Since about 2004, the boom in the production of original Czech television series has been accompanied by the slow but steady increase in the appearance of non-heterosexual characters on TV. This analysis focuses on gay characters: what they are like, why and how they appear and disappear, how their non-heterosexuality is established and how it develops in the narrative of the series. A notable change can be observed in how gay male characters are being depicted: from depictions of mostly miserable characters whose coming out is their only dramatic potential in the narrative, to more complex portraits of characters who are incorporated into the story, experiencing love, partnerships and even parenthood - elements otherwise normal in series narratives. Alongside this more descriptive type of analysis, the author draws on Connell and Messerschmidt’s concept of hegemonic masculinity to draw attention to representations of practices that produce the masculinity of non-heterosexual (male) characters as subordinate , as complicit, and, in the case of recent characters, even as hegemonic. The representation of non-heterosexual characters as hegemonically masculine seems to be a form of ‘narrative redemption’ through homonormativity., Zdeněk Sloboda., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The participation and representation of women in decision-making bodies is an important factor in evaluating the level of political culture and the quality of democracy in a country. In the Czech Republic, and in post-communist countries in general, the representation of women in decision-making is imbalanced when compared with the representation of men. This fact is indicative of patterns of governance and the attitudes and values of citizens and suggests a generally passive citizenship in post-communist countries. In reaction to this development, there have been a number of analyses on women in politics in recent years. In general these studies concentrate on the barriers facing women entering politics and actively involved in political life. In recent years there has been a tendency in the media to give space to women who have left politics and have them look back and evaluate their career and the nature of politics. In this respect the academic sphere is lagging behind. The authors of this article aim to fill in this gap. They examine the following question: why do women leave politics after having struggled so hard to get in? They focus on the experiences of women who, in most of the cases, spent more than a decade in politics. They look at the women’s retrospective evaluations of their political careers, at life-work balance in politics, and the women’s experience of departing from politics. The article concludes that the key factor behind entry into politics, and behind maintaining a political career, is the relationships within political parties. Stereotypes and strategies continue to influence the strategic choices of actors, who assimilate into the existing political culture and choose not to generate considerable pressure for change in gender relations in political life., Petra Rakušanová, Lenka Václavíková-Helšusová., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The paper addresses the problem of growing uncertainties in the Czech labour market over the past 20 years with regard to the specific conditions of unskilled women struggling to integrate their paid work and unpaid work. The economic uncertainties and growing levels of global competition in production increase pressure for a transformation and flexibilisation of workforce. Actors occupying marginalised positions in the labour market tend to have lower levels of social capital and lower levels of work experience and education. At the same time, these people, including mothers caring for young children, find it difficult to cope with the increasing pressure for productivity and flexibility. The socioeconomic marginalisation of unskilled mothers is further strengthened by measures of the state’s social policy. The analysis at hand is based on three biographic interviews on the work trajectories of women whose highest level of education is vocational or lower. A biographic approach makes it possible to analyse the impact of structural and institutional conditions and social and cultural processes on the work and life trajectories of respondents. Their testimonies reveal the mechanisms of gender discrimination, social exclusion and subordination that unskilled mothers have to face in their personal lives and careers, and the strategies and resources they employ in order to cope with their situation., Lenka Formánková, Alena Křížková., Obsahuje bibliografii, and Anglické resumé
Článek se zabývá partnerskou spokojeností žen, které pracují v akademických povoláních. Jeho základem je jedna z částí rozsáhlejšího výzkumného projektu. Hlavním cílem zde prezentované části výzkumu je zmapovat míru, aspekty a subjektivně důležité oblasti partnerské spokojenosti žen. Také byl zkoumán subjektivní pohled žen na partnerské přizpůsobení a kvalita vztahu v kontextu jejich náročné profese. Z hlediska výzkumného designu byla použita tzv. souběžná vnořená strategie s těžištěm v kvalitativní metodologii (Cresswell, 2003). Hlavní metodou sběru dat byl polostrukturovaný rozhovor doplněný kvantitativní metodou Škála partnerského přizpůsobení. Výzkumný soubor tvoří 32 žen ve věku 30–52 let, které se věnují akademické profesní dráze tři a více let a žijí minimálně 3 roky v trvalém partnerském vztahu. Dílčí výsledky výzkumu ukazují, že ženy spokojené v partnerství mají stejné hodnoty, způsob uvažování a zájmy jako jejich partner. Partnery spojuje vzájemný respekt a oboustranná snaha o kompromis. Mezi negativní aspekty partnerské spokojenosti patří především nepřijetí profesního úspěchu partnerem, nadměrný individualismus a dominance na straně ženy a negativní události v životě partnerů. Vzhledem k naléhavosti zkoumané problematiky mohou být naše výzkumná zjištění užitečná například pro poradenské psychologické služby poskytované obdobně pracovně vytíženým ženám. and The article examines the level of partnership satisfaction of women working in academia. It is based on part of a wider-ranging research project. The main aim of the research presented here is to examine the degree of satisfaction in existing partnerships, its components and those areas of partnership satisfaction which are subjectively perceived as important. Moreover, the study explores the subjective opinion of women on adjustment in their partnership and on the overall relationship quality as judged by their demanding occupation. As far as the research design is concerned, a concurrent nested strategy was used with an emphasis on qualitative methodology (Cresswell, 2003). The main methods of data collection were semi-structured interviews, supplemented by a quantitative Dyadic Adjustment Scale. The research sample consisted of 32 women aged between 30 and 52, who have been working in academia for a minimum of three years and who have been living in a stable relationship for at least 3 years. Partial results show that women who are satisfied in their partnership share the same values, way of thinking and interests with their partner. Factors such as mutual respect and striving to find a compromise produce a positive impact on the relationship. The negative aspects of partnership satisfaction include a critical inability to accept the career success by the partner, excessive individualism and domination on the side of the woman and negative incidents in the life of partners. As the researched theme is highly topical, the results obtained may assist in further developing psychological consulting aimed towards women with similarly demanding occupations.
Joan Tronto je profesorkou politické vědy na Minnesotské univerzitě v USA. Politická a morální teorie péče Joan Tronto představuje jeden z klíčových feministických přístupů k péči. Na rozdíl od většiny autorek etiky péče chce Tronto etiku péče zasadit do širšího rámce spravedlnosti. Spravedlnost podle ní tvoří nezbytný rámec materialisticky zakotvené teorie péče, přičemž cílem je propojení univerzálních práv s konkrétními potřebami a odpovědností za péči pro vypořádání se s nerovnostmi a nadvládou jakožto strukturami, v nichž jsou vztahy péče zasazeny. Politická teorie péče proto podle ní musí vycházet z analýzy potřeb a mocenských vztahů, které významně utvářejí společenské vymezení odpovědnosti. Mezi její hlavní knihy patří Moral Boundaries: A Political Argument for an Ethics of Care (1993) a Caring Democracy: Markets, Equality, and Justice (2013), Joan Tronto, Zuzana Uhde., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The period of Normalization in Czechoslovakia is often perceived as a grey „Eastern iceberg“ where life stood still and uniformity governed. My analysis of sexological discourse, particularly of texts focused on perversity, juxtaposes the normalized ethos of the period with deviant sexual subjectivities. I analyze papers and debates presented at annual sexological conferences in the 1970s and 1980s. Sexuality, especially in its non -normal/deviant forms, was revealed as unstable, a quality sought to be „rectified“ through gender which was perceived as binary. The family was interrogated as a source of deviance and also as a place of redress. While sexological writings in general tend to biologize sexuality, my analysis shows that sexologists attributed social genealogy to deviance, a finding that attests to rigid social conditions during Normalization., Kateřina Lišková., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The paper focuses on gender equality policy in education. It aims to rectify the fact that theoretical concepts of gender equality receive little attention in the Czech Republic, both within academic discussion and in practical political discourse. In general, gender equality can be defined in three different ways: equality in approach, equality in opportunities, or equality in results. Furthermore, we can distinguish between gender sensitivity and gender neutrality. All alternatives have their weak and strong sides which are discussed in the paper. An effective school policy cannot make do without a deep understanding of these issues, which helps explain why the Czech version of gender equality policy is so inefficient in spite of some positive changes in the past few years. Gender equality is incorporated in school policies mostly in a formal manner that shows little concern or/and no understanding of the latent aspects of gender equality., Irena Smetáčková., and Obsahuje bibliografii