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Ms Annabel Cuff
Department of Psychology, Faculty for Social Wellbeing

This presentation presents a comprehensive theoretical framework for analysing women’s leadership and the role of mental health support within organisational contexts. Drawing on a multilevel organisational perspective, the framework engages with classical and neoclassical organisation theory, contingency and contingency leadership theory, systems and open systems theory, and institutional theory. Together, these approaches provide a holistic understanding of how organisations function, how leadership is shaped by context, and how individual behaviour, organisational structures and cultures, and broader institutional environments interact to influence leadership outcomes and wellbeing. This organisational lens establishes the structural and contextual conditions within which leadership is enacted and supported.

The framework is then extended through a critical engagement with feminist theory to interrogate how gendered power relations operate within these organisational settings. Liberal and neoliberal feminist theories foreground issues of inclusion, rights, and participation within existing structures, while radical feminism exposes the patriarchal foundations of those structures and questions whether representation alone constitutes feminist progress. These perspectives provide important analytical groundwork by revealing the limitations of reformist and individualised approaches to gender equality. Social constructionist and post-structural feminist theories advance this analysis further by focusing on how gendered power is reproduced through everyday practices, organisational cultures and discursive regimes of knowledge. In doing so, they illuminate how leadership norms, identities and expectations are constructed and normalised, with significant implications for women’s experiences of leadership and wellbeing.

Together, organisational and feminist theories offer a multidimensional framework that enables analysis of women’s leadership as both structurally embedded and discursively constituted. This integrated approach provides a strong theoretical basis for examining how organisational conditions and mental health supports shape women’s leadership experiences, capacities, and sustainability. 

Ms Sarah Cilia Vincenti
Department of Counselling, Faculty for Social Wellbeing

In Participatory Action Research (PAR), researchers collaborate with communities to address real-world issues and initiate social reform. Although this emergent approach allows the use of various research traditions, it cannot be sufficiently evaluated by prevailing positivist or qualitative research quality criteria. Photovoice is a qualitative PAR method which wields performative photography to empower marginalised communities. In this study, local ADHD women are raising awareness on the gender gap in ADHD recognition and treatment via an ongoing Photovoice project.

The evolution of the quality discourse within this research orientation is chronicled in this presentation. Subsequently, using circumstances encountered during this study’s fieldwork, the ways in which all knowledge workers collaborated to improve research quality are detailed and discussed. This required in-depth reflective dialogue revolving around Photovoice’s philosophical roots, the ethical ramifications of poorly conducted participatory research, how local ADHD women understand and embrace empowerment, and the dynamics of the socio-political landscape in which this project is maturing.

Photovoice’s pretension to challenge the supremacy of oral and textual traditions within academic circles must be lauded in tandem with a critical discussion on participatory research quality criteria. Additionally, in the context of the contemporary global decline of neoliberalism, a discussion of the relevance and quality of projects helping communities develop and implement their own solutions is apt. Those embarking on a participatory project, or anyone fascinated by the messiness and complexity of participatory fieldwork, will find this presentation worthwhile.

Ms Lara Muscat
Department of Spanish and Latin American Studies, Faculty of Arts

Women occupy an important space in both Federico García Lorca’s and Henrik Ibsen’s dramaturgy, yet their works have been insufficiently situated within feminist literary criticism. The Norwegian enjoys more recognition than his Spanish counterpart within this particular canon, though some of his works remain insufficiently explored. Lorca’s plays, on the other hand, have hardly been investigated with the objective of positioning him within the feminist literary strand. Moreover, no extensive comparative study currently exists that places both playwrights in dialogue through a feminist lens. This doctoral research seeks to address this gap by offering a comparative feminist analysis of Lorca’s and Ibsen’s dramatic repertoire. Through the application of feminist theory, this study will appraise the extent and nature of each playwright’s engagement with feminist concerns, as well as examining the common and divergent characteristics in the works of Lorca and Ibsen. Four main themes, which occupy a central place in feminist theory, will structure the analysis: (1) oppression, (2) marriage and motherhood, (3) female bodily and sexual agency, and (4) the construction and subversion of normative femininity. By foregrounding these themes, the research not only contributes to feminist literary criticism but also sheds light on the under-investigated relationship between Henrik Ibsen and Spain. Through this comparative approach, this research aims to reconsider how both Lorca and Ibsen contribute to the ever-evolving feminist canon and to situate their writings within wider European debates on feminism, gender, culture, and social change.

Mr Christian Vella
Department of Gerontology and Dementia Studies, Faculty for Social Wellbeing

This presentation explores the ageing experiences of LGBTIQ+ individuals, focusing on the critical challenges they face within residential long-term care services (LTC). A review of the literature shows that older LGBTIQ+ adults face distinct health disparities and stressors, largely due to lifetimes of discrimination, also known as minority stress. A key finding is that the transition into LTC is characterised by high degrees of anxiety and uncertainties stemming from the fact that most care environments are 'heteronormative' – they are built on the assumption that all residents are heterosexual and cisgender. These assumptions make LGBTIQ+ residents feel invisible. Many feel forced to 're-closet' themselves, hiding their sexual orientation or gender identity as a protective measure against potential discrimination, abuse, or substandard care from staff and fellow residents.

Literature also documents a significant lack of staff training and awareness concerning LGBTIQ+ issues. This gap leads to care that is often inadequate and fails to respect a resident's identity. Despite these profound challenges, the LGBTIQ+ community demonstrates remarkable resilience, often relying on 'families of choice' for support where biological family may be absent.

In conclusion, creating genuinely inclusive and affirmative LTC environments is a critical priority. Simple tolerance is not enough. Ageing policies on LTC demand systemic change, including robust anti-discrimination policies, comprehensive staff training, and adopting person-centred care models that actively recognise and respect the diverse histories and identities of all LGBTIQ+ older adults.