‘A murderous ‘underclass’? the press reporting of sexually motivated murder

The 'underclass' is widely held by commentators of the Right to be responsible for a host of social problems, including violent crime. This paper shows how in the reporting of sexually motivated murder in a sample of nine British newspapers for one complete year (1992), the image constructed is one where unemployed and other marginalised men are portrayed as the main perpetrators of sexual violence. This, the authors argue, hampers our understanding of sexual violence, for it suggests that it is only men of a 'low' socio-economic background who are a potential threat to women and children. It is also suggested that the 'symbolic environment' of the press reporting of sexual murder provides a context in which a more authoritarian benefit regime and greater control of poor communities can be spuriously justified.     

Powerless Children—Powerful Systems

This article looks at the needs of children and families now that there is increasing inter-agency conflict. The situation is considered from the perspective of one agency, educational psychology and it is suggested that the pressures on one agency are common to all agencies. It is argued that the impact of the changes imposed upon agencies conspires to enhance the power of systems and diminish opportunities for children and families to be in control. Examples of effective inter-agency support and a model of working that facilitates positive outcomes for children and their families are discussed.     

Children in separated families: A group-based intervention strategy

The effects of divorce and separation on children can be traumatic and long lasting. Any intervention has to be aware of, and sensitive to, the aims of custodial parents. A group-based intervention aimed at helping children to be less vulnerable to both emotional problems and future abuse is described. The results of such groups suggest that future intervention needs to treat the panacea of increasing child-parent communication with some caution, and should instead recognize that children make their own choices about when to speak out and what to say within their own family situation. Intervention should instead be geared towards helping children to sort out their own feelings and letting them decide how they want to express them.     

Welfare reform and the subjective well-being of single mothers

Although a large body of research examines the impact of welfare reform, there remains considerable uncertainty as to whether single mothers’ well-being improved in the wake of these policy changes. Using unique data from the DDB Worldwide Communications Life Style^TM survey, this paper exploits a large battery of survey questions on self-reported life satisfaction and physical and mental health to study the impact of welfare reform on the subjective well-being of single mothers. The identification strategy relies on a difference-in-differences framework to estimate intent-to-treat effects for the welfare waiver and TANF periods. Results indicate that the bundle of TANF reforms had mostly positive effects on single mothers’ subjective well-being. These women experienced an increase in life satisfaction, greater optimism about the future, and more financial satisfaction. Furthermore, these improvements did not come at a cost of reducing mental and physical health. Welfare waivers, in contrast, had largely neutral effects on well-being. I provide indirect evidence that the increase in single mothers’ employment after welfare reform can plausibly explain the gains in subjective well-being.     

Computer Science Majors: Sex Role Orientation,Academic Achievement,and Social Cognitive Factors

This study examined the sex role orientations endorsed by 188 male and female students majoring in computer science, a male‐dominated college degree program. The relations among sex role orientation and academic achievement and social cognitive factors influential in career decision‐making self‐efficacy were explored. Findings revealed that androgynous‐ and feminine‐oriented students scored significantly higher on career decision‐making self‐efficacy as compared with undifferentiated students. No significant sex role orientation differences were found for academic achievement and general and career locus of control.     

Book Review: The Elusive Quest: Accountability in Hospitals. By Carolyn L. Wiener. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 2000. 256 pages,paperback, ISBN: 0202306313

Qualitative Sociology -