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Gender Inequality

Gender inequality at the street level explained: redoing gender through informal practices

·428 字·1 分钟
Polihot 公共行政 Street-Level Bureaucracy Gender Inequality Discretion Informal Practices Social Workers
PMR — pp. 1-29 2026-08-25 Original Gender inequality at the street level explained: redoing gender through informal practices Ofri Shalev Greenman, Einat Lavee Abstract This study examines whether gendered differences in discretion shape inequality among street-level bureaucrats (SLBs). Focusing on the provision of informal personal resources (IFRs) to clients, we analyzed 59 in-depth interviews with social workers in Israel. While both women and men engage in extensive informal practices, their scope and form differ. Two mechanisms drive the reproduction of inequality: invisibility versus visibility of IFRs, and boundary setting between personal and professional spheres. These findings reveal that discretion in implementation not only is gendered but also reproduces conventional hierarchies, intensifying gender inequality at the street level of public administration.

Context, Mechanism, and Outcome: Explaining Gendered Administrative Burdens on Abortion Access in Italy

·683 字·2 分钟
Polihot 公共行政 公共政策 Administrative Burden Abortion Access Gender Inequality Italy Realist Evaluation
PAR — 2026-05-26 Original Context, Mechanism, and Outcome: Explaining Gendered Administrative Burdens on Abortion Access in Italy Debra Lanfranconi, Markus Hinterleitner Abstract ABSTRACT Abortion access in Italy provides a case to examine how gendered administrative burdens emerge through the interplay of legal provisions, informal frontline practices, and contextual influences. Drawing on the Context–Mechanism–Outcome framework from realist evaluation, the analysis shows how legal access to abortion is constrained by procedural requirements, widespread conscientious objection among healthcare providers, and the institutional presence of anti‐abortion actors. Using qualitative data from Obiezione Respinta— a user‐generated platform mapping abortion access barriers across Italy—we demonstrate how everyday bureaucratic processes (re)produce gender inequalities. Three contributions follow. First, the analysis extends the gendered administrative burden literature by highlighting how informal policy design and contextual factors contribute to gender inequality. Second, it introduces the C‐M‐O framework to administrative burden research as a structured yet parsimonious approach to studying how burdens emerge. Third, it centers on women's experiences to offer a qualitative account of how burdens are perceived and navigated.