Loose women or lost women? The re-emergence of the myth of white slavery in contemporary discourses of trafficking in women

This article compares current concerns about “trafficking in women” with turn of the century discourses about “white slavery.” It traces the emergence of narratives on “white slavery” and their re-emergence in the moral panics and boundary crises of contemporary discourses on “trafficking in women.” Drawing on historical analysis and contemporary representations of sex worker migration, the paper argues that the narratives of innocent, virginal victims purveyed in the “trafficking in women” discourse are a modern version of the myth of “white slavery.” These narratives, the article argues, reflect persisting anxieties about female sexuality and women's autonomy. Racialised representations of the migrant “Other” as helpless, child-like, victims strips sex workers of their agency. The article argues that while the myth of “trafficking in women”/”white slavery” is ostensibly about protecting women, the underlying moral concern is with the control of “loose women.” Through the denial of migrant sex workers' agency, these discourses serve to reinforce notions of female dependence and purity that serve to further marginalise sex workers and undermine their human rights. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the International Studies Association Convention, Washington D.C., February 16–20, 1999, and is available on-line at www.walnet.org/NSWP.     

Relationships Between Candidate Self-Monitoring, Perceived Personality, and Selection Interview Outcomes

A study into the relationships between candidateself-monitoring ability, interviewer perceptions ofcandidate personality, and interviewer outcome decisionsin the context of actual graduate recruitment interviews (n = 130) is presented. Detailedpsychometric norm data is also reported on the Lennoxand Wolfe (1984) revised Self-Monitoring (RS-M) scale,together with the results of confirmatory factoranalyses into the factor structure of this measure. Itwas found that candidate self-monitoring ability wasonly moderately and nonsignificantly related tointerviewer outcome evaluations, and thatself-monitoring was generally uncorrelated with thepositiveness of recruiter impressions of candidatepersonality. Confirmatory factor analyses revealed thata two correlated factor structure for the RS-M scale, inaccordance with the original authors' formulation,provided the most parsimonious fit. Norm data for theRS-M scale is reported for this sample of Britishgraduates, including item statistics, item to subscale,item to scale correlations, and internal reliabilitycoefficients. Implications for future research intocandidate impression management, self-monitoring,interviewer decision making, and the practicalimplications arising from these findings arediscussed.     

Distributive Justice Evaluations in Two Cultural Contexts: A Comparison of U.S. and South Korean Teachers

The justice literature suggests, but has nottested, a positive relationship between met expectationsabout multiple workplace rewards and distributivejustice evaluations (the individual's assessment of whether s/he has been treated fairly). Datafrom samples of teachers in South Korea (N = 649) andthe U.S. (N = 810) are used to examine thisrelationship. In addition, U.S.-South Korea culturalvalue differences in individualism, seniority, and hierarchicalauthority are the basis for hypothesizing that certainreward-specific met expectations will be linkeddifferently to justice evaluations across the twosocieties. As hypothesized for both societies, the moreone's expectations about job-related rewards are met,the greater the perception of just treatment. Also ashypothesized, several societal differences based on cultural differences are found. Metexpectations about autonomy are more important inexplaining justice evaluations in the U.S., whereas metexpectations about advancement opportunities are moreimportant in South Korea.     

Parameter estimation in high dimensional Gaussian distributions

In order to compute the log-likelihood for high dimensional Gaussian models, it is necessary to compute the determinant of the large, sparse, symmetric positive definite precision matrix. Traditional methods for evaluating the log-likelihood, which are typically based on Cholesky factorisations, are not feasible for very large models due to the massive memory requirements. We present a novel approach for evaluating such likelihoods that only requires the computation of matrix-vector products. In this approach we utilise matrix functions, Krylov subspaces, and probing vectors to construct an iterative numerical method for computing the log-likelihood.     

Assessing Overweight,Obesity, Diet,and Physical Activity in College Students

Abstract

The authors surveyed 738 college students aged 18 to 27 years to assess overweight, obesity, dietary habits, and physical activity. They used BMI (body mass index) > 25 kg/m² or BMI > 85th percentile and BMI > 30 kg/m¹ or BMI > 95th percentile to estimate overweight and obesity in those aged < 19 years. To define overweight and obesity in those > 20 years, they used BMI > 25 kg/m² and > 30 kg/m². They found overweight rates of 21.6% using BMI directly and 16.2% using BMI percentile and obesity rates of 4.9% using BMI directly and 4.2% using BMI percentile. More than 69% of the participants reported < 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day and more than 67% reported < 20 g of fiber per day; participants reported physical activity on fewer than 3 d/wk. Most college students are not meeting dietary and physical activity guidelines, suggesting the need for prevention interventions and increased understanding of overweight in college students.     

Effects of a multimodal exercise program in pedal dexterity and balance: study with Portuguese older adults of different contexts

This study investigated the effects of a multimodal exercise program (MEP) on pedal dexterity and balance in two groups of older adult participants (65–92 years of age) from a psychiatric hospital center (HC), a residential care home (RCH), and a daily living center (DLC). The experimental group (EG) trained three times per week for 12 months, and the control group (CG) maintained their normal activities. The Mini-Mental State Examination and the Modified Baecke Questionnaire, as well as the Pedal Dexterity and the Tinetti tests, were applied to all subjects before and after the experimental protocol. Furthermore, the foot preference was controlled using the Lateral Preference Questionnaire proposed by Coren [10]. In the EG, the results from the Pedal Dexterity test showed that both males and females from the RCH and DLC improved their performances after the MEP. In the HC, the males slightly decreased their performance with both feet, contrarily to females. Both males and females from the CG decreased their pedal dexterity performance, namely, with the non-preferred foot. Concerning the Tinetti test, the EG of both males and females from the HC, the RCH (males were better than females regarding the gender factor), and the DLC improved their balance after the MEP. In the CG, no significant effects or interactions were found for any of the context groups.     

Postdivorce Relationships in Families and Children's Psychosocial Adjustment

Divorced mothers and their school-aged children in 50 single-mother families and 37 stepfather families reported on mothers' ex-partner relationships, children's relationships with both parents, and children's well-being. A 2 (family structure) × 2 (gender) multivariate analysis of variance revealed a main effect of gender: Mothers with sons report higher levels of ex-partner relationship satisfaction. An interaction effect was also found: Boys in single-mother families report more acceptance and fewer conflicts than boys in stepfather families. Multiple regression analysis revealed that mother–ex-partner relationships are associated with children's problem behavior, whereas child–nonresidential father relationships are associated with positive aspects of children's well-being. The results indicate that family structure itself is not associated with child adjustment. What matters most is the quality of family relationships.