The Effects of Welfare-to-Work Programs on Welfare Recipients’ Employment Outcomes

This study examined the effects of U.S. Welfare-to-Work programs on the employment outcomes of Temporary Assistance to Needy Family (TANF) recipients. Using the Survey of Program Dynamics and the Welfare Rules Database, the present study followed unemployed TANF recipients who participated in Human Capital Development (HCD) and Labor Force Attachment (LFA) programs from 1997 through 2001. The analyses examined how program participation affected recipients’ employment while holding the effects of the state economy and various TANF rules constant. The results showed that, unlike the assumption of the work-first strategy in the welfare reform, participation in HCD programs was associated with a higher probability of obtaining and maintaining employment than participation in LFA programs.     

The Effects of Children’s Health on Mothers’ Employment

When children have health problems, mothers face a tradeoff between the decision to work to satisfy increased expenses and the decision to stay home to fulfill enlarged caregiving needs, especially for children with chronic conditions. This research used an instrumental variables approach to investigate the labor market consequences of mothers due to burden to care children with health problems. We found mothers’ employment probability increased by 0.9% for every $100 of increased out-of-pocket medical spending, while employment probability fell by 1.0% for every half day of school/day care a sick child missed. By correcting for endogeneity we addressed a potential empirical bias. Analyses by subgroups showed that Hispanic mothers were less likely to work in the labor market with high caregiving burden. We also found that the effects of time burden on labor market outcomes were magnified for black mothers.     

Are Men and Women Equal in Employment?

EQUALITY was one of the themes of the Fourth World Conference on Women. The motto of the Conference was "Action for Equality, Development and Peace." But is there a real possibility for equality between men and women? Equality in employment remains an important concern. Recently, Zheng Yefu, research worker of the Beijing Academy of Social     

The Causal Effects of the Number of Children on Female Employment - Do European Institutional and Gender Conditions Matter?

This paper contributes to the discussion on the effects of the number of children on female employment in Europe. Most previous research has either (1) compared these effects across countries, assuming an exogeneity of family size; or (2) used methods that dealt with endogeneity of family size, but that focused on single countries. We combine these two approaches by taking a cross-country comparative perspective and applying quasi-experimental methods. We use instrumental variable models, with multiple births as instruments, and the harmonized data from the European Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). We examine the cross-country variation in the effects of family size on maternal employment across groups of European countries with different welfare state regimes. This step gives us an opportunity to investigate whether the revealed cross-country differences in the magnitude of the effect of the family size on maternal employment can be attributed to the diversity of European institutional arrangements, as well as the cultural and the structural conditions for combining work and family duties.     

Racialization in a ‘homogenous’ society? The case of Buraku people in Japan

This paper examines the puzzling status of Buraku people in Japan through the methodological prism of historical sociology. I develop a theoretical approach that emphasizes the concept of racialization to illuminate the historical and social construction of Buraku status. I propose this approach as a complementary alternative to prior analytic perspectives. Two major perspectives have dominated research on the status of Buraku people. First, an earlier approach that focused on the legacy of caste discrimination. The second framework focuses on Buraku people as part of the struggle for universal human rights. This article raises three basic, but interrelated questions about the historical development of Buraku status in Japan. Why did the Buraku people become subject to such overt discrimination in local community life, and through government policy? How was the state involved in the social construction of Buraku people? How did the Buraku liberation struggles challenge formalized discrimination?     

Jackpot? Gender Differences in the Effects of Lottery Wins on Separation

In this study, information on small to modest lottery wins from the British Household Panel Survey (N = 2,563) was used to investigate the effect of income on separation. The analysis demonstrated that money matters within relationships. Lottery wins temporarily reduced the odds of separation after men won. Men spent more on leisure and became more satisfied with their leisure time and social lives after winning. Nevertheless, most of the effect of lottery wins on union stability was not mediated by changes in satisfaction; instead, a direct effect of wins on the threshold to leave relationships was observed. No effect on union stability was found when women won. Women did not spend their winnings on leisure time but instead saved or spent money on durable items. These types of spending did not increase satisfaction. The findings suggested that, within families, men acted relatively independently, whereas the behavior of women was more family oriented.     

Does Employment Status Vary by Demographics? An Exploratory Study of Former Refugees Resettled in Australia

This study examined the associations between employment status and demographic factors of former refugees from Ethiopia, Burma, and Democratic Republic of Congo resettled in Australia. Two hundred and twenty-two participants completed a survey, following which chi square analysis was conducted. The results indicated that country of origin, gender, education, English language proficiency (i.e., speaking, reading, and writing), and length of stay in Australia, were associated with being employed. Ethiopians, who had been in Australia for a longer duration, were more likely to be employed. Participants from Burma, whose resettlement was relatively recent, were focused on upskilling themselves. Education qualifications were associated with likelihood of securing employment. A moderate level of education, compared to high or low, provided participants more chances to gain employment. These outcomes help in understanding the employment-related experiences of individuals from a refugee background. Implications and future directions are discussed.

IMPLICATIONS

• Employment is fundamental to successful integration of refugees. Country of origin, gender, education, English language proficiency, and length of stay are associated with employment for former refugees in Australia from Ethiopia, Burma, and Democratic Republic of Congo.

• Understanding these factors can assist stakeholders to better focus their efforts when working with these populations.

     

Is There a Subjective Well-Being Premium in Voluntary Sector Employment?

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - Previous studies have found that employment in the voluntary sector offers a so-called ‘job satisfaction...     

Have Japanese People Become Asexual? Love in Japan

This article examines changing romantic relationships in contemporary Japanese society. It specifically investigates whether Japanese people in their twenties and thirties have become asexual; that is, whether they tend to have few sexual experiences or interests. Data were collected through an internet survey; this article uses a subsample of 9,940 respondents. The dependent variables were the number of lovers respondents had during and after junior high school; the independent variable was the respondents’ age. Regression analyses found a clear trend toward asexual behavior among young men (in their twenties and thirties). However, young women are not as asexual as the previous generation. This asexualization of men may have contributed to Japan’s sharply declining marriage and birth rates. If so, other Asian societies may learn lessons from Japan’s experiences in the future.     

From Exclusion to Inclusion? The Legal Treatment of ‘Foreigners’ in Contemporary Japan

This article provides a survey of postwar Japan's policy toward ‘foreign’ settlers, focusing on the case of ‘zainichi Koreans’–Koreans who were taken forcefully, or migrated voluntarily, from Korea to Japan during the Japanese occupation of Korea (1910–45) and settled down in Japan after World War II, and their descendants residing in Japan. The article explores how the Japanese government and society have treated them since the end of World War II, thus showing that Japan's policy toward foreign settlers has been changing from one of ‘exclusion’ to one of ‘inclusion,’ though there still remain some institutional barriers.     

Lesbian discourses in mainstream magazines of post-war Japan: is onabe distinct from rezubian?

This paper elucidates the changes in the meanings associated with the term rezubian (the Japanese term for "lesbian") through an analysis of its discourse in magazines for general readership published in post-war Japan. The category of "rezubian" first appeared in mainstream magazines in the 1960s as a generic category that referred to both "masculinized women" and "women who engage in sexual acts with other women." Masculinized women, in particular, were called "onabe." At first "onabe" denoted "a tachi rezubian," meaning a lesbian who plays "top," but gradually a distinction came to be made between "rezubian who are onabe" and "rezubian who aren't." The early 1990s saw the differentiation of "onabe" as a category distinct from that of "rezubian." Focusing particularly on this process of differentiation, this paper traces the transitions in the signifying practices pertaining to the category rezubian. doi:10.1300/J155v10n03_09.