(Press-News.org) A majority of people in Afghanistan support human rights for Afghan women, and men are especially likely to support women’s rights when primed to think about their eldest daughters, according to a study published July 17, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, by Kristina Becvar and colleagues from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Human rights groups have been concerned for the rights of Afghan women in particular since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021. Since then, Afghan women have been barred from higher education, many have lost jobs, and there are high levels of early marriage and gender-based violence. To find out how groups might effectively advocate for women’s rights in the country, the authors conducted an online survey of Afghans, asking how they felt about women’s rights to education, employment, and more.
Among the 7,513 respondents to the question of support for women’s rights, the authors found that 66 percent of respondents “agreed” or “strongly agreed” that human rights for women were a top priority for the future of Afghanistan — including 45 percent of those who strongly supported the Taliban’s control of the country. Women, people living in urban areas, and people who rated themselves lower on the economic ladder were most likely to voice support. The authors also found support for the “first daughters” effect—the research that shows that having a daughter affects a father’s attitudes toward women. The authors showed that when fathers were primed to think of their eldest daughters, they were significantly more likely to support women’s rights, with support rising to 80%. Furthermore, in the comments that survey respondents provided, after being primed to think of their eldest daughters men were four percent more likely to mention equality as an important right, two percent more likely to say women’s rights are good for society, and three percent more likely to call for international pressure on the Taliban in support for women’s rights.
While the survey could only examine the proportion of the Afghan population who use the internet, the authors suggest that human rights organizations could work to appeal to the fathers of eldest daughters to support women and girls.
The authors add: “Our data shows Afghans - even Taliban-aligned Afghans - overwhelmingly support women's basic human rights, and that fathers of eldest daughters are a particularly receptive constituency in elevating women's status in Afghan society.”
#####
In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0298812
Citation: Becvar K, Carpenter C, Leidner B, Young KL (2024) The “First daughter” effect: Human rights advocacy and attitudes toward gender equality in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. PLoS ONE 19(7): e0298812. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298812
Author Countries: USA
Funding: This research was supported by the National Science Foundation RAPID grant #2204990, “Citizen Perspectives on Peace, Security and Human Rights in a Post-Conflict Environment,” awarded to C.P. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. There was no additional external funding received for this study. Funder information available at: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2204990.
END
Most Afghans support women’s rights, especially when men think of their daughters
“As a father of daughters”: Afghan men with eldest daughters more likely to favor women’s rights
2024-07-17
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
New antidote for cobra bites discovered
2024-07-17
Scientists at the University of Sydney and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have made a remarkable discovery: a commonly used blood thinner, heparin, can be repurposed as an inexpensive antidote for cobra venom.
Cobras kill thousands of people a year worldwide and perhaps a hundred thousand more are seriously maimed by necrosis – the death of body tissue and cells – caused by the venom, which can lead to amputation.
Current antivenom treatment is expensive and does not effectively ...
Ant insights lead to robot navigation breakthrough
2024-07-17
Have you ever wondered how insects are able to go so far beyond their home and still find their way? The answer to this question is not only relevant to biology but also to making the AI for tiny, autonomous robots. TU Delft drone-researchers felt inspired by biological findings on how ants visually recognize their environment and combine it with counting their steps in order to get safely back home. They have used these insights to create an insect-inspired autonomous navigation strategy for tiny, lightweight robots. The strategy allows such robots to come back home after long trajectories, while requiring extremely little computation and memory (0.65 kiloByte per ...
Soft, stretchy ‘jelly batteries’ inspired by electric eels
2024-07-17
Researchers have developed soft, stretchable ‘jelly batteries’ that could be used for wearable devices or soft robotics, or even implanted in the brain to deliver drugs or treat conditions such as epilepsy.
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, took their inspiration from electric eels, which stun their prey with modified muscle cells called electrocytes.
Like electrocytes, the jelly-like materials developed by the Cambridge researchers have a layered structure, like sticky Lego, that makes them capable of delivering an electric current.
The self-healing jelly batteries can stretch ...
The most endangered fish are the least studied
2024-07-17
The most threatened reef fishes are also the most overlooked by scientists and the general public. That is the startling finding of a team of scientists led by a CNRS researcher.1 In a study to be published in Science Advances on July 17, they measured the level of human interest in 2,408 species of marine reef fish and found that the attention of the scientific community is attracted by the commercial value more than the ecological value of the fishes. The public, on the other hand, is primarily influenced by the aesthetic characteristics of certain species, such as the red lionfish ...
Mindfulness training may lead to altered states of consciousness, study finds
2024-07-17
Mindfulness training may lead participants to experience disembodiment and unity – so-called altered states of consciousness – according to a new study from researchers at the University of Cambridge.
The team say that while these experiences can be very positive, that is not always the case. Mindfulness teachers and students need to be aware that they can be a side-effect of training, and students should feel empowered to share their experiences with their teacher or doctor if they have any concerns.
Mindfulness-based programmes have ...
New technique pinpoints nanoscale ‘hot spots’ in electronics to improve their longevity
2024-07-17
When electronic devices like laptops or smartphones overheat, they are fundamentally suffering from a nanoscale heat transfer problem. Pinpointing the source of that problem can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
“The building blocks of our modern electronics are transistors with nanoscale features, so to understand which parts of overheating, the first step is to get a detailed temperature map,” says Andrea Pickel, an assistant professor from the University of Rochester’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. “But you need something with nanoscale ...
Study shows ancient viruses fuel modern-day cancers
2024-07-17
Peek inside the human genome and, among the 20,000 or so genes that serve as building blocks of life, you’ll also find flecks of DNA left behind by viruses that infected primate ancestors tens of millions of years ago.
These ancient hitchhikers, known as endogenous retroviruses, were long considered inert or ‘junk’ DNA, defanged of any ability to do damage. New CU Boulder research published July 17 in the journal Science Advances shows that, when reawakened, they can play a critical role in helping cancer survive and thrive. The study also suggests that silencing certain endogenous retroviruses can make cancer treatments work better.
“Our study shows that diseases ...
Reef pest feasts on 'sea sawdust'
2024-07-17
Researchers have uncovered an under-the-sea phenomenon where coral-destroying crown-of-thorns starfish larvae have been feasting on blue-green algae bacteria known as ‘sea sawdust’.
The team of marine scientists from The University of Queensland and Southern Cross University found crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) larvae grow and thrive when raised on an exclusive diet of Trichodesmium – a bacteria that often floats on the ocean’s surface in large slicks.
UQ’s Dr Benjamin Mos from the School ...
Mental health training for line managers linked to better business performance, says new study
2024-07-17
Mental health training for line managers is strongly linked to better business performance, and it could save companies millions of pounds in lost sick days every year, according to new research led by experts at the University of Nottingham.
The results of the study, which are published in PLOS ONE, showed a strong association between mental health training for line managers and improved staff recruitment and retention, better customer service, and lower levels of long-term mental health sickness absence.
The study was led by Professor Holly Blake from the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham and Dr Juliet Hassard of Queen’s ...
Diatom surprise could rewrite the global carbon cycle
2024-07-17
When it comes to diatoms that live in the ocean, new research suggests that photosynthesis is not the only strategy for accumulating carbon. Instead, these single-celled plankton are also building biomass by feeding directly on organic carbon in wide swaths of the ocean. These new findings could lead researchers to reduce their estimate of how much carbon dioxide diatoms pull out of the air via photosynthesis, which in turn, could alter our understanding of the global carbon cycle, which is especially relevant given the changing climate.
This research is led by bioengineers, bioinformatics experts and other genomics researchers ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Insulin resistance is linked to over 30 diseases – and to early death in women, study of people in the UK finds
Innovative semaglutide hydrogel could reduce diabetes shots to once a month
Weight loss could reduce the risk of severe infections in people with diabetes, UK research suggests
Long-term exposure to air pollution and a lack of green space increases the risk of hospitalization for respiratory conditions
Better cardiovascular health in early pregnancy may offset high genetic risk
Artificial intelligence method transforms gene mutation prediction in lung cancer: DeepGEM data releases at IASLC 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer
Antibody–drug conjugate I-DXd shows clinically meaningful response in patients with extensive-stage small cell lung cancer
IASLC Global Survey on biomarker testing reveals progress and persistent barriers in lung cancer biomarker testing
Research shows pathway to developing predictive biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors
Just how dangerous is Great Salt Lake dust? New research looks for clues
Maroulas appointed Associate Vice Chancellor, Director of AI Tennessee
New chickadee research finds cognitive skills impact lifespan
Cognitive behavioral therapy enhances brain circuits to relieve depression
Terasaki Institute awarded $2.3 Million grant from NIH for organ transplantation research using organs-on-a-chip technology
Atoms on the edge
Postdoc takes multipronged approach to muon detection
Mathematical proof: Five satellites needed for precise navigation
Scalable, multi-functional device lays groundwork for advanced quantum applications
Falling for financial scams? It may signal early Alzheimer’s disease
Integrating MRI and OCT for new insights into brain microstructure
Designing a normative neuroimaging library to support diagnosis of traumatic brain injury
Department of Energy announces $68 million in funding for artificial intelligence for scientific research
DOE, ORNL announce opportunity to define future of high-performance computing
Molecular simulations, supercomputing lead to energy-saving biomaterials breakthrough
Low-impact yoga and exercise found to help older women manage urinary incontinence
Genetic studies reveal new insights into cognitive impairment in schizophrenia
Researcher develops technology to provide cleaner energy and cleaner water
Expect the unexpected: nanoscale silver unveils intrinsic self-healing abilities
nTIDE September 2024 Jobs Report: Gains in employment for people with disabilities appear to level off after reducing gaps with non-disabled workers
Wiley enhances NMR Spectral Library Collection with extensive new databases
[Press-News.org] Most Afghans support women’s rights, especially when men think of their daughters“As a father of daughters”: Afghan men with eldest daughters more likely to favor women’s rights