Since birth, we have been ensnared in a gendered world. Gender is so deeply ingrained in various aspects of our lives, such as social, political, legal, and economic institutions and the related actions, ideas, and aspirations, that it appears natural. As a result of gender-defined roles and experiences, gendered hierarchies get established. It is crucial to re-examine the fundamental issues of gender, equality, and development from a new perspective. In doing so, this volume puts aside what we are accustomed to and challenges some of our most fundamental assumptions and understandings. It analyses gender not as a given but as a feat, not just as the cause but also as a result, and not only as a person but also as a society, in order to expose and critique the processes that create or reassert the inevitability and naturalness of a gendered reality.

The book sketches the basic understanding of gender, its construction, perception of gender, the process of identity formation and socialization, and the kind of influence gender has on society. This volume is a comprehensive resource that gives a new perspective on gender as a key organizing factor within society, it unpacks the social construction of knowledge, categories of difference, and structures of power and inequality, from the viewpoints of researchers and academicians. Researchers, teachers, students, and other groups interested in gender studies, sociology, law, history, and languages will find the book refreshingly handy in their inquiry. The book is a collection of narratives, empirical evidence, and opinion papers along with systematic literature reviews around gender, equality and development.

List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
Organisation of the Book

Part I. Introduction Theoretical Exploration

Chapter 1 Gender: How the Difference is Made
Kalfa Maria
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Chapter 2 Theorising Gender Development
Moses January Ndunguru
Institute of Development Studies, Mzumbe University

Chapter 3 Violence and Gender in Literature: Bidirectional Approach
Dongmo Fogho Léonie Claire
University of Yaoundé I, Cameroon

Chapter 4 Constructing the English Woman, Cleansing the Colonial: What Teaching Jane Eyre Taught Me About It
Giti Chandra
GRÓ-GEST, University of Iceland

Chapter 5 Caste Equality – A Precursor to Gender Equality
Sapna Singh
Centre for Political Studies,
Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India

Chapter 6 Gender Mainstreaming as a Social Changer
C.C. Jayasundara
University of Kelaniya

Chapter 7 Status of Women in India: A Socio- Legal Perspective
Ramya V
Ramaiah College of Law, Karnataka, India

Part II. Contextual Themes on Gender, Equality & Development

Chapter 8 A Study of Women Managers’ Experiences and Perceptions of Gender Equality and Discrimination in Kazakhstan Universities
Gulnar Adebietqyzy Sarseke
L.N. Gumilyev Eurasian National University, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan

Chapter 9 Combatting Gender Disparity and Ushering a New Era in Higher Education in Afghanistan – Highlights from the American University of Afghanistan
Dr. Enakshi Sengupta,
Business Department, American University of Afghanistan, Afghanistan
Prof Nasiruddin Nezaami,
Law Department, American University of Afghanistan, Afghanistan
Prof Victoria C Fontan
American University of Afghanistan, Afghanistan

Chapter 10 Gender Imbalances and Education: The Existence of Glass Ceiling in Higher Educational Institutions
Rakhi Arora
GD Goenka University, Gurgaon, India

Chapter 11 Women and Decision Making within the Household: The Malaysian Indian Women Perspective
Nithiya Guna Saigaran
University Malaya

Chapter 12 Investigating the Intersectionality of Women and the Minority Rights Discourse in India
Malavika Menon
Christ University, Bangalore, India

Chapter 13 Disguised Dowry and the Ritualisation of Patriarchy: An Empirical Exploration of the Institution of Arranged Marriage in Urban Kolkata
Sucharita Sen
Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Chapter 14 Gender Mainstreaming in India and China: A Sub-National Analysis of Female Labor Force Participation
Dr. Vaishali Singh
School of Governance and Public Affairs, XIM University, Bhubaneswar, India

List of Contributors
Index

Dr. Anuradha R. Tiwary is a Professor of economics and Assistant Dean of Academic Planning & Monitoring at GD Goenka University, India. She is also the Chair of the Under Graduate Program in the School of Humanities and Social Science, GD Goenka University. She has two decades of teaching and research experience in various academic institutions. Prior to her appointment at GD Goenka University, she was associated with GD Goenka World Institute-Lancaster University, UK. Anuradha earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s in commerce from Jiwaji University; she also did her MBA from DAVV, Indore and Advance Certification in Gender Studies from Delhi University, India. Her research interests include Microfinance, Gender Studies, Social Entrepreneurship.

Tarakeshwar Gupta is a Visiting Faculty and Research Scholar at School of Management of GD Goenka University, India. He has a Masters in Business Administration from Pondicherry University (India) and has completed a course on Strategic Management from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta. He is Six Sigma Green Belt Certified, and has conducted communication and employability skills enhancement programs at postgraduate level in Management Institute (Noida – India). He has also acquired around 10 years of work experience in the Corporate sector; primarily in operations, training and development. His current research interests include organization behaviour, gender studies, training & development, business communication, and strategic management.

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inequality, gender equality, violence, masculinity, femininity, Marxist feminism, black feminism, Gender, British literature, teaching, classroom pedagogies, Charlotte
Bronte, Jane Eyre, Victorian novel, Gender, caste, intersectionality, social media, equality, Gender mainstreaming, gender perspective, societal change, gender
equality, gender equity, Status, Injustice, Discrimination, Equality, Empowerment, Constitutional
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