essentialisms, distinguishing metaphysical, biological, linguistic, and methodological variants. I argue that methodological essentialism---understood as the practice of making false generalisations about women based on the experiences and identities only of a particular group---is the most pressing political issue for feminists, and defend Elizabeth Spelman's anti-essentialist critique against its opponents. Anti-essentialism should not, however, be interpreted as disavowing the category "women" altogether, and I use Ludwig Wittgenstein's arguments in his Philosophical Investigations to articulate a form of feminist anti-essentialism. that understands similarities between women as family resemblances. This approach enables feminists to make generalisations about women that neither obscure important differences nor deminise our political efficacy. This Wittgensteinian feminism rejects the a priori and urges us to "look and see" to justify generalisations about women. I interpret this as a call for a feminist anti-essentialism that is embedded in feminist practice, and ask what "look and see" might mean for feminist research and for feminist organising against sexual violence. In chapter four, I argue that Carol Gilligan's recent work on girls' psychology in the context of race and class differences successfully responds to long-standing charges that her research is essentialist. It does not, however, fully meet the methodological challenge of anti-essentialism as it fails to acknowledge power relations embedded in research processes, which in turn shape conclusions about female identi

The purpose of this research was to determine if there is a model of ideal femininity communicated through advertising in girls’ and women’s magazines. To assess the representations of women in magazine advertisements, a content analysis of advertisements appearing in three top-selling, demographically-defined women’s magazines (Girls’ Life, Seventeen, and Cosmopolitan) was conducted. Using feminist theory and hegemony theory as critical lenses, advertisements were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Each advertisement was assessed using five criteria: physical characteristics, social context, personality and attitude, and subtext. Using this data to establish the dominant representations of women, it was determined that there is a model of ideal femininity which is developed through establishing common ideals shared by all three magazines and by gradually introducing new ideals which correspond to shifts in real-world interests and experiences of women. It was concluded that a model of ideal femininity is developed through advertising in girls’ and women’s magazines, this model is used as a guide to direct girls and women towards specific ideal preferences, attitudes and behaviours, and this model continues to emphasise traditional cultural values and gender ideals which are not necessarily reflective of the range of roles women assume in today’s society.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--McMaster University, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 268-302). Also available via World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Architecture, Lanscape Architecture and Urban Design, 2003. / Includes 2 previously published journal articles by the author: Women in architecture: a personal reflection ; and, "Half the sky, but no room of her own", as appendices. Includes bibliographical references (p. 233-251).

Thesis (Ph.D) -- University of Western Sydney, 2008. / A thesis submitted to the University of Western Sydney, College of Arts, School of Social Sciences, in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Carleton University, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 230-238). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.