Introduction: The search is on to find a cure for HIV/AIDS, but for the time being the adage ‘prevention is better than cure’ could not be more relevant to the HIV/AIDS context. Recently, attention to social and behavioral risk factors gave researchers the opportunity to explore new ways of developing interventions. Objectives: In an attempt to further explore these risk factors this study is comparing the difference in prevalence between the genders, and assessing the HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior in two populations; Zimbabwe, an African country with high HIV prevalence, and Senegal, an African country with low HIV prevalence. Method: The 2010-2011 Senegal DHS and the 2010-2011 Zimbabwe DHS were used secondary data for this study. They were both nationally representative datasets. Sample sizes of study population were 16,271from Zimbabwe and 20,102 from Senegal. IBM SPSS 22 was used to run chi-square tests for descriptive results of all independent and dependent variables, and binary logistic regression for associations between HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior and HIV status, as well as the women’s status and HIV status, and associations between these factors. Results: The results showed that n both countries, HIV infection had significantly positive associations with having more than one sex partners (Zimbabwe OR 1.117, Senegal OR 2.779). Moreover, the variables of women’s status varied between Zimbabwe and Senegal. HIV status in Zimbabwe was negatively associated with women's participation in decision-making about their own health, while it associated with this variable positively in Senegal (Zimbabwe OR 0.651, Senegal OR 1.969). Conclusion: Having more than one sexual partner were important indicators for HIV infection in both countries. Women in Zimbabwe seem to be more powerful than women in Senegal. Continued intervention research is warranted as there are clear patterns of risk between Zimbabwe and Senegal that highlight opportunities for more tailored prevention efforts surrounding gender roles, HIV knowledge, attitudes, and sexual risk-taking behavior.

Bakgrund: Endometrios är en kronisk, inflammatorisk och gynekologisk sjukdom däromkring var tionde kvinna i fertil ålder drabbas. Bristande kunskap inom hälso- ochsjukvården resulterar i fördröjd diagnos och behandling. Vanliga symtom videndometrios är smärta, fatigue och blödningar.Syfte: Syftet med studien var att belysa hur kvinnor med endometrios upplever attsjukdomen inverkar på deras vardagliga liv.Metod: En litteraturstudie med kvalitativ ansats. Genom databassökningar i CINAHLoch PubMed identifierades tolv kvalitativa, vetenskapliga artiklar somkvalitetsgranskades med mall för kvalitetsgranskning av studier med kvalitativforskningsmetodik - patientupplevelser utformad av Statens beredning för medicinskoch social utvärdering (SBU). Artiklarna analyserades med innehållsanalys.Resultat: Kvinnor med endometrios upplevde att sjukdomen inverkade negativt påderas vardagliga liv i många avseenden. Analysen resulterade i sex teman:funktionsförmåga; emotionellt mående; socialt liv; intima relationer; arbete, utbildningoch ekonomi; självbild och livsföring. Utöver dessa teman identifierades också tvåsubteman.Konklusion: Stöd, förståelse och bekräftelse av symtom är viktigt för kvinnornashantering av sjukdomen i det vardagliga livet. Okunskap och normalisering avmenstruationssmärtor i både samhället och inom hälso- och sjukvården gör att kvinnormed endometrios upplever ett utanförskap i samhället som kan leda till social isolering.Ökad kunskapsspridning om endometrios behövs inom både hälso- och sjukvården och isamhället för att kvinnorna ska kunna uppleva en bredare acceptans för sin sjukdom ochmötas av förståelse istället för misstro. Att synliggöra hur kvinnor med endometriosupplever att sjukdomen inverkar på deras vardagliga liv ger ökad förståelse för de härkvinnorna vilket är en förutsättning för att sjuksköterskan ska kunna ge personcentreradoch säker vård till den här patientgruppen. Sjuksköterskan kan bidra med information,samverkande åtgärder, stöd och bekräftande vilket kan minska lidande och risken försocial isolering.Nyckelord: Dagligt liv, endometrios, erfarenhet, inverkan, kvinnors hälsa, upplevelse,vardagligt liv. / Background: Endometriosis is a chronic, inflammatory and gynecological disease inwhich about one in ten women of childbearing age suffer. Lack of knowledge in healthcare results in delayed diagnosis and treatment. Common symptoms of endometriosisare pain, fatigue and bleeding.Aim: The aim of this study was to illustrate women’s experiences regarding the impactof endometriosis upon their everyday lives.Method: A literature study with a qualitative approach. Through database searches in CINAHL and PubMed, twelve qualitative, scientific articles were identified and quality-controlled with a template for quality review of studies with qualitative research methodology - patient experiences designed by the Swedish National Board for Medicaland Social Evaluation. The articles were analyzed with content analysis.Result: Women with endometriosis experienced negative impact of the disease:endometriosis affected several aspects of women's everyday lives and the analysisresulted in six themes: functional ability; emotional maturity; social life; intimaterelationships; work, education and economics; self-image and life-management. Twosubthemes were also identified.Conclusion: Support, understanding and confirmation of symptoms are important forwomen in order to cope with the disease in their everyday lives. However, women withendometriosis experience ignorance and normalization of menstrual pain in both societyand in healthcare which leads to alienation which can lead to social isolation. Increasedknowledge about endometriosis is needed in both healthcare and society in general, inorder for women to experience a broader acceptance of their illness and to be met byunderstanding rather than mistrust. Highlighting women’s experiences regarding theimpact of endometriosis upon their everyday lives leads to increased understandingwhich to the nurse is crucial information in order to guarantee a person-centered andsafe healthcare. The nurse can collaborate with other professions in healthcare andprovide information, support and confirmation to these women, which can reduce theirsuffering and risk of social isolation.Keywords: Daily life, endometriosis, everyday life, experience, impact, perception,women’s health.

In contemporary politics it is argued there exists a friction and contradiction between the right-wing, conservative parties that are gaining prominence around the world, among them BJP in India, and the feminist movement; one movement striving for the preservation of traditions and the other for change. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and compare differences in how a political party with strong affiliation and background in a nationalistic ideology communicates laws which affect women’s opportunities for societal advancement, doing this by analysing the religious, cultural and symbolic aspects of Hindutva ideology. Do they contradict each other? Through qualitative discourse analysis a comparative case study is performed on the Maternity Benefit Amendment Act of 2017, BJP political manifestos, excerpts from books and statements made by BJP leaders and affiliated key persons. The thesis presents the argument that the two discourses present contradicting ideas of women’s societal participation when analysed through a theoretical framework based on gender ideals; one set of material pointing to the importance of their economic and societal integration, and one on the importance of women’s role as mothers, and her protection. The study adds a different perspective on the friction between nationalistic Hindutva beliefs and contemporary, progressive legislation by analysing key concepts of gender ideals drawn from Hinduism and the Hindutva movement.

The purpose of this study was to examine professionals' experiences of working with youngwomen who are exposed to honor-related violence and oppression. The study also aimed toexamine how these professionals' approach the issue of honor. To answer the questions, aqualitative method was used. The method involved semi-structured interviews withprofessionals who work with the target group in question. The professionals inquired for thestudy were eight people including: social workers that work at women's aid, school nurses,and counselors. To conduct the study, the researchers arranged telephone interviews withtwo of the professionals. The remaining candidates were interviewed in physical attendance.Furthermore, the analysis method used on the empirical data was coding and thematization.Additionally, the empirical data was examined by using previous research and selectedtheories. First, the results of the study showed perceived difficulties among the interviewees,in making an assessment and acting righteously in different situations regarding honorissues. Second, the results also showed the importance of having a well-functioningrelationship between authorities and organizations, and how their alliance according to theinterviewees hypothetically work. Moreover, the study emphasizes the necessity for expertsto expand their expertise in order to effectively comprehend and assist women inhonor-related situations.

This study is premised on the assumption that women’s right to political participation in Africa is vital, especially as women constitute half of the population in African states. Since the 1990s, much attention has been focussed on the role of women in African politics. Consequently, women’s inclusion, especially in legislatures and in the executive arm of government, has increased during this period. International and national law, combined with political will, have been relied upon to ensure that women are included in key decisionmaking positions in national government. However, women’s political participation in local government has received less attention, despite the fact that local government may be the level of government best suited to positively impact on women’s daily lives. Four of the leading African states in respect of women’s political participation in local government are Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda. The study focuses on these states with a view to establishing the extent to which they have domesticated international norms that advance women’s political participation in local government. Surveying relevant international instruments at the global and Africa regional level, the study establishes that generally, international law recognises women’s right to participate in politics. Local government was, in particular, not even mentioned and participation in local government could be inferred from the wider right to political participation. However, recent developments in international law are increasingly paying attention to local government. In addition, attention is increasingly being paid to ensuring that women enjoy the right to political participation on the basis of equality with men. Consequently, parity in representation is being promoted and states are expected to domesticate the international norms to which they are parties in order to realise the goal of equality in political participation. States have made efforts to domesticate international norms by including them in their constitutions or legislation. In addition, states have put in place temporary special measures focussing on the area of local government. These measures are to be utilised by states, to ensure that women participate more fully in local government. vi With respect to the four states under investigation, it is observed that there is a limited application of temporary special measures that can be used to promote women’s political participation in local government. In terms of the actual extent of women’s participation, the limited available data illustrates a relatively high percentage of women in local government, especially at the level of councillors where all the four states reviewed are performing reasonably well. None of the four states has attained gender parity among directly elected councillors even though the number of women councillors is fairly high in some of the states. Among other senior local government positions, the rate of including women is inconsistent. In some cases women are included in substantial numbers but there are also cases were the inclusion of women is disconcertingly low. States are also failing to provide detailed information on women’s political participation across all portfolios in local government. The implication of such shortcomings is that the actual levels of women’s inclusion remain largely unknown and therefore efforts to address women’s marginalisation are undermined. In order to ensure increased political participation of women at the local government level, a number of measures must be taken. First, efforts should be made at the international level to further elaborate the right to political participation with particular reference to local government, especially in so far as indirectly elected or appointed office is concerned. These are areas of local government where the current norms do not sufficiently advance women’s inclusion and as a result inclusion of women is inconsistent. Second, human rights treaty bodies should pay greater attention to questioning states on their performance in including women in local government. Questioning state performance will create greater awareness and increase the attention that states pay to women’s political participation in local government. Third, concerted efforts should be made to streamline legislation on local government in the four states under review with a view to making it simpler, clearer and consistent. The current proliferation of laws can create challenges in understanding the extent to which the law promotes women’s political participation in local government. Finally, the four states should display greater transparency with regard to providing data on women’s political participation in local government. Providing sufficient data would enable proper scrutiny and provide a diachronic picture of developments as far as women and men’s political participation in local government is concerned. / Thesis (LLD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Centre for Human Rights / Unrestricted

Magister Artium (Sport, Recreation and Exercise Science) - MA(SRES) / In the last few years, women’s rugby has experienced unprecedented growth globally and is the fastest growing sport among women and girls. Owing to increasing support and expo-sure, the sport has grown exponentially. However, women’s rugby programmes face signif-icant obstacles globally and locally. Women’s rugby is not well researched, and there is a lack of relevant literature on existing programmes, in particular, the perspectives and expe-riences of those involved in the programmes. Consequently, the purpose of the study was to offer insight into stakeholders and their lived experiences, thoughts and views on the management and implementation of development programmes for women’s rugby in the Western Cape Province.

Shared decision-making (SDM) for contraceptive counseling and method initiation is a hallmark of patient-centered care; SDM is associated with patient satisfaction, method continuation, and the prevention of pregnancy and short inter-pregnancy intervals. To achieve a high-quality experience for women Person-centered approach to counseling is the preferred approach to achieve SDM. Demographic factors and women’s perceptions of their providers have been linked to decision-making. Literature is lacking on SDM practices in safety net clinics, particularly in local health departments. Exploring these constructs is important to inform practices and policies for family planning. This research aimed to examine: 1) the influence of sociodemographic factors on SDM; 2) the influence of SDM on contraceptive method choice; and 3) the effect that women’s perceptions of their providers might have on SDM and associated contraceptive method choice, among non-white women in South Carolina and Alabama. Secondary data were from a longitudinal study that surveyed women of reproductive age (16 to 44 years) from the two states. The data used for this research were collected from non-white women between October 2018 and September 2020 as part of a larger evaluation effort. Bivariate and multinomial analyses were conducted to assess associations and relationships. In Study 1, significant differences in SDM were observed for income and age, with younger women and lower income women having increased odds of engaging in SDM compared to older and higher income counterparts. In Study 2, multinomial analysis indicated that, compared to those who maintained autonomy over their decision, those whose decisions were shared and provider-driven had higher odds of choosing a short-acting method over a less effective method (OR = 1.608 and OR = 2.314, respectively). In Study 3, associations between SDM and women’s perceptions of providers were observed. Compared to those who maintained decision-making autonomy and had positive perceptions of providers, those who engaged in SDM and those whose decisions were least autonomous were more likely to choose a short-acting method over other, less effective contraceptive methods. There is need to further examine whether SDM is underutilized in these settings.

Cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death for women in the United States. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) carries a more negative prognosis for women than men. Women with AMI have both increased mortality and disability. All researchers who have documented a difference in delay times between men and women note that women delay longer in seeking treatment. In the case of an evolving AMI, women who delay in seeking medical attention will often place themselves outside the limits of reperfusion therapies such as angioplasty and thrombolysis, thereby increasing their risk of an out-of-hospital sudden cardiac death. Several investigators have reported that reasons for delay to treatment may include the presence or absence of “somatic awareness”, that is, how a woman perceives body activity and physiological functioning. The inability of women to disregard social roles and place primacy of caring over their own health issues may limit them from seeking formal care. Social roles and obligations in a women’s life are often influenced by everyday, ordinary happenings which may have a negative impact on decision making. These everyday, ordinary happenings have been defined as “daily hassles”. The Leventhal self-regulatory model of illness behavior, which has been used to study treatment seeking behavior in response to symptoms, provides a coherent framework for interpreting the problem of delayed treatment of myocardial infarction. The Leventhal model proposes that the patients’ belief about their health is structured in a hierarchical fashion and that these structures are based on previous illness experiences and information presented in the social environment. Utilizing a descriptive design, this study examined the relationship between somatic awareness and daily hassles and how these variables influenced a women’s treatment seeking behavior in AMI. The Modified Somatic Perception Questionnaire (MSPQ) was used to measure somatic awareness; and daily hassles were measured through the Daily Hassles and Uplift Scale (DHUS). The questionnaires were administered at least 24 hours post admission to women with AMI. Though there were no significant relationships found between somatic awareness, daily hassles and time to treatment for AMI, the study revealed other pertinent findings. A significant relationship was found between daily hassles and age; revealing that younger participants revealed a higher daily hassle score. Also, a significant relationship was found between total MSPQ and prior cardiac events; indicating infrequent occurrence of intense symptoms experienced by women with a positive cardiac history. Though it is unknown what impact this new knowledge will have on treatment of women with AMI, these findings hold promise for clarifying these areas of research. Keywords: somatic awareness, daily hassles, treatment seeking behavior, women with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

La littérature populaire est considérée comme le genre le plus lu en France et en Iran. Pirzâd et Gavalda font parties des écrivaines contemporaines les plus lues et les plus traduites. Ces deux auteures appartiennent à deux cultures et deux mondes tout à fait différents, néanmoins, elles ont réussi à satisfaire leur public étranger. Pirzâd et Gavalda, comme beaucoup d’autres écrivains contemporains, placent le personnage au cœur de leur intérêt romanesque. Par l’attribution de noms propres mimétiques, l’emploi d’un espace fictionnel familier, ainsi que la mise en scène de l’intériorité des personnages, de leurs dilemmes et de leurs sentiments, elles créent des personnages vraisemblables et transparents. Les protagonistes de leurs romans sont majoritairement des femmes. Leurs statuts, leurs caractéristiques, leurs rôles, ainsi que leurs mondes intérieurs sont développés et approfondis au cours de l’histoire, dans un style simple et souvent dialogique. Les personnages comme représentants de l’individu du monde moderne s’imposent comme personne et deviennent l’élément primordial des écrits de Pirzâd et Gavalda. L’ambition de ces deux romancières est également de brosser la réalité sociale de leur temps. Bien qu’elles écrivent dans le contexte de deux conditions sociales et culturelles différentes, les deux auteures représentent les mêmes préoccupations dans leurs écrits ; les relations humaines, la femme et sa situation dans la société moderne et la confrontation de l’homme et de la femme constituent l’essence de leurs récits. La figure féminine contemporaine que Pirzâd et Gavalda tentent de représenter chez le lecteur n’est pas toujours conforme aux images stéréotypées de la femme orientale ou occidentale. Les hommes aussi prennent une dimension hors du commun. Le lecteur des œuvres de Pirzâd et Gavalda, tantôt surpris, tantôt satisfait, est constamment poussé à renouveler l’image de la femme, ainsi que celle de l’homme. / Popular literature is considered to be the most widely read genre in France and Iran. Pirzad and Gavalda are among the most read and translated contemporary writers. These authors belong to two very different worlds and cultures yet they managed to satisfy their foreign readers. Pirzad and Gavalda, like many other contemporary writers, place the character at the center of interests of their stories. They stage characters that are probable and representative of each individual of the society where they live. The protagonists of their novels are mostly women. Their status, characteristics and roles, as well as their inner worlds are developed and deepened over the course of history, in a simple and often dialogical style. The character is highlighted and the novel exists only through him. The ambition of these two novelists is also to give an outline of the social reality of their time. Although they write in the context of two different social and cultural conditions, the two authors represent the same concerns in their writings. Human relations, the woman and her situation in modern society and confrontation of man and woman constitute the essence of their stories. The contemporary feminine figure that Pirzad et Gavalda try to portray in the reader does not always conform to the stereotypical images of Eastern or Western women. Men also take on extraordinary dimension. The reader, sometimes surprised, sometimes satisfied, is constantly urged to renew the image of the woman.

Is the inclusion of social provisions in peace agreements influenced by the participation of women, and if so, why? It is suggested that if women participate in the negotiation, the agreement is likely to broaden with social provisions. But our understanding regarding why social provisions are shaped by the participation of women is still limited as previous research rarely looked at this phenomenon. By drawing on theories suggesting women’s participation will broaden the scope of the negotiation, and theories proposing women through the agency for being at the negotiation table would push for social provisions, this study hypothesizes that if women participate, the agreements are likely to broaden with more social provisions. A content analysis of the agreements reached on Liberia 2003, Sierra Leone 1999, Côte d’Ivoire 2003 and Niger 1995, and a supplementary in-depth comparative case study presents evidence suggesting women does influence peace agreements to become more holistic with more social provisions. At the same time, this study also highlights the essence of taking other factors that shape the scope of the agreements and the presence or absence of social provisions such as the context and duration of the conflicts and the belligerent actor’ will into consideration.