Implications of female genital mutilation on girls’ education and psychological wellbeing in Tarime,Tanzania

Though female genital mutilation is widely practiced in Tanzania, there has been no systematic examination of its long-term implications on girls’ wellbeing. Employing interviews and focus group discussions, this study explored the implications of female genital mutilation (FGM) on girls’ wellbeing in Tarime, Tanzania. The results revealed that the effect of FGM on girls are multifaceted, including early marriages, parents’ negative attitudes towards girls’ education, girls’ change in attitudes and loss of interest in schooling, which lead to poor educational achievement in many ways. Notably, girls who manage to escape FGM suffer from isolation and stigma from their peers who have been circumcised. Arguably, FGM is both a protective and risk factor for girls in Tarime. FGM is a protective factor against stigma and isolation for circumcised girls, and it is a risk factor in denying circumcised girls’ opportunities for education, and in perpetuating stigmatisation for the uncircumcised girls. We have concluded that, in the absence of more positive alternative rites of passage for adolescent girls in Tarime, and despite the widespread awareness about its negative consequences, FGM is likely to continue due to its centrality in the Kuryan cultural, social and economic necessities.     

Grandmothers' influence on mother and child health

This study is based on interviews with grandmothers during July-September 1992-93 in Sudan. The study shows that grandmothers play a significant role in health education and child care within families in the Sudan. Grandmothers, who are not aware of the changes in knowledge, also promote harmful traditions. The authors recommend that health education be directed to elderly women and grandmothers in order to change beliefs and practices that continue to be harmful to children and mothers. Grandmothers were found to give sound advice on child birth, such as movement during labor, breast feeding immediately after birth, and birth intervals of 2-4 years. Grandmothers also gave sound advice on good nutritional practices during pregnancy and use of fermented cereals as weaning foods. Grandmothers recommended use of fenugreek for lactating mothers and use of mint and haharaib for stomach upsets, remedies that are beneficial. Babul is useful after an episiotomy for its antibacterial effects. Harmful advice includes recircumcision after delivery, short birth intervals, and avoidance of contraception. Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a major practice that exposes girls and mothers to a greater risk of mortality during childbirth and pregnancy. The sample of grandmothers agreed on the importance of sex education for a girl before marriage. Unfortunately, 57% of grandmothers recommended 14 years as a suitable age for marriage. Grandmothers generally believed wrongly that riding bicycles, drinking coffee, and wearing trousers by girls would increase their sexual desires. Grandmothers explained menstruation to granddaughters and offered home-made remedies for cramps. 45% believed that there were no disadvantages to FGM and recommended FGM at ages 2-5 years. Most viewed fevers as a danger that required a doctor's care. Advice varied among grandmothers according to socioeconomic class.     

Daddy's little girl

This paper examines the correlation between perceived paternal figure support and hope for future success among 866 African‐American girls, aged 9–19, residing in two South Alabama cities. Data from the 1998 Youth Survey conducted by the Institute for Social Science Research with 1,800 youth residing in low‐income and public housing communities in Mobile and Prichard, Alabama were explored. Overall, it is apparent that girls in this sample need at least low levels of support from their paternal figures to have this support positively impact their level of hope for the future. Hope reflects a person's belief in her ability to achieve certain goals, thus affecting academic achievement, healthy emotional development, and successful transition to adulthood. Implications for social work policy and practice include the need to consider development of programs that support or promote enrichment of paternal figure involvement in the lives of girls who may be identified as at risk for potentially damaging life experiences, further increasing the likelihood of moderate to high levels of hope, thus motivating girls to achieve regardless of their circumstances.     

CLOSENESS WITH PARENTS AND PERCEIVED CONSEQUENCES OF PREGNANCY AMONG MALE AND FEMALE ADOLESCENTS

Using the 1994–1995 National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we examine the association between closeness with parents and teen beliefs regarding the consequences of pregnancy. Unlike previous studies in this area, we include measures of closeness to both mother and father and examine effects for both male and female adolescents by family type (two-biological- or two-adoptive-parent, stepfather, and single-mother families). Our findings indicate that parental closeness is most salient for boys living with two biological or adoptive parents. For girls living with two biological or adoptive parents and boys and girls living in stepfather families, controlling for other aspects of the parent-child relationship, as well as adolescent, socioeconomic, and demographic characteristics, eliminates the protective influence of closeness to parents. For teens living in single-mother families, closeness with mother has no effect on beliefs about the consequences of pregnancy. Overall, our findings indicate that it is teen beliefs regarding parental viewpoints on educational achievement and engagement in sexual activity, rather than closeness per se, that has the link to adolescent beliefs about the consequences of pregnancy.     

传统古训是否适合现代父母?(英文)

"穷养儿,富养女"是一句中国古训,意思是说过去家里的男孩长大后是要挑大梁,继承、振兴家业的,而女孩将来终究是要嫁人的,因此对男孩要严格教育,磨练他们的意志,而对女孩则要相对宽松,宠爱她们。几千年来,这句话一直被许多人奉为家教经典,那么现代人如何理解这句老话,其中是否有什么道理和启发呢?对此,人们各抒己见。     

Biblical Motifs in Chingiz Aitmatov’s The Place of the Skull

Folklore is the artistic expression of belief. The various forms of folklore change and adapt to reflect changing circumstances and changing views of the world. When Ukrainians came to Canada, they brought their folklore, ballads included, with them. In the new land, ballads helped voice the struggles of the Ukrainian Pioneers. Examining a collection of ballads made approximately sixty years after Ukrainians began arriving on the Prairies shows that the ballads performed in Canada spoke of real problems, problems attested in both folk sources and historical records. These include the physical hardship of life on an acreage, male absence as they went to work on the railroad, and the tension between women and their daughters-in-laws, who were left to struggle on their own. Ukrainian girls attracted to non-Ukrainians were seen as problematic, as were men seeking solace in alcohol and infidelity. And there were many other Canadian issues for which traditional ballads provided a powerful means of expression. The ballad tradition was modified through selection, i.e., only relevant songs continued to be performed. It was also changed internally and individual ballad texts were altered by the addition of new terminology and new ideas. This is especially true when attitudes in Canada differed from those in Ukraine. A very important change in attitude applies to magic. While the use of magic is treated ambiguously in ballads performed in Ukraine, it is routinely condemned in those performed in Canada.     

Group issues and activities for female teen survivors of sexual abuse

The impact of sexual abuse can be devastating, especially for young girls at the crucial stage of adolescent development. Ramifications for these survivors of incest and extrafamilial abuse are addressed. Group therapy as an effective means of intervention is described. Group considerations discussed include group name; member and leadership selection; confidentiality; contracting and closed nature; parent meetings; self-disclosure; and objectives.Twelve weeks of group topics, activities, and homework are detailed. These topics are applicable to most female teen survivors of sexual abuse, independent of the age or gender of their perpetrators.     

Physical Activity and Physical Self‐Concept in Adolescence: A Comparison of Girls at the Extremes of the Biological Maturation Continuum

This study examined differences in physical activity and physical self‐concept between the least and most biologically mature female adolescents within chronological age and academic year groups. A total of 252 British female adolescents (M age = 12.9 years; SD = .7) in Years 7–9 completed self‐report measures to assess physical activity and physical self‐concept. Percentage of predicted adult (mature) stature served as the index of biological maturation. Univariate analyses of covariance, controlling for decimal age, revealed that the least mature girls generally held higher perceptions of physical self‐concept but were no more, or less, active than the most mature girls. A subsequent meta‐analysis suggested, however, that across age and year groups the least mature girls were more active than the most mature girls.     

"Girls cannot think as boys do": socialising children through the Zimbabwean school system

What little attention donor-sponsored research on gender and education in Zimbabwe has paid to how schools educate children to assume gender roles has focused on the effect of girls, but it is equally important for development purposes to deconstruct masculinity and the ability of Western stereotypes to foster patriarchy. In Zimbabwe, the school curriculum continues to be gender-differentiated and, when offered a choice, girls and boys choose subjects that fall within the traditional male/female split, which is promoted by teachers, parents, and peers. In addition, males dominate positions of authority in the secondary school system, and teachers of both sexes consider it their duty to steer pupils towards "gender appropriate" behavior. School textbooks further this stereotyping. Interviews in 1995 with 15 secondary school boys at each of six schools sought to uncover attitudes about gender and education. Most boys (77.5%) reported that it is equally important to educate girls and boys, but only 50.6% believed that girls are as intelligent as boys (while differentiating between the type of intelligence possessed by girls with that enjoyed by boys). The boys also gender-typed school subjects on the basis of perceived differentials in abilities and because they are prerequisites for gender-differentiated occupations. Almost 90% of the boys reported that a wife should obey her husband. Thus, patriarchal values are internalized in schools in a way that will impede development.     

Uncertainty in the study of belief: the risks and benefits of methodological agnosticism

The study of religious and spiritual beliefs raises complex epistemological and methodological questions for interpretive social scientists concerning our ability to understand the everyday lifeworlds that belief-based communities inhabit. The primary focus of recent debates has been on the long-standing methodological insider/outsider dynamic, defined in terms of religious belief or affiliation, which intersects with other social categories such as gender or ethnicity. We contribute to this debate by considering a relatively neglected position, methodological agnosticism, which informs our study of religion and spirituality in the workplace. We argue that an agnostic position can be methodologically productive as a research strategy, but this must be counterbalanced by awareness of the fieldworker risks, which include emotional distress and identity threats. Agnosticism also encourages greater epistemological reflexivity as it implies ‘not knowing’ in relation to both metaphysics and social scientific knowledge construction. Through this, we highlight the productive nature of uncertainty in the study of belief as an epistemologically and methodologically constructive standpoint.     

Asian girls in secondary schools: A British perspective

This paper reviews some of the specific difficulties faced by South Asian (referred to in the text as Asians) girls in British secondary schools. These include tension and anxiety, mainly caused by the differences in values and belief systems of home and school, psychosomatic illnesses, vocational aspirations, scholastic attainment and progression to higher education. In light of this review, some suggestions are offered which might alleviate these difficulties and thereby improve the equality of opportunity for Asian girls.     

Fragile: handle with care. Protecting babies from harm

Babies can often place demands on their carers which at times can feel unbearable. Parenting is the most difficult task that most people undertake, and yet it is also the one for which most receive little to no training. Parents under stress may be reluctant to ask for help, often adopting the belief that they should instinctively know what to do. Some professionals may also share this view, which may mean that they are less able to identify and support families who are struggling. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

BIRDS ON THE WIRE

This article explores the symbolic relationship of the telephone and teenage girls in mid-twentieth-century U.S. media culture, focusing in particular on the trope of the girl on the phone and its use as a signifier of modern American girlhood. Unpacking this trope's broader social significance, I relate its development to the construction of the telephone as a gendered medium and the emergence of nre form of female subjectivity associated with teenage girls. Though teenagers were hailed as America's future promise during World War II, teenage girls were often represented during this period as resisting the roles and behaviors associated domesticity, thus posing a threat to both traditional ideologies of identity and the dominant social order of the nation. As a result, considerable anxiety developed in relation to teenage girls, especially after the war when the U.S. was attempting to reconstitute itself through domestic containment strategies. Since the telephone has long symbolized both social progress and social disruption, it worked well as a signifier of modern girlhood during this period, simultaneously representing teenage girls’ liberation from the domestic sphere while also suggesting a method for their containment within it. Used by virtually every media and entertainment industry during the 1940s, ‘50s, and early ‘60s, the trope of the girl on the phone sensitized the American public to a new form of female subjectivity while at the same time helping to mediate the threat it posed to adult heterosexual patriarchy. Analyzing closely transformations in the trope of the girl on the phone as used in several films and television series from this period, I point to significant shifts in the containment strategies used by the media industries in relation to teenage girls.     

Changes in Sexual Distress,Depression and Sexual Function after Clitoral Reconstruction in Women with Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

Abstract

Background: Female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) links health complications and psychological distress. However, there is scarce literature on how women with FGM/C respond to treatment interventions. Objective: In this study, we aimed to assess changes in depression symptomatology, sexual function, and distress following clitoral reconstructive surgery combined with a psychoeducational intervention. Methods: The reconstructive surgery consisted of recovering the remaining clitoris and placing it externally and as close to the vagina as possible. FGM/C patients (n?=?27) received psychological support and sexual counseling upon undergoing the surgical intervention and were further assessed at 6-month follow-up. Moreover, they completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the Female Sexual Distress Scale Revised at these two time points. Patients’ sexual dysfunction was assessed according to DSM-5 criteria. Results: Statistically significant clinical changes after FGM/C were reported. Overall, patients presented reduced depression and sexual distress levels, and decreased female sexual interest/arousal disorder prevalence. Results also revealed that sexual distress improvements were more significant in Type I FGM/C patients. Conclusions: Significant improvements in sexual distress, psychopathology, and sexual function were observed in our sample following reconstructive surgery, suggesting that combined interventions are effective for treatment.     

Girls' Violence: Beyond Dangerous Masculinity

In this article, we review criminological perspectives of girls' violence. To do this, we first look at the 20th-century tendency to view violent girls as being the same as violent boys or as taking up dangerous types of masculinity. Second, we consider the contemporary ways that researchers have tried to move beyond male-centered and masculinized explanations of female violence. Noting potential problems with current perspectives, we argue that researchers need to address the contexts surrounding female offending, which includes understanding the effects and nature of gender, race, and class inequalities and how they (singly and in combination) predict popular representations and treatment of violent girls. We conclude by cautioning contemporary researchers to avoid returning to androcentric perspectives of girls' physical aggression. Not only are such perspectives logically problematic, they are also consequential. In particular, they have facilitated the masculinization and punishment of poor or working-class girls of color who are filling US detention centers and juvenile prisons in ever increasing numbers.     

高中生的体型认同:基于女性的分析视角

从身体社会学来看,女性的体型审美取向是男权文化的典型表征。通过中日韩三国高中生的对比分析发现,与男生相比,高中女生普遍接受"以瘦为美"的体型观,存在更为严重的体型认同问题:在主观体型认知上,倾向于"向胖认同";在体型认同情绪上,表现为对"胖"不满:在体型认同策略上,以饮食减肥为主。这表明,身体焦虑已蔓延到了高中生群体,导致高中女生中存在着较为明显的体型认同偏差和盲目减肥现象。究其原因,传媒的渲染与强化起的是主导作用,家庭教养和同辈交往也有间接影响。     

An Interpretation of the Occult Symbolism in Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita

Abstract

Much of the extensive scholarly criticism on The Master and Margarita has focused on Bulgakov's 'cosmology' and how the events of the novel can be seen as a mirror of his world view. In particular, The Master and Margarita is often seen as a literary exposition of a Gnostic outlook. The overwhelming tendency of many studies is to look for a 'key' which can unlock the riddles in the novel and answer some of the more difficult questions pertaining to developments in the plot. This often means that the book is approached from the outside. In contrast, I have tried to look at it from the inside out, and ask how the imagery and symbolism in the book can help answer some of these questions and reveal clues as to Bulgakov's intentions and world view. The fact that much of the symbolism in the book is drawn from Goethe, witchcraft and black magic has been noted — but not that this occult symbolism runs much deeper to include, for example, Masonic and alchemical motifs. As well as exposing this particular layer of symbolism, I have examined how it points to Bulgakov's belief in the importance and need of a spiritual 're-birth' both for individuals and for Russia itself; and that the secret to regeneration lies in the power of such an inner journey.     

An exploration of the drive for muscularity in adolescent boys and girls

Much of the existing research on disordered eating has centered on the drive for thinness, which is most commonly observed in girls and women. The male standard of bodily attractiveness, however, is bigger, bulkier, and more muscular. Are boys and men motivated to be big and muscular in the same way that girls and women are motivated to be thin? The authors constructed a 15-item survey and administered it to 197 adolescents. The findings showed that the drive for muscularity measure displayed good reliability; that individuals high in the drive were more likely to be boys who were trying to gain both weight and muscle mass; that the drive was related to poor self-esteem and higher levels of depression among boys, but not among girls; and that the drive for muscularity was relatively unrelated to the drive for thinness.     

Power Structures and Perceptions of Power Holders in Same-sex Groups of Young Children

The nature of power relations and the perceptions of power holders are explored by analyzing dominance and leadership structures in one male group and one female group of elementary school-age children. The results indicate that power structures can be specified for male and female groups. In both instances, power is most clearly indicated by dominance and play organization ranks. These hierarchic structures are, however, perceived differently by boys and girls. Powerful boys are linked by group members, but powerful girls are not well received. The implications for sex differences in power styles in adulthood are explored.