Mothers and Fathers in the Workplace: How Gender and Parental Status Influence Judgments of Job-Related Competence

We investigated the influence of gender and parental status on employment decisions. The shifting standards model predicts that parenthood polarizes judgments of women and men such that mothers are held to stricter employment standards than fathers. Social role theory predicts that parenting role, rather than gender, guides judgments of mothers and fathers. One hundred ninety-six undergraduates at two universities evaluated a job applicant; the applicant was either male or female and was either single or married with two children. Results showed that parents were judged less agentic and less committed to employment than non-parents. Parental status also interacted with gender, indicating that fathers were held to more lenient standards than mothers and childless men. We discuss theoretical and practical implications.     

The SAT II: Minority/Majority Test‐Score Gaps and What They Could Mean for College Admissions*

Objective. Although most colleges and universities do not currently use SAT II subject tests to make admissions decisions, changing sentiment against aptitude tests could lead to more widespread use of the SAT II. This study examines score gaps on the SAT II between white and minority students. Methods. Using data from the Texas Schools Microdata Panel, I estimate the influence of race/ethnicity on SAT II writing scores after controlling for sample selection. Results. This study shows that although the average white student performs better than the average minority student on the SAT II writing exam, Asian and black students outperform white students when controlling for academic performance, family background, and high school fixed effects, while allowing different returns to characteristics. Conclusions. These score gaps reverse only if the average minority student is given the same characteristics as the average white student. Unequal incomes and educational environments virtually ensure these score gaps will endure well into the future.     

High-risk drinking characteristics in collegiate athletes

OBJECTIVE: The authors aimed to further describe the relationship of alcohol use by college athletes to variables, such as sport participation, time of year, and level of competition. PARTICIPANTS: There were 720 participants from Divisions I, II, and III who participated in either a team sport or an individual sport. METHODS: The authors measured characteristics of alcohol use by college athletes at 9 colleges and universities. RESULTS: Participants reported a high rate of consuming 5 or more drinks per occasion in the past 2 weeks. There were greater percentages of team sport athletes reporting this behavior than athletes of individual sports, and there were significant differences according to level of competition. CONCLUSIONS: The college athletes in this study reported high-risk alcohol use at percentages much higher than previously reported. The findings and practical application of the results are discussed.     

The Differential Perceptions of Male and Female Deviants

Abstract

Hepburn (1975) stated that the definition of the audience determines whether deviance exists so that societal reaction can take place. However, the audience has not received systematic attention in the literature of the sociology of deviance. The existing literature examines mostly the reactions of official social control agents. Consequently, the purpose of this research is to determine the stereotypes held by a group besides social control agents. Further, the research explores whether the sex of the deviant affects the stereotypes associated with deviant behaviors. The data were gathered from a sample of college students attending a small liberal arts college. Twelve types of deviants representing a wide variety of behavior patterns were evaluated using an Osgood semantic differential scale. The data show that the respondents perceived each type of deviant as having a different stereotype and that the stereotypes did not overlap. Furthermore, the stereotypes were not complex ones, nor all negative. The data further indicate that the sex of the deviant was influential in how people responded to that deviant.     

Communication with diverse audiences through a case study approach

An active-learning assignment is described that involves developing strategies and identifying appropriate tactics for diverse audiences. The assignment can be used in a class of any size. Students are required to develop a goal, objectives, strategies, an identification of tactics, and evaluation plans for a request for proposals by the city of Chicago regarding an urban food desert. Students are asked to develop a plan to promote fresh, high-nutrient food to either low-income African-American women or low-income Hispanic women living in the food desert.     

The Multiculturalism Debate and Social Work Education

In an article in the Winter 1995 issue of the journal of Social Work Education, Dorothy Van Soest challenged social work professionals to debate competing perspectives on multiculturalism. Van Soest asserted that social work educators have failed to resolve hidden value conflicts about multiculturalism and, consequently, failed to carry out the theme in the social work curriculum. The authors contend that multiculturalism is the wrong construct to debate- that social work educators should be concerned instead with cultural diversity, and that Van Soest’s attack on social work education is unwarranted.     

The bivariate logarithmic series distribution

The bivariate logarithmic series distribution was introduced by Subrahmaniam (1966) as a Fisher-limit to the bivariate negative binomial distribution. The present paper considers the properties of the distribution along with various models giving rise to it. Problems of estimation and the goodness-of-fit are examined. Methods for simulating the distribution are developed and illusuated.