Family, Life Course, and Society Commons^™

Challenges Facing The Egyptian Education System: Access, Quality, And Inequality, Caroline Krafft

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This brief analyzes and summarizes young people's responses to the 2009 Survey of Young People in Egypt (SYPE) to identify the greatest challenges facing the Egyptian educational system, focusing specifically on primary through secondary schooling. Results show that access to school has improved, but some youth, especially females in rural Upper Egypt, remain outside the school system and are increasingly marginalized. The Egyptian school system is delivering low-quality education that is irrelevant to the labor market and has problems with repetition, absenteeism, and drop out which reduce the efficiency of the education system. Unequal distribution of resources in the education …

Belize Coverage Exercise Study: Assessing The Status To Build A Portfolio Of Targeted Interventions For Vulnerable Girls, Joint Un Programme Of Adolescent Girls

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

The United Nation Children Fund, the United Nations Population Fund, and Population Council staff collaborated on a number of activities to generate evidence on the lives and experiences of adolescent girls in Belize. The goal of the collaboration was to establish targeted, evidence-based policies and programs sensitive to the unique needs of girls. The information presented in this report is of particular interest to program planners, policymakers, and decisionmakers from a wide range of institutions seeking to designate resources for programs and policies for vulnerable or marginalized subgroups of young people, particularly girls, in Belize. The report presents empirical evidence …

Berhane Hewan ('Light For Eve'): Increasing Opportunities To Delay Marriage And Promote Schooling, Annabel Erulkar, Eunice N. Muthengi

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

This policy brief describes the findings of a pilot study on girls’ experience of early marriage, education, and sexual behavior in rural Amhara Region, Ethiopia. The brief also discusses efforts in the region to delay marriage and promote girls’ schooling. The Amhara Bureau of Women, Children and Youth Affairs and the Population Council pilot-tested a program to delay marriage and support schooling in rural Amhara Region. The program, entitled Berhane Hewan (Amharic for “Light for Eve”), included community conversations, support for remaining in school, and conditional cash transfers if girls remained unmarried and in school for the duration of the …

Fp-12-22 Young Adults In The Parental Home, 1940-2010, Krista K. Payne

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Fp-12-07 Median Age At First Marriage, 2010, Krista K. Payne

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Training Manual On The Use Of Magnesium Sulphate In The Management Of Severe Pre-Eclampsia And Eclampsia [Trainee Version], Federal Ministry Of Health, Population Council

Reproductive Health

This training manual provides detailed, descriptive, and practical instructions and tips necessary to respond to obstetric emergencies (severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia). The manual is an integral part of the collaborative efforts between the Federal Ministry of Health and the MacArthur Foundation to scale up the use of magnesium sulphate in the management of severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia in Nigerian health facilities. Magnesium sulphate has been established as the gold standard in the management of severe pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, but lack of knowledge and necessary skill have been identified as some of the factors responsible for its limited use in Nigeria. …

Testing The Feasibility Of Police Provision Of Emergency Contraception In Malawi, Malawi Human Rights Resource Centre, Malawi Police Service, Ministry Of Health

Reproductive Health

Violence against women and children remains a major public health and human rights challenge in the world. This report provides information on a project evaluating the feasibility of having trained police officers safely and effectively provide emergency contraception (EC) to survivors of sexual assault as a means of broadening access to comprehensive care in Malawi. The effort capitalized on findings that the majority of survivors of sexual assault in Malawi report to the police first. Results from the project, implemented by the Malawi Human Rights Centre and Malawi Police Service, demonstrate that it is feasible to implement police provision of …

Family Planning Programs For The 21st Century: Rationale And Design, John Bongaarts, John C. Cleland, John Townsend, Jane T. Bertrand, Monica Das Gupta

Reproductive Health

Family planning improves health, reduces poverty, and empowers women. Yet, today, more than 200 million women in the developing world want to avoid pregnancy but are not using a modern method of contraception. They face many obstacles, including lack of access to information and health-care services, opposition from their husbands and communities, misperceptions about side effects, and cost. Family planning programs are among the most successful development interventions of the past 50 years. They are unique in their range of potential benefits, encompassing economic development, maternal and child health, educational advances, and women’s empowerment. Research shows that with high-quality voluntary …

Executive Summary—Family Planning Programs For The 21st Century: Rationale And Design, John Bongaarts, John C. Cleland, John Townsend, Jane T. Bertrand, Monica Das Gupta

Reproductive Health

This document contains the executive summary of “Family Planning Programs for the 21st Century: Rationale and Design.” The first half of the book makes the case for why increased funding and support for voluntary family planning programs are needed. The second half explains how reinvigorated voluntary family planning programs can be structured to operate more effectively. Family planning is one of the most successful development interventions of the past 50 years. It is unique in its range of potential benefits, encompassing economic development, maternal and child health, educational advances, and women’s empowerment. Research shows that with high-quality voluntary …

Policy Brief: Designing And Implementing High-Quality Voluntary Family Planning Programs, Population Council

Reproductive Health

Voluntary high-quality family planning programs reduce poverty and improve women’s and children’s health by speeding fertility declines. They are one of the most cost-effective health and development investments available to governments. But, today, more than 200 million women worldwide lack access to modern contraception. If this unmet need for family planning could be met, 54 million unintended pregnancies, 26 million abortions, more than 79,000 maternal deaths, and 1.1 million infant deaths could be prevented each year. This policy brief states that global interest in family planning is growing as the benefits of family planning programs are becoming increasingly evident. However, …

Policy Brief: Designing And Implementing High-Quality Voluntary Family Planning Programs [Arabic], Population Council

Reproductive Health

Voluntary high-quality family planning programs reduce poverty and improve women’s and children’s health by speeding fertility declines. They are one of the most cost-effective health and development investments available to governments. But, today, more than 200 million women worldwide lack access to modern contraception. If this unmet need for family planning could be met, 54 million unintended pregnancies, 26 million abortions, more than 79,000 maternal deaths, and 1.1 million infant deaths could be prevented each year. This policy brief states that global interest in family planning is growing as the benefits of family planning programs are becoming increasingly evident. However, …

Résumé Exécutif—Les Programmes De Planification Familiale Du Xxie Siècle: Fondement Et Conception, John Bongaarts, John C. Cleland, John Townsend, Jane T. Bertrand, Monica Das Gupta

Reproductive Health

Ce document contient le résumé exécutif de «Les programmes de planification familiale pour le XXIe siècle: Fondement et conception». La première moitié de l'ouvrage explique pourquoi un financement et un soutien accrus en faveur des programmes de planification familiale volontaire sont nécessaires. La seconde moitié explique comment les programmes renforcés de planification familiale volontaire peuvent être structurés de manière à fonctionner avec plus d’efficacité. La planification familiale est l'une des interventions les plus réussies de développement de ces 50 dernières années. Elle est unique en termes d’avantages potentiels, et englobe le développement économique, la santé maternelle et infantile, …

Incentivizing Providers To Improve Maternal, Newborn And Child Health Services In Bangladesh: Pay-For-Performance Model Refinement And Advocacy (P4p Mra) Final Report, Md. Noorunnabi Talukder, Ubaidur Rob, Laila Rahman, A.K.M. Zafar Ullah Khan, Riad Mahmud, Azizul Alim, Ismat Ara Hena, Farhana Akter, Anup Kumar Dey

Reproductive Health

An operations research project by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh tested the feasibility of a pay-for-performance (P4P) approach, which offered financial incentives to reward service providers for meeting and exceeding specified performance targets for maternal, newborn, and child health services. In response to the encouraging findings, the DGHS implemented a follow-up project, with technical assistance from Population Council and UNICEF, to utilize the experiences and findings of the P4P OR project. Despite it short duration, implementation of the revised P4P scheme induced improvements in service volume and …

Situation Analysis Of Behavior Change Communication Activities In Bihar: A Step Towards Developing A Comprehensive Bcc Strategy, M.E. Khan, Isha Bhatnagar, Avishek Hazra, Mukesh Kumar

Reproductive Health

A situation analysis undertaken by the Population Council in Bihar, India assessed a number of contributing factors to a behavior change communication (BCC) strategy. Social norms and practices can be changed if appropriate messages are delivered through a combination of communication channels including mass, mid-, and other media, coupled with improved interactions between frontline healthcare workers and target populations at family and community levels. The analysis notes that effective BCC strategy should be measured in terms of actual behavior change. Impact of BCC activities can be measured by immediate outputs and intermediate and final outcomes depending on implementation duration. The …

Repositioning Community-Based Family Planning In Ghana: A Case Study Of Community-Based Health Planning And Services (Chps), Stephen Ntsua, Placide Tapsoba, Gloria Quansah Asare, Frank K. Nyonator

Reproductive Health

The Population Council conducted a diagnostic appraisal of delivering family planning services using the community-based health planning and services (CHPS model) in Ghana. This study’s results indicate that the CHPS program is well appreciated by rural communities where it is operational. However, the study identified several developments with implications for service delivery: increased community health officer (CHO) workloads and concomitant reductions in outreach services and home visits by community health visitors (CHVs) have weakened the CHO-CHV working relationship, leaving both cadres working in isolation. CHPS has significantly improved health indices but its contribution to increasing family planning is limited and …

Country Mapping: Kenya, Francis Obare, Wilson Liambila, Harriet Birungi, Eseoise Itombra, Heather Clark, Saumya Ramarao

Reproductive Health

The Population Council embarked on a three-year project to explore the acceptability of the progesterone vaginal ring (PVR) among women in sub-Saharan Africa and to develop a strategic plan for its introduction. This technical report presents the findings of the assessments in Kenya with specific focus on: (1) the country’s demographic profile; (2) the health systems, health policy, and family planning program context; and (3) stakeholder perspectives regarding the PVR. The findings suggest that the introduction of the PVR would fill a gap in the family planning needs of breastfeeding women in Kenya, and there is strong support from stakeholders …

Country Mapping: Nigeria, Salisu Mohammed Ishaku, Saumya Ramarao

Reproductive Health

The Population Council conducted a three-year acceptability study of the progesterone vaginal ring (PVR) in three sub-Saharan African countries. This technical report presents results from Nigeria, laying out the country’s demographics and high fertility rates; describing the family planning program and policy context; and, finally, revealing the stakeholder support thus far with a discussion on how best to proceed with introduction activities. This country mapping confirms the likelihood that the PVR would be well received in Nigeria and fill a large need in family planning. The PVR is a safe, long-acting, user-controlled product that can be easily inserted and removed …

Country Mapping: Senegal, Babacar Mane, Nafissatou Diop, Nancy Termini Lachance, Saumya Ramarao, Heather Clark

Reproductive Health

The Population Council embarked on a three-year project to explore the acceptability of the progesterone vaginal ring (PVR) among women in sub-Saharan Africa and its potential introduction. This technical report presents results from assessments undertaken to map the existing landscape of family planning programs and new contraceptive technologies in Senegal in an effort to identify national priorities and assess the level of interest in the PVR among stakeholders and to design appropriate preintroductory activities. This country mapping exercise confirms that Senegal is a promising context for the introduction of the PVR: the government is committed to repositioning family planning and …

Integration Of Family Planning Into Other Health Services In Ghana: Performance Needs Assessment At Four Facilities In The Ashanti And Eastern Regions, Amos Laar

Reproductive Health

With support from the Population Council, the Reducing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Program worked with the Ghana Health Service to conduct a performance needs assessment on family planning (FP) integration in four facilities in two of the country’s regions. The purpose of this endeavor was ultimately to pilot a project to develop and implement interventions that would improve clients’ access to FP at these facilities, based on the current and desired FP service provision levels, from the viewpoint of facility staff themselves, while taking into account client preferences. This midterm survey sought to assess the status of the integration process …

Routine Screening For Intimate Partner Violence In Public Health Care Settings In Kenya: An Assessment Of Acceptability, Chi-Chi Undie, Catherine Maternowska, Margaret Mak'anyengo, Harriet Birungi, Jill Keesbury, Ian Askew

Reproductive Health

Most research on intimate-partner violence (IPV) screening has been conducted in developed countries, so this study in Kenya serves as one of the first in a developing-country context to assess the acceptability of IPV screening from the perspective of providers and clients in public healthcare settings. The study conducted in Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi found that routine screening for IPV is acceptable to providers and clients at that location. However, to be effective as a routine service, the system needs to be reinforced in specific ways, including greater assurance of confidentiality, more positive provider attitudes, and higher respect for …

Positive Action For Hiv In Schools In Kenya, Francis Obare, Harriet Birungi, Monica Wanjiru, Sheila Bayley, John Kiunjuri, Mary Omondi, Rob Burnet, Bridget Deacon

Reproductive Health

The objective of this study was to test the feasibility of using comic books, role models, and edutainment to communicate HIV and AIDS messages to in-school young people in Kenya, with a view to improving their knowledge about the epidemic, enhancing communication about it, and promoting positive attitudes and behavior among them. The study was implemented by the Population Council in eight secondary schools in Nairobi, as part of the APHIA II Operations Research Project in collaboration with the AIDS Control Unit in the Ministry of Education, Well Told Story, and the National AIDS/STI Control Programme. The study found that …

Strengthening The Delivery Of Comprehensive Reproductive Health Services Through The Community Midwifery Model In Kenya, Wilson Liambila, Francis Obare, Chi-Chi Undie, Harriet Birungi, Shiphrah Kuria, Ruth Wayua Muia, Assumpta Matekwa

Reproductive Health

The overall objective of this project was to strengthen the delivery of family planning/reproductive health and HIV (FP/RH/HIV) services at the community level. The interventions included revision of existing guidelines and protocols for the community midwifery approach, training of providers, provision of equipment and supplies, and creating awareness on the use of community referral cards. In addition, cost analysis of community midwives’ services and willingness-to-pay assessments for various reproductive health services among current and potential users of community midwifery services were undertaken. The results showed that the community midwifery model improved clients’ access to a comprehensive package of RH/HIV including …

Of Wife And The Domestic Servant In The Arab World, Lama Abu-Odeh

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The author asserts to avoid common misunderstandings on the relevance of Sharia to modern women in the Arab World that a) Shari’s relevance to the lives of modern women in the Arab World has been largely confined to the area of family law, b) in the modern nation state Sharia has been codified, i.e., certain rules derived from Islamic jurisprudence on the family have been selected and passed as laws, each nation state having its own unique combination of such rules, c) the courts and the judges who adjudicate disputes on family law are either secular courts/judges, or judges trained …

The Future Impact Of Same-Sex Marriage: More Questions Than Answers, Nan D. Hunter

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Same-sex relationships have already significantly altered family law, by leading to new formal relationship statuses and incorporation of the principle that both of a child’s legal parents can be of the same sex. This essay explores further changes that may lie ahead as same-sex marriage debates increasingly affect both family law and the social meanings of marriage. Marriage as an institution has changed most dramatically because of the cumulative effects of the last half-century of de-gendering family law. Same-sex marriage–and perhaps even more so, the highly visible cultural debate over it–is contributing to this process.

The author argues that the …

Fp-12-15 Demographic Profile Of Same-Sex Parents, Sarah Burgoyne

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Women’S Agency In Gender-Traditional Religions: A Review Of Four Approaches, Kelsy Burke

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The concept of agency is useful for feminist research on women in gender-traditional religions. By focusing on religious women’s agency, scholars understand these women as actors, rather than simply acted upon by male-dominated social institutions. This article reviews the advantages and limitations of feminist scholarship on the agency of women who participate in gender-traditional religions by bringing into dialog four approaches to understanding agency. The resistance agency approach focuses on women who attempt to challenge or change some aspect of their religion. The empowerment agency approach focuses on how women reinterpret religious doctrine or practices in ways that make them …

Parental Leave: Policy And Practice, Amanda Parr

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Parental leave is a broad term that encompasses maternity and/or paternity leave to care for an infant. Parental leave provides job protection for workers and may be paid or unpaid, with provisions varying throughout the world. Every industrialized nation offers some form of paid parental leave, with the exception of the United States, whose only federal policy regarding parental leave is the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), a law that allows eligible workers to take up to twelve weeks of unpaid, job protected leave for the birth or adoption of a child.

This research project explored how parents understand …

The Massachusetts Elder Economic Security Index (2011), Gerontology Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Gerontology Institute Publications

The Elder Economic Security Standard^TM Index measures the income that Massachusetts’ seniors need to maintain independence and meet their basic living expenses in the community. The Elder Index uses an income measure that reflects the actual expenses for basic needs of older adults, and includes cost estimates for housing, food, medical care, transportation, and household essentials. Elder Index values are calculated for each state, on a county-by-county basis, providing policy makers and individuals a benchmark for determining what income or governmental supports are needed in their communities.

Elder Economic Security Initiative™: The Elder Economic Security Standard™ Index For North Carolina, Gerontology Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Wider Opportunities For Women

Gerontology Institute Publications

This report addresses income adequacy for North Carolina’s older adults using the national WOW-GI National Elder Economic Security Standard Index (Elder Index) methodology. The Elder Index benchmarks basic costs of living for elder households and illustrates how costs of living vary geographically and are based on the characteristics of elder households, including household size, home ownership or renter status and health status. The costs are based on market costs for basic needs of elder households and do not assume any public or private supports.

Elder Economic Security Initiative™: The Elder Economic Security Standard™ Index For South Dakota, Gerontology Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Wider Opportunities For Women

Gerontology Institute Publications

This report addresses income adequacy for South Dakota’s older adults using the national WOW-GI National Elder Economic Security Standard Index (Elder Index) methodology. The Elder Index benchmarks basic costs of living for elder households and illustrates how costs of living vary geographically and are based on the characteristics of elder households, including household size, home ownership or renter status and health status. The costs are based on market costs for basic needs of elder households and do not assume any public or private supports.