Sexual decision making and safer sex behavior among young female injection drug users and female partners of IDUs

Data from interviews with 94 young women who were injection drug users (IDUs) or partners of IDUs were analyzed to examine associations between self-reported sexual decision making and condom use, contraceptive use, and relationship characteristics. Most women (73-85%) reported participating in decisions about condom use, contraception, and when to have sex. Adjusting for potential covariates, respondents who reported participating in decisions about condom use and when to have sex were 7 and 19 times, respectively, more likely than others to report recently using condoms. Respondents who reported participating in decisions about contraception were 20 times more likely than others to report recently using contraceptives. Longer sexual relationships were associated with decreased likelihood of condom or contraceptive use.     

The impact of Japanese plants on local labour markets

Japanese direct investment is assuming an increasing importance in the U.K. economy, especially in the manufacturing sector where Japanese management and manufacturing techniques have aroused particular interest. Until recently this investment in manufacturing has been primarily restricted to plants of an assembly-based nature and Japanese companies have sought out labour markets which best satisfy the needs of this type of operation. However, early signs are appearing which suggest that new Japanese manufacturing investment is becoming increasingly sophisticated. In the light of this emergent trend, this paper uses recent research to draw attention to the labour market problems that are likely to occur as the skill requirements of Japanese employers increase. The paper then concludes by discussing strategies which individual firms should adopt to protect themselves from any consequent labour market disruption.     

Inscribing Gender in Rural Development: Industrial Homework in Two Midwestern Communities1

Abstract A resurgence of informal economic work, such as home-working, occurred in some rural areas during the 1970s and the 1980s. In two midwestern communities, an employer of industrial homeworkers was recruited in an effort to boost the local economy with new jobs. In these communities, ideas about women's roles in households and the labor market are crucial to the states' ability to couple industrial homeworking with rural community development. Industrial homeworking as development in the United States shows how development goals support and maintain the sexual division of labor in households and in the local labor market. Personal interviews and archival documents form the basis of the case study data. These data are content-analyzed for themes about the process of development and the relationship of the local states and industrial firms.     

The Contribution of Voluntary Organizations to the Care of Children with Life-limiting Incurable Disorders and their Families

A national postal survey of voluntay organizations providing for children with life-limiting incurable disorders (n = 147) is described. The majority of organizations originated from the motivation of parents or care workers in response to deficiencies in service provision from other agencies. A wide variety of services were available from the organizations with over half providing an information service, emotional support and counselling, patient and family support and a telephone helpline. The provision of some services, for example respite care, was, hoverer, associated with the size of annual budgets. Publicity, referral and funding arrangements are also discussed. The role of voluntary organizations as partners in care with statutory agencies is discussed in the light of instability of funding arrangements and the use of health and social work staff as the main source of information about voluntary services to parents. Areas of further research in this field are suggested.     

Properties of Added Variable Plots in Cox's Regression Model

The added variable plot is useful for examining the effect of a covariate in regression models. The plot provides information regarding the inclusion of a covariate, and is useful in identifying influential observations on the parameter estimates. Hall et al. (1996) proposed a plot for Cox's proportional hazards model derived by regarding the Cox model as a generalized linear model. This paper proves and discusses properties of this plot. These properties make the plot a valuable tool in model evaluation. Quantities considered include parameter estimates, residuals, leverage, case influence measures and correspondence to previously proposed residuals and diagnostics.     

Family structure,residential mobility,and school dropout: A research note

This paper examines the hypothesis that high levels of residential mobility among nonintact families account for part of the well-known association between living in a nonintact family and dropping out of high school. Children from single-parent families and stepfamilies are more likely than children from two-parent families to move during the school year. As much as 30% of the difference in the risk of dropping out between children from stepfamilies and children from intact families can be explained by differences in residential mobility. Previously, mechanisms explaining school failure on the part of children in nonintact families were more plausible for children in single-parent families than for children in stepfamilies; high levels of residential mobility apply to both groups of children. In addition, residential mobility lends itself to manipulation by public policy, with potentially remedial effects for vulnerable children. Earlier versions of this paper were presented at the 1990 meetings of the American Sociological Association, held in Washington DC, and at the 1991 meetings of the Eastern Sociological Society held in Providence. We are grateful to Andrew Cherlin, Melvin Kohn, Gary Sandefur, and several anonymous referees for their valuable comments, to Robert Davis for his computational assistance, and to Tobey H. Sohn and Teresa A. Withers for secretarial help. Support to the senior author was provided by the National Institute on Aging under Grant HD 19375-03 and by the W.T. Grant Faculty Scholars Award. Support for computing facilities was provided by a grant to the Hopkins Population Center (PD30 H006268-19). 1994 Population Association of America     

Women's perceived body image: relations with personal happiness

The present study examined the relationships between body image and happiness in adult women. One hundred and forty-four women, with an average age of 40 years, were surveyed. Within the sample, three age groups were established: college-aged women, middle-aged women, and older women. Each participant completed the Body Esteem Scale (Franzoi & Shields, 1984), the Eating Attitudes Test (Garner & Garfinkel, 1979), and the Life Satisfaction Index A (Neugaten, Havighurst, & Tobin, 1961). Results indicated that happiness significantly and positively correlated with the three components of body esteem: sexual attractiveness, weight concern, and physical condition. There were no significant differences among the types of body satisfaction expressed by women of different ages. The results are discussed in terms of the importance of recognizing body image as a major contributor to overall life happiness in women.     

Changes in the earnings of Arab men in the US between 2000 and 2002

Using public-use microdata samples from the American Community Survey, we find that Middle Eastern Arab men and Afghan, Iranian, and Pakistani men experienced a significant earnings decline relative to non-Hispanic whites between 2000 and 2002. Further analyses based on the Juhn–Murphy–Pierce wage decomposition technique as well as quantile regression indicate that this earnings decline is not explained by changes in the structure of wages or in observable characteristics beyond ethnicity. Our interpretation is that the unanticipated events of September 11th, 2001 negatively affected the labor-market income of the groups most closely associated with the ethnicity of the terrorists.