Why have relative rates of class mobility become more equal among women in Britain?

In a previous paper it has been shown that across three cohorts of men and women born in Britain in 1946, 1958 and 1970 a gender difference exists in regard to relative rates of class mobility. For men these rates display an essential stability but for women they become more equal. The aim of the present paper is to shed light on the causes of this trend—or, that is, of increasing social fluidity—among women. We begin by considering a refined version of the perverse fluidity hypothesis: that is, one that proposes that part‐time work leads to increasing downward worklife mobility among women that also entails downward intergenerational mobility and thus promotes greater fluidity. We do in fact find that the increase in fluidity is very largely, if not entirely, confined to women who have had at least one period of part‐time work. However, a more direct test of the hypothesis is not supportive. We are then led to investigate whether it is not that part‐time working itself is the crucial factor but rather that women who subsequently work part‐time already differ from those who do not at entry into employment. We find that eventual full‐ and part‐timers do not differ in their class origins nor, in any systematic way, in their educational qualifications. But there is a marked and increasing difference in the levels of employment at which they make their labour market entry. Eventual part‐timers are more likely than eventual full‐timers to enter in working‐class positions, regardless of their class origins and qualifications. Insofar as these women are from more advantaged origins, they would appear not to seek to exploit their advantages to the same extent as do full‐timers in order to advance their own work careers. And it is, then, in the downward mobility accepted by these women—who increase in number across the cohorts—that we would locate the main source of the weakening association between class origins and destinations that is revealed among women at large.     

Continued childbearing among women who were pregnant as adolescents

Conclusions The data presented in this paper and the earlier one in this series suggest that the effects of special comprehensive programs for school age mothers are seen most clearly in delay of the first pregnancy subsequent to the programs, as originally indicated by Klerman and Jekel (1973). Rather than terminating childbearing after the second pregnancy, those young mothers who had one subsequent pregnancy usually went on to become pregnant again rather quickly.A question can be raised about the generalizability of the finding from this study which is based on a rather small, black, poverty-lever sample. Although Furstenberg's (1976) results support those of this report in a population with similar characteristics, additional studies of white and non-poverty populations receiving a variety of services are critically needed if the country is to understand the phenomenon of adolescent pregnancy and find effective ways of minimizing its consequences.This study was supported by Grant #MC-R-090357 from the Maternal and Child Health Service, Public Health Service, Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare.     

Perceiving the Real World: Infants' Detection of and Memory for Social Information

Research on infants' perception and memory for social information are discussed with respect to the concept of ecological validity. We argue that the use of dynamic, multimodal displays in familiar contexts is critical to understanding infants' developing perception. We also discuss the importance of generalizing appropriately from experimental to real‐world contexts and of using converging methods in the investigation of infants' capabilities.     

Public Perceptions of Risk and Preference-Based Values of Safety

This article reports the results of two studies aimed at estimating preference-based values of safety in three contexts—namely rail, domestic fires and fires in public places—relative to the corresponding value for roads using matching (or equivalence) questions. In addition, both studies included a variety of questions intended to shed light on respondents' perceptions of risk and attitudes to safety in the various contexts. While the two studies were, to all intents and purposes, identical in the procedure that they employed, the essential difference between them was that the first study took place in late 1998, whereas the second study was carried out in early 2000 in the aftermath of a major rail accident at Ladbroke Grove near London's Paddington station which occurred in October 1999 and in which 29 passengers and 2 train drivers died. In addition, the second study sample was deliberately weighted to contain an above-average proportion of regular rail users. These studies demonstrated how certain factors which have been shown to affect people's perception of risk (see Slovic, P. (1992). In S. Krimsky and D. Golding (eds.), Social Theories of Risk, Westport, CT: Praeger, pp. 117–152) also affected our respondents' priorities over safety programs. The results also showed however, that the impact of these perceptions upon the trade-offs between preventing deaths in different hazard contexts was a good deal less pronounced than has been suggested by the value differentials that are currently implicit—and in some cases, explicit—in public policy making.     

Epidemiology of premenstrual symptoms and disorders

The aim of this paper is to review published literature on the types and prevalences of premenstrual disorders and symptoms, and effects of these on activities of daily life and other parameters of burden of illness. The method involved review of the pertinent published literature. Premenstrual disorders vary in prevalence according to the definition or categorization. The most severe disorder being premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) affects 3-8% of women of reproductive age. This disorder focuses on psychological symptoms whereas global studies show that the most prevalent premenstrual symptoms are physical. Both psychological and physical symptoms affect women's activities of daily life. A considerable burden of illness has been shown to be associated with moderate to severe premenstrual disorders. In conclusion, premenstrual symptoms are a frequent source of concern to women during their reproductive lives and moderate to severe symptoms impact on their quality of lives.     

The expression of mourning in an eight-year-old girl

This is a case of a just-turned eight-year-old girl whose mother was murdered on September 18, 1983. Since the child was already in treatment, the mourning process started immediately and continued until the end of June 1984. The case is distinctive because of the relative ease with which this child was engaged in the process and educated to it. Unconscious feelings readily emerged because they had been so recently repressed. The mourning was accomplished mainly through the process of interpretation of her play and behavior, although at times she would bring things up directly. The focus of therapy remained on the mourning during the entire nine months of treatment.     

High Conflict Family Court Cases: Working for the Child's Best Interests

High levels of parental conflict in separated families can have a devastating impact on children and their development. This paper describes the challenges inherent in the notion of ‘the best interests of the child’ in high conflict cases. It proposes an ethical framework which can guide family therapy work through the labyrinth of adult interest towards solutions which promote the interests of these children. A case example illustrates how this framework is put into clinical practice.