The Human Capital Model and Federal Employees’ Pay: Gender, Veteran Status, and Occupation

Do the human capital variables education and experience, and the chosen occupations for which male and female veterans and nonveterans qualify affect pay in the federal civil service? Are the strength and direction of relationships similar before and after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? When compared to federal employees in other agencies, are differences in pay based on gender and veteran status the same for those who work for the Department of Defense (DOD)? This is an ordinary least squares regression analysis of Office of Personnel Management records for a 1 % random sample of federal employees in 2000 and 2009. These regression models based on the Human Capital Model, data from years before and after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and separate analyses for DOD and non-DOD agencies differ from earlier analyses. Whether or not an employee works for the DOD, years of education and experience are significantly related to pay. In addition, between 2000 and 2009 the gender-based wage gap for nonveterans decreased while the gap between the pay of the reference group and male and female veterans grew for federal employees who did not work for the DOD. In the same years, for DOD employees there are fewer differences in pay based on veteran status and gender and race. With some exceptions for the DOD, the significant positive relationships between pay and occupation became significant negative relationships when the pay of women in each occupation was analyzed.     

Social worker and immigrant client experiences in multicultural service provision: Educational implications

Social work education, while committed to preparing students for anti-oppressive practice with immigrants and refugees, has not always been successful in achieving this goal. Student knowledge about and interest in cross-cultural practice, as evidenced in Canadian and US studies, often remains superficial and marginalized. This may in part be due to a lack of inclusion of practice wisdom and lived experiences of front-line practitioners and their clients. To remedy this deficit, 13 Canadian social workers of varied cultural backgrounds providing services in inner-city schools and 19 immigrant clients were interviewed in-depth to ascertain their perceptions of central elements of anti-oppressive practice with immigrant populations. Results yielded two major themes: Multifaceted Perception of Self and Other , which pertained to a recognition that culture was multifaceted, complex, and defined interactively; and Proactive Service Delivery , which pertained to active worker involvement in cultural bridging, brokering and advocacy. Implications for anti-oppressive social work education include a focus on multifaceted definition of culture, and admissions policies that promote multilingual, multicultural competencies.     

Gendered institutional research cultures in science: the post-doc transition for women scientists

This study examines perceptions of post-doctoral women bench scientists working across fourteen major US research universities, and how both individual and institutional experiences influenced their desired futures. Findings reveal three distinct career paths (research, teaching, and industry). This study provides insight into individual career decision processes involving as to how gender is experienced in male-centric cultures, how experiences of barriers are reframed, and how obstacles influence choices. These women emphasized strong desires to contribute to their respective fields and to collaborate with others, a key relational aspect missing in their current work. All participants indicated aspirations to have both a career and a full life beyond the lab. Findings further suggest a post-doctoral environment laden with gender and family biases including subtle discrimination and challenges specific to women working in male-centric cultures. A strong relationship between experiences of gender and family biases suggests that additional burdens are placed on women's career paths and their evolving identity. This study identifies the postdoctoral journey as a unique transition zone marked by a period of adaptation and selection as they make sense of their experience and decide on how best to achieve success and fulfillment as women and as scientists.     

The Formative Years: How Parenthood Creates Gender*

Cet article présente les conclusions d'une étude qui traite d'une série d'entrevues en profondeur de couples hétérosexuals en voie de devenir parents. Le but de l'étude était de mieux comprendre comment le fait de devenir parents produit des différences dans les rôles attribués aux sexes et des inégalités entre eux. En se concentrant sur les relations sociales changeantes de la maternité, la discussion tourne autour de quatre ajustements dans la vie de la femme: l'ap‐propriation des responsabilités maternelles, les négotiations qui déterminent comment la femme et l'homme entreprennent leur rôle de mère et de père; le développement d'une division des travaux ménagers moins équilibrée; révolution d'une vie sociale centrée d'avantage sur la famille; et le renouvellement des relations entre la femme et sa mère. This paper presents findings from a study involving a series of in‐depth interviews of heterosexual couples as they made the transition to parenthood. The study was aimed at understanding how parenthood produces gender differences and inequalities. Focussing on the changing social relations of motherhood, the discussion revolves around four changes in women's lives: the assumption of the responsibilities of motherhood and the negotiations that shape how women mother (and how men father); the development of a more unbalanced division of household work; the evolution of a more family‐focussed social life; and the renewal of women's relationships with their mothers.     

Growth and Locational Impacts for Housing in Small Communities

Abstract Many Americans believe that small rural communities are ideal places to live. They assume that small rural communities offer a safe environment, a supportive community, and affordable housing. In contrast, research indicates that rural households are more likely to live in unsuitable or inadequate housing and have lower incomes, making affordable housing difficult to obtain. Although there are data highlighting regional or urban-rural differences, very little research has been conducted on the housing situation among small rural communities. The research presented here explores housing availability and affordability in 589 Midwestern communities. Findings indicate that, based on the community's growth and location, there are significant quantitative housing affordability and availability differences among small communities. However, these differences were contradicted by focus group discussions that indicated key similarities of housing concerns across small communities. The findings have potential impacts for public policy implementation in small communities.     

Who Is Our Neighbor? Toward a Multilevel and Cross-National Roadmap for Building Community Capacity

The acceptance of diversity in neighborhood contexts has far-reaching implications across the developed and developing world, and it bears directly on social justice. Additionally, practitioners not only frequently work in diverse communities, but aim to build community capacity in such settings. Using a multilevel framework, this project quantitatively examines diverse neighbor acceptance across and within 70 nations. Results show that individual-level human capital and democratic institutions at the national level are driving forces behind diverse neighbor acceptance. Working toward a roadmap for building community capacity, the article highlights the multilevel nature of diverse neighbor acceptance in a cross-national context.     

Olivia Records: The Production of a Movement

This article looks at the early years of Olivia Records, setting the context for the historic release of the album Where Would I Be Without You. From its origins as a Washington, D.C.-based activist collective in 1973, Olivia became a hugely successful recording company, marketing radical lesbian recordings and performances that soon defined the “women's music” movement. Both artistically and politically, Olivia's woman-identified albums became the soundtrack for a generation awakening to lesbian activism. Pat Parker and Judy Grahn's 1976 spoken-word recording is a unique demonstration of Olivia's radical production values and expanding catalog.     

An Interview with Terry Reese

In July 2005, Bonnie Parks spoke with Terry Reese, digital production unit head at Oregon State University's Valley Library (Corvallis). In this interview, Reese shares his views on topics ranging from electronic journal management to the impact Google Scholar might have on the way libraries provide access to information.     

Game On: Diminishing Risks for Depressive Symptoms in Early Adolescence Through Positive Involvement in Team Sports

While research shows that low levels of social acceptance and elevated body dissatisfaction increase risks for depressive symptoms among both girls and boys, little is known about protective factors that can mediate these risks. We test the hypothesis that positive team sports involvement mediates the effects of these risks on depression in a cross‐sectional study involving a diverse group of 449 Canadian students (49.7% girls) recruited from grades 8 to 10. Findings showed that positive team sports involvement partially mediated risks for depressive symptoms for both boys and girls. Implications for community‐ and school‐based sports programs are discussed.