Gender Sudies

This study presents and analyses the hardly known story of the initiation (1875) of a woman, the countess Helene Hadik­Barkóczy's into freemasonry and its annulation in detail. In Hungary that time two Masonic Grand Lodges, the Grand Lodge of St. John and Grand Orient worked independently from each other. The countess request was supported by Johannite Grand Master Ferenc Pulszky, and she underwent initiation by a provincial lodge of Grand Orient. Her initiation was then declared void by decision of Grand Orient and collaborators were sanctioned. The countess based her request and argued about its validity on common law. She brought up her knowledge of freemasonry, her legal status of a son (praefectio) and the absence of dispositions about candidates' gender in constitution of Grand Orient. This latter, upholding the Prussian law concept considered null and void the initiation because of the absence of bureaucratic formalities required by them. Interesting phenomenon is the contradiction between countess's emancipatory claims to affiliation based on a feudalistic institution (the praefectio) and the freemasons' opposition based on the ideal of civic equality.

Media reports have indicated that " Baby factory " activity in Nigeria which is the harbouring of girls with unwanted pregnancies, and the sell of the babies are emerging as an important social phenomenon with serious negative impact on health and development of adolescents. The study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of two sets of communication interventions on the knowledge towards baby factory phenomenon among in-school adolescents in SouthEast Nigeria. The study was quasi-experimental with three intervention groups and a control. Key-Informant Interviews (KII) and Focus Group Discussion (FGD) were initially conducted to determine the perspectives of the target group and officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs on baby factory phenomenon to facilitate the design of the communication messages and instrument for evaluating the study outcome. Two communication intervention programmes audio-recorded and print messages) were developed and implemented. The study findings revealed that the communication intervention programmes on 'baby factory' activities designed, empowered and moved teenagers from at risk position to knowledge-equipped position. The study further recommended that, the state government through the Ministry of Women Affairs should have more focused communication intervention programme in secondary schools to educate students who are most vulnerable to this phenomenon.

This study presents and analyses the hardly known story of the initiation (1875) of a woman, the countess Helene Hadik­Barkóczy's into freemasonry and its annulation in detail. In Hungary in that time two masonic Grand Lodges, The Grand Lodge of St. John and Grand Orient worked independently from each other. The countess request was supported by Johannite Grand Master Ferenc Pulszky, and accomplished initiated by a provincial lodge of Grand Orient. Her initiation was then declared void by decision of Grand Orient and collaborators were punished. The countess based her request and argued about its validity on common law. In the argumentation she brought up her knowledge of freemasonry, her legal status of a son (praefectio) and the absence of dispositions about candidates' gender in constitution of Grand Orient. This latter, upholding the Prussian law concept considered null and void the initiation because of the absence of bureaucratic formalities required by them. Interesting phenomenon is the contradiction between countess's emancipatory claims to affiliation based on a feudalistic institution (the praefectio) and the freemasons' opposition based on the ideal of civic equality.