Mexican American women: impact of culture and education on work patterns

The lives of women of Mexican descent are being profoundly affected by their changing workforce participation. They are expected to make up the majority of the female workforce in service occupations by 2010. Based on the literature and personal clinical interactions two factors -- cultural values and education attainment -- consistently appear to have a strong impact on the occupational choices of Mexican American women. This article will explore the interdependence of work, culture, and education on women of Mexican origin.     

Introduction to the Special Issue: Mothers of children in foster care

This article introduces the special issue of Children and Youth Services Review devoted to single mothers with children in foster care. It delineates the policy context in which mothers are operating; examines reasons for mothers' temporary loss of custody of their children, a loss that occurs when their children are placed in foster care; presents expectations of mothers once they enter the public child welfare system; and summarizes empirical and theoretical papers included in the volume intended to advance policy and practice for this population. Taken together, these papers reflect one over-arching theme—the need to re-orient child welfare policy and practice so that the rehabilitation, health, and well-being of mothers is one of the central aims.     

When urban policy becomes labor policy: State structures,local initiatives,and union representation at the turn of the century

Theory and Society -     

Effects of Structuring on Students' Perceptions of Career Counseling

This study examines the effects of the use of structuring on participants' impressions of a counselor during an initial career counseling session. A total of 232 undergraduate students viewed a videotape of an initial career counseling session. Both groups observed the identical tape with the exception that one group was additionally shown a brief structuring segment. The 2 groups were compared across the variables of attractiveness, expertness, and trustworthiness as measured by the Counselor Rating Form. The participants were also asked to rate their willingness to see a counselor about a career issue before and after viewing the videotape. Significant differences were found across the dependent measures. Implications of the findings for counselors are discussed.     

Housing and Mental Health: A Review of the Evidence and a Methodological and Conceptual Critique

Despite the fact that people invest more financial, temporal, and psychological resources in their homes than in any other material entity, research on housing and mental health is remarkably underdeveloped. We critically review existing research on housing and mental health, considering housing type (e.g., single-family detached versus multiple dwelling), floor level, and housing quality (e.g., structural damage). We then discuss methodological and conceptual shortcomings of this literature and provide a theoretical framework for future research on housing quality and mental health .     

Homeless youths' perceptions of services and transitions to stable housing

Use of available services is low among homeless youths, and how youth make decisions to access services or seek housing is unclear. This study explored perspectives of current and former street youth about these processes. Recruited from the streets and a drop-in center, 27 youth ages 16–24, participated in individual qualitative interviews. Findings from consensual qualitative analyses indicated choices to use services were embedded within developing autonomy and identification with street lifestyles. Themes of self-reliance, substance use, and relationships with street and housed persons were expressed as critical for both using services and transitioning to stable housing. Agency-related factors such as caring staff, a nonjudgmental atmosphere, and flexible policies were perceived as important for service use while youth-related factors such as experiencing major events, being internally motivated, and embracing mainstream values were seen as conducive to transitioning off the streets. Implications for service providers and future research are discussed.     

The Mediating Role of Discoursing in Activity

Categories play a significant role in the coordination of human activities. Collective action within organizations presupposes shared category systems that make institutional priorities and relevancies visible. In this study, some features of the origin, use, and consequences of a categorization tool of modern employment agencies are analyzed. This category system is complex and has come to serve a diverse set of functions (provision of financial and other kinds of assistance to the unemployed, production of a broad range of statistics, etc.). We argue that this multifunctionality of the tool implies that the employment agency officers reflexively attend to the consequences of their actions and monitor what their decisions will imply at different levels. This reflexivity plays a significant role in the services provided to citizens and in the manner in which their needs are visible to the public. We conclude that categorization practices are hidden, but highly significant, features in the production of social facts.