Mainstreaming disability in policies: the Flemish experience

Although research on gender mainstreaming (GM) is extensive, literature on disability mainstreaming (DM) is scarce. This article builds on the experience of GM to explore the conditions affecting DM, focusing on the first Flemish policy cycle of DM (2010–2014) in two policy domains: employment and education. We found no substantive difference in the conditions necessary for the successful implementation of DM compared with that of GM. Also, developments specific to the policy domains had more influence on the inclusive character of policies than did the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities or the Flemish approach to DM.     

From historical injustice to local conflict: mobilization-countermobilization dynamics surrounding the 2005 Melbourne ‘Trianon Protest’

This article explores the key to the successful mobilization process of the Trianon demonstration, organized by local Hungarians in Melbourne’s CBD in 2005. I argue that mobilization–countermobilization (hereafter MCM) dynamics holds the key to the understanding of the relatively high number of protest participants. In particular, I argue that we need to take a closer look at the dialogic framing activities within the MCM dynamics in order to understand this case of mobilization. It was not until a particular form of frame developed within the MCM interplay between the organizers and the protest opposition that the mobilization attempts gained a clear local focus and target. Equally importantly, it is argued that emotions, embedded in and as a reaction to particular framings, significantly contributed to the success of the mobilization. The article shows that as a response to the CM framing toward the end of the mobilization process, a strong moral outrage was generated and felt, which allowed the supporters to focus their blame and anger on their opponents and to create a particularly resonant enemy figure.     

Juggling three life spheres: reconciling work,family and politics

In the field of work–life balance, most research focuses on the reconciliation of role-related expectations that derive from the work and family spheres. This article aims to identify coping strategies that reconcile life spheres in situations that go beyond the classic two-sphere framework. We analyze the actual coping behavior of individuals juggling three life spheres by studying local Flemish politicians. The strategies that were found in this study were communication with family, recognizing priorities within the political sphere, consciously creating time for family moments, downsizing and segregating the life spheres. The results suggest that women usually remain the manager of the household, which reinforces traditional gender roles.     

Benefits from Productive and Consumptive Activities: Results from the Berlin Aging Study

The aim of this study was to assess the subjective instrumentality and immediate process benefits afforded by regenerative, productive, and consumptive activities and thus to extend the microeconomic perspective on time use. Method: For six consecutive days, 33 women and 48 men aged between 72 and 97 provided signal-contingent self-reports on everyday activities, the reasons for performing them, their contexts and concurrent affect. Results: The dominant reason given for performing productive activities reflected Reid's (1934) third-party criterion. With aggregated data, we found consumptive activities to be associated with higher positive affect. This finding was not corroborated on the occasion level, where social context (in company vs. alone) rather than activity type had a reliable effect on positive affect in situ. The main effect was a function of the individual level of neuroticism, and the association between social context and positive affect was a function of the proportion of time spent alone. Results indicated that the level of neuroticism moderates the association between social context and positive affect, but this was not statistically reliable. Conclusion: Being alone or in company makes a difference to positive affect. This may explain the protective effect that social relationships have on health and well-being. Compared to earlier phases of life, the relationship between personality dispositions and indicators of social relationships may not be as strong in late life.     

Division of Labor in German Dual‐Earner Families: Testing Equity Theoretical Hypotheses

On the basis of 52 German dual‐earner couples with at least 1 child younger than 5 years, we tested the effects of an unequal division of labor on relationship satisfaction. We analyzed diary reports of time allocated to productive activities according to the actor‐partner‐interdependence model. Hierarchical linear models showed that rather than individual time allocated to household work, the absolute difference in partners’ contribution to productive activities influenced relationship satisfaction. This reduction in satisfaction disappeared after accounting for perceived social appreciation of individual contributions. Models with gender‐specific slopes showed the effect of input and output to be different for women and men. The findings indicate that a relative equity model best explains the effects of an unequal division of labor.     

Building capacity of maternity staff to discourage the use of sunlight therapy in the post-partum period and infancy

PURPOSE: To describe the development, implementation and evaluation of an educational intervention that addresses risky beliefs held by midwives and nurses working in maternity areas and new mothers about therapeutic sun exposure. PROCEDURE: In 2002-2003, 59 midwives and nurses from a hospital in northern Queensland participated in an educational intervention to discourage mothers from exposing themselves and their infants to sunlight for therapeutic reasons. Intervention staff attended an educational workshop and/or received educational resources. Resources (posters, pamphlets and bookmarks) were developed for the staff to use for educating mothers. Process evaluation of the quality and usefulness of the workshop and resources was conducted immediately after the workshop and 12 months later. FINDINGS: Intervention staff indicated that the workshop was relevant to their work, and increased their knowledge and confidence in talking to mothers about sunlight exposure. Ninety percent of the 59 participants indicated they had used the workshop information in their interactions with post-partum mothers. Of the resources, pamphlets and bookmarks were used most often. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The educational intervention was successful in developing the knowledge of midwives and nurses to provide sound advice to new mothers about therapeutic sun exposure and in developing resources to support them in their education. Although workshops and resources are useful in the short term, they are impractical to sustain. To improve sustainability, content on this topic needs to be incorporated into midwifery and nursing curricula across Australia.     

Longitudinal data analysis for generalized linear models with follow‐up dependent on outcome‐related variables

In longitudinal studies, observation times are often irregular and subject‐specific. Frequently they are related to the outcome measure or other variables that are associated with the outcome measure but undesirable to condition upon in the model for outcome. Regression analyses that are unadjusted for outcome‐dependent follow‐up then yield biased estimates. The authors propose a class of inverse‐intensity rate‐ratio weighted estimators in generalized linear models that adjust for outcome‐dependent follow‐up. The estimators, based on estimating equations, are very simple and easily computed; they can be used under mixtures of continuous and discrete observation times. The predictors of observation times can be past observed outcomes, cumulative values of outcome‐model covariates and other factors associated with the outcome. The authors validate their approach through simulations and they illustrate it using data from a supported housing program from the US federal government.