Browsing by Subject "gender equality"
Now showing items 1-9 of 9
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(2024)The use of artificial intelligence (AI) has globally exploded in recent years. While AI brings numerous benefits, it is crucial to understand its negative effects to address them effectively. One significant concern is the presence of discriminatory biases within AI, leading to phenomena that affect various groups unequally. Recently, many official bodies have expressed concerns about the adverse impacts of AI on gender equality. The goal of this thesis is to identify the most central phenomena and the main reasons that lead to phenomena created by artificial intelligence that negatively affect gender equality. The study employs thematic analysis to examine the content of the expert interviews and compares these insights with existing research. By analyzing the interviews, this research aims to identify the most frequently mentioned phenomena to effectively address the research questions. The participants include seven experts based in Finland with expertise in AI and/or technology and gender equality. The study is framed through the lenses of technofeminism and intersectionality participating in the feminist technoscience field. The research identifies several AI-generated phenomena that negatively impact gender equality, including the reinforcement of gendered harmful stereotypes, technology based gendered violence, discriminatory automated decision-making, and gendered job replacement. Specific issues discussed under these themes include stereotypical image and text generation, feminization and domestication of AI, deepfakes, other forms of gender-based violence, chatbot girlfriends, and discrimination in recruitment processes and loan approvals. Moreover, the interviews highlight the male-dominated nature of the AI field and biased data as significant factors contributing to these adverse phenomena. In conclusion, this study aims to outline experts' views on which are the most central phenomena related to the increased use of artificial intelligence, which negatively affect gender equality. The thesis underlines that unequal societal structures are mirrored in the development and application of artificial intelligence. Without careful attention, artificial intelligence does exacerbate and deepen gender inequalities.
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(2021)Avhandlingen består av en diskursanalys av intervjuer med kvinnoidentifierade personer verksamma inom startupekosystemet i Finland. Syftet med avhandlingen är att utforska kvinnornas tolkningar av startupekosystemets kultur från ett jämställdhets- och mångfaldsperspektiv. Avhandlingen bidrar med ett kritiskt perspektiv på startupkulturer och ämnar inspirera till nya synvinklar på sociologisk forskning om startupekosystem. De huvudsakliga forskningsfrågorna lyder: ”Hur förstår och tolkar kvinnor verksamma inom det finska startupekosystemet startupkulturen?”, ”Hur tolkar kvinnorna entreprenörsfiguren i rollen av det ideala startupsubjektet?” och ”Hur upplever kvinnorna jämställdhets- och mångfaldsdiskurser inom kontexten av det finska startupekosystemet?”. Det empiriska materialet består av kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer med fyra kvinnor som på ett eller annat sätt är verksamma inom det finska startupekosystemet. Intervjuerna analyseras genom diskursanalys. Det teoretiska ramverket för avhandlingen består av synen på startupekosystem som performativa diskurser – diskurser som konstruerar de verkligheter de beskriver – och entreprenören som en performativ figur och det ideala startupsubjektet. Det teoretiska ramverket betonar vikten av att inkludera ekosystemet som en forskningsparameter i kulturell forskning om startupkulturer. Avhandlingen hämtar inspiration från akademiska diskussioner om den diskursiva konstruktionen av startup, entreprenörskap och teknologifältet. I avhandlingen framhävs i enlighet med forskning tre diskursiva teman som beskriver startupkulturen: öppenhet och hierarkilöshet; passion och heroism; samt rationalitet och hårt arbete. Samtliga diskursiva teman bidrar till en hegemonisk förståelse om startupkulturen som inkluderande, jämlik och rättvis. Avhandlingen ifrågasätter dessa premisser och argumenterar för att startupdiskurser bidrar till att reproducera en förgivettagen sanning om inkludering och jämlikhet som osynliggör maktstrukturer och förhindrar att status quo ifrågasätts. Dessa diskursiva formationer konstruerar entreprenörsfiguren, som representerar ett demokratiserat och jämlikt ideal inom en objektiv marknadsekonomi. Analysen påvisar att entreprenören, trots sina neutrala premisser, är könad och rasifierad, och lättare fäster sig vid maskulint kodade kroppar. Slutligen påvisar avhandlingen att respondenterna blivit marginaliserade som kunskapsinnehavare när det gäller frågor om jämställdhet och likabehandling. Avhandlingen föreslår att startupdiskurser och konstruktionen av entreprenörsfiguren påverkar hur jämställdhet och mångfald förstås inom fältet och skapar en förutsättning för icke-performativa diskurser och tystnader gällande jämställdhet och mångfald.
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(2019)It is widely seen that fragile states and prolonged crises cause poverty, violence and also migration as a strategy for survival. However, international interventions by development cooperation and by crisis management missions have been ineffective to provide security and possibilities for sustainable development. The comprehensive crisis management, too, has remained ineffective to respond such challenges. The purpose of this Master's thesis is to contribute for the discussion of developing comprehensive crisis management to make it more efficient in creating sustainable development and peace in crisis areas. For this reason, this qualitative study wanted to clarify the perceptions of Finnish foreign and security policy expert politicians on crisis management in its entirety. In particular, aspects of civilian crisis management and development cooperation were examined as part of comprehensive crisis management and security framework. Empirical research was conducted in the Finnish Parliament and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs between August 2017 and January 2018. 22 MPs were interviewed for the study. The theme analysis was used to identify critical ideas in the interview material. Besides, the study utilized hermeneutic phenomenology. The method of observation was the long-term experience of the investigator in civilian crisis management operations, as well as the membership of the foreign affairs committee in 2015 - 2017. According to the nuanced results, security thinking has become pervasive. Finnish crisis management is based on the experience and expertise of the long history of Finnish peacekeeping and core competencies. Civilian crisis management requires a more prominent role in a comprehensive crisis management approach, which should also be taken into account in financing decisions. The results also showed that the promotion of human security is an essential element of development cooperation and civilian crisis management. An important policy is to focus on the most vulnerable people. Education, access to health services and gender equality were highlighted as ways to achieve sustainable development in crisis areas. Regionally the focus should be in Africa. The synergies between the various instruments of comprehensive crisis management should be better exploited. The results can be useful for those responsible for the Finnish crisis management in the development of a comprehensive crisis management.
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(2024)Gender equality and human rights have been foundational values of the European Union (EU) from the beginning however, it has initiatives to integrate the Women, Peace and Security agenda at all EU levels (including local, national, regional, and international level). Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda recognizes the need for systematic inclusion of gender perspectives, women empowerment and gender equality in peace and security, specially in the EU’s external action and foreign policy. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the EU’s WPS policies and discover how efficiently the WPS agenda is implemented in EU’s Advisory Missions (EUAM). This thesis follows the qualitative case study methodology to identify whether there is any difference between policy and practice. EUAM Iraq and Ukraine were analyzed as case studies to understand the research purpose. Case studies were examined based on the information available at EUAM Iraq and Ukraine and WPS agenda conceptualization is done by assessing EU policy documents (Council Conclusion 2018, Action Plan on WPS 2019-2024). For analysis ‘women empowerment framework’ and ‘social relation approach’ are used as analytical tools. The analysis suggests women's empowerment is not only the increase of numbers but also vertical participation (equal presence in leadership, decision-making process, policy-making and in programme execution). In addition to that, lacking at structural level reproduces and institutionalizes masculinity and inequality. The research concludes that women’s participation is increasing in peace and security sector however, by positional aspect women are far behind than men because fewer women are seen in leading and managing positions. Moreover, for an effective and meaningful implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, a good synchronization between WPS policy and mission mandates is needed. From a theoretical point of view the thesis identified the EU is a gender norm leader but it promotes gender equality from certain perspectives and goals. EU advocates gender equality in external actions and foreign policy to establish an image of gender-equal actor but in practice, EU missions do not demonstrate equality in positions. Moreover, images published in EUAM Iraq and Ukraine portray EU men and women are superior to host countries' men and women. However, for effective and meaningful implementation of the WPS agenda women's empowerment needs to be at both ends so that the progression can happen equally.
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(2020)Throughout history, conflict situations have affected people differently depending on the gender. The United Nations Security Council acknowledged the problem by adopting Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security to be implemented by all member states. The aim of this thesis is to examine the country image that Finland has created of its peace mediation policy from a gender perspective during 2015-2018. This research is a qualitative content analysis. As the Finnish model of peace consists of cooperation between the government and non-governmental actors, the research material was divided into two perspectives. The first primary source was Finland’s National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security published by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs during the years of 2012-2018. The second primary source was the Finnish member profiles of the Nordic Women Mediators Network. The research followed a thematic structure of the themes Nordicness, gender mainstreaming and sustainable peace. The study shows that Finland’s country image on gender-equal peace mediation emphasises the role of women in particular. One central finding from the thematic perspective is that the Action Plans have given more importance to sustainable peace after the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was launched by the United Nations. The profiles of the Nordic Women Mediators Network emphasise versatile cooperation between peace actors and through multidisciplinary backgrounds. In addition, the Nordic Women Mediators Network bring added value to the Nordic presence of the Action Plans. All in all, the Finnish Women, Peace and Security agenda has diversified in its themes the more Action Plans have been launched. The findings of this study reflect that creating a country image is a significant part of nation-branding. The visibility of values in different contexts also reflect how the country identifies itself. Cooperating with independent actors by sharing skills not only strengthens the foreign policy but the overall image of the Finnish way in peace-making.
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(2023)This thesis explores the intersections of gender equality, parenthood, and the Nordic welfare state with an aim to investigate the equality paradox embedded within the Nordic welfare model. The gender equality paradox refers to the contradictory situation in egalitarian Nordic countries where women still face persistent inequality while state-driven initiatives unintentionally create new challenges for them. This thesis conduct a case study on the Finnish childcare regime after the 2022 reform. This regime embodies an aggregate framework encompassing all aspects of childcare policies, including the paid parental leave system, Home Care Allowance, and Early Childhood Education and Services. Through the lens of Nancy Fraser's care-work models, this thesis questions how the Finnish childcare regime recognises and potentially resolves the gender equality paradox by a contextual analysis of the regime’s development and current policy design data. The main finding indicates that the newly reformed Finnish childcare regime presents an “equality within difference” scenario rather than pursuing shared care and breadwinning as in Fraser’s universal caregiver model. Firstly, the latest reform shows the ambition towards gender equality, yet there is a split between political ambition and the private sphere. Secondly, while the principle of freedom of choice embedded in the Finnish childcare policy ostensibly empowers parents to make individual decisions autonomously, parental choices seem to be influenced more by necessity than freedom. This thesis identifies a tension in the Finnish childcare regime between promoting gender equality and preserving freedom of choice, revealing a contradicting political logic. Although providing an ostensibly gender-equal policy structure, the childcare regime in Finland falls short of adequately addressing the persistent equality dilemmas faced by women.
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(2018)The low proportion of women among attorneys-at-law in Finland is striking, particularly among attorneys-at-law in partner positions. Previous research has shown that female attorneys-at-law in Finland, although not working in the prestigious positions of power or financial decision-making, can express a belief in gender equal career opportunities. However, the idea of equal opportunities has been shown to be a myth, which ignores for instance how women are faced with greater expectations concerning family caretaking than men. Overall, the traditionally masculine norms of the legal field have been shown to carry a male advantage. While previous research on the topic has focused on the experiences of female attorneys-at-law, this thesis aims to study also men’s perspectives. The objective of this thesis is to understand better how attorneys-at-law, women and men, talk about gender equality and inequality within their profession, and what kind of attitudes towards the topics are being expressed. The theoretical framework for this thesis draws from social constructionism, rhetorical social psychology and the qualitative attitude approach. Altogether 13 women and men, of different age and living in different parts of Finland, were interviewed in October-November 2017. Three topics were discussed within the interviews: 1) career development as an attorney-at-law, 2) gender and gender equality, and 3) professional success. The analysis of this thesis focused only on the second theme of the interviews, gender and gender equality, and more precisely, on argumentative talk generated by five attitude statements concerning the role of gender, work and family reconciliation and gender inequality. The analysis revealed three different attitudes towards gender equality or inequality in the legal field: 1) gender inequality as women leaving the legal field, 2) gender equality as gender-neutral attitudes and treatment, and 3) men’s gender inequality as an upcoming problem. In addition, an important finding was how work and family reconciliation was constructed as a women’s concern. The attitudes drew from the discourses of individual choice, equal opportunities, and gender neutrality, the idea of work and family reconciliation concerning women, low amounts of boys in faculties of law, as well as a belief in the proportion of female partners changing. Functions of the attitudes included, among others, representing women or oneself as making justified choices over family caretaking or as having opportunities to leave or stay in the legal field, representing oneself as a supporter of gender neutrality or as a person who sees the situation from a larger perspective. Overall, the attitudes represented gender inequality as a problem or not as a problem in varying degrees. The most important references for this thesis were Choroszewicz’s (2014a) Managing Competitiveness in Pursuit of a Legal Career: Women Attorneys in Finland and Poland and Vesala’s & Rantanen’s (2007) Argumentaatio ja tulkinta.
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(2024)Both immigration and gender equality are crucial topics in contemporary Swedish socio-political discourse and reflect the nation's commitment to progressive values. However, as this thesis argues, the intersection of these two domains and their impact on marginalized communities, particularly women of different racial/ethnic backgrounds, requires deeper investigation. This thesis examines the landscape of Swedish gender equality strategies with a focus on addressing racial/ethnic disparities within the realm of gender equality. It uses Carol Bacchi's six-question approach and draws theoretical framework from Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), Norman Fairclough's and post-structuralist discourse theories. The study analyses documents such as the “Handbook: Sweden’s Feminist Foreign Policy” and the “Implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Sweden: Statistical Review 2019, 2020, 2021” documents. Through a systematic exploration of language use, problem representations and discursive strategies, the research uncovers both commendable efforts and inherent limitations within Swedish gender equality policies. The analysis reveals that although Swedish gender equality strategies demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity, they often fail to fully incorporate the diverse experiences of women from various ethnic and racial backgrounds. While recognizing intersecting discriminations, the Swedish feminist foreign policy tends to adopt a Western-centric perspective and overlook crucial cultural nuances. Similarly, the statistical reviews highlight challenges faced by immigrant women but perpetuate overly simplistic narratives that attribute these problems to immigrant communities alone, thereby ignoring foreign women's agency and resilience in their cultural identities. The research also identifies a "we-for-them" narrative that is embedded within Swedish societal dynamics and is subtly reinforced through language and representations used within policy discourse. This narrative frames the Swedish institutions and values as inherently superior and, as a result, reinforces existing power dynamics and undermines genuine efforts toward inclusivity and equality. The thesis discovers that while Swedish gender equality strategies hold promise, their effectiveness depends on a nuanced understanding of the context and a commitment to inclusivity. The portrayal of vulnerability attributed solely to cultural norms oversimplifies complex realities and risks the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes. Moving beyond simplistic narratives and embracing more comprehensive and inclusive approaches seem to be essential for realizing genuine empowerment and social change for all women in Sweden.
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(2021)Ortodoksisten talousteorioiden mukaan kaupankäynti on luonnollinen prosessi, joka ikään kuin tapahtuu itsestään. Naiset ja heidän kokemuksensa sivutetaan usein tämän talousnäkemyksen seurauksena. Maailman Kauppajärjestöä (WTO) on esimerkiksi kritisoitu sen heikoista, sukupuolten tasa-arvoa edistävistä toimista. Yksi WTO:n sukupuolten tasa-arvoa edistävä toimi on ”Buenos Airesin julistus”, jonka tavoite on edistää naisten osallistumista maailmankauppaan. Vuonna 2017 yli sata WTO:n jäsenmaata allekirjoitti kyseisen julistuksen. Tässä tutkielmassa tarkastellaan tätä WTO:n ensimmäistä mittavaa pyrkimystä edistää naisten taloudellisia oikeuksia. Tutkielmassa vastataan tarkemmin siihen, miten Buenos Airesin julistukseen päädyttiin. Tutkielmassa tutkitaan myös, kuinka sukupuolikysymykset ja naisten oikeudet ovat muuttuneet ja muovautuneet globaalissa hallinnassa ja perehdytään erityisesti toista maailman sotaa edeltäviin vuosikymmeniin. Kun tarkastellaan sukupuolen ja vapaakaupan suhdetta, voidaan paremmin ymmärtää, miten ajan saatossa tapahtuneet muutokset ovat vaikuttaneet Buenos Airesin julistuksen syntyyn. Lisäksi tutkielmassa tarkastellaan WTO:n roolia sukupuolten tasa-arvon edistäjänä. Feminististä poliittista taloutta sekä postkolonialistisia talousaatteita hyödynnetään tutkielman teoreettisena viitekehyksenä. Vapaata kauppaa analysoidaan reformistisesta näkökulmasta. Feministisessä talousteoriassa painotetaan usein, että kauppa ei ole ainoastaan luonnollinen prosessi. Kauppa määritetään sosiaalisena konstruktiona, johon lukuisat tekijät vaikuttavat. Tutkielman analyysin perustana toimii Peggy Antrobusin teoria sukupuolten ulottuvuuksista globaalissa hallinnassa. Ajatus sukupuolten epätasa-arvosta on muuttunut, mikä käy ilmi tutkielman analyysistä. Sen lisäksi analyysissa osoitetaan, että sukupuolten tasa-arvoa koskevat kysymykset ovat lisääntyneet kansainvälisesti. Buenos Airesin julistuksen taustalla on monia vaiheita, joita globaalin hallinnan erilaiset trendit myös vahvistavat. Nykyisen hegemonian mukaan vapaakauppa hyödyttää kaikkia ihmisiä tasapuolisesti. Kriittinen tutkimus on kuitenkin osoittanut tarpeen edistää sukupuolten välistä tasa-arvoa. Näin ollen tutkielman analyysissa tarkastellaan myös WTO:n roolia sukupuolten tasa-arvon edistämisessä. Sen sijaan että WTO yrittäisi löytää ja purkaa sukupuolten epätasa-arvoon vaikuttavia juurisyitä, analyysissä selviää, että WTO pyrkii ensisijaisesti tukemaan naisten taloudellista voimaantumista ja yrittäjyyttä. Tutkielman johtopäätöksenä voidaan todeta, että globaalissa hallinnassa tapahtuvilla muutoksilla ja kansainvälisillä organisaatioilla on merkittävä vaikutus sukupuolten tasa-arvoon. Tutkielman johtopäätöksissä pohditaan myös sitä, miten sukupuolikysymykset on otettu huomioon historian saatossa. Johtopäätöksissä korostetaan lopulta luotettavan datan, valvonnan ja evaluoinnin keskeistä merkitystä vapaan kaupan sukupuolittuneiden vaikutusten tutkimuksessa.
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