Biographies and family solidarity in Québec

In Québec, the 2004 survey Biographies et solidarités familiales (‘biographies and family solidarity in Québec’) was the first quantitative survey to deal with the question of the diverse forms of family solidarity as they have changed over time and in line with modifications in family, work, and public policies. Our purpose here is to present the survey itself along with a certain number of its results. The latter bear, on the one hand, on what we have termed Québec ‘family solidarity spaces’, referring by that to the structural data previous to forms of solidarity as we know them now and, on the other hand, on the changes in the provision of early childhood care over three generations.     

New Labour's appropriation of the concept of community: a critique

This article analyses the ways in which ‘community’,one of the most important yet ill-defined concepts in SocialSciences, has been ‘appropriated’ in the discourseof the UK's New Labour government. It argues that the highlystrategic ways in which the term is used leads to associatedmeanings that neglect the intrinsically complex nature of theconcept and risk essentializing group identities, thus adverselyaffecting the most deprived sections of society.     

Parents' Attitudes and Knowledge Regarding Gambling Among Youths

This study evaluates attitudes and knowledge of parents regarding gambling behaviors among youths, aged 5 to 17 years. Telephone interviews were conducted among 279 randomly selected parents (32% fathers and 68% mothers) in the Quebec City region. Results indicate that parents overestimate the age of children's first wagers and underestimate the probability that their own child has already gambled. Most parents (86%) believe that the availability of gambling for youths should be reduced and that schools should include prevention programs concerning problem gambling. Results also show that parents fail to associate excessive gambling with poor grades or with alcohol and drug use. Finally, 84% of the parents reported that they would accept buying lottery tickets for their child. These results suggest that prevention programs for excessive gambling among children should include information for parents.     

School Engagement Trajectories and Their Differential Predictive Relations to Dropout

Although most theories draw upon the construct of school engagement in their conceptualization of the dropout process, research addressing its hypothesized prospective relation with dropout remains scarce and does not account for the academic and social heterogeneity of students who leave school prematurely. This study explores the reality of different life-course pathways of school engagement and their predictive relations to dropout. Using an accelerated longitudinal design, we used growth mixture modeling to generate seven distinct trajectories of school engagement with 12- to 16-year-old students (N = 13,300). A vast majority of students were classified into three stable trajectories, distinguishing themselves at moderate to very high levels of school engagement. We refer to these as developmentally normative pathways in light of their frequent occurrence and stability. Although regrouping only one-tenth of participants, four other nonnormative (or unexpected pathways) accounted for the vast majority of dropouts. Dropout risk was closely linked with unstable pathways of school engagement. We conclude by debating the delicate investment balance between universal strategies and more selective and differentiated strategies to prevent dropout. We also discuss the need to better understand why, within normative trajectories, some students with high levels of school engagement drop out of school .     

Past-users of HRT are osteopenic four months after discontinuation:an observational and cross-sectional study

Hormonal replacement therapy (HRT) helps to prevent osteoporosis. The effect of short-term discontinuation of a long-term HRT on bone mineral density (BMD) in healthy post-menopausal women is unknown. Fifteen women on HRT (HRT users), 17 who never used HRT (non-users) and 8 former HRT users (past-HRT users) were recruited. BMD was measured by DXA. Our results allow to hypothesize that BMD may decline after short-term HRT discontinuation, which would increase the fracture risks. Indeed, our results show that past-HRT users are osteopenic just as non-users. However, these results should be re-examined using a prospective trial and a larger sample size.     

The use of pesticides in French viticulture: a badly controlled technology transfer!

The use of pesticides is one of the techniques employed in modern agriculture and in particular in intensive agriculture. The risks for the environment and for worker health have been debated in western countries for about ten years. Recent developments in epidemiology, toxicology and ergotoxicology have clearly revealed that pesticides could harm the health of farmers (cancers, neurological diseases and reproductive disorders). Failures and shortcomings in the risk prevention systems have also come to light. This paper aims to address the risks associated to the use of pesticides in French vineyards. The chosen approach draws from an anthropological approach as well as from developments in ergotoxicology applied to the French vineyard work. We shall discuss the use of pesticides from the point of view of the transfer of technology. Our recent research has shown that this technology transfer was not completely controlled by the different stakeholders.     

Un plafond à caissons : les femmes à l’EHESS

The feminization of employment at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in Paris has fallen off after an early start and it remains low. This is not to be set down so much to the formally discriminating nature of the recruitment examination (concours) as to competition, the accumulation of social capital and the methods for producing job applications. The initial feminization owed much to long inhouse careers, as women were recruited without sitting for an examination but into subordinate positions from which they could move upwards. This trend came to a halt as this channel of recruitment was shut down and a more elitist, relational and competitive one was opened that leads fewer women to enter job applications. The situation is not a stalemate however. A group of women professors has managed to place the gender question on the agenda and this seems to have given a (weak) boost to feminization.     

“From cause to cure”: A qualitative study on contemporary forms of mother blaming experienced by mothers of young children with autism spectrum disorder

ABSTRACT

In the past, the behaviours and personalities of mothers have been identified as potential causes of autism. More recently, other etiological hypotheses have been used to explain autism spectrum disorder, suggesting that this specific type of mother-blaming is now uncommon. However, some authors have pointed out that mothers are still being held responsible for their children’s condition and behaviours, as they are now expected to extensively promote their children’s development. The present article explores contemporary forms of mother-blaming experienced by thirteen mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. The results are discussed in relation to the consequences of mother-blaming, such as social isolation and health related problems. It is hoped that this article will encourage social workers and professionals to understand the mothers’ perspectives and to recognize the importance of supporting them without generating or increasing mother-blaming.