“Why would we take men? This is an OB/GYN”: Gender,hysterectomy, and the patriarchal dividend

Hysterectomy experiences among transmasculine individuals represent a powerful case to examine gendered dynamics in healthcare, especially given the continued cultural association between the uterus and womanhood. In this paper, I draw on theories from feminist science and technology studies and medical sociology to examine in-depth interviews with 46 trans or nonbinary individuals who have had, want, or are considering an elective premenopausal hysterectomy. I find that trans men and nonbinary patients must negotiate what I call the structural feminization of gynecology which often leads to poor healthcare experiences. This paper also extends theories of a “patriarchal dividend” in medicine by examining reported differences in medical experiences when patients are perceived as cisgender women versus as trans men or nonbinary. I find a double bind inherent in the patriarchal divided in healthcare: masculinity often leads to better care, but the patriarchal dividend is constrained by the stigma introduced by being a trans patient. In the process, I extend social scientific knowledge of a highly common yet understudied procedure while expanding scholarship on medicine, gender, and embodiment.     

Interval-censored unimodal kernel density estimation via data sharpening

In this paper, we extend Choi and Hall's [Data sharpening as a prelude to density estimation. Biometrika. 1999;86(4):941–947] data sharpening algorithm for kernel density estimation to interval-censored data. Data sharpening has several advantages, including bias and mean integrated squared error (MISE) reduction as well as increased robustness to bandwidth misspecification. Several interval metrics are explored for use with the kernel function in the data sharpening transformation. A simulation study based on randomly generated data is conducted to assess and compare the performance of each interval metric. It is found that the bias is reduced by sharpening, often with little effect on the variance, thus maintaining or reducing overall MISE. Applications involving time to onset of HIV and running distances subject to measurement error are used for illustration.     

Wie können „bildungsferne“ Gruppen für ein Hochschulstudium gewonnen werden?

Against the background of the relatively low enrolment of students at universities, the minor proportion of academics at the population, and the distinctive social inequality at the transition to the tertiary education in Germany, it is assumed that – additionally to the structure of the educational system – primary and secondary effects of social origin are responsible for that the working class children are underrepresented at German universities. According to empirical findings for high-school graduates, their subjectively expected success in university training in general as well as their educational decision on continuing tertiary education, in particular, are crucial for this empirical fact of persistent inequalities of university education. If one cancels out the secondary effects of social origin, the participation of working class children could be increased more significantly than by neutralizing the primary effects. If one neutralizes also the secondary effects at both, the first and the second transition in the individuals’ educational course, the individuals’ transition to the sector of tertiary education could be increased additionally. Both, the selection and filter processes of the Germany school system as well as individuals’ educational choices provide the counterproductive effect that the talented offspring from socially disadvantaged classes will be diverted away from the higher education and the universities.     

Toward the Importance of Nonprofit Brand Equity

Various brand evaluation approaches assess the value and equity of for‐profit brands; accordant approaches for nonprofit brands, however, have been limited, and there is disagreement on what makes up a strong brand in the nonprofit sector. In response, this article provides insights into the conceptualization and operationalization of stakeholder‐based nonprofit brand equity and derives an initial measurement index. We conceptualize nonprofit brand equity as having three dimensions—nonprofit brand awareness, nonprofit brand trust, and nonprofit brand commitment—thereby empirically investigating trust in nonprofit brand equity building for the first time. The methodological procedure for building the index is based on partial least squares path modeling, and we draw on a sample of forty brands (N = 3,617 brand evaluations) identified as some of the best‐known nonprofit brands in Germany. Applying the index yields some of the strongest German nonprofit brands; for example, German Red Cross has by far the highest value of brand equity, followed by Aktion Mensch and UNICEF. The nonprofit brand equity index provides the basis for nonprofit managers to compare their brands’ performance over time and develop accordant branding strategies; it can be also used by organizations from other countries.     

Seasonal Patterns of Reproduction in Matlab,Bangladesh

In Bangladesh twice as many births occur in December as in July. This paper examines the seasonal patterns of the risks of conception, fetal loss and return of menses post partum in a longitudinal study of 2,300 women in 14 villages of Matlab, Bangladesh. Life tables were estimated for each month of entry event and then ‘period’ life tables were constructed with the risks for a given calendar month. Confirming the results of earlier studies, risks of resumption of menses were higher in November and December, regardless of time elapsed since the last birth. Similarly, there are increased conception risks in the period from February to April for all fecundable women. The time of lowest fetal loss and stillbirth risks is in the cool season, though this variation makes only a minor contribution to the overall seasonality of births. The pattern of fecundability estimated from data on coital frequency did not match the pattern estimated from reported conceptions; these discrepancies imply possible seasonal changes in other parameters of fecundability besides intercourse.     

Has the World Really Survived the Population Bomb? (Commentary on “How the World Survived the Population Bomb: Lessons From 50 Years of Extraordinary Demographic History”)

In his PAA presidential address and corresponding article in Demography, David Lam (Demography 48:1231–1262, 2011) documented the extraordinary progress of humankind—vis-à-vis poverty alleviation, increased schooling, and reductions in mortality and fertility—since 1960 and noted that he expects further improvements by 2050. However, although Lam briefly covered the problems of global warming and pollution, he did not address several other major environmental problems that are closely related to the rapid human population growth in recent decades and to the progress he described. This commentary highlights some of these problems to provide a more balanced perspective on the situation of the world. Specifically, humans currently are using resources at an unsustainable level. Groundwater depletion and overuse of river water are major problems on multiple continents. Fossil fuel resources and several minerals are being depleted. Other major problems include deforestation, with the annual forest clearing globally estimated to be an area the size of New York State; and species extinction, with rates estimated to be 100 to 1,000 times higher than background rates. Principles of ecological economics are presented that allow an integration of ecology and economic development and better potential for preservation of the world for future generations.     

Implementing an employee performance management system in a nonprofit organization

Nonprofit organizations are not exempt from the imperatives of employee attraction, retention, and motivation. As competition for staff, donors, and funding increases, the need to manage employee performance will continue to be a critical human resource management issue. This article outlines a study of the introduction of a performance management system in an Australian nonprofit organization and analyzes its design and implementation. It explores how performance management can be introduced and used effectively within a nonprofit environment to benefit staff and the organization. However, the use of performance management is not without its challenges, and the research also identified initial employee resistance and a resulting initial spike in labor turnover. However, findings indicate that if nonprofit organizations are willing to undertake consultation with staff and ensure that the organization's specific context, values, and mission are reflected in the performance management system, it can be a useful tool for managers and a direct benefit to employees.     

Comment on Kevin D. Haggerty, “Ethics Creep: Governing Social Science Research in the Name of Ethics”

Qualitative Sociology -