Money Isn't Everything: Wives' Earnings and Housework Time

The autonomy perspective of housework time predicts that wives' housework time falls steadily as their earnings rise, because wives use additional financial resources to outsource or forego time in housework. We argue, however, that wives' ability to reduce their housework varies by household task. That is, we expect that increases in wives' earnings will allow them to forego or outsource some tasks, but not others. As a result, we hypothesize more rapid declines in wives' housework time for low-earning wives as their earnings increase than for high-earning wives who have already stopped performing household tasks that are the easiest and cheapest to outsource or forego. Using fixed-effects models and data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we find considerable support for our hypothesis. We further conclude that past evidence that wives who out-earn their husbands spend additional time in housework to compensate for their gender-deviant success in the labor market is due to the failure to account for the non-linear relationship between wives' absolute earnings and their housework time.     

Parents' Definition of Effective Child Disability Support Services: Implications for Implementing Family-Centered Practice

The current study examined parents' perspectives of services within a community-based childhood disability program in the process of enhancing the family centeredness of its services. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 39 mothers and 22 fathers approximately 18 months after entering the service delivery system. Parents reported that effective service delivery requires service coordinators with interpersonal and practice skills working within an adequately resourced service system that has policies and procedures that are responsive to family needs. Parent feedback was congruent with the principles of family-centered practice and has important implications for the implementation of family-centered services.     

Sex life after 65: How does erectile dysfunction affect ageing and elderly men?

Introduction. We report the findings pertinent to the ageing and elderly participants of a population-based study of erectile dysfunction (ED).

Method. We examined the sociodemographic characteristics, self-reported morbidities and responses to the 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) of participants aged ≥65 years and ≥80 years.

Results. Most (73%) participants were married or had partners. Among the participants aged ≥65 years, the prevalence of ED (IIEF-5 scores <22) was 67% and of severe ED (IIEF-5 scores <8) 48%. About 32% were sexually active, and 11% had regular sexual intercourse. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) was reported in 37% and diabetes mellitus (DM) in 13%, with odds of ED at 3.91 and 4.68, respectively. Among those aged ≥80 years, the prevalence of ED was 68% and of severe ED 57%. About 12% were sexually active, and 3% had regular sexual intercourse. CVD was reported in 44% and DM in 11%, with corresponding odds of ED at 2.55 and 2.90.

Conclusions. Most ageing and elderly men are in a relationship and many are sexually active. ED is prevalent and severe. Morbidities are common and significantly associated with ED, impairing the sex lives of affected men.     

Covert repertoires: Ecotage in the UK 1

Ecological sabotage (ecotage) has been a feature of the more radical parts of the environmental movement in the Western world for several decades. While it may be perceived as being the preserve of underground cells of 'eco-terrorists', in the UK those who carry out small-scale acts of sabotage are also often engaged in relatively conventional political activity; view sabotage as a complement to other action, not as an end in itself; and are committed to avoiding physical harm to people. Drawing on ethnographic data from research with British activists, this article seeks to define ecotage and to explain its place in the repertoires of the environmental direct action movement in the UK. It is argued that the self-limiting form of ecotage in the UK has its roots in cross-movement debates that have developed over several decades and that national traditions remain important in understanding the development of social movement repertoires.