Clothing, aging and me – Routes to research

This essay describes the influences, academic and personal, that led the author to her current research interest in clothing and older women.     

Do statements about desired family size predict fertility? the case of Taiwan, 1967–1970

The predictive accuracy of respondents' statements about their future fertility is examined, using interview data from a longitudinal study conducted in Taiwan. Two measures of preference are found to be highly intercorrelated; and regardless of which one is used, Taiwanese women are shown to predict their subsequent fertility at least as well as U.S. women. The preference measures are also predictive of rates of contraceptive use and abortion. While demographic and social characteristics are correlated with fertility in expected directions, statements about wanting more children prove to be highly predictive of subsequent fertility for both modern and less advanced segments of the population.     

Salt and blood pressure. Conventional wisdom reconsidered

The salt hypothesis is that higher levels of salt in the diet lead to higher levels of blood pressure, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. Intersalt, a cross-sectional study of salt levels and blood pressures in 52 populations, is often cited to support the salt hypothesis, but the data are somewhat contradictory. Four of the populations (Kenya, Papua, and 2 Indian tribes in Brazil) do have low levels of salt and blood pressure. Across the other 48 populations, however, blood pressures go down as salt levels go up, contradicting the hypothesis. Experimental evidence suggests that the effect of a large reduction in salt intake on blood pressure is modest, and health consequences remain to be determined. Funding agencies and medical journals have taken a stronger position favoring the salt hypothesis than is warranted, raising questions about the interaction between the policy process and science.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
Falicov, C.J. (1998). Latino families in therapy: A guide to multicultural practice .
White, M. (1997). Narratives of therapist's lives .
Valenstein, E. S., (1998). Blaming the brain: The THRUTH about drugs and mental health .
Coll, C., Surrey, J., & Weingarten, K. (1998). Mothering against the odds .
DeJong, P., & Berg, I. K. (1998). Interviewing for solutions .
Brown, S., & Lewis, L. (1999). The alcoholic family in recovery: A developmental model .     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
Olkin, R. (1999). What phychotherapists should know about disablity.
Almeda. R. V.(Ed.). (1998). Transformation of gender and race: Family and developmental perspectives.
Raser, J. (1999).Raising childeren you can live with: A guide for frustrated parents.     

Outplacement-Coaching bei Jobverlust Erfahrungsbericht eines Coaches

Outplacement. Experiences of a coach Getting unemployed usually is a major cause for high emotional pressure especially for executives. Outplacement consulting can be a viable way to find solutions in such difficult situations. This article addresses the two parties involved: (1) The author proposes a procedure that could be considered by the company in the process of dismissal. (2) Suggestions are made how the individual can be supported in developing new perspectives for a future career and personal life. Based on experiences of the author, the basic challenges for coaches during theses processes are described. The article offers special recommendations for each phase of coaching.     

Brazil and the Shifting Consensus on Development Co‐operation: Salutary Diversions from the ‘Aid‐effectiveness’ Trail?

Emerging economies emphasise horizontality and mutual opportunity in their relationship with developing countries, promising an alternative to the failings of traditional North‐South co‐operation. This article draws on research on Brazil's technical co‐operation and its health dimension to compare the Brazilian model with established aid‐effectiveness' principles and to discuss the appropriateness of the latter as standards against which to appraise emerging donors' co‐operation. The analysis shows that, despite progress towards greater dialogue between traditional and emerging donors, the ‘aid‐effectiveness’ framework still falls short of capturing the idiosyncrasies of South‐South co‐operation and therefore offers an incomplete international standard on how best to conduct development co‐operation.     

Performative and subversive negotiations of face in parent–child communication about childbearing choice across generations

Some women who previously told others they never wanted to have children ultimately do become mothers. These women negotiate their own and their children’s childbearing identities. Using performative face theory, a critical poststructural interpersonal and family communication theory of identity and difference, this study analyzed intergenerational shifts in parent–child communication between families-of-origin (when participants were children) and families-of-creation (when participants were parents). Most participants described how their parents articulated either pronatalist face threats or antinatalist face support, which constrained possibilities for their childbearing identities. Participants, however, stressed that they have talked or plan to talk to their own children in a different, more neutral-natalist way by sharing their stories, emphasizing childbearing agency, and quietly desiring grandchildren. Negotiations of childbearing face are therefore informed by—and in turn sustain, resist, or sometimes subvert—discursive articulations of power/knowledge that circulate throughout culture about (never) having children.