Sociology Commons^™

The Face Of Corporate Leadership: Finally Poised For Major Change?, Toni G. Wolfman

New England Journal of Public Policy

When, several decades ago, interested observers began commenting on the absence of women and minorities from corporate boardrooms and executive suites, there was not much data on the role of women in the national economy, little benchmarking, and few efforts to make the business case for breaking down the barriers that had been excluding women from positions of corporate power. Since that time, academic researchers and activists from many venues have produced a wealth of data, arguments for diversifying corporate leadership, and strategies and resources designed to create opportunities for women and minorities to advance to those positions. And yet, …

Women In New England Politics, Paige Ransford, Carol Hardy-Fanta, Anne Marie Cammisa

New England Journal of Public Policy

This essay addresses a serious deficiency in the literature on women and politics in the United States today: the lack of attention to regional variation and, more specifically, the absence of research on women’s representation in New England. This deficiency is particularly troubling since political analysts of all stripes typically portray New England as imbued with ideological, individual, and structural characteristics likely to lead to rates of political representation higher than the nation as a whole. This essay provides a brief history of women in politics for New England as a whole; describes the current status of women at congressional, …

Future Promise For Women In Science, Christine Armett-Kibel

New England Journal of Public Policy

This article examines possible reasons why women are still not making it to the top in the hard sciences in academia. It considers two major difficulties that women face. The first concerns the psychological nature of women, which is alleged to be unsuited to the competitive and aggressive mindset considered necessary for scientific achievement. The second concerns the childbearing and child-nurturing roles of women, which make it difficult for them to conform to the intense, time-consuming demands of an academic career in science. The article argues that many of the qualities associated with the female stereotype are actually human characteristics …

Numbers Are Not Enough: Women In Higher Education In The 21st Century, Sherry H. Penney, Jennifer Brown, Laura Mcphie Oliveria

New England Journal of Public Policy

Women are now the majority of students in institutions of higher education in the United States, and in many ways women as students and faculty have seen significant progress. But numbers do not tell the whole story. Subtle forms of discrimination continue to exist, and the higher up the pyramid you go, the fewer women are to be found, whether among tenured faculty, as presidents and provosts or as board members and board chairs. Many steps can be taken to improve the situation. Some institutions are recognizing that. We note some positive changes and discuss areas where improvement is needed. …

Rethinking Retirement Policy In Massachusetts, Ellen A. Bruce

New England Journal of Public Policy

Women are significantly poorer than men in old age. One major cause of women’s disproportional poverty is retirement income policy that bases pensions and savings incentives on earned income. This paper describes the structure of our retirement policies and argues that some policies should be implemented that are not associated with earned income as a way to both support women’s caregiving roles and insure their economic well-being in old age.

Coping With Lasting Social Injustice, Jonathan R. Cohen

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Beneath The Veil: Corollaries On Diversity And Critical Mass Scholarships From Rawls' Original Position On Justice, Chris Chambers Goodman

Washington and Lee Journal of Civil Rights and Social Justice

No abstract provided.

Torch (February/March 2007), Amy Homans, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Profiles Of Asian American Subgroups In Massachusetts: Filipino Americans In Massachusetts, Richard Chu

Institute for Asian American Studies Publications

The study of Filipino Americans in the United States is both fascinating and important. It is fascinating because, as with most Asian American subgroups, Filipino Americans are highly diverse, displaying a rich contour of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. It is important because they come from a country that was the only major colony of the U.S. in the Pacific. As a consequence of this historical relationship, Filipino Americans now rank as the second most populous Asian American subgroup, and 2006 marked the centennial of the first significant group of contract laborers to be sent to Hawai’i. Despite the important roles …

Torch (January 2007), Amy Homans, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

When Disability Enters A Teacher’S Life, Must The Teacher Stop Teaching?, Laura L. B. Border

Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education: Archives

Disabilities are usually discussed in academe in the context of the undergraduate student population; nevertheless, graduate students and faculty also represent a certain percentage of persons with disabilities. This essay presents a case study and an analysis of a consultation with a graduate instructor, inviting us to examine the issues of disability in the life of a teacher.

Northwest Arkansas Area: Point-In-Time Survey (Pit) Of Homeless Persons, Kevin M. Fitzpatrick, Elizabeth Miller, Kimberly Gross

Homelessness

The results of the count and survey are used by Northwest Arkansas Housing Coalition and the cities of Bentonville, Springdale, and Rogers to procure funding, make long range planning efforts, promote education on homeless issues, advocate for the homeless, and identify gaps in services so that needs may be addressed appropriately.

Voices From The Street: Comics For Young Men On Masculinity, Sexuality And Hiv—An Evidence-Based Communication Initiative, Vijaya Nidadavolu, Leena Joshi, Vinita Nathani, Atanu Ghosh, Isidore Phillips

HIV and AIDS

HIV infection is spreading rapidly among young people in India. With more than 30 percent of new infections in 2006 in the 15–29-year age group, the need to address the vulnerability of this population subgroup is pressing. Existing literature shows that young men subscribe to norms of masculinity that lead to risky behavior patterns. Misinformation about HIV coupled with a low perception of risk to themselves make young men even more vulnerable. To bring about social and attitude change in the long-term, communication strategies that are evidence-based, culturally appropriate, and designed in consultation with target audiences are needed. The Population …

Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children: What Do We Know And What Do We Do About It?, U.S. Department Of Justice

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

Much investigation remains to be done regarding the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). As with other “low visibility” crimes, there is a lurking “dark figure” of unreported cases. Moreover, little reliable information exists about the types of people who exploit children in this way.

Finding A Path To Recovery: Residential Facilities For Minor Victims Of Domestic Sex Trafficking, Heather J. Clawson, Lisa Goldblatt Grace

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

This is the first in a series of Issue Briefs produced under a contract with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), to conduct a study of HHS programs serving human trafficking victims. Funded in fall 2006, the purpose of this 12-month exploratory project is to develop information on how HHS programs are currently addressing the needs of victims of human trafficking, including domestic victims, with a priority focus on domestic youth. This project also consists of reviewing relevant literature, and identifying barriers and promising practices for addressing the …

Combating Modern Slavery: Reauthorization Of Anti-Trafficking Programs, U.S. House Of Representatives Committee On The Judiciary

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

This is an incredible and an unusual kind of hearing because of the promise of freedom of the 13th amendment, a promise written from the suffering of all of those who have been held in bondage. Sadly, involuntary servitude lives on in this country long after Emancipation Day. Freedom can only be advanced through sustained determination. The Civil Rights Movement could only occur after the change of peonage and exploitation had been broken in the late 1940’s by the NAACP and, as well, the FBI and the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Section all working together. The same type of collaboration …

Crossing The Border: Immigrants In Detention And Victims Of Trafficking Part I And Ii, U.S. House Of Representatives Committee On Homeland Security

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

Today’s hearing is the first in a two-part series that will examine the issues surrounding the treatment of migrants by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. And the first of the series, this hearing today, we will have two panels, which will primarily focus on the issue of detention. I would like to begin by thanking our witnesses: Mr. John Torres, Mr. Richard Seiter, Ms. Michelle Brane´, Ms. Christina Fiflis, and Mr. Michael Cutler. And thank you for joining us today to discuss these important issues. With the end of the ‘‘catch and release’’ program, the Department of Homeland Security faces a …

Attorney General’S Annual Report To Congress On U.S. Government Activities To Combat Trafficking In Persons Fiscal Year 2006, U. S. Department Of Justice

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

Trafficking in persons (TIP), or human trafficking, is a regrettably widespread form of modern-day slavery. Traffickers often prey on individuals, predominantly women and children in certain countries, who are poor, frequently unemployed or underemployed, and who may lack access to social safety nets. Victims are often lured with false promises of good jobs and better lives, and then forced to work under brutal and inhuman conditions. It is difficult to accurately estimate the extent of victimization in this crime whose perpetrators go to great lengths to keep it hidden. Nonetheless, the United States has led the world in the fight …

Legal Options To Stop Human Trafficking, U.S. Senate Committee On The Judiciary

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

This is the first time in the history of the Senate that we have created a Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Law. I think it’s crucial at this point in time. Repressive regimes that violate human rights create fertile breeding for terrorism, war, poverty, and exploitation. Our Nation and our world will never be fully secure as long as fundamental human rights are not honored. Our first hearing was just last month. We addressed the issue of genocide and the rule of law, focusing on the mass killings and genocide in Darfur. I’m proud to say that, as a …

Human Trafficking: Monitoring And Evaluation Of International Projects Are Limited, But Experts Suggest Improvements, United States Government Accountability Office

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

While governments, international organizations, and nongovernmental organizations have recognized the importance of collaborating and have established some coordination mechanisms and practices, they will need to overcome challenges that have impeded collaboration in the past for their efforts to be successful. In two of the three countries GAO visited, it found that host governments—which bear ultimate responsibility for combating trafficking within their borders—have passed national anti-trafficking laws and enacted national action plans. However, organizations continue to face numerous challenges when collaborating to combat human trafficking, including varying levels of government commitment and capacity. For example, some governments treat foreign trafficking victims …

International Trafficking In Persons: Taking Action To Eliminate Modern-Day Slavery, U.S. House Of Representatives Committee On International Relations

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

According to the United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime, human trafficking, the subject of our hearing today, is the world’s fastest growing international organized crime. It is also one of the most profitable, generating between $12 billion and $17 billion per year. There are only two other illicit businesses, the trade in drugs and the trade in weapons, which are more lucrative. The European Union has designated this day, October 18, as Anti-Trafficking Day, and I commend our friends in the European Union for their exemplary efforts to advance the cause of human rights. This step reflects the international …

Protecting The Human Rights Of Comfort Women, U.S. House Of Representatives Committee On International Relations

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

Today our subcommittee will consider House Resolution 121, introduced by my good friend and colleague, Congressman Honda, which urges, basically, the Government of Japan to formally acknowledge, apologize, and accept historical responsibility for its Imperial Armed Force’s coercion of young women into sexual slavery— or forced prostitution if you want to put it in other terms— during its occupation of Asia and the Pacific Islands before and during World War II.

I want to note for the record that former Congressman Lane Evans from the State of Illinois originally spearheaded this effort to defend the human rights of those who …

2007 Trafficking In Persons Report, U.S. Department Of State

Human Trafficking: Data and Documents

The Department of State is required by law to submit a Report each year to the U.S. Congress on foreign governments’ efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons. This Report is the seventh annual TIP Report. It is intended to raise global awareness, to highlight efforts of the international community, and to encourage foreign governments to take effective actions to counter all forms of trafficking in persons.

The U.S. law that guides anti-human trafficking efforts, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended (TVPA), states that the purpose of combating human trafficking is to punish traffickers, to …

Report Of The Social Enterprise Committee, Lien Centre For Social Innovation

Lien Centre for Social Innovation: Research

Social entrepreneurs and social enterprises are an innovative alternative to provide employment opportunities for needy disadvantaged Singaporeans to mitigate the effects of the widening income gap. Still in its infancy stage, the social entrepreneurship and social enterprise sector faces challenges that are unique to Singapore due to its size, open economy and relative competitiveness.

Poverty And Fertility: Evidence And Agenda, Sajeda Amin, John B. Casterline, Laura Spess

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This paper explores how poverty affects childbearing patterns in the contemporary developing world. In considering the association between poverty and fertility, we explore one measure of economic status, household asset holdings, in Demographic and Health Surveys conducted in 51 countries since 1990. The results show that the association between poverty and fertility differs according to the measure of fertility considered. We conclude there is much to be gained from distinguishing between the impact of poverty on fertility aspirations and the implementation of those aspirations.

Adolescence In The Kibera Slums Of Nairobi, Kenya, Annabel Erulkar, James K. Matheka

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Rates of urbanization in Kenya are among the highest in the world and young people form a large proportion of those moving from rural to urban areas of the country. For many young people, the first point of entry into urban areas are the slums. Adolescents and young people make up a significant proportion of the slum-dwelling population, yet little is known about their experiences growing up in these poor urban environments. This population-based study of adolescents took place in the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2006. The study explores the adolescent experience in one of Africa’s largest slum …

American Fantasies Of Masculine, Physical Labor And The Dangerous Bodies Of Pacific Island Whalemen In Roger Starbuck's The Golden Harpoon And Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, Jennifer Schell

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

Throughout the nineteenth-century, writers, such as James Fenimore Cooper and Joseph C. Hart, fairly consistently appropriated the New England whaling industry for national purposes. They claimed the economic successes of the industry as American successes, and they positioned the whalemen as exemplary American workers. However, not all American whalemen were native-born Americans; some were foreign-born laborers. The presence of Polynesian workers and their racialized laboring bodies - often described as monstrous, grotesque, and repulsive - disrupted nationalistic appropriations of the whaling industry and its workers. What was so dangerous about these men was not just that were reputed to be …

Realistic Possibilities Of Passing Interest [Photo Essay], Nancy Viva Davis Halifax, Fred Yurichuk

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

This reflection on a series of photographs from the exhibition URGENT gathered by members from "A day in the life photography and story collective" begins to examine the way social structures are implicated in the lives of those who are living in poverty and how their lives can be rendered visible. Through our work in communities with people who are experiencing homelessness and insecure housing we consider the role of photography in picturing and subjecting communities to a gaze that has the potential to be empathic and engaged or uncaring and disengaged.

Representation In Kenya, Its Diaspora, And Academia: Colonial Legacies In Constructions Of Knowledge About Kenya's Coast, Jesse Benjamin

Faculty Articles

This paper explores the construction of knowledge in Kenya in the context and aftermath of colonialism and underdevelopment. Those communities that were politically and economically marginalized in Coast Province over the past century were also displaced in terms of academic opportunities, resulting in fewer social science scholars from Mijikenda and other non-Swahili communities in both Kenyan and diaspora universities. Underdevelopment studies in Africa and Kenya are briefly reviewed, and the colonial history of asymmetric social relations at coastal Kenya is traced. Finally, key debates over identity and history are examined within this context and shown to be exacerbated by diasporic …

Homeownership Rates Among New York City’S Racial/Ethnic Groups And Latino Nationalities In 2000, Laura Limonic

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction: This report examines rates of homeownership among ethnic/racial groups in New York City. The data are broken down by four primary ethnic/racial groups: White, African Americans, Asians, and Latinos. Also examined are homeownership rates within the Latino group by nationality for the nine largest populations among the Latino population in New York City. Methods: Data on Latinos and other racial/ethnic groups were obtained from the 2000 Report of the U.S. Census Bureau, Summary File #4 – HCT4. Cases in the dataset were weighted and analyzed to produce population estimates.

Results: In 2000, the average rate of homeownership in New …