Enhancing Women's Partnership with Health Providers in Hormone Replacement Therapy Decision-Making:

In the next two decades nearly 40 million women will reach menopause. The women now approaching menopause are different in a variety of ways from previous cohorts of women. More women are surviving to this age with better health and functioning. They are better educated and the first cohort of women to have been employed outside the home throughout most their adult years. This cohort of women expect more from the health care system. They want far more information, involvement, control and choice regarding their care. The pressures of this most educated, consumer-oriented cohort will soon be felt in the services women seek related to menopause. This cohort of women is reaching menopause at a time where there are still no definitive answers about the long-term safety and efficacy of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The task is not to convince women to use HRT, but to help women make informed choices in the face of uncertainty. The purpose of this paper is to explore some of the unique problems associated with delivering services to this growing population and to consider the research and practice changes which may be required to meet this challenge.     

Apprehensive about retirement: Women,life transitions,and relationships

Understanding women’s attitudes toward retirement is crucial for being able to help women adjust to this transition. The present study uses interviews and questionnaires to understand retirement ambivalence and the role that close relationships play in women’s retirement experiences. Findings indicate that women have mixed feelings about retirement; they are both excited and fearful. They particularly enjoy the freedom and control this transition brings but are also moderately fearful of retirement, especially about shifting relationships. A better-quality relationship correlates with greater satisfaction and less fear. Such insights can be used to help women prepare for this major transition.     

Attitude Toward Menopause and the Impact of the Menopausal Event on Adult Women with Diabetes Mellitus

Menopause is an event experienced universally by all women including women with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes mellitus. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of the menopausal stage on the health and psychological adjustment to illness among women who have diabetes mellitus. The results of this study represent a beginning in the understanding of the impact of the menopausal event on chronically ill adult women.     

Advice from working women with retired partners

ABSTRACT

In the 21st century, as more women are employed full-time and couples increasingly share egalitarian values, more women continue employment after their partners have voluntarily retired. However, we know very little about the experiences of this growing population of women. We asked working women with retired partners to share their advice for other women who may face this developmental transition. Open-ended responses from 97 women were analyzed to identify pertinent issues and themes. Four primary content areas were identified: time management, division of household labor, financial planning, and communication. Communication between partners was both a topic of concern as well as the solution suggested to resolve conflicts or differences that may arise when women live with a retired partner. It is expected that future changes in the workforce and improvements in the gender balance within relationships will continue to impact experiences for working women with retired partners.     

Older women of color: a feminist exploration of the intersections of personal, familial and community life

This paper examines the lives of older U.S. women of color who represent racial and ethnic heritages that have a history of unequal access to sources of economic and political power in this country. These women exemplify women with vastly different cultural traditions, but are similar in that they face discrimination as women of color. The combined impact of age, gender, and racial and ethnic background is neglected within our discussions of older women. This paper contributes to our understanding of older women of color by examining the personal, familial, and community aspects of the lives of older women of color. This exploration challenges feminist gerontologists to bring the discussion of this intersection to the center as we explore and seek to comprehend the reality of older women's lives. This scrutiny creates a space for the discussion of both the threats faced by women of color in their unique juncture as old, female, and of color as well as an illumination of the strengths manifested by these women. Further the need to embrace a feminist gerontological framework when practitioners work with these populations is addressed.     

Bluestockings, spinsters and pedagogues: Women college graduates, 1865-1910

Summary This article is a study of the demographic behaviour of women college graduates in late nineteenth and early twentieth-century America. The nuptiality and fertility patterns of this group of highly educated women are described, and several explanations of their 'unusual' behaviour are evaluated. Marriage rates of women college graduates declined during the second half of the nineteenth century, even as more women attended college. Only about half the women graduating during the 1890s ever married. Still, the number of children ever born per alumna only varied between 1.0 and 1.5 for the graduation classes of 1865 to 1910. An explanation based on changing labour market opportunities for educated men and women best explains this population's demographic patterns over time as well as their deviations from those of other women in their birth cohort.     

Differences in the health care needs and service utilization of women in nursing homes: comparison by race/ethnicity

The purpose of this study is to describe health care needs and service utilization among institutionalized women of color. The sample was dichotomized by length of stay to determine how African American, Native American, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latino women differed at two points in time. Data for this study came from the Current Resident Survey of the 1999 National Nursing Home Survey. The data were analyzed using GLM. The findings suggest that Native American women are the most impaired and Asian/Pacific Islander women are the least impaired. Additionally, very few women received mental health services despite their extensive need.     

Older Women of Color: A Feminist Exploration of the Intersections of Personal,Familial and Community Life

SUMMARY

This paper examines the lives of older U.S. women of color who represent racial and ethnic heritages that have a history of unequal access to sources of economic and political power in this country. These women exemplify women with vastly different cultural traditions, but are similar in that they face discrimination as women of color. The combined impact of age, gender, and racial and ethnic background is neglected within our discussions of older women. This paper contributes to our understanding of older women of color by examining the personal, familial, and community aspects of the lives of older women of color. This exploration challenges feminist gerontologists to bring the discussion of this intersection to the center as we explore and seek to comprehend the reality of older women's lives. This scrutiny creates a space for the discussion of both the threats faced by women of color in their unique juncture as old, female, and of color as well as an illumination of the strengths manifested by these women. Further the need to embrace a feminist gerontological framework when practitioners work with these populations is addressed.     

Figuring out whether they can be trusted: older widows' intentions relative to hired non-professional home-care helpers

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to describe the experience of older women relative to trusting hired non-professional home-care helpers. Open-ended interviews were done about the home-care experience with 25 women over three years, and 14 women (age 80-93) shared data about hiring and trusting helpers. The women perceived risks to personal safety that adversely influenced willingness to seek new helpers. After hiring a helper, the women were still trying to discern whether the helper could be trusted. Primary-care providers should enable older women to recognize and reduce the risk of having helpers and to monitor helpers' behavior, as well as assessing the psychosocial status of women who have such helpers.     

Women in community radio: a framework of gendered participation

Women’s participation in community radio is examined through a case study of Ireland, with data gathered by survey, interviews and a focus group. Key findings note that women are under-represented as participants in community radio, but there is little activity within the sector to address this imbalance. Similarly, women’s voices are absent from community airwaves but this is framed through a limited understanding women lacking on-air confidence. Solutions to the problem were limited to individual stations rather than approached in a collective manner. There was no sense of women’s voices on air being a priority issue for stations, for the sector, nor for the national regulatory body. With regard to content, stations largely tended to produce “islands” of specialist women’s programmes but there was a sense that women produced content in ways that were not normative and were explicitly linked to gender. Gendered social structures, as well as organisational structures within community radio, constituted further barriers to women’s equal participation in community radio in Ireland. Finally, the presence of women as role models, sponsors, and managers, who were relational in their approach, was key gendered benefits that women derived from their participation in community radio.     

Gender, Unemployment and Subjective Well-Being: Why Being Unemployed Is Worse for Men than for Women

This paper tries to explain why unemployment has such a severe effect on the subjective well-being of people. It is already known that unemployed have among the lowest levels of subjective well-being of all people. This paper explains and tests why this is so. The explanation is based on the social production function theory. This theory states that ultimately people strive for physical well-being and social approval. Because unemployment affect both physical well-being and social approval its effect is so large. We elaborate this explanation to account for the differences between men and women. Because men and women have different ways of achieveing social approval unemployment is more detremental for men than for women. We further analyze differences between single men and women and married men and women to test the explanation that is put forward. Using the European Social Survey held in 2004 the hypotheses are tested. We do find that having a job is one of the main factors affecting subjective well-being, that this effect is bigger for men than for women and that women profit from the jobs of their partners whereas men do not.     

Recruitment strategies for conducting research on women's retirement

Currently, little information is available to inform new or returning researchers about designing and conducting research on the topic of women and retirement. Few published studies describe how to access non-probability samples of retired women, yet preliminary evidence suggests women possess distinctive characteristics that affect their retirement as well as complicate the recruitment process. In this article, certain challenges and benefits of conducting research with women in retirement are presented. Next, important issues to consider prior to sampling retired women are described. Finally, specific strategies for identifying and recruiting community-dwelling retired women are presented and discussed.     

Differences in the Health Care Needs and Service Utilization of Women in Nursing Homes: Comparison by Race/Ethnicity

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to describe health care needs and service utilization among institutionalized women of color. The sample was dichotomized by length of stay to determine how African American, Native American, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Hispanic/Latino women differed at two points in time. Data for this study came from the Current Resident Survey of the 1999 National Nursing Home Survey. The data were analyzed using GLM. The findings suggest that Native American women are the most impaired and Asian/Pacific Islander women are the least impaired. Additionally, very few women received mental health services despite their extensive need.     

‘No sugar’, ‘no junk food’, ‘do more exercise’ – moving beyond simple messages to improve the health of Aboriginal women with Hyperglycaemia in Pregnancy in the Northern Territory – A phenomenological study

BackgroundGlobally, rates of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy are highest among Indigenous women. The highest prevalence has been documented among Aboriginal women in the Northern Territory of Australia. Despite knowledge of this for over two decades, there has been very limited examination of the specific needs and experiences of Aboriginal women regarding this condition.QuestionHow do Aboriginal women with hyperglycaemia in pregnancy understand and experience this condition, and how can their care be improved?MethodsA phenomenological methodology underpinned semi-structured in-depth interviews with 35 Aboriginal women and seven health professionals across the Northern Territory. Data were inductively analysed.FindingsThe findings revealed that in general, participants in this study could recite simple health messaging regarding diabetes (e.g. ‘no sugar’), but many lacked in-depth knowledge and this affected the management of their condition. Nevertheless, many identified pregnancy as a powerful motivator for change, signalling scope to improve health messaging. Women consistently expressed the need for diabetes education that was culturally appropriate, a clear desire for maternity care that was family-centred, based on respectful relationships with the same care provider, and respected Aboriginal ways of knowing and being.ConclusionExisting health messaging around hyperglycaemia in pregnancy has limited reach with Aboriginal women in the Northern Territory. Reducing the burden of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy among these women requires a sustained commitment to redesign of maternity and diabetes care to incorporate the cultural and social context of women’s lives.     

"Are they still having sex?" STI's and unintended pregnancy among mid-life women

Research has shown that women remain sexually active throughout mid-life and into the post-menopausal years. Recent data reveal that significant numbers of STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and unintended pregnancies occur among mid-life women. Data on STI prevalence indicate several STIs have relatively high rates among women over age 30, including HIV and HSV-2. Racial/ethnic disparities in STI prevalence between mid-life African American, Hispanic, and Caucasian women have also been noted. Data from the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth reveal 51% of pregnancies among women 40 and older are unintended. Both STIs and unintended pregnancy can result in serious health consequences for mid-life women. STIs can result in pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy can result in increased morbidity and mortality to the woman and the fetus. Mid-life women are also highly likely to go through relationship transitions (e.g., separation, divorce) and the subsequent initiation of new sexual relationships. As a result, these women are at elevated risk of STIs and unintended pregnancy. Despite these realities, there is a lack of programs addressing these two health issues among mid-life women and the unique life circumstances of women at this stage of life. The authors assert there is a compelling need for interventions to reduce STIs and unintended pregnancy in this population of women, review the literature regarding STIs and unintended pregnancy in mid-life women, identify gaps in current resources, and make recommendations for health care practice and future research.     

Recruitment Strategies for Conducting Research on Women's Retirement

ABSTRACT

Currently, little information is available to inform new or returning researchers about designing and conducting research on the topic of women and retirement. Few published studies describe how to access non-probability samples of retired women, yet preliminary evidence suggests women possess distinctive characteristics that affect their retirement as well as complicate the recruitment process. In this article, certain challenges and benefits of conducting research with women in retirement are presented. Next, important issues to consider prior to sampling retired women are described. Finally, specific strategies for identifying and recruiting community-dwelling retired women are presented and discussed.     

Why do some women participate in the labor force while others stay at home?

This study analyzed data from the 1970 Korean Census to uncover the determinants of women's labor force participation (LFP) in Korea, in 1970, when industrialization was beginning and the traditional sex-roles of Confucianism prevailed. The population surveyed included urban women aged 14-65 (19,277 married, 4373 single and living with parents, and 3222 single living independently). The study began by reviewing supply side explanations for LFP by women that predict women with high earning potential are likely to participate in the labor force, and noting that this economic explanation fails to consider the effects of cultural mechanisms that emphasize female domesticity. The study then comments on the labor market structure in Korea, in 1970, that led to limited employment opportunities for women, the domestic ideology that was prevalent during the early industrial stage, and the impact of this domestic ideology on Korean women. The logistic regressions used in the analytical methodology are then described, and it is hypothesized that women will be less likely to seek employment if they have adequate family resources, they are married and have children, and they are part of an extended family. It is further hypothesized that women's education will have no significant impact on employment and that university education is important as a marriage asset. The study results support this hypothesis in regard to single women living with parents, but reveal a slight effect of education on LFP among married women.     

Access to Health Care: Social Determinants of Preventive Cancer Screening Use in Northern British Columbia

The purpose of this study was to examine theextent to which social factors are influentialin determining women's access to cancerscreening services in Prince George, BritishColumbia. Specifically, this study evaluatedthe association of age, income, education, workstatus, disability, marital status, andimmigrant status with previous use of screeningmammography and Pap tests. Data was obtainedfrom the 1994 National Population HealthSurvey, which contains a sample of 416 womenfrom the Prince George area. A series oflogistic regression analyses were used todistinguish ever versus never beenscreened as well as recency of previousscreening. Participation rates in screeningmammography in Prince George are comparativelyhigh; however, no association was found betweensocial factors and previous mammography use.This suggests women in Prince George areparticipating in mammography servicesregardless of social background. Participationrates in Pap test screening in Prince Georgeare high and are similar to provincialaverages; however, while a large percentage ofwomen have been screened, this percentagevaries across social groups. Immigrant women,single women, and women with less education areover represented among women who have never hada Pap test. In addition, older women are lesslikely to obtain a recent Pap test whencompared to younger women. This study suggeststhat certain groups of women in northernBritish Columbia experience low participationin health services, resulting in a higher riskfor poor health and a poor quality of life.     

Exploring the Myth of Unhappiness in Former Communist Countries: The Roles of the Sex Gap in Life Expectancy and the Marital Status Composition

National average happiness and the difference in happiness between women and men are positively correlated in European countries. This study focuses on this cross-country relationship and tests (1) whether, after controlling for socio-economic factors, the correlation is attributed to their direct relationship, or, alternatively, explained by the sex difference in life expectancy, and (2) whether the correlation is not only exogenously explained but also endogenously generated by the sex difference in life expectancy. Performing regression analyses, this study shows that the correlation between happiness and its sex difference is spurious, and that the sex difference in life expectancy generates this correlation and accounts for about one-third of the correlation. A decline in happiness influences men’s mortality more than women’s, and widens the life expectancy gap between women and men. This in turn raises the widowhood ratio among women, lowers women’s average happiness, and reduces the happiness gap between women and men. The results obtained in this study points to the importance of controlling for the demographic composition of the population when we use aggregate happiness measures as national happiness indicators.     

Long-term economic consequences for women of delayed childbearing and reduced family size

Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, this study explored the association among delayed childbearing, completed family size and several measures of the economic well-being of women age 60 and older in 1976. By retirement age women who bore their first child at age 30 or older are significantly better off economically than either average-age childbearers or the childless. Economic well-being also appears to be related to family size among late childbearers. At retirement age the delayed childbearer with only one or two children appears better off than all other women. Thus, late childbearing and small family size appear associated with the highest standard of living for these women. This study also relates the experience of this early cohort of women to that of more recent birth cohorts.