Frontier settlement and child survival in the Brazilian Amazon

This study uses sample data from the 1960, 1970 and 1980 demographic censuses to estimate child survival rates among children born to native and migrant women in the Brazilian Amazon. Estimates show that by 1980 the probability of death among children was quite similar when comparing native and migrant populations in the aggregate. However, after controlling for household economic activity and income, death rates were higher among migrant children. The findings suggests that nonmigrants are better able than recent colonists to mobilize physical and social environments to safeguard the health of their children.     

The effect of unionization on labor productivity: Some additional evidence

Following Brown and Medoff (1978), a number of studies have investigated the effect of unionization on labor productivity using a log-linear, Cobb-Douglas model of technology. To derive this model, a first-order Taylor-series approximation to the intrinsically nonlinear unionization variable is made; the resulting linear equation is estimated with generalized least-squares (GLS) techniques. We demonstrate that this approximation introduces a bias that necessarily results in an overstatement of the absolute value of the exact union productivity effect. We illustrate the magnitude of this bias by comparing GLS estimates of the linear Brown-Medoff model with GLS estimates of the exact, nonlinear relationship, using aggregate time-series data from the private domestic sector of the U.S. economy.     

Indirect measures of child mortality: Overview and application to Brazil, 1980

Mortality rates in the early childhood years are valuable indicators of a population's standard of living, especially in high mortality countries in the developing world. This study summarizes the logic of indirect techniques of mortality estimation, and applies the methods to sample data from the 1980 census of Brazil. The results for metropolitan areas show that children in affluent households have an average expectation of life that is around ten years higher compared to the children of the poor. Multivariate analysis using the mortality ratio proposed by Trussell and Preston found that mother's education was the most important determinant of child mortality, followed by the effects of running water in the house, father's schooling, membership in the social security system and region of the country. Given the potential usefulness of the indirect methods to a wide range of researchers outside of the field of demography, the study presents detailed examples of the computational steps required of the various techniques.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Girls Are Equal Too</Emphasis>: Education,Body Politics,and the Making of Teenage Feminism

This paper traces the origins, tactics, and reception of teenage feminism between the late-1960s and mid-1970s. Letters and essays written by teenage girls during this time demonstrate how girls saw feminism as a tool to challenge gender role socialization and build a supportive and collaborative community of girl activists within this revolutionary context. When compared to male or adult peers, teenage feminists during the Second Wave were perceived as illegitimate and inconsequential (Graham in Young activists: American high school students in the age of protest. Northern Illinois University Press, Dekalb, 2006]. These perceptions have inadvertently positioned teenage feminism as a post-Second Wave “girl power” movement (Snyder in Sisterhood interrupted: from radical women to girls gone wild. Palgrave Macmillan, New York City, 2008; Siegel in Signs 34(1):175–196, 2007]. However, using primary sources written by girls, this paper illuminates how teenage and adult feminists created space within the women’s liberation movement to identify, discuss, and combat the particular gender oppressions experienced by adolescent girls. Through consciousness-raising groups, essays, and direct actions, teenage feminists focused on the materiality of sexual objectification and gender discrimination. Framing their own form of body politics, they fought against sex-specific dress codes, sex segregation in schools, courses, and sports, as well as lack of access to sex education and birth control. Teenage and adult feminists argued that these gendered customs trained girls for subservience that prevented them from attaining full citizenship. Vivid personal narratives by girls illuminate the impacts of feminism on their gender identity and relations. Ultimately, by challenging age divisions between the adult-dominated face of the Second Wave and the girl-focused Third Wave, this paper uses the voices of teenage girls to shed light on an earlier movement of “girl power” that has yet to be excavated.     

Reframing recreation as a public policy priority

Recreation has the potential to be an important public policy priority; however, it must be reframed to address critical policy priorities. Few policymakers understand the value and benefits of recreation, requiring practitioners and advocates to closely connect recreation to issues of concern to policymakers. A significant policy opportunity to expand recreational opportunities for children and youth lies in the area of education, including the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. By educating policymakers on the myriad outcomes that can result from quality recreational experiences, including the ways in which recreation can support the education of children and youth, solid,incremental progress can be made in positioning recreation as a public policy priority.