Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Women – suffrage – cross-cultural studies'

Women's access to elective political office, an indicator of political inequality, was studied by surveying the percentage of women holding elective political positions in national legislatures of 74 countries. This study used a cross-sectional research design with multiple regression analysis.

The purpose of the study is to conduct research and bring awareness to war related events experienced by female refugees. Refugees from war torn countries arrive to the United States with various forms of trauma—some war related and others not. Trauma experienced by refugees can significantly impact their mental health and overall quality of life. Reliable and valid screenings/interventions, that use quantitative and qualitative methods, have proven to be beneficial. Currently there is limited information regarding the range of war related trauma and health outcomes experienced by female refugees of Middle Eastern (Kurdish) and Asian (Vietnamese) descent. This study examines the difference in migration, employment, education, health insurance, mental health, and personal problems experienced by 60 Vietnamese and 44 Iraqi women. An exploratory, qualitative and quantitative, research design was employed to detect war related, traumatic events. The ultimate aim of the study was to focus on the cross-cultural impact of war related trauma and its mental health and overall effects on female refugees.

This study presents cross-cultural research into women's sexuality, and orgasm in particular. Qualitative interviews of women who have undergone excision of the clitoris and women who have not form the core of my data. My analysis indicates that female orgasm in diverse societies is problematized and controlled, causing me to postulate numerous similarities between women despite cultural and physical differences. One of the most significant findings is that similar attitudes toward the clitoris might be invoked to explain both its removal, in excising societies, and clitoral-vaginal theoretical bifurcations in non-excising ones.
The originality of my theoretical approach is to examine various types of social constructionism. I demonstrate its pertinence to an understanding of the literal construction of the body through social practices or social imperatives which determine physical reality. My use of the term constructionism as anti-essentialism also enables me to identify common components of drive theory in diverse cultures, and to demonstrate their lack of correlation with sexual behavior. Finally, constructionism is a crucial element to my analysis of subjective beliefs concerning female orgasm. Interpretation of physiological response supports a belief in clitoral-vaginal opposition in defiance of the interdependence of these two organs, thereby reflecting the constructionist insistence upon reality as socially defined.
The originality of this research lies in its comparative perspective and resulting emphasis on similarities in culturally diverse groups. Female sexuality and orgasm are filtered through social existence. A physiological response can thus be denied or substantiated by social means.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the impact of "individualistic" vs. "collective" cultural patterns on the distribution of attachment patterns. Participants were English-speaking Anglo-American (n=70), Hispanic (n=70), and Asian (n=60) females.

This study was designed to elicit Indo-Canadian women immigrants' experience of childbearing. Health care professionals do not know enough about the childbearing experiences of this cultural group. This may lead to conflicts and discrepancies of viewpoints between clients and professionals which may result in nurses providing care that is not perceived as relevant by the individual. This study was directed by the following questions: What are Indo-Canadian women's beliefs about childbearing? What are their perceptions of their traditional practices, in their ethnic community, surrounding childbearing? What are the western health care resources utilized by the women during childbearing? How are these western health care resources perceived by the women? Phenomenology, a qualitative research methodology, was used in this study. Data were collected through a series of indepth interviews with eight women. The initial audiotaped interviews were guided by the research questions and addressed the women's perceptions of their childbearing experiences. The data were comprised of the accounts given by the women in these interviews. Data collection and analysis occurred simultaneously throughout the study. Analytic material was thus used to focus and clarify the ongoing construction of accounts. The women described very different childbearing experiences. Dissimilarities in the phenomena under investigation were more evident than similarities and were attributed to the concept of acculturation. Two themes emerged from the data: the subjects' relationships with their families and the subjects' relationships with health care professionals. Each theme affected and was affected by the concept of acculturation. Influencing factors within the two themes were respect, authority, lack of knowledge and, in the case of the family, shyness. Perceived discrimination was an influencing factor in the subjects' relationships with post-partum hospital nurses. This study concluded that dissimilarities in the childbearing experiences of Indo-Canadian immigrant women are attributable to the process of acculturation; and that the women's childbearing experiences are located within a broader context of meanings associated with the reproductive cycle. The subjects' relationships with their families and with health care professionals are significant aspects of their childbearing experiences and are influenced by authority, respect, lack of knowledge and shyness. Discrimination is perceived by the women in relation to the post-partum hospital nurses. These conclusions have implications for nursing practice, research and education.
Applied Science, Faculty of
Nursing, School of
Graduate

The compilation of information on the incidence of eating disorders in South African university residence women has been identified as an urgent matter by the National Eating Disorders Coordinating Committee (NEDCC). This study was undertaken to determine the degree of eating disordered behaviour across cultures in female university residence students from the University of Natal, Durban and Pietermaritzburg campuses, and the University of Durban Westville. The Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) was completed by 39 black, 41 white, 6 Indian and 4 Coloured students. It was hypothesised that white women would show higher rates of disordered eating; that black women in more advanced years of study ie. those who are more acculturated, would show more disordered eating behaviour than first year black students; that black females would demonstrate higher Body Mass Index (BMI) scores than white students; and that a positive relationship would be found between Socio-economic status (SES) and disordered eating. The results of this study indicated that there was no significant difference in disordered eating among black and white female students. Degree of disordered eating did not increase with year of study. Although black students demonstrated significantly higher BMI scores than white students, there was no difference in body dissatisfaction scores. Furthermore there was no relationship found between SES and degree of disordered eating behaviour. An attempt is made to explain these results by exploring the role of acculturation to Western appearance standards.

The purpose of this paper is the development of a model to investigate possible causal relationships among some of the commonly reported risk factors for the development of osteoporosis and consequential hip fracture. Comparison of hip fracture incidence between women of primarily European descent, referred to in the literature as Caucasians, and Japanese women is made. Studies report the incidence of hip fractures among Japanese women is lower than among Caucasian women. Numerous factors related to the development of osteoporosis are significantly different between Japan and the United States. The model helps explain the interrelationships among the variables involved in this observed geographical variation in hip fracture incidence.
Department of Anthropology

The purpose of the current study was to examine Dutton's (1992) model of moderating and mediating variables which may impact the relationship of violence from an intimate partner with the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. This model was tested within three ethnic groups (African American, n = 303, Euro-American, n = 271, and Mexican American, n = 260), of low income, community women in serious, long-term relationships. The importance of the differences and similarities observed are discussed within a framework of the PTSD as well as domestic violence literature.

In this thesis I explore women's engagement with body, weight and eating from a socio-cultural perspective. I discuss the limitations of current research on body dissatisfaction and propose that women's negative appraisal of their body needs to be understood as an active engagement with their social context. Research that focuses on the interaction of ethnic/cultural differences and body dissatisfaction seeks to clarify the interrelationship between femininity, gender and culture and suggests that women's dissatisfaction with their body is linked to levels of global Westernisation. My criticism of this research is that it conceptualises culture and social knowledge in a simplistic way. I propose social representations theory and the principles of dialogicality as an alternative research paradigm and argue that such an approach can overcome the dichotomy of individual and social, inner and outer. In order to explore the interaction of the subjective with the social in relation to the negative and positive appraisal of the body an interview study was conducted in two distinct cultural contexts. In depth interviews were conducted with 14 women in the UK and 12 women in Tobago, WI. The thema recognition/disrespect was used as an interpretative frame. The results show that the meanings that were assigned to the body interlinked with socially enacted representations of self, other and femininity. While the thema recognition/disrespect could be seen to be problematised through contradictory conditions of worth in the UK, it was the notion of 'disrespect' in interrelation with representations of others that was foregrounded in women's reflections in Tobago. In both research locations women negotiated constraining or contradictory demands of femininity and 're-presented' themselves through the construction of alternative identities.

Dissertation (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2001.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Female apparel shopping behaviour in a multi-cultural consumer society is a complex phenomenon. This study set out to identify the variables that influence female apparel shopping behaviour in a multi-cultural consumer society and to determine whether distinct clusters of female apparel shoppers could be identified. Three theoretical models from the two study disciplines, Consumer Behaviour and Clothing and Textiles, were investigated, i.e. the Sproles Model of Fashion Adoption, the Engel-Blackwell-Miniard Model of Consumer Decision-Process Behaviour and De Klerk's Clothing Consumer Decision-making Model. These models were synthesised and developed further into a new conceptual theoretical model of variables influencing female apparel shopping behaviour in a multi-cultural consumer society. The Macro conceptual theoretical model presented the variables under market dominated variables, market and consumer interaction variables and consumer dominated variables. The scope of the study was delimited by the choice of two primary variables under each classification, for further investigation. The variables investigated were: the place of distribution, the apparel product, shopping orientation, patronage behaviour, socio-cultural influences (family, lifestyle and culture) and demographics. An overview of the South African apparel industry was provided and future trends in retailing were highlighted. Literature on shopping orientation as a variable was extensively studied, resulting in a proposed new classification system. Lifestyle and cultural consciousness, i.e. the individualist and collectivist orientation, and the impact thereof on female apparel shopping behaviour were investigated. Data for this exploratory study were generated by means of a store-intercept research method. A questionnaire was developed and trained fieldworkers undertook in-store interviews with approximately eight hundred female apparel shoppers representative of three population groups, African/black, coloured and white. The data analysis yielded acceptable questionnaire reliability and multivariate statistics showed shopping orientation and lifestyle to be multi-dimensional constructs with three components each. The three shopping orientation components were labelled shopping selfconfidence and enjoyment; credit-prone, brand-conscious and fashion innovator and local store patronage. A Yuppie lifestyle, apparel-orientated lifestyle and a traditional lifestyle were the three labels ascribed to the lifestyle components. Three clusters of female apparel shoppers were formed by means of cluster analysis, according to the three components of lifestyle and shopping orientation respectively, the two cultural consciousness scales and eleven patronage behaviour items. A demographic profile of each cluster completed the typology of the three female apparel shopper groups. Group one was the largest (49%) and was labelled Actualisers. Group two (28%) was labelled Strugglers and group three (22%) Aspirationals. The female apparel shopper could therefore be successfully segmented into distinct market segments with statistically significant differences in profiles. The profiles showed similarities to international and South African typology research. The results are presented in a conceptual model. The following main implications for manufacturers, marketers, retailers, researchers, educators and students can be stated: .:. Knowledge regarding consumers will be of paramount importance for survival in the competitive and more globally orientated 21st century . •:. The female apparel market is not homogeneous. Different groups of consumers require different types of products and will evaluate them differently. Modern technology such as CAD, EDI, QR and CIM should be implemented to assist stakeholders in this regard. Fashion changes rapidly and if the window of opportunity is not seized, it is lost . •:. Different advertising and marketing strategies are necessary to reach the various female apparel shopper groups. Special attention should be given to advertising approaches and media vehicles that will gain the attention of the various groups . •:. Electronic retailing and marketing will form a large part of future retailing and marketing activities. Stakeholders should be geared towards seizing these opportunities for growth. .:. Researchers, educators and students will benefit from the application of the Conceptual Theoretical Model - a Macro perspective. It could provide a conceptual framework for curriculum development, be used as an evaluation tool and assist in the understanding of the complexities of variables impacting on female apparel shopping behaviour in a multi-cultural consumer society. Recommendations for future research were made in order to encourage researchers to research the complex nature of female apparel shopping behaviour in a multi-cultural consumer society scientifically.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vroueklere aankoopgedrag in 'n multi-kulturele verbruikersgemeenskap is 'n komplekse fenomeen. Hierdie studie poog om die veranderlikes wat vroueklere aankoopgedrag in 'n multi-kulturele verbruikersgemeenskap beïnvloed, te identifiseer en om te bepaal of onderskeibare groepe vroulike verbruikers geïdentifiseer kan word. Drie teoretiese modelle vanuit die twee dissiplines, naamlik Verbruikersgedrag en Kleding en Tekstiele, is ondersoek, naamlik: die Sproles Model van Modeaanvaarding (Sproles Model of Fashion Adoption), die Engel-Blackwell-Miniard model van Verbruikersbesluitnemingsproses-gedrag (Engel-Blackwell-Miniard Model of Consumer Decision-Process Behaviour) asook De Klerk se Kledingverbruikerbesluitnemingsmodel. (De Klerk's Clothing Consumer Decision-making Model). Hierdie modelle is gesintetiseer en verder ontwikkel tot 'n nuwe konseptueie teoretiese model van veranderlikes wat vroueklere-aankoopgedrag in 'n multi-kulturele verbruikersgemeenskap beïnvloed. Die Makro konseptueie teoretiese model orden veranderlikes onder mark-gedomineerde veranderlikes, mark- en verbruiker-interaksie-veranderlikes en verbruiker-gedomineerde veranderlikes. Die omvang van die studie is begrens deur die keuse van twee primêre veranderlikes onder elke groepering vir verdere studie. Die bestudeerde veranderlikes sluit die volgende in: plek van distribusie, die klereproduk, aankooporiëntasie, winkelvoorkeurgedrag, sosio-kulturele invloede (familie, lewenstyl en kultuur) asook demografie. 'n Oorsig van die Suid-Afrikaanse kledingindustrie word gegee en toekomstige tendense in die kleinhandel word uitgelig. Literatuur rakende aankooporiëntasie as veranderlike is breedvoerig bestudeer en resulteer in 'n nuwe klassifikasie stelsel. Lewenstyl en kulturele bewustheid, nl. die individualistiese versus kollektivistiese oriëntasie, en die impak daarvan op vroue se klere-aankoopgedrag is ondersoek. Data vir hierdie verkennende navorsing is verkry deur respondente in winkels te nader (store-intercept research method). Vir hierdie eksploratiewe studie is 'n vraelys ontwikkel en opgeleide veldwerkers het onderhoude (binne winkels) met ongeveer aghonderd vroue klereverbruikers, verteenwoordigend van drie populasie groepe, nl. Swart, Kleurling en Blank gevoer. Die data ontleding dui op aanvaarbare vraelys betroubaarheid. Die meervoudige veranderlike statistiek resultate toon aan dat aankooporiëntasie en lewenstyl multi-dimensionele konstrukte is, met onderskeidelik drie komponente elk. Die drie aankooporiëntasie komponente is benoem as aankoop selfvertroue en genot (shopping self-confidence and enjoyment); krediet geneigdheid, handelsmerk bewustheid sowel as mode innoveerder (credit prone, brand conscious and fashion innovator) en plaaslike winkelvoorkeur (local store patronage). Die Yuppie lewenstyl (Yuppie lifestyle); klere georienteerde lewenstyl (apparel orientated lifestyle) en tradisionele lewenstyl (traditional lifestyle) was die drie name wat aan die lewenstyle komponente toegeskryf is. Drie groepe vroulike klere aankopers is gevorm met behulp van trosanalise. Die trosanalise is gedoen op grond van die drie komponente van lewenstyl en aankooporiëntasie onderskeidelik, die twee kulturele bewustheid skale en die elf winkelvoorkeur gedrag items. Die tipering van die drie groepe is aangevul deur 'n demografiese profiel. Groep een was die grootste (49%) en is genoem Aktualiseerders (Actualisers). Groep twee (28%) is genoem Sukkelaars (StruggIers) en groep drie (22%) Aspireerders (Aspirationals). Die vroulike klere aankoper kon derhalwe suksesvol gesegmenteer word in duidelik onderskeibare segmente met statisties beduidende verskille in die profiele. Die profiele toon ooreenkomste met internasionale en Suid-Afrikaanse tipologie navorsing. konseptueie model. Die resultate word aangetoon in 'n Die volgende hoof implikasies vir vervaardigers, bemarkers, kleinhandelaars, navorsers, opvoedkundiges en studente kan gestel word: .:. Kennis rakende verbruikers sal krities wees vir oorlewing in die kompeterende en globaal georiënteerde 21ste eeu. •:. Die vroue klere mark is nie homogeen nie. Verskillende groepe verbruikers vereis verskillende tipes produkte en sal dit derhalwe verskillende evalueer. Moderne tegnologie soos rekenaar gesteunde ontwerp, elektroniese data interaksie, vinnige respons en rekenaar geintegreerde vervaardiging moet geïmplimenteer word ten einde alle belanghebbendes te ondersteun in hierdie verband. Mode verander vinnig en indien geleenthede nie aangegryp word nie, is dit verlore . •:. Verskillende bemarking en reklame strategieë is nodig ten einde die verskillende groepe vroue klere verbruikers te bereik. Spesifieke aandag moet geskenk word aan die advertensie aanslag en media voertuie wat die aandag van die onderskeie groepe sal trek . •:. Elektroniese kleinhandel en bemarking sal 'n groot komponent van die toekomstige kleinhandel en bemarkingsaktiwiteite beslaan. Belanghebbendes moet ingestel wees om hierdie geleenthede vir groei aan te gryp . •:. Navorsers, opvoeders en studente sal voordeel trek uit die toepassing van die Konseptueie Teoretiese Model - 'n Makro Perspektief. Hierdie model kan dien as 'n konseptueie raamwerk waarbinne kurrikulering kan plaasvind, asook aangewend word as evaluasie instrument. Die model kan ook hulp verleen ten einde die komplekse aard van die veranderlikes wat vroue klere aankoopgedrag beïnvloed in 'n multi-kulturele verbruikergemeenskap, te verstaan. Aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing word gemaak ten einde toekomstige navorsers aan te moedig om op 'n wetenskaplik verantwoordbare wyse die komplekse aard van vroueklere-aankoopgedrag binne 'n multi-kulturele verbruikersgemeenskap, na te vors.

This study proceeds on the assumption that maternal discourse in the West, according to Kristeva, is repressed, which has resulted in the serious fracture of the mother-daughter relationship and seeks to isolate a restorative model in contemporary Chinese culture. Chapter One explores the feminist claim that this fractured relationship is the result of patriarchal oppressions (and the cause of twice as many women than men suffering depression) and attempts to reconcile feminist psychology with Kristeva‟s thesis that abjection per se is the cause of widespread depression among women. The next chapter delineates the features of a cross-cultural feminist analysis, which includes exploring notions of Foucaultian and Lacanian discourse, by situating gender as a tool within the context of feminist and postcolonial perspectives. An argument is made that cinema is a privileged site to cull material from which to probe discourses on m/other and the thesis of a sunken maternal metaphor across all cinematic genres is demonstrated. Contemporary Chinese culture is scrutinized for possibly curative discourses and Bourdieu‟s idea of „rebel‟ and „orthodox‟ discourse models is employed to this end. After finding dominant discourse on gender in contemporary Chinese societies unsatisfactory for this purpose, I examine three contemporary Chinese films, with Gong Li as the female lead, in which I unearth two rebel discourses on m/otherhood. I argue that men and boys need to be encouraged to develop their aptitude and skills to nurture and care. This will allow women much needed space and time to come to terms with themselves and their own needs. In short, women and especially m/others, worn-out from guilt and expectations, are desperate for nurturance themselves.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2002.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: An opportunity currently exists for retailers to develop store image strategies to target the female large-size apparel consumer market within the multicultural South African consumer society. This exploratory study set out to generate and describe retail store image attributes perceived as important to the female large-size apparel consumer within the South African context, as well as identifying differences and similarities in the perception of these attributes based on race and age group. The study also aimed to determine if the existing store image attribute groupings by Lindquist (1974-1975:31) is applicable when studying the female largesize apparel consumer. Focus groups were used as method of data collection in this study. The sample population (n=37) consisted of account holders who purchased apparel from a specific large-size apparel retail store during a specific time period. Three race groups, namely Africans, Coloureds, and Whites, as well as three age groups i.e. 20-29, 30-39, and 40-54 year age groups were included. Each focus group was homogenous in race and age composition. A facilitator conducted group discussions by following a focus group schedule. The first part of the discussion generated retail store image attributes deemed important by the focus group participants, followed by the rating of the perceived importance of these attributes using the Schutte Visual Scale. The second part of the discussion generated participants' description of Lindquist's nine identified store image attribute groupings, followed by the rating of the perceived importance of each of these attribute groupings using the Schutte Visual Scale. Transcriptions of all the focus group discussions were made. For the first part of the study the transcriptions were compiled into composite lists and refined based on Lindquist's nine attribute groupings. The aggregate ratings for each specific attribute and attribute grouping were calculated. For the second part of the study's results, the descriptions of each of Lindquist's nine attribute groupings was compiled into a single list of descriptive attributes. The aggregate ratings for each of these attributes groupings were calculated. Respondents perceived Merchandise and Clientele the most important attribute groupings in the analysis of all race and age groups, followed by Service, Post-transaction satisfaction, Promotion and Store atmosphere. Institutional factors and Physical facilities were perceived as the least important attribute groupings. No attributes relating to Convenience were generated. In the analysis of race and age groups, Merchandise and Service, followed by Store atmosphere, were perceived as the most important attribute groupings by most of the focus groups. The specific attributes generated by the different groups showed similarities, whereas the rating and definition of these attributes differed. Lindquist's descriptions of the nine attribute groupings were compared to the descriptions of the respondents. Similarities and differences were identified. Recommendations were made to refine and adapt Lindquist's attribute groupings and descriptions to develop a store image research framework that could be more applicable to the female large-size apparel consumer. This exploratory study provides some insight into the perceived importance of retail store image attributes by the female large-size apparel consumer, given the context of a multi-cultural South African society. Recommendations for future research were made and the implications for retailers were outlined.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Daar bestaan tans 'n geleentheid vir kleinhandelaars om 'n winkelbeeld strategie te ontwikkel wat gemik is op die vroulike groter figuur kledingverbruiker binne die multikulturele Suid- Afrikaanse verbruikersamelewing. Hierdie verkennende studie poog om kleinhandel winkelbeeldeienskappe wat deur die vroulike groter figuur kledingverbruiker binne die Suid- Afrikaanse konteks as belangrik beskou word, te genereer en te beskryf, sowel as om die verskille en ooreenkomste in persepsies van die belangrikheid van hierdie eienskappe tussen ras en ouderdomsgroep te identifiseer. Die studie het ook ten doeI om te bepaal of die bestaande winkelbeeldeienskap groeperinge, soos deur Lindquist (1974-1975:31) voorgestel, toepaslik is wanneer die vroulike groter figuur kledingverbruiker bestudeer word. Fokusgroepe is as metode van data-insameling gebruik. Die steekproef (n=37) was rekeninghouers wat aankope gedoen het by 'n bepaalde groter figuur kledingkleinhandelaar binne 'n spesifieke tydsperiode (n=37). Drie rassegroepe naamlik Swartes, Kleurlinge, en Blankes, sowel as drie ouderdomsgroepe te wete 20-29, 30-39, en 40-54-jariges is ingesluit. Elke fokusgroep was homogeen in ras- en ouderdomsamestelling. 'n Fasiliteerder het die fokusgroepbesprekings gevoer deur 'n fokusgroepskedule te volg. Die eerste deel van die bespreking het kleinhandel winkelbeeldeienskappe, wat deur die fokusgroepdeelnemers as belangrik beskou is, gegenereer. Dit is gevolg deur die meting van die respondente se persepsie van die belangrikheid van hierdie eienskappe met behulp van die Schutte Visuele Skaal. Die tweede deel van die bespreking het beskrywings van Lindquist se nege winkelbeeldeienskap groeperinge gegenereer en is gevolg deur die meting van respondente se persepsie van die belangrikheid van hierdie eienskap groeperinge met behulp van die Schutte Visuele Skaal. Transkripsies is van al die fokusgroepbesprekings gemaak. Vir die eerste deel van die studie is die transkripsies in lyste van spesifieke eienskappe saamgestel en georden volgens Lindquist se nege eienskap groeperinge. Die gemiddelde waarde vir elke spesifieke eienskap sowel as vir die eienskap groepering is bereken. Vir die tweede deel van die studie is beskrywings van elk van Lindquist se nege eienskap groepering saamgestel in 'n enkele lys van beskrywende eienskappe. Die gemiddelde waarde vir elk van hierdie eienskap groeperinge is bereken. Respondente beskou Goedere (Merchandise) en Kliëntebasis (Clientele) as die belangrikste eienskap groeperinge in 'n analise van alle ras- en ouderdomsgroepe, gevolg deur Diens (Service), Na-verkoop tevredenheid (Post-transaction satisfaction), Promosie (Promotion) en Winkelatmosfeer (Store atmosphere). Institusionele faktore (Institutional factors) en Fisiese fasiliteite (Physical facilities) is die minste belangrik. Geen eienskappe wat met Gerief (Convenience) verband hou, is gegenereer nie. In die analise van ras- en ouderdomsgroepe is Goedere en Diens, gevolg deur Winkelatmosfeer, as die belangrikste eienskap groeperinge beskou deur meeste van die fokusgroepe. Die spesifieke eienskappe wat deur die verskillende groepe gegenereer is, dui op ooreenkomste, terwyl die gemiddelde waarde en fokus van die eienskappe verskil. Lindquist se beskrywings van die nege eienskap groeperinge is vergelyk met die beskrywings van die respondente. Ooreenkomste en verskille is geïdentifiseer. Voorstelle is gemaak om Lindquist se eienskap groeperinge en beskrywings te verfyn en aan te pas ten einde 'n winkelbeeld navorsingsraamwerk te ontwikkel wat meer toepaslik is op die vroulike groter figuur kledingverbruiker. Hierdie verkennende studie bied insig in die vroulike groter figuur kledingverbruiker se persepsies van die belangrikheid van kleinhandel winkelbeeldeienskappe, gegewe die konteks van 'n multkulturele Suid-Afrikaanse samelewing. Aanbevelings vir verdere navorsing word gemaak en die implikasies vir kleinhandelaars is uitgewys.

Hwa-Byung, known as an anger illness, was conceptualized in Korean culture and listed in the glossary under Culture-Bound Syndromes in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1994). Hwa-Byung develops when the emotions of anger have been suppressed for a long period of time and it becomes difficult to control those feelings. Common complaints of Hwa-Byung have two dimensions, psychological and physical symptoms. The prevalence of Hwa-Byung exhibits gender differences in that the majority of individuals who experience Hwa-Byung are women between the ages of 40 and 60. However, as the number of Korean immigrants in the United States continues to increase and their issues draw attention from researchers, the topic of Hwa-Byung receives little. Because Korean immigrants in the United States share a cultural background with their origin of ethnicity, and at the same time, may also assimilate the American culture during the acculturation process, this study will address the cultural differences in Hwa-Byung between native Koreans who live in South Korea and Korean immigrants in the United States. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine the differences and similarities of Hwa-Byung in native Korean middle-aged women in South Korea and Korean immigrants in the United States, roughly between the age range of late-30's to middle 60's, by investigating the influencing factors of stressful life events, stress response, anger expression, and demographic background.

A sample size of at least 200 participants, required for each group, using both paper-pencil and web-based methods, depended on participants' preferences, which were influenced by a gap in ages and the level of familiarity with and/or ability to access Internet. Participants were randomly selected from major cities, both in South Korea (including Seoul, Incheon, Busan, Daejeon, and Gyeonggi Province) and the United States (including Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles), using similar proportions of ages for both groups for the equivalences of participants in cross-cultural research.

Survey measures included five instruments: (a) the Hwa-Byung scale (Kwon, Kim, Park, Lee, Min, & Kwon, 2008); (b) Life Stress for Korean women (Chon & Kim, 2003); (c) stress response inventory (SRI) (Koh, Park, & Kim, 2000); (d) anger expression (Hahn, Chon, Lee, & Spielberger, 1997), and (e) demographic background that measured the variables used in this study. To minimize the weakness of language differences used in the different cultural contexts, survey packages for Korean immigrant participants in the United States were formatted in both Korean and English for each item. Thus, a translation process became necessary, especially for the Korean instruments of the Hwa-Byung Scale, Life Stress for Korean women and Stress Response Inventory (SRI), from Korean into Englishtwo of which were (originally developed by Korean researchers) . On the other hand, native Koreans submitted only the Korean version of questionnaires because they fully understood the meaning of questionnaire statements, as well as in order to get rid of possible distractions by the inclusion of English sentences.

My thesis explores the social construction of identity of 50 second generation migrant-Australian women aged 17 to 28 years using a qualitative methodology. I conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with 25 women from Latin American backgrounds and 25 women from Turkish backgrounds. My study investigated the intersections of ethnicity, gender, sexuality and nationality. I found that the Latin women constructed their ethnic culture in reference to their country-of-origin traditions, and that they also identified with a pan-ethnic Latin culture that included migrants from other South and Central America countries. I found that the Turkish women constructed Turkish culture in reference to their religious practices, and they saw themselves as �Muslim-Turks� who identified with an Islamic pan-ethnic culture that included Muslim migrants from different national backgrounds. The women in both groups drew upon Anglo-Australian culture when it came to their gender and sexuality constructions. The Latin and Turkish women did not see themselves as �typical� women from their migrant communities. Instead, their sense of femininity was informed by what they saw as Australian egalitarianism. The women in both groups saw Anglo-Australians� gender relationships as an ideal, and as one woman said of Anglo-Australians, �how much more equal can you can get?� The women�s social construction of the nation was equally influenced by multiculturalism and an Anglo-Australian identity. They highly valued their Australian citizenship and felt positive about their lives in Australia. At the same time, they had faced ongoing racism and they reported that other people judged their Australian identities through racial characteristics. One woman said that in order for people to be accepted as Australian, �you have to be Anglo and not look like me�. Despite this sense of social exclusion, the majority of my sample held hybrid migrant-Australian identities. I develop a threefold typology of the women�s identities, and I found that 13 women did not see themselves as Australian, 36 women saw themselves as partly-Australian, and one woman held an exclusively Australian identity. I argue that narratives of multiculturalism and Anglo-Australian identity influenced the women�s social construction of identity. Their belief that Australian identity was multicultural was at odds with their experiences of racism and their own self identities, and so I examine the women�s beliefs in reference to an �ideology of multiculturalism�. This ideology supported the women�s contribution to the nation as second generation migrants, and ultimately, they expressed an unwavering support for Australian multiculturalism.

This study was an attempt to identify the relationship between women and non-governmental organizations in Ghana. It was conducted over a period of one year in the capital city of Accra. Ethnographic and feminist methodology were the framework for the fieldwork and text. Interviews, observations and discussions with aid workers and development recipients determined the perimeters and rendered meaning. Women dominated both sides of development and aid work in Ghana; however, there was limited interaction between them. Female recipients of development were not consulted regarding development projects and were not familiar with the scope and implications of international aid. Female development personnel from both Ghana and the United States were separated from the communities and people they worked for personally and professionally. The development workers did not consider consultation with female clients a necessity or an obligation. Both groups of women struggled to incorporate the concepts and implications of development into their situated reality.
Department of Anthropology

Between one hundred and one hundred and forty million young girls around the world have reportedly been subjected to some form of genital excision during 2005. Approximately three million young girls are at risk every year of undergoing this harmful procedure (WHO, 2008). Female genital mutilation is reported to occur, and is expected to continue occurring in twenty-eight African countries (London Safeguarding Children Board, 2007). This paper aims to firstly observe the levels of excision in Africa, and then highlight the underlying factors that encourage certain women to continue this dangerous ritual by analysing national datasets, such as the child info database, obtained form the United Nations Children&rsquo
s Fund. By calculating and comparing common indicators, the prevailing ones that dominate FGM appreciation can be further analysed. The final objective will be to suggest strategies that can be put in place to encourage the discontinuation of female genital cutting universally.

This cross-cultural inquiry focuses on the involvement of mothers in their children's education and the ways in which motherhood impacts the personal identities of mothers. The Second-wave feminism started thirty years ago and questioned the role and position of mothers in society. The objective of this movement was to free women from the exclusive responsibility of childcare. However, three decades later women are still the primary caregivers for their children. The study involves 36 middle-class mothers, 12 each from Canada, India and Mexico. Irrespective of their cultural backgrounds, these mothers participated actively in the domestic work related to childcare and in their children's schoolwork. Participants in this study expressed their views about intensive mothering and how they sought their personal identities from the work of mothering. The majority regarded motherhood as a unique and rewarding role, and wished to continue mothering despite the frustrations and stresses they experienced. The findings concerning the childcare strategies of mothers from Canada, India and Mexico highlight some cultural differences. These cultural differences also had an impact on how these mothers perceived their roles and identities.

This thesis explores some of the individual attitudes and choices which may explain differing patterns in women's work in England and France. Women's work, however, cannot be considered outside the context of their family lives, and there exist important differences between England and France in terms of the structures in place to facilitate the combining of paid work and family commitments. It is proposed that these are related to broader social and economic structures which characterise the countries concerned, and the family and gender roles assumed by them. The question addressed, therefore, is the relationship between work identity and female identity. This is examined by comparing full-time working women, both single and with families, in the two countries. Since the question concerns meanings rather than frequencies, quantitative methods such as surveys are rejected in favour of a triangulated methodology combining repertory grid, Twenty Statements Test and in- depth interview. The results from each of these are reported separately. There is strong convergence within and clear differences between national groups, regardless of marital status. French and English groups are both committed to working, but this takes different forms in the two countries. The French women define themselves equally in terms of work, personal relationships and social lives, with relatively little conflict between them. For the English women, work identity comes first, there is more conflict between work and family roles and more tension in personal relationships. This may partly be accounted for by the English women's greater concern with career progression and personal advancement, which is more likely to conflict with family roles. The findings are related to broader issues of economic, social and family policy, historical factors, religious traditions and attitudes towards gender and equality. These themselves are seen as reflecting more general ideologies in the countries concerned. Finally, there is a consideration of questions raised by the study, and suggestions for further research.

According to Metheny (1965), people's impressions of the acceptability of sport for women varies across several factors, including culture and gender. In this study, 206 prospective physical education teachers from Canada and Kenya were questioned about their perceptions of gender appropriateness of various sports. They completed Likert-type questionnaires related to sport/physical activities found in their respective university curricula. For those sports that appeared in both countries, responses were compared (2 x 2 ANOVA) for effects of culture and gender. Gender differences were also addressed within each culture.
Results revealed that Canadian respondents perceived fewer sports to be on the extremes of the male-female continuum than did the Kenyan respondents. Females in both cultures considered more sports to be appropriate for both male and female participation than did their male counterparts. However, Canadian and Kenyan respondents, both male and female, unanimously perceived some sports to be primarily appropriate for males and others primarily appropriate for females.
The study supports Metheny's contention of cultural variance in perceptions of the gender appropriateness of sports. Although many sports that had been considered inappropriate for females in 1964 are today considered to be androgynous, especially by Canadians, some gender stereotyping still remains to be overcome. Implications for physical education teachers are suggested.

OBJECTIVE: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) during pregnancy is associated with several adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes. A reliable and valid screening tool for GAD should lead to earlier detection and treatment. Among pregnant Peruvian women, a brief screening tool, the GAD-7, has not been validated. This study aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the GAD-7. METHODS: Of 2,978 women who attended their first perinatal care visit and had the GAD-7 screening, 946 had a Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). The Cronbach's alpha was calculated to examine the reliability. We assessed the criterion validity by calculating operating characteristics. The construct validity was evaluated using factor analysis and association with health status on the CIDI. The cross-cultural validity was explored using the Rasch Rating Scale Model (RSM). RESULTS: The reliability of the GAD-7 was good (Cronbach's alpha = 0.89). A cutoff score of 7 or higher, maximizing the Youden Index, yielded a sensitivity of 73.3% and a specificity of 67.3%. One-factor structure of the GAD-7 was confirmed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Concurrent validity was supported by the evidence that higher GAD-7 scores were associated with poor self-rated physical and mental health. The Rasch RSM further confirmed the cross-cultural validity of the GAD-7. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the Spanish-language version of the GAD-7 may be used as a screening tool for pregnant Peruvian women. The GAD-7 has good reliability, factorial validity, and concurrent validity. The optimal cutoff score obtained by maximizing the Youden Index should be considered cautiously; women who screened positive may require further investigation to confirm GAD diagnosis.
: This research was supported by an award from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01-HD-059835) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NIH had no further role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the paper for publication
Revisión por pares

‘What happens when the discourses we inhabit contrast strongly with or are in direct conflict with the discourses which swirl around us?’ asks feminist activist and academic Lekkie Hopkins (2009, pp. 75-76). More particularly, how does a life writer interact with the discourses that swirl around her? The advice given in guides on memoir and autobiographical writing creates an illusion that life writers not only have the freedom to write what they like but that, somehow, they have a moral duty to do so. Life writers can ‘challenge our society’s enormous untruthfulness,’ writes David Parker (cited in Helen, 2006, p. 326). Other authors urge life writers to stand by the courage of their convictions and question the status quo to arrive at new answers and a truth that is different from that ‘embedded ideology masquarading as common knowledge’ (Forche & Gerard cited in Helen, 2006, p. 321). Lynne Bloom warns that ‘no matter what their subjects think …nonfiction writers defending the integrity of their work should not…expose their material either to censorship or to consensus’(cited in Helen, 2006, p. 344). However, in contrast to these carefree injunctions to memoirists to be truth-seekers, Drusilla Modjeska acknowledges the difficulties implicit in life writing and warns in her fictionalised biography, Poppy, that ‘there is conformity and dependence in our freedom.’ She refers to a ‘an intellectual freedom [that is] institutionally hobbled, or fashion bound’ (1990, p. 5). The ongoing tension between an espoused freedom of speech and moral duty as a writer to write fearlessly and honestly to create a ‘truth’ that seeks new answers and the intellectual hobbling caused by embedded and fashion bound discourses is the underlying theme of this essay. Despite an initial determination to follow the advice of these life-writing experts, I have found that in producing a fictionalized memoir in Australia today, exposure to a certain degree of intellectual hobbling is an inevitable part of the process and that challenging the status quo embedded in powerful discourses can be a perilous business. The pressure to conform to the consensus, resulting in a significant amount of external and internal censorship, has been difficult to resist.

Thesis (M.Dev.) --University of Limpopo, 2013
Gender inequality has always been a problem in the developing countries, and South Africa is no exception. There is pragmatic evidence about the level of gender inequality within households pre 1994 which was very high due to the discrimination and gender violence that were present within the country. Moreover, tradition and culture helped in the manifestation of gender inequality. However, the South African government has enacted to curb the manifestation of gender inequality within both the households and in the labour market. The Constitution of South Africa, 1996, Domestic Violence Act, 1998, Employment Equity Act (EEA), 1998, Bill of Rights in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa and Affirmative Action policy are the Acts and policies that were enacted to reduce gender inequality in the country. Women’s representation in the labour market was very low. Women also could not make decision within the households. The study investigates the construction of gender inequality within the households in the context of democratic dispensation in a rural community of Makanye village in Limpopo Province. The study argues that the past traditional and cultural customs in rural Makanye village created patriarchal structures and household hierarchies where women were at the bottom of the hierarchy. Thus, the hierarchical and patriarchal structures helped in the manifestation of gender inequality within the households. The findings of the survey from Makanye village proved that the women are still not fully liberated from the past oppression and marginalisation. The persistence of domestic violence within Makanye village indicates that women are still given the lowest status within the households. In other words, the past patriarchal structures and hierarchies are still visible in rural areas and not many women are taking part in decision making within the households. The multiple roles women play within the households remains a huge challenge in rural areas. The persistence of gender inequality in Makanye village helps in the manifestation of poverty. The implementation of Affirmative Action policy and Employment Equity Act, 1998 will result in the achievement of gender equality in the labour market and within households.In conclusion, the improper implementation of Affirmative Action Policy and EEA, 1998 in South Africa will empower women, making them become independent, thus eradicating gender inequality and poverty

The purpose of this project was to examine the similarities and differences in magazine advertisements directed to women in China and Taiwan. Through content analysis of advertisments in these two countries, the researcher identified how women were portrayed and the social values or lifestyle attributed to them of each society.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Both democracy and civil society is seen to be dysfunctional in many African countries. Political leaders are not accountable to the people and citizens’ participation in the democracies is low. Particularly, women have often been neglected both within formal politics and the civil society. The aim of this thesis has been to investigate the role of the women’s movements in Uganda, Kenya and South Africa. The study has focused on the relationship between the women’s movement and the state, and further addressed the extent to which the women’s movements have been able to direct the state and influence policymaking for improved women’s rights and gender equality in the respective countries. The thesis has found that the relationship between the women’s movements and the state in the three countries inhibits very different characteristics that give rise to varying degrees of success from the work of the women’s movements. Further, the relationship has been subjected to changes in accordance with the overall political developments in the three countries. In Uganda and South Africa the political transitions of the mid 1980s and early 1990s, each respectively represented a period of good connection and communication between the women’s movements and the state. The women’s movements were able to present a strong voice and, thereby, were able to influence the state for the adoption of national gender machineries. After the political transitions, the relationship between the women’s movements and the state in both Uganda and South Africa has, however, become more constrained. In South Africa, the debates on women’s rights and gender equality have been moved from the terrain of the civil society and into the state, leading to a seemingly weakened voice for the women’s movement outside the state. In Uganda, the women’s movement have come to be subjected to pressure for co-optation by the government. The government does not genuinely uphold a concern for increased women’s rights and gender equality, and the women’s movement has at times been directly counteracted. Further, in Kenya, the women’s movement’s relationship with the state is characterised by competition rather than communication. The women’s movement is subjected to high degrees of repression, attempts of cooptation and silencing from the state, and the women’s movement have been effectively restricted from presenting a strong voice and influence the state to any great. The three case- studies illustrates that the political opportunity structures present at a particular time influence the extent to which women’s movements can work effectively in different contexts.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Menige Afrikaland se demokrasie sowel as burgerlike samelewing word as disfunksioneel beskou. Politieke leiers doen geen verantwoording aan die mense nie, en burgers se deelname aan demokrasie is gebrekkig. Veral vroue word afgeskeep in die formele politieke sfeer én die burgerlike samelewing. Die doel van hierdie tesis is om die rol van die vrouebewegings in Uganda, Suid-Afrika en Kenia te ondersoek. Die studie konsentreer op die verhouding tussen die vrouebeweging en die staat, en handel voorts oor die mate waarin die verskillende vrouebewegings die staat kan lei en beleidbepaling kan beïnvloed om beter vroueregte en gendergelykheid in die onderskeie lande teweeg te bring. Die tesis bevind dat die verhouding tussen die vrouebewegings en die staat in die drie lande onder beskouing baie uiteenlopende kenmerke toon, wat wisselende grade van sukses in die vrouebewegings se werk tot gevolg het. Voorts verander dié verhouding namate die oorkoepelende politieke bestel in die drie lande verander. Uganda en Suid-Afrika se politieke oorgange in die middeltagtiger- en vroeë negentigerjare onderskeidelik het ʼn tydperk van goeie bande en kommunikasie tussen die vrouebewegings en die staat verteenwoordig. Die vrouebewegings se stem het groot gewig gehad en kon dus die staat beïnvloed om nasionale beleid en werkswyses met betrekking tot gender in te stel. Ná die onderskeie politieke oorgange is die verhouding tussen die vrouebeweging en die staat in sowel Uganda as Suid-Afrika egter aansienlik ingeperk. In Suid-Afrika het die debat oor vroueregte en gendergelykheid van die gebied van die burgerlike samelewing na die staat verskuif, wat die vrouebeweging se stem buite die staat aansienlik verswak het. In Uganda is die vrouebeweging weer onderwerp aan druk van koöpsie deur die regering. Die regering blyk nie werklik besorg te wees oor beter vroueregte en gendergelykheid nie, en die vrouebeweging word by tye direk teengewerk. Daarbenewens word die Keniaanse vrouebeweging se verhouding met die staat gekenmerk deur kompetisie eerder as kommunikasie. Die vrouebeweging het te kampe met heelwat onderdrukking en koöpsie- en muilbandpogings van die staat, en word in effek daarvan weerhou om hul menings te lug en die staat in enige beduidende mate te beïnvloed met die oog op groter doelgerigtheid en beter beleidbepaling wat vroueregte en gendergelykheid betref. Die drie gevallestudies toon dat die politieke geleentheidstrukture op ʼn bepaalde tydstip ʼn uitwerking het op die mate waarin vrouebewegings doeltreffend in verskillende kontekste kan funksioneer.

The study determined how Thai and U.S. advertisements reflected women's attractiveness. Advertisements from the Thai and U.S. editions of Elle and Cosmopolitan magazines from January 2005 to January 2006 were analyzed using the content analysis method. The author created a code book with definitions of all categories to be used as guidelines for the analysis, an itemized code sheet, and training criteria. Two coders who were proficient in both Thai and English collected the data for the study. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was utilized as a tool to analyze the data gathered. Results indicated that there were both similarities and differences in the specifics, but what remained constant is the use of beautiful women to sell clothing and beauty products. The findings suggest that Thai and U.S. advertisers should apply the similiarities found in the study in their cross-cultural advertising campaigns. In addition, advertisers should be aware of differences and create advertisements that reflect attractiveness values of each culture.

This thesis examines the trans-border circulation and production of feminist knowledge through translation. More specifically, my research focuses the translation of the U.S. women’s health book, Our Bodies, Ourselves, by a Chinese feminist NGO in 1998. My dissertation studies the social, cultural and political aspects of feminist translation, and examines the relation between translation and feminist praxis. Through the lens of gender and (feminist) health politics in 1990s China, I examine how the 1998 Chinese translation conveys the book’s message about how women should relate to their bodies. Set in the context of Chinese society opening up during the late 1970s, my research outlines the emergence of gender awareness in China with the influx of translated feminist texts, especially in the realm of women’s health research. Medical discourses were then assigned a privileged position in the studies of women’s sexual and reproductive health. However, with increased communications between Chinese and foreign feminists, Chinese women scholars developed new ideas around women’s sexual and reproductive health. The Chinese translation of OBOS addresses the lack of gender awareness in local discussions about women’s health. With a multi-method study, I emphasize the social and linguistic dimensions of translating a feminist health project into post-reform China. This study is based on both interview and comparative textual analysis data. Using feminist translation theories, I examine how the Chinese translators handled the book’s presentation of women’s sexuality and reproductive health. This thesis also highlights the constraints on translating feminism from the local context. This raises questions about the power of (feminist) translation, and emphasizes the need to examine the social-political context of translation practices.

Nigerian immigrants have been largely excluded from studies on issues relating to immigrants living in American society. This study examines the perception of domestic violence among Nigerians and their help seeking counseling for behavior problems.

Mohinani, Nimishaa.
Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2009.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 33-42).
Abstract also in Chinese.
Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction --- p.1
work-family conflict --- p.1
Social support and work-family conflict --- p.2
Outcome variables --- p.4
Child status --- p.7
Cultural component --- p.7
Chapter Chapter 2: --- Method --- p.13
Participants --- p.13
Measures --- p.13
Data analysis --- p.15
Chapter Chapter 3: --- Results --- p.17
WFC and outcome variables --- p.17
Moderating impact of culture --- p.17
"Ethnicity, child status and levels social support" --- p.24
Chapter Chapter 4: --- Discussion --- p.27
References --- p.33
Footnotes --- p.43

The research literature documents the relative disadvantage of widows in coping with grief, both in a greater vulnerability themselves for mortality or ill health, but also for a sudden loss of resources from losing a spouse. Moreover, widowhood in the Canadian cultural communities may be an additional burden if met with service from mainstream care professionals and agencies at variance with their culturally-appropriate grieving practices and assumptions. Specifically, the meaning(s) of bereavement and grief for Hindu-Canadian widows are not well understood, and the goal of this study is to enhance transcultural understanding of this population in counselling and beyond. An inductive, descriptive qualitative method focusing on the subjective, lived experience of key co-researchers, using selective and nonprobability sampling was utilized to maximize the relatively small sample size typical of a phenomenological approach. This was used to describe and explain the meanings and experiences of grief for five older Hindu-Canadian widows within the context of their own cultural setting and world view. Data were collected from five female members of the Hindu- Canadian communities. An additional triangulation method of a general class of culmraUy-informed co-researchers was used to help corroborate the obtained themes. The co-researcher's responses were the data for this study, and a method of "constant comparative analysis" (I^ininger, 1985) was utilized in a search for themes through a process of higher abstraction. Data analysis of the verbatim transcripts occurred simultaneously with data collection and, guided by Leininger's (1990) 'Thases of Analysis for Qualitative Data," the process unfolded with: (a) collecting and documenting raw data; (b) identification of descriptors; (c) pattern analysis; and (d) theme formulation. Ultimately six themes were abstracted from forty-five sub-categories as a portrait of the meanings and experiences of widowhood for this group of Hindu-Canadian widows. Themes for this group of key co-researchers are as follows: First, status transition from wife to widow meant resignation to the husband's death, rather than acceptance through discrete stages of recovery: Second, meanings and expressions of grief centered on beliefs about the enduring and eternal quality of the husband's life force as intrinsic and essential to the widow's own lifeways: Third, the transition from wife to widow entailed a double affliction in status loss as well as in the personal domain of intimacy and partnership: Fourth, the meanings and expressions of both grief phenomena and status transition reflect an ethic of collective good and duty-based interpersonal morality, but with acculturation causing a nascent and generational transition in such moral orientation: Fifth, status transition can entail a degree of liminality, out of bicultural dislocation and transformational variables such as education: Finally, a fundamental meaning of their Hindu-Canadian widowhood experience is its spiritual opportunity. Despite some diversity in their Hindu diaspora and sect, the explicated themes illustrate a common experience and meaning attendant on widowhood for the co-researchers. This study investigated a portion of the underlying cultural logic of widowhood and grief phenomena for these constituents of Hinduism, and highlighted their cultural constructions of meaning and experience, allowing us to improve our transcultural knowledge and understanding of the unique needs of this population in the field of Counselling and beyond. As a phenomenological study, themes and suppositions abstracted from this relatively small sample are limited beyond the precisely-defined context of its five co-researchers. Nevertheless, a counsellor might well benefit from the potential offered here for finer-grained assessments and therapeutic relationships with widows in our Hindu communities.

Assumptions of neo-classical economics have defined most career theorizing and research in management and organizational scholarship. However, over the thirty years following enactment of equal opportunity legislation in the USA, the incorporation of career experiences of women managers within this model has been uneasy. This dissertation, informed by feminist epistemological standpoints, demonstrates an approach for exploring career experiences of women managers outside traditional theoretical models. Assumed splits between organization/individual, career/private life, and objective/subjective experience, common in past scholarship, are abandoned in favor of a holistic view which considers the careers of individuals in relation to the organizational, economic, legal, governmental, and cultural contexts in which they are conducted. Adopting a comparative/polycentric research design, career experiences of women managers in two diverse societies (the USA and Finland) were studied. The inductive, socio-linguistic project was guided by two research questions: (1) How do a group of women managers in two diverse cultures frame the subjective experience of "career"? (2) What can be learned about cultural, institutional, and organizational values and priorities from the subjective expression of individually experienced lives? Using Q-methodologies for data collection in each location, career "scripts" were fashioned which connect the micro (individual) and macro (contextual) levels of analysis. Results support contentions that: (1) scholarship examining career experiences of women managers must, of necessity, include experience in both the world of work and private life; (2) universalizing career concepts are faulty because they ignore the importance of institutional form and practice in molding individual experiences; (3) scripts of career have a parochial dimension and are filtered through values of the wider culture in which they exist; (4) any study of "managerial careers" must distinguish the context in which notions of "management" exist; (5) traditional requirements of objectivity and neutrality in the research process, as well as a distancing relationship between researcher/researched, block collaborative research approaches; collaborative approaches, however, seem necessary in understanding careers in context; (6) it is important to recognize the contextual situatedness of traditional scholarship (mostly developed in the USA) when analyzing the current status of knowledge about "careers."

A thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Arts University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of social support for African women labouring aione in a Westernized hospital setting. Two high stress groups of first-time mothers, were studied; a mildly hypertensive group and a teenage group. the results indicated support to be moderately effective in both groups. Factors such as the cultural background, the apartheid system, social influences and the environment in which the mothers live may have impacted on the effectiveness of the support.
AC 2018

by Lui Sha-Lee.
Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2000.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-149).
Abstracts in English and Chinese.
Acknowledgements --- p.vi
Chapter Chapter One --- Introduction --- p.1
Chapter Chapter Two --- Ideological Implications of “Madness´ح in Western and Chinese Culture --- p.12
Chapter Chapter Three --- Madwoman as the Murderous Daughter: Kitty Fitzgerald's Marge and Tie Ning's The Cliff in the Afternoon --- p.36
Chapter Chapter Four --- "Madwoman as the Murderous Wife: Elsa Lewin's I, Anna and Li Ang's The Butcher ´ةs Wife" --- p.83
Chapter Chapter Five --- Conclusion --- p.121
Notes --- p.134
Works Cited --- p.143

Since 2005, the United States has experienced a significant influx of international students from Saudi Arabia, particularly women (Bollang, 2006). The American educational structure is something Saudi women have never experienced due to the vast differences between both cultures in all facets. There is very little to no research conducted on Saudi Arabian women pursuing higher education in an academic culture drastically different from what they are accustomed to. A review of current literature illustrates the critical need for a more in- depth analysis of this phenomenon. Although there is much research available regarding the subjugation of Saudi women in the past and present, the surge in Saudi women pursuing education in the United States has not been researched. This thesis study explores how Saudi women are adapting to the differences in educational structural between what they have experienced back home and what they are experiencing here at Oregon State University. This study also looks at how Saudi women are adapting to the differences in teaching methods at OSU in comparison to what they are used to back home. The traditional teacher-centered approach versus that at OSU that heavily incorporates a student-centered approach. This study utilizes qualitative research methods to find common themes that arose from interviews with the sample group. Findings suggest that the Saudi women studying at Oregon State University developed intercultural competence due to their strong personal desire to succeed in their studies abroad. These Saudi women also proved to have strong levels of motivation and desire to succeed academically in hopes that they will return to their country and assist in improving the status of women.
Graduation date: 2012

The voices and experiences of immigrant and refugee women in Canada have been conspicuously absent from policy issues, programme planning, and mental health literature. However, more immigrant and refugee women than men, from traditional cultures, are considered to have mental health needs, because of risk factors such as stress at the time of migration, and because of Canadian policies and programmes which disadvantage them. This study explores from the consumers perspective the reasons for disparate mental health service utilization between South Asian and Latin American women in Vancouver. Using a cross-sectional, exploratory, case study approach, and a feminist perspective, ten South Asian and ten Latin American women who have used mental health services were interviewed in depth. Sixty percent of the participants were survivors of violence and torture. Five Latin American women were survivors of pre-migration catastrophic stress. Their mental health needs were characterised by traumatic experiences, grieving and depression. Except for the three who were married, they had no traditional support networks. In contrast with the South Asian group they appeared to have less shame and covert behaviour. Mental illness, considered a ‘house secret’, carries great stigma in the South Asian community, and has serious ramifications for the immediate as well as the extended family. Among South Asian participants seven had been subjected to wife battering, and four of their spouses had a substance abuse problem. Their mental health needs were also triggered by traumatic experiences, grieving and depression. The more established South Asian women had extended family living in Vancouver, yet social support was still lacking. Having ‘no one to turn to’ was a pervasive theme across both groups of women; their experiences characterised by loss. Analysis of data exploring the decision to use services illustrates stages in a process of recovery from experienced violence. Post migration domestic violence and pre-migration violence have devastating, life-shattering consequences which require culturally sensitive interventions by social workers and other health care professionals. An obligatory stage in the clinical intervention process is to explore the issue of violence. Finally, policy decisions which impact upon women from ethnocultural communities in Canada must embrace a philosophy which considers well-trained, culturally-sensitive, linguistically—competent workers a priority.

The act of expressing an apology is an essential part of interpersonal interaction: the need for an apology arises when everyday interaction results in a behavioural and communication breakdown. Pragmatic knowledge and competence aids in facilitating effective and smooth negotiation and repair of meaning as the need arises. Apology acts vary across cultures; different cultures influence apology differently. My research investigates the distinctive differences between how Saudi and Australian women position themselves in performing the act of apologising in two distinctly different national cultural settings, Australia and Saudi Arabia. This research contributes to an understanding of how culture and power impact on saying sorry. My thesis is about social and cultural factors that influence the activity of saying sorry. Applying the lens of positioning theory as expounded by Rom Harré and Luk Van Langenhove (Harré & Van Langenhove, 2001), I adopt a new conceptual and methodological perspective in investigating both the ‘saying sorry’ positionings employed by participating Saudi and Australian women and the contexts in which these positionings occurred. My perspective is designed to provide new insights into the pragmatics of saying sorry that are not accessible through the widely utilised, but constrictive approach of using Discourse Completion tasks and role plays that are so heavily adopted in linguistic cross-cultural and intercultural pragmatics research. Data collection involved the recruitment of six Saudi women (three living in Saudi and three living in Australia) and six Australian women (three living in Australia and three in Saudi) – a total of 12 participants. Each participant engaged in an intensive semi-structured interview to capture their narratives and gain understandings their positionings in saying sorry. The results of the analysis demonstrate that the Saudi and Australian women have both similarities with and differences from each other regarding ‘saying sorry’ contexts and positions. The results also reveal the influence of cultural variability and values, and of women’s power in influencing their choice of contexts and positions. Overall, culture played a major role in influencing the two groups’ behaviours in the act of apology in both contexts, Saudi and Australia. A key finding is a noticeable variation in the apology positionings within the same cultural group, indicating that individual variation occurs between participants from similar gender and cultural backgrounds. As a result of the research, a new model is presented that brings together the sociocultural elements that have emerged as a result of the analysis. I have identified some New Socio-cultural positionings, that are related to, but which expand on and are distinctive from the original Harré positionings associated with speech acts, storylines and positions taken. The new positionings are connected to the pragmatics associated with speech acts involved in conversations and talks that are related to the society and culture of both Saudi and Australian women. As there has been no previous research investigation of apology behaviour comparing Saudi and Australian women through the lens of positioning theory, this study marks an initial step in filling a gap in the Saudi-Australian literature relating to cross-cultural and intercultural pragmatics.

There is a paucity of South African data concerning the cross-cultural incidence of attitudes and behaviours associated with eating disorders. Research in this area has recognised that acculturation to a Western value system appears to have a pathogenic impact on the prevalence of disordered eating among non-Western ethnic groups. This study aimed to explore the relationship between acculturation and disordered eating, and to compare the level of disordered eating (as measured by the Eating Disorders Inventory [EDI]) among black and white female university students in KwaZulu-Natal. The roles of Body Mass Index (BMI) and socioeconomic status were also examined. The sample consisted of one hundred and twenty-two white female undergraduate students from the University of Natal (Pietermaritzburg), fifteen black female undergraduate students from the University of Natal (Pietermaritzburg), and one hundred and fifty-four black female undergraduate students from the University of Zululand. It was found that although black subjects obtained significantly higher scores on the Drive for Thinness subscale of the EDI, white subjects obtained significantly higher scores on a combination of the three subscales designated to assess disordered eating attitudes and behaviours. Black subjects obtained significantly higher BMI scores than white subjects, and BMI was positively correlated with Body Dissatisfaction in both groups, and with Drive for Thinness in the white group only. No relationship was found between socioeconomic status and disordered eating. Similarly, no relationship was found between acculturation and disordered eating. This latter result is partly a function of problems experienced with the measures of acculturation. A comparison of black subjects from the two universities suggests that greater contact with white students is influential in terms of the development of disordered eating. The above results are discussed in terms of the available literature, and recommendations for future research are made on the basis of the limitations of this study. The data from this study is included in a nation wide cross-cultural study of eating disorders initiated by the Eating Disorders Co-ordinating Committee.
Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1996.