Total work and gender: facts and possible explanations

Time-diary data from 27 countries show a negative relationship between GDP per-capita and gender differences in total work—for pay and at home. In rich non-Catholic countries, men and women average about the same amount of total work. Survey results show scholars and the general public believe that women work more. Widespread average equality does not arise from gender differences in the price of time, intra-family bargaining or spousal complementarity. Several theories, including ones based on social norms, might explain these findings and are consistent with evidence from the World Values Surveys and microeconomic data from Australia and Germany.     

Ongoing contestations: the use of racial signifiers in post-apartheid South Africa

Despite hopes for the development of a non-racial citizenry in South Africa, race remains a salient factor in identity claims. Much of the recent literature has focused on issues of black and white identities or on discussions of the reification or erasure of racial identities. This paper addresses questions of coloured identity in South Africa to explore the ways in which these identities are formed through iterative processes and continually in flux. Through a series of vignettes I argue that identity claims are frequently incomplete, uncertain and reworked in different and changing contexts. I highlight the shortcomings of ideas of erasure and reification when analysing identity claims and argue for a more nuanced approach that provides for consideration of post-apartheid racial identities as complex, dynamic and contested.     

Longitudinal Influences of Positive Youth Development and Life Satisfaction on Problem Behaviour among Adolescents in Hong Kong

The cross-sectional and longitudinal influences of positive youth development and life satisfaction on adolescent problem behaviour were examined in this study. The respondents were 4,523 Chinese students recruited from 43 secondary schools in Hong Kong, and the study followed them from Grade 7, Grade 9 to Grade 11. Repeated measurements employing validated self-reported assessment tools were used. Analyses using structural equation modelling showed that positive youth development directly influenced life satisfaction and reduced problem behaviour at Grades 7 and 9. However, the direct effect of positive youth development on problem behaviour was mediated by life satisfaction at Grade 11. The mediating effect of life satisfaction on the enhancement of future positive youth development was also discovered. These pioneer longitudinal findings contribute to the existing literature in delineating the causal and mediating roles of positive youth development and life satisfaction in adolescent problem behaviour, particularly in the Chinese context.     

Gender and Informal Caregiving in CCRCs: Primary Caregivers or Support Networks?

Relatively little research has been conducted on caregiving or kin support patterns among residents of newer forms of senior housing. The current research investigates variation in reported current or potential supporters by gender, age, and marital status among 687 residents of four continuing care retirement communities. Women and men tended to identify different configurations of social support, with the gender difference partially attributable to marital status (i.e., higher rates of widowhood among women). Age 75–84 was nonlinearly associated with more reported supporters, suggesting a shift in types of supporters by age. Unmarried persons more often identified friends and “others” in terms of support, in lieu of spousal support.     

Racial and Gender Differences in Pressure Ulcer Development Among Nursing Home Residents in the Southeastern United States

Objective: To determine whether there is a difference in the incidence of pressure ulcers (PU) between African American (AA) and White nursing home (NH) residents in the Southeastern United States. Methods: Data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Minimum Data Set were examined for 113,869 residents who were free of PU at NH admission during 1999–2002. Facility and neighborhood characteristics were abstracted from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting database and the 2000 U.S. Census respectively. Results: The incidence of PU in NH among AAs and Whites was 4.7% (95% CI: 4.4–5.0) and 3.4 % (95% CI: 3.3–3.5) respectively. The association between race and PU development varied between males and females. Differences were noted between AA and White males who were dependent in mobility and between AA and White females who were bedfast and resided in facilities with less than 200 beds. Unlike for females, facility and neighborhood characteristics were not significant confounders in risk for PU incidence among males. Conclusion: PU occurred more frequently in AAs than in Whites. Results suggest that racial differences are marked among males and females with specific characteristics. Interventions for reducing this disparity should target these at-risk groups.     

Using Photovoice to Identify Service Needs of Older African American Methadone Clients

ABSTRACT

This article presents findings from a photovoice project designed to identify service needs of older-adult African American methadone clients, as well as their current barriers to and supports for abstinence. The project involved 10 participants (aged 53 to 63 years old) recruited from a methadone maintenance program in a large Northeastern U.S. city. Thematic analysis techniques were used to analyze participants’ narratives of their pictures. Transportation emerged as a significant challenge to accessing services, and caregiving was a motivation for remaining abstinent. Future research should use similar participatory methods and engage a broader group of aging people struggling with substance abuse.     

How much does reducing inequality matter for global poverty?

The Journal of Economic Inequality - The goals of ending extreme poverty by 2030 and working towards a more equal distribution of incomes are part of the United Nations’ Sustainable...     

Complexity of determining the most vital elements for the p-median and p-center location problems

We consider the k most vital edges (nodes) and min edge (node) blocker versions of the p-median and p-center location problems. Given a weighted connected graph with distances on edges and weights on nodes, the k most vital edges (nodes) p-median (respectively p-center) problem consists of finding a subset of k edges (nodes) whose removal from the graph leads to an optimal solution for the p-median (respectively p-center) problem with the largest total weighted distance (respectively maximum weighted distance). The complementary problem, min edge (node) blocker p-median (respectively p-center), consists of removing a subset of edges (nodes) of minimum cardinality such that an optimal solution for the p-median (respectively p-center) problem has a total weighted distance (respectively a maximum weighted distance) at least as large as a specified threshold. We show that k most vital edges p-median and k most vital edges p-center are NP-hard to approximate within a factor $\frac{7}{5}-\epsilon$ and $\frac{4}{3}-\epsilon$ respectively, for any ?>0, while k most vital nodes p-median and k most vital nodes p-center are NP-hard to approximate within a factor $\frac{3}{2}-\epsilon$ , for any ?>0. We also show that the complementary versions of these four problems are NP-hard to approximate within a factor 1.36.     

Popularity kills the Talentstar? Einflussfaktoren auf Superstargeh?lter in der NBA

The observation that top athletes earn top salaries is well known. The (controversial) debate on superstar-salaries is mainly based on the two competing but equally plausible explanations outlined by Rosen (Am Eco Rev 71(5):845–858, 1981) and Adler (Am Eco Rev 75(1):208–212, 1985). Although both authors illustrate conclusive arguments, the discussion which of these two theories is more adequate in explaining superstar salaries still remains unsolved. The present paper analyzes salary information from the National Basketball Association (NBA) to explore the effect of Rosen’s (Am Eco Rev 71(5):845–858, 1981) talent approach versus the network and media approach by Adler (Am Eco Rev 75(1):208–212, 1985). Using innovative indicators for talent (draft position) and popularity (Facebook fans) in one model, the results of our preferred quantile regression specification indicates that player talent is stronger related to earning than popularity, particularly in the upper quantiles.