The Health and Social Functions of Black Midwives on the Texas Brazos Bottom, 1920–1985

Abstract This paper concerns black midwives who practiced traditional medicine in six central Texas counties, mostly located on the Brazos River. During the years of hospital segregation following the Civil War, the black midwife performed two major functions. Through formal connections with white physicians who taught them the basics of obstetrical care, black midwives were able to provide a better level of health care for black women than otherwise would have been available. The same ties enabled the black midwife to secure assistance from whites for the rural black community. These arrangements improved the health and productivity of rural black families and lessened the severity of the caste system. A sharp decline in the use of black midwives occurred when desegregation reduced training opportunities and the market for their services.     

Bridging the gap: Investigating the abuse of children with multiple disabilities

This is a summary of a series of practical papers written to help bridge the ‘gap’ between the fields of child protection and childhood disability, with a view to improving practice in child protection work with severely disabled children. Particular attention is paid to the needs of children using alternative communication systems. The theme of the paper is that disabled children are in most senses just like other children, but may have particular needs in relation to the investigation of abuse, as well as being particularly vulnerable to abuse. Issues around the assessment of suspicion, preparation for interviewing and the interview process are presented. The needs of the child, the accompanying adult and the child protection worker are considered. Guidelines and recommendations for practice at different stages of the investigation are given. The need to adapt the investigation to the particular needs of the child is emphasized throughout.     

Book reviews

Qualitative Sociology -     

Have Times Changed? Career Barriers and the Token Woman Manager

This paper explores the relevance of Kanter's early work on the numerical distribution of women in organizations for an understanding of the position of highly qualified women managers today. Despite the progress that women managers have made over the last twenty years, various consistencies stubbornly remain, particularly concerning the impact of the gender mix of the organization on women's progress and experience of career barriers. The results of this research on the nature of these barriers and how they vary with the numerical distribution of women are presented and discussed.