Gender and Sexuality Commons^™

Feminization Of The Aids Epidemic, Mark S. Kaplan

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although males still constitute a substantial number of persons with AIDS, it is becoming clear that this is a disease affecting women and minority populations more adversely. Today women, while representing approximately 16 percent of all AIDS cases nationwide that are reported to the Centers for Disease Control, make up the fastest-growing segment of the population with AIDS. This article contends that AIDS is increasingly afflicting women who have little economic, political, or social power. Furthermore, misdirected public policy has been partly responsible for the greater incidence of the disease in certain regions and populations.

Sisters In The Hood, Deborah Burris-Kitchen

Dissertations

This research assembles and organizes the literature in the areas of African-American women, the political economy of racism, the Black feminization of poverty, drug use and distribution, and gang violence. This dissertation explores extant theoretical approaches with a special emphasis on their relationship to the underground economy. The researcher uses ethnographic methods to examine the role that female gang members play in the underclass drug infested community of south central Fort Wayne, Indiana. Of the Black females interviewed, some were drug dealers, others were using illegal drugs, and still others were females who just found themselves in the inner-city, in …

Motherhood And Modernity. Christine Everingham & Mothering. Evelyn N. Glenn, Grace Chang, And Linda Rennie Forcey (Eds.). Reviewed By Michelle Livermore, Louisiana State University, Michelle Livermore

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Evelyn N. Glenn, Grace Chang, and Linda Rennie Forcey (Eds.). Mothering, New York, NY: Routledge, 1994, $49,95 hard cover, $16.95 paper cover.

Christine Everington. Motherhood and Modernity. Bristol, PA: Open University Press, 1994. $75.00 hard cover, $25.00 paper cover.

Review Of The Velvet Glove: Paternalism And Conflict In Gender, Class And Race Relations. Mary R. Jackman. Reviewed By Doreen Elliot, University Of Texas At Arlington., Doreen Elliott

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Mary R. Jackman, The Velvet Glove: Paternalism and Conflict in Gender, Class and Race Relations, Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1994. $38 hardcover.

Feminism And The Politics Of Difference. Sneja Gunew And Anna Yeatman. Reviewed By Martin Bombyle, Fordham University., Marti Bombyk

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Sneja Gunew and Anna Yeatman, Feminism and the Politics of Difference, Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1994. $48.95 hardcover; $17.95 papercover.

Evolving Sisterhood: An Organizational Analysis Of Three Sororities, Bonnie J. Galloway

Dissertations

From 1851 through June, 1993, more than 2,800,000 women have been initiated into the twenty-six National Panhellenic Conference sororities. Not only are members active during collegiate years, but many continue participation through alumnae groups. Upholding the principles of community service and moral development, sorority women volunteer time and talent in a myriad of ways that benefit local communities and the greater society as a whole. Sororities also provide women important leadership training and experience.

The research design of this project takes a sociohistorical perspective. The study utilizes the population ecology model for organizations to examine three representative sororities: Chi Omega, …

Lesbian's Perception Of Parental Support And The Disclosure Of Sexual Orientation, Janet Trudee Snyder Tarkowski

Dissertations

The relationship between lesbian perception of parental support and disclosure of sexual orientation was examined in the study. From the 200 questionnaires prepared for distribution, a purposive sample of 180 (90%) lesbian-identified adults returned data for analysis. The participants completed a questionnaire addressing demographics and lesbian life-experiences. Three self-report inventories, the Perceived Social Support-Family Scale (PSS-Fa) (Procidano & Heller, 1983), the Silencing the Self Scale (STSS) (Jack, 1991), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) (Beck, Ward, Mendelson, Mock, & Erbaugh, 1961), were also administered.

Data gathering procedures used in the study resulted in a sample which was largely white, well …

Social Change And Attitudes Of Educated Elite Toward The Role Of Women In Qatari Society, Jassim Al-Nasr

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate attitudes of educated elite toward \ the role of women in Qatari society. Attitudes were viewed as reactionary, traditional, and liberal.

A questionnaire technique was used to gather data for this study. Five hundred eighty-two questionnaires Were distributed at eighteen Qatari ministries and official establishments. The response rate was 62.37%.

The six hypotheses tested in the study examined the relationships between the independent variables of gender, level of education, major and place of study, religious commitment, and job status, and the dependent variable of attitudes of Qatari educated elite toward the role …

Race, Gender, Occupational Status, And Income In County Human Service Employment, R.L. Mcneely, Jerome L. Blakemore, Robert O. Washington

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Data obtained from more than 1,900 public welfare workers employed in five regions of the country were examined to compare occupational status and earnings by race and gender. The study group was stratified so that respondents' educational attainment and job seniority levels could be taken into account. Findings indicate the presence of significant sex and race-linked differences.

Women And Homelessness: Evidence Of Need To Look Beyond Shelters To Long Term Social Service Assistance And Permanent Housing, Elizabeth Huttman, Sonjia Redmond

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Based on two surveys of staff in 25 homeless shelters in the San Francisco Bay area, this study focuses on services to homeless women and their children. Both the advantages and disadvantages of shelter living are discussed, as well as obstacles to moving homeless women and their children into permanent housing. The survey finds that there is a need for rapid movement out of the shelters and a concomitant need for long term social services.

The Reagan Legacy: Undoing Class, Race And Gender Accords, Mimi Abramovitz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The impact of Reaganomics on women, workers, and person of color is explored by looking at structural forces in the political economy that encourage business and government at one time to support and another time to undermine the welfare state. The expansion of the welfare state from 1935 to the mid-1970s meshed well with the needs of profitable production, political legitimacy and patriarchal control. With the economic crisis of the 1970s, the welfare state became too competitive with capital accumulation and too supportive of empowered popular movements and had to go. Women, persons of color, and the poor ranked high …

“The Mirror Crack'd": Women As Mothers And Wives In Paternally Incestuous Families, Mary Deyoung

Dissertations

Women often are blamed for paternal incest. Although the notion of women's culpability is repeated so often in the literature that it has all the tranquility of an axiom, few studies have even used these women as subjects. This study sought to remedy that flaw by using as its subjects 20 women from paternally incestuous families. Each participated in an in-depth interview comprised of life history questions, and in a shorter follow-up interview.

The women reported a moderate degree of conflict between their roles as mother and wife. Their strategies for coping with that conflict were categorized according to the …

The Debate On Lesbian Sadomasochism: A Discourse Analysis, Gudbjorg Ottosdottir

Masters Theses

This study examines an issue debated within the U.S. lesbian community since the mid-1970s, lesbian sadomasochism. The issue has been whether sadomasochism is consistent with lesbian feminism, a political ideology which has much shaped lesbian identity and community. The claims and counter-claims made about lesbian sadomasochism are analyzed, as are the underlying ideologies and their relationship to general lesbian political and cultural history. It is argued that the debate is the result of a limited subject position offered by lesbian feminism. The perspective of lesbian sadomasochists is seen as a call for a renewed lesbian feminist discourse. It is proposed …

Gender, Employment And Psychosocial Well-Being, David C. Congdon

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Although authors are increasingly addressing the specific needs of men and women at work, no theory based comparison of how employment affects their psychosocial well-being has been available. A six dimensional index was developed to explore a social exchange model of the associations among employment, psychosocial well-being, and worker productivity for men and women. Findings based on two samples of 41 (instrument pretest) and 143 (model test) employed and unemployed union workers suggest strong reliability and validity estimates for the index, support for the model, high explanatory power, and different results for men and women. Implications for further research and …

Women In Blue-Collar Occupations: An Exploration Of Constraints And Facilitators, Kris Kissman

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study reports on some of the variables which facilitate and impede work satisfaction among women in nontraditional occupations. A small sample of women working as machinists, pipe fitters, carpenters, electricians, technicians, and construction workers reported that sexual harassment on the job impeded their work satisfaction. Respondents' perceptions of equality in pay and promotion on the job, and congruence between work and domestic roles, served to enhance work satisfaction. Age was related to a sense of competence, perception of equality on the job, and congruence between work and domestic roles. Social support significantly enhanced work satisfaction.

Family Structures And The Feminization Of Poverty: Women In Hawaii, Susan Meyers Chandler, Jennifer Williams

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The quality of life for many single mothers and their children is shrouded in economic hardship. Women outside the traditional nuclear family, attempting to raise children, are doing so in poverty and without much public support. Marital disruption, teenage mothers, and out of wedlock births have resulted in an alarming number of improverished children living in America. This paper examines census data in the state of Hawaii and the impact of family structure on the quality of lives of women with children. Women living in multigenerational family arrangements, rather than in "traditional" families have higher income, holding family size constant. …

Marginal Women Unite! Organizing The Disabled Womens Network In Canada, Sharon D. Stone

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper discusses the Disabled Women's Network's (DAWN) history, issues, goals, structure, organizing tactics and ongoing problems. DAWN is an example of the ability of oppressed people to organize and advocate for their rights against overwhelming odds.

Predictors Of Job Satisfaction Among Three Racial/Ethnic Groups Of Professional Female Human Service Workers, R. L. Mcneely

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Three hundred and thirty-six female human service workers were studied to determine whether or not racial/ethnic status was related to job satisfaction among managerial, supervisory and professional employees. Both overall and intrinsic satisfaction were assessed. Two groups were similar in the patterns predictive of their satisfaction but the third group appeared to be influenced by concerns peculiar to those achieving recent professional status.

Sex-Role Stereotypes About Social Work Administration, Reginald O. York

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In this article, the issue of sex-role stereotype about administration was examined through a survey of social workers in one state. The analysis of data revealed that, in their descriptions of the good social work administrator, females held a greater preference for the male stereotype than did males. This female preference substantially explained the overall preference for the male stereotype over the female stereotype for the entire sample. The need for further examination of this female preference for the male stereotype about administration is discussed.

Successful Women: A Racial Comparison Of Variables Contributing To Socialization And Leadership Development, J. Baraka Love

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify variables that have contributed to the growth and development of successful women and to explore whether those variables were the same for Black and White women by comparing the perceptions and backgrounds of women who have reached top level positions in the fields of education, business, human services, and government.

Data were collected by questionnaires from 547 women respondents out of a sample of 1,500 identified in Who's Who in America (43rd ed., 1985) and Who's Who Among Black Americans (4th ed., 1985). The response rate was 38.4%; 298 (19.9%) were Black …

The Impact Of Gender On Productive And Social Activities, Keith M. Kilty, Virginia Richardson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Increasing numbers of women are becoming members of the labor force. Yet it is not clear to what extent working for wages relieves women of their responsibility for traditional and non-paid activities, such as household work and child care. This study examines the impact of gender on the division of domestic labor among working women and men. This research focuses on three kinds of productive activities (paid work, household work, and child care). In addition to productive activities, two kinds of social activities (time spent with relatives and friends, and time spent in entertainment activities) are included. This research also …

Services For Battered Women, Decky Fiedler, Katharine Hooper Briar, Marianne Pierce

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Counseling, case management and advocacy services for battered women seeking legal aid broaden their resources and options for dealing with abuse. Findings from a demonstration project specify the range of needs and services mobilized to effectively aid these women with the major life adjustments they and their children face.

Understanding Gay And Lesbian Aging, Philip M. Kayal

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Studying the aging process of "gay men" and "lesbians" is problematic because it assumes that sexual orientation as such is a valid ontological concept and research category. As a master status, sexual orientation by itself is not a particularly useful explanatory variable. Objectivity is further limited by the sexism and homophobia of both the sociological profession and its "in-house" researchers and theoreticians. Perceptions of gay/lesbian aging are particularly colored by the heterosexist emphasis on family life. Arguments are made that institutionalization of the elderly is really the political manifestation of personal and social values which are insensitive to the needs …

The Wife Of The Alcoholic; Sexist Stereotypes In The Alcoholism Literature, James T. Decker, John Redhourse, Roberta D. Green, Richard Starrett

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Current alcoholism literature, alcoholism education, and alcoholism treatment suggests that the wife of the alcoholic is every bit as sick (physically, mentally, and spiritually) as her practicing alcoholic husband. How did we come to this view of the wife of the alcoholic?

This paper will review 1) how the wife of the alcoholic has been regarded over the years; 2) how these portraits of the wife of the alcoholic that appeared in the scholarly literature have influenced current thinking and treatment, and 3) how this body of literature and the popular concepts of the wife of the alcoholic that evolved …

Women, Conservatism, And Social Welfare, Kristine Nelson

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The timing of this special issue is particularly fortunate, coming as it does during a period of reassessment and retrenchment in the women's movement. The attacks of the New Right, the defeat of the Equal Rights Amendment, and the growing maturity and sophistication of the women's movement, have spurred an intense reexamination and reanalysis of basic tenets and strategies. The articles in this special issue, although broadly diverse, reflect this effort to come to a deeper analysis of women's oppression and of effective ways to overcome it.

Defeminizing Social Policy, David Stoesz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Social policy initiatives by the evangelical right and neoconservative movements are reversing liberal programs that have benefited women. This represents an attempt to defeminize social policy. Essential to this transformation are theoretical interpretations of economics and sociology which, combined with religious conservatism, portend the restoration of patriarchal culture. The ideology guiding the defeminizing of social policy is so pervasive as to suggest that regaining ground lost will be exceedingly difficult for those promoting social services for women.

Some Thoughts On The Patriarchal State And The Defeat Of The Era, Zillah Eisenstein

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

What does it signify politically--that is what does it tell us about the relations of power of the 'state' in 1982--that the Equal Rights Amendment has not been ratified? It tells us that the patriarchal foundations of the state, even when narrowly defined in terms of the law, remain necessary to those in power. Or (at least) that those in power, particularly in this case state legislators as well as President Reagan, think that the political system of capitalist patriarchy cannot abide women's (legal) equality.

Defeating The Era: A Right-Wing Mobilization Of Women, Barbara Ehrenreich

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

In an irony that feminists and their liberal supporters have yet to fully grasp, the opponents of the Equal Rights Amendment celebrated its defeat as a "great victory for women' and as a "great achievement by women." The ERA had been a major--perhaps the major--goal of the American feminist movement for ten years. It would have rendered unconstitutional dozens of arcane state laws which limit women's property rights during and after marriage. It would have strengthened women's position as wage-earners--helping open up higher-paying, traditionally male jobs, and providing a wedge against all the subtle, informal mechanisms of wage discrimination. It …

The Conservative Program Is A Women's Issue, Mimi Abramovitz

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The Conservative program strikes deeply at the institutions that support the economic independence and security of women. This paper reviews social welfare budget cuts, the relaxation of affirmative action and workplace health and safety rules, and the social issues agenda of the New Right for their impact on women's economic, social and political status. It describes how the Reagan Administration's economic recovery program victimizes women, especially minority women. Not only is the "feminization" of poverty intensified, but women are sent from the paid labor market back to unpaid labor in the home, aided and abetted by the social issues agenda …

Conservative Policies And Women's Power, Kristine Nelson, Arnold S. Kahn

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The recent setbacks imposed on the feminist movement by the forces of the New Right have led women to an increased understanding of the importance of power in maintaining male dominance. Although men exercise power over women in a variety of ways, a review of the findings of social psychology indicates that almosL all types of power derive from men's activities in the public sphere. The exercise of power has become a part of the male gender role and a primary source of men's identity and self esteem. The feminist movement's challenge to men's exclusive hold on the public sphere …