Trends in Women's Career Patterns and in Gender Occupational Mobility in Britain

This paper uses retrospective data from the SCELI surveys to make a detailed investigation of changing career patterns and gender differences in occupational status over the period 1946–86. A summary variable is developed and used to examine the relationships between changing employment trends and respondents' occupational status. Occupational status, as the Hope-Goldthorpe scale value, is measured throughout the life-course and changes over time are examined. The main findings of the study are that despite the increase in women's qualifications and the proportion of women in the workforce, their human capital has not greatly increased although their careers have become increasingly variable. Men and childless women experience occupational status increasing over life-course and time but part-time employed women do not. Class of origin is more important to status for men than for women, while qualifications are important for both. Women's careers are increasingly affected by discontinuity and part-time employment.     

Heart disease risk perception in college men and women

The authors sought to assess the perception of risks for coronary heart disease (CHD) in college men and women. They surveyed 470 undergraduates from 2 major 4-year institutions who completed a questionnaire that measured perceived risks for heart disease. Sixty-eight percent of the respondents rated their risks as lower or much lower than those of their peers, indicating a clear optimistic bias. The research also revealed that the students who exercised regularly rated their risk of coronary disease lower than those who did not do so. In addition, women perceived a number of risk markers to be more potent or causative factors than men did. A significant number of participants did not comprehend commonly understood causal relationships associated with heart disease risk. The findings in this preliminary investigation suggest that college men and women do not accurately perceive their risks for developing heart disease.     

A criterion-referenced multidimensional job-related model prediction capability to perform occupations among persons with chronic pain

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this prospective study was an exploration of the construct of the criterion-referenced multidimensional job-related model (CMVA) aimed for predicting patients' with chronic pain capability to perform occupations. METHODS: The study samples were 1) participants (n=84) who at present were not performing employed work (median sick-listing period 12 months) because of chronic pain and 2) participants (n = 104) who at present were performing employed work at least 20 hours of a workweek. The participants had experiences of 40 different occupations classified into five of the occupational categories of Jist's Enhanced Dictionary of Occupational Titles. Data were collected through ten assessment instruments and a structured interview, comprising 54 variables and 465 items. Data were analyzed using multiple regression with forward entering of variables. RESULTS: The CMVA model (Adjusted R^2 0.777, F (4, 183) = 164.067; p<0.001) was able to explain 78% of the variance. CMVA contained the aspects; "the work demands-variable, the person-variable of work life values, the environment-variable of social support and the two occupational performances-variables; self-perceived capability to perform work tasks/the simulated work tasks". CONCLUSIONS: The construct of CMVA was robust suggesting that among persons with chronic pain, the predictors focusing on their capability to perform occupations are of great importance.     

A DIFFICULTY WITH MONETARIST MODELS OF HYPERINFLATION

The Cagan, Barro, and Allais analyses of hyperinflation have been shown to be questionable. Their impressive empirical results are a direct result of the method used to solve their models. Their solution does not depend on the input forcing function (the rate of change of the money stock) of their differential equation systems but expresses one dependent variable, real money balances, as a function of another dependent variable, the rate of change of prices. As a result, price changes which are unrelated to changes in the money stock acting through the dynamic structure of the model will incorrectly yield a good fit of the data.     

Do work commutes moderate the association between perceived neighborhood disorder and psychological distress?

ABSTRACT

Although numerous studies show that living in a neighborhood that is characterized by disorder (crime and dilapidation) can be psychologically distressing, very few studies have considered the element of exposure time or duration of exposure to adverse neighborhood environments. In this paper, we explore the intersection of commuting, mental health, and the subjective experience of neighborhood disadvantage and impoverished community life. Using data from the Welfare, Children, and Families project (2001), a probability sample of 1057 low-income women with children living in Boston, Chicago, and San Antonio, we test whether the association between neighborhood disorder and psychological distress is moderated or attenuated by commuting time and distance. Our results show that although neighborhood disorder is associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, and somatization, disorder tends to be less distressing for residents who are able to spend time away from these environments through longer commuting times and distances. In other words, working away from one’s neighborhood of residence may help to mitigate the adverse psychological consequences of neighborhood disorder. Our findings support previous research on the stress process and neighborhood disorder. Our work builds on the commuting literature by re-conceptualizing commuting time and distance as protective resources for disadvantaged populations.     

Operational Productivity,Corporate Social Performance,Financial Performance,and Risk in Manufacturing Firms

We examine the relationship between Operational Productivity (OP), Corporate Social Performance (CSP), Financial Performance (FP), and risk. Our sample frame comprises 476 firms in nine US manufacturing industries during the period 1999–2009. We employ DEA‐based measures for OP and CSP, two operationalizations for FP to reflect current profitability and market value, and two operationalizations for risk to reflect bankruptcy risk and stock price volatility. We confirm that OP is essential for good financial performance and reduced risk (as expected), but the main effects of CSP are mixed. Importantly, we find that OP moderates the CSP–FP and CSP–risk relationships. Specifically, if OP is poor, CSP is of limited benefit to FP or risk. However, at or above a threshold level of OP, firms can use CSP to build upon it to yield further improvements in FP and reductions in risk. We discuss the implications of our findings for theory and practice.     

Perceptions of intimate partner violence, age, and self-enhancement bias

Educational programs in human service professions such as social work, criminal justice, psychology, and public administration stress the importance of recognizing domestic/intimate partner violence as well as elder abuse. Students' abilities to recognize domestic violence in older couples have not been well-investigated. In this study, three vignettes were developed (Pat and Lee at age 75, Pat and Lee at age 30, Imagine yourself with Lee at age 75) in which intimate partner violence was perpetrated by the character Lee. Twenty-five items followed each vignette. When the variables of educational standing (graduate/undergraduate), ethnicity, and academic major were controlled, there were significant differences between the vignettes in 14 of 25 items (General Linear Model, F = 1.552, df = 50, p = .012). More than three out of four respondents for each vignette identified this as domestic violence and believed there was potential for serious harm. However, respondents were less likely to believe that a 75-year-old partner would know when to terminate a relationship in which there was intimate partner violence. Respondents who were asked to imagine themselves with Lee at 75 were likely to perceive Lee as more dangerous than respondents for the other vignettes. Implications are considered for educators.