Comparisons in Gender Wage Differentials and Discrimination between Germany and the United Kingdom

Due to the lack of consistent data, direct and robust comparisons of cross‐country labour markets have been virtually impossible. This study uses a new panel data series that controls for inconsistencies, thus overcoming this problem. This study estimates gender wage differentials and gender discrimination in the German and UK labour markets. Panel estimates are used to identify general wage differences between the two countries, with cross‐sectional comparisons undertaken to identify changes that have occurred between 1991 and 1993, that are consistent with known labour market policies. It is found that gender wage differentials are greater in the UK than Germany with employer discrimination against females attributed with the majority of the difference in both countries.     

Maori family culture: A context of youth development in Counties/Manukau

Abstract

This paper has two main objectives. First, it examines the ways in which the Waitangi Tribunal considers the notion of “time” (and its corollary “timelessness") in relation to the Treaty of Waitangi. The Tribunal has increasingly emphasised the timeless‐ness of the Treaty, its ability to transcend temporal notions of time, and the implications of this for the relationship between the Treaty partners, Maori and the Crown. Second, it compares these tendencies with contemporary Maori ideas of time, as they are presented in the modern Treaty claims process. It is argued that the Tribunal, especially in its more recent reports, has signalled a marked shift in its acknowledgment of Maori concepts of time. Its published reports from 1999 onwards show more appreciation not for only for Maori understandings of the Treaty relationship, but for Maori values and concepts which, by their articulation and inclusion in the hearing process, test orthodox and dominant assumptions regarding the nature of change over time. Some broader trends may also be observed. Since the 1980s, there have been numerous references to the Treaty and its principles in statutory law, Waitangi Tribunal reports, and Deeds of Settlement ratified by successive New Zealand governments. Furthermore, there has been increasing (but by no means universal) recognition of the Treaty as a “developing social contract”, rather than a static historical document, with much of the impetus for such an interpretation coming from findings and recommendations of the Waitangi Tribunal.     

Just a paper exercise?

This paper will consider the impact and implications of changing the method of selection for social work students on one BA/Diploma in social work course for mature students with family commitments. The change was instituted following research which suggested that interviewers' preferences were a poor predictor of successful outcome of course completion for students, and further, that other predictors such as quality of written application material and student motivation were factors which had a strong correlation with successful outcome. Consequently, in 1999, selecting students by interview was replaced by paper selection. While it is the long-term aim of academic staff to evaluate the merits of paper selection in terms of students' outcomes, this initial paper considers the organisational and administrative implications of changing to paper selection and the students' and selectors' perceptions of paper selection. In particular, this paper will consider whether it is possible to be objective in selecting applicants, or whether subjectivity will always be part of the process. Finally, the article considers the relative cost of paper selection as opposed to interview. The findings of this study suggest that interviewing is twice as costly on academic and agency staff time - a factor which in the present financial climate has considerable implications for the future of interviewing on social work courses.     

The sexuality‐assemblage: desire,affect, anti‐humanism

Two theoretical moves are required to resist the ‘humanist enticements’ associated with sexuality. Post‐structuralism supplies the first, showing how the social produces culturally specific sexual knowledgeabilities. A second anti‐humanist move is then needed to overturn anthropocentric privileging of the human body and subject as the locus of sexuality. In this paper we establish a language and landscape for a Deleuze‐inspired anti‐humanist sociology of sexuality that shifts the location of sexuality away from bodies and individuals. Sexuality in this view is an impersonal affective flow within assemblages of bodies, things, ideas and social institutions, which produces sexual (and other) capacities in bodies. Assemblages territorialize bodies' desire, setting limits on what it can do: this process determines the shape of sexuality, which is consequently both infinitely variable and typically highly restricted. We illustrate how this anti‐humanist ontology may be applied to empirical data to explore sexuality‐assemblages, and conclude by exploring the theoretical and methodological advantages and disadvantages of an anti‐humanist assemblage approach to sexuality.     

Social Work Values in Human Services Administration: Implications for Social Work Education

The perceived wisdom in the social work education community, based on empirical research from the 1990s and the early part of this century, says that the master of social work (MSW) degree is not competitive with the master of business administration or the master of public administration to obtain top-level administration jobs in nonprofit agencies. This article reviews recent information on hiring preferences of board chairs that provides new hope that the MSW degree with a concentration in management or administration is perceived as a viable and useful degree for top-level positions in human services agencies. Thus, current board chairs are more inclined to value the MSW than administrators and academics from years past. The reason is that the values of social workers are seen as quite valuable in the current environment.     

Pet ownership and homelessness: a scoping review

ABSTRACT

Between 5 and 25% of people experiencing homelessness have pets. Pet ownership can have a range of impacts in the lives of people experiencing homelessness, which may mitigate or further complicate the many adversities they face. However, there is a need to better understand the benefits and challenges associated with pet ownership to determine how this group can be best supported. Accordingly, a scoping review was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar to address the question: What are the effects of pet ownership on people experiencing homelessness? All of the 18 reviewed studies used either qualitative or cross-sectional research designs. Three domains have been principally examined in relation to pet ownership and homelessness: (1) psychological health and purpose; (2) social support and connection; and (3) access to housing, employment, and service use. Physical health, violence, and crime were less frequently studied. Although the findings offer further support that there are both benefits and liabilities to pet ownership for people experiencing homelessness, there is a critical need for more rigorous research, including longitudinal and intervention studies. Recommendations for developing more pet-friendly services and using a strengths-based approach that considers animal companionship when working with people experiencing housing instability are also discussed.     

“I Felt Like I Was Being Abused All Over Again”: How Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Make Sense of the Perinatal Period Through Their Narratives

ABSTRACT

Sequelae following child sexual abuse pervade the lives of adult survivors, significantly impacting on pregnancy and childbirth. Symptoms of this distress are recognized, but meanings for women are less understood. This research aimed to examine the meaning for women themselves of the impact of child sexual abuse on experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. Taking a critical feminist perspective, three open-ended interviews with three survivors enabled women’s narratives of pregnancy and childbirth to be heard, explored the structure of these narratives, including how experiences were connected, and identified key themes and how selves and others were positioned. Women themselves contributed to the analysis of their own narratives. The different struggles of each woman occurred within three domains of experience: identity, embodiment, and parenting. They were underpinned by a fluctuation between empowerment and disempowerment. These findings, although based on detailed analysis of the experiences of only three women, dovetail with, integrate, and extend the existent literature, offering a framework for understanding the complexity of meaning making for women. Further research might develop this. The framework may facilitate clinicians’ understandings of what it is like for some women having children who have experienced child sexual abuse.     

Ethical Issues in the Use of Putative Father Registries in Infant Adoption: Implications for Administrators and Practitioners

Infant adoption policy and practices are laden with potential ethical dilemmas for adoption professionals, state and federal government, and society in general. Putative father registries raise new ethical issues in the provision of adoption services and the rights and roles of birthfathers. Birthfathers have relatively little power in the policy arena and the power differential between the parties in an adoption is evident. Administrators and practitioners at all levels of practice have an obligation to see that birthfathers are treated fairly and with dignity. This article examines the issues related to the use of putative father registries and the ethical implications regarding birthfather rights.     

Between skepticism and empowerment: the experiences of peer research assistants in HIV/AIDS,housing and homelessness community‐based research

People living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) in Canada are a highly researched population, yet their inclusion in the research process is minimal. Community‐based research (CBR) has become a recognized tool for addressing issues of power and exclusion within researcher/community relationships by inviting the community's equitable involvement as research partners. Within the context of HIV/AIDS research, this includes a commitment to the Greater Involvement of People Living with HIV/AIDS (GIPA) at all stages of the research process. One way of adopting GIPA principles within CBR is through providing employment, research training, and capacity building opportunities for PHAs as peer research assistants (PRAs). Drawing on data from two in‐depth focus groups with seven PRAs from the Positive Spaces, Healthy Places: Community‐based Research Study, this paper will highlight important methodological practices for academic and community‐based researchers who are working with and supporting PRAs.     

The complexities of friendship: exploring how gay men make sense of their workplace friendships with straight women

Despite the contemporary attention paid to the gay male–straight female friendship dyad within popular culture and a growing scholarly interest in male–female friendships, not enough is known about the friendship dynamics between gay men and straight women, particularly in the workplace. I draw upon qualitative findings from in‐depth interviews with 28 gay men employed in a range of work roles in the UK to document their existence and shed light on how gay men understand, value and give meaning to workplace friendships with women. Study findings reveal the paucity of textual cues and practices to direct the development and maintenance of these friendships. Overcoming this, study participants are shown to be inventive in their approach to doing friendship. As problematic as some friendship ties are for understanding differences along the lines of sexuality and gender, the opportunities for challenging heteronormative ways of relating in workplace friendship are regarded as more promising.