/library/oar/handle/123456789/20530 Previously known as Department of Gender Studies Thu, 06 Aug 2026 10:36:12 GMT 2026-08-06T10:36:12Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/147473 Title: Parenting under scrutiny : disability, motherhood, and the legacy of ableism Authors: Azzopardi Lane, Claire; Azzopardi, Andrew Abstract: This article examines how ableism, disablism, and structurally produced vulnerability shape disabled mothers’ experiences of pregnancy and parenting in Malta. Drawing on feminist disability studies, reproductive justice, and the social relational model of disability, the study situates disabled motherhood within enduring eugenic legacies and contemporary forms of reproductive governance that position disabled women as inherently risky, incompetent, or unfit to parent. Using a qualitative research design, in-depth interviews were conducted with four disabled mothers and two social workers working with parents with intellectual disabilities. Data were analysed through reflexive thematic analysis, informed by Thomas’s social relational model of disability and Reeve’s concept of psycho-emotional disablism.; Findings are organised around three interrelated themes: ableism, disablism, and structurally produced vulnerability. The analysis demonstrates how disabled mothers are subject to heightened surveillance, conditional recognition, and persistent scrutiny by healthcare, education, and child protection systems. These experiences are not reducible to impairment effects but are produced through inaccessible environments, deficit-based professional practices, communication barriers, and risk-averse institutional cultures. Professional narratives further reveal how vulnerability is often individualised and pathologised, obscuring the structural conditions that undermine disabled parents’ autonomy and rights.; Situated within Malta’s conservative reproductive regime and small-state welfare context, the study contributes empirical insight into how global disability inequalities are locally enacted. The article argues for a shift towards rights-based, disability-justice-informed parenting policies and practices that recognise disabled parents as legitimate, competent, and rights-holding individuals. Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/147473 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/147354 Title: "Dejjem ninkwieta fuq il-flus..." the gendered dimensions of emotional inequalities in managing household money in Malta Abstract: Drawing on a critical feminist qualitative study of eight married heterosexual couples in Malta, interviewed both jointly and individually, this paper examines the emotional experience and emotional inequalities embedded in household money management. It explores how partners interpret responsibility, worry, and confidence in everyday financial decision-making and how these affective dimensions shape the gendered organisation of domestic economic life.; Analysis of 24 in-depth, semi-structured interviews reveals a persistent emotional asymmetry: wives consistently shoulder a disproportionate share of financial anxiety, anticipatory planning, and self-doubt regarding budgeting, spending, and saving. This remains evident even in couples who describe their financial arrangements as "shared." In contrast, husbands more frequently articulate — or are portrayed by their spouses as embodying — feelings of confidence, expertise, or delegated responsibility. Many men frame financial management as a technical or even an enjoyable task, rather than an ongoing emotional burden. Notably, this sense of ease is not mirrored when wives take primary responsibility for the household finances.; These dynamics reflect entrenched cultural norms that position women as the emotional guardians of household wellbeing and men as competent financial actors within marriage. The study demonstrates that emotional inequalities, particularly around anxiety, responsibility, and confidence, constitute an under-recognised dimension of the gendered division of labour. Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/147354 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/147279 Title: Deconstructing gender and power : a feminist post-structuralist discourse analysis of "Il-Każin tal-Imqarbin" (misbehaved club) Abstract: This paper explores how Il-Każin tal-Imqarbin, a contemporary theatrical work set in 1980s Malta, constructs and challenges gendered and heteronormative discourses through the lens of Feminist Post-Structuralist Discourse Analysis (FPDA). By critically engaging with the play's language, character dynamics, and narrative structure, the research investigates how power, gender performativity, and marginalisation are communicated, contested, and reimagined within a historically queer-invisible Maltese context.; The study highlights the importance of examining cultural productions as sites where silenced LGBTQ+ narratives can be reclaimed and made visible, particularly in periods marked by institutionalised heteronormativity and social conservatism. The analysis focuses not only on the play's historical backdrop but also on its continuing relevance, demonstrating how Il-Każin tal- Imqarbin destabilises rigid binary gender roles. By adopting a feminist post-structuralist perspective, the paper examines how discourses surrounding gender and sexuality are both reflected and subverted within the script, offering alternative ways of understanding subjectivity and agency. Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/147279 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/147278 Title: Institutional contradictions and gendered realities : a feminist reworking of new institutional theory in higher education Abstract: This article investigates how formal institutional frameworks and family-friendly policies at the University of Malta intersect with gendered cultural norms to shape uneven outcomes for working mothers. Using an integrated analytical approach that draws on New Institutional Theory (NIT), Feminist Institutionalism, and Institutional Ethnography (IE), the study reveals how organisational structures that appear inclusive on the surface are often undermined by discretionary practices and informal expectations that reproduce gendered hierarchies.; The research combines textual analysis of institutional documents, survey data, and qualitative interviews with academic and support-staff mothers. The findings demonstrate a consistent implementation gap between policy and practice, highlighting the influence of managerial discretion, entrenched power asymmetries, and the persistence of invisible labour. By bringing feminist institutional insights into conversation with NIT and IE, the study offers a more nuanced framework for understanding the motherhood penalty in academia and underscores the need for stronger accountability and gender-sensitive institutional practices.; The argument builds on and extends existing feminist scholarship on institutional processes and inequalities (Cacace, Mellino, & Recio, 2023; Chappell & Waylen, 2020; Monro, 2021; O'Connor, 2022; Smith & Griffith, 2022). Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/147278 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z