Introduction: Volunteering in the community is thought to provide unique benefits to people who experience limited engagement in society. In the global South, volunteer programs are often framed as empowering women and benefiting the poor, without empirical evidence or systematic investigation of what this means from a local perspective. For this reason, it is critical to represent stakeholder knowledge, understand how change happens systemically, and reduce cultural bias in scientific inquiry and public policy. As such, efforts to respect diverse narratives and problem-solving approaches are key to science diplomacy - they help us understand cultural relevance, program efficacy, and for whom a program is considered transformative.
Methods and results: This study shows how Syrian refugee and Jordanian women, living in resource-poor families, articulated (i) concepts of empowerment and life satisfaction and (ii) the benefits of engaging in community-based volunteering programs. Through engaging in a participatory methodology known as Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping, women generated visual representations of these constructs and cause-and-effect reasoning. They identified several dimensions of empowerment (e.g., cultural, financial, and psychological empowerment) and several meanings of life satisfaction (e.g. adaptation, acceptance, and contentment). They also mapped connections between variables, identifying those that might catalyze change. We were specifically interested in evaluating understandings of We Love Reading, a program that trains volunteers to become changemakers in their local community. In simulations, we modelled how employment, education, money, and volunteering would drive system change, with notable results on cultural empowerment.
Discussion: Through visual maps and scenarios of change, the study demonstrates a participatory approach to localizing knowledge and evaluating programs. This is key to improving scientific enquiry and public policy.
{"title":"Volunteer programs, empowerment, and life satisfaction in Jordan: mapping local knowledge and systems change to inform public policy and science diplomacy.","authors":"Catherine Panter-Brick, Lina Qtaishat, Jannik Joseph Eggerman, Honey Thomas, Praveen Kumar, Rana Dajani","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1371760","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1371760","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Volunteering in the community is thought to provide unique benefits to people who experience limited engagement in society. In the global South, volunteer programs are often framed as empowering women and benefiting the poor, without empirical evidence or systematic investigation of what this means from a local perspective. For this reason, it is critical to represent stakeholder knowledge, understand how change happens systemically, and reduce cultural bias in scientific inquiry and public policy. As such, efforts to respect diverse narratives and problem-solving approaches are key to science diplomacy - they help us understand cultural relevance, program efficacy, and for whom a program is considered transformative.</p><p><strong>Methods and results: </strong>This study shows how Syrian refugee and Jordanian women, living in resource-poor families, articulated (i) concepts of empowerment and life satisfaction and (ii) the benefits of engaging in community-based volunteering programs. Through engaging in a participatory methodology known as Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping, women generated visual representations of these constructs and cause-and-effect reasoning. They identified several dimensions of empowerment (e.g., cultural, financial, and psychological empowerment) and several meanings of life satisfaction (e.g. adaptation, acceptance, and contentment). They also mapped connections between variables, identifying those that might catalyze change. We were specifically interested in evaluating understandings of <i>We Love Reading</i>, a program that trains volunteers to become changemakers in their local community. In simulations, we modelled how employment, education, money, and volunteering would drive system change, with notable results on cultural empowerment.</p><p><strong>Discussion: </strong>Through visual maps and scenarios of change, the study demonstrates a participatory approach to localizing knowledge and evaluating programs. This is key to improving scientific enquiry and public policy.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11170447/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141318562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-30eCollection Date: 2024-01-01DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1374329
Zhuoli Chen
Hate crimes are widespread in Hong Kong society. Foreign domestic helpers working in Hong Kong also experience unfair agenda-setting by the media due to their dual economic and social disadvantages, and the media tries to portray them in a hostile social role. At the same time, the media creates negative social images of minority groups through news coverage, which leads to an increase in social hate crimes against them. This study used WiseSearch, a Chinese newspaper collection and analysis platform, to explore how Hong Kong news media use news themes and content to create a negative image of Hong Kong foreign domestic helpers in order to understand the media origins of hate crimes against Hong Kong foreign domestic helpers. Ultimately, the study found that local news media in Hong Kong are more inclined to cover the legal disputes of foreign domestic helpers in the agenda-setting process. In addition, they are more likely to associate foreign domestic helpers with "fear" rather than "rest assured." The study also found that because of the news value orientation, Hong Kong media tended to treat foreign domestic helpers as outsiders and less sympathetically when writing news stories.
{"title":"How does the media contribute to the rise of hate crimes against foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong? An unfair problem frame and agenda setting.","authors":"Zhuoli Chen","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1374329","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1374329","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Hate crimes are widespread in Hong Kong society. Foreign domestic helpers working in Hong Kong also experience unfair agenda-setting by the media due to their dual economic and social disadvantages, and the media tries to portray them in a hostile social role. At the same time, the media creates negative social images of minority groups through news coverage, which leads to an increase in social hate crimes against them. This study used WiseSearch, a Chinese newspaper collection and analysis platform, to explore how Hong Kong news media use news themes and content to create a negative image of Hong Kong foreign domestic helpers in order to understand the media origins of hate crimes against Hong Kong foreign domestic helpers. Ultimately, the study found that local news media in Hong Kong are more inclined to cover the legal disputes of foreign domestic helpers in the agenda-setting process. In addition, they are more likely to associate foreign domestic helpers with \"fear\" rather than \"rest assured.\" The study also found that because of the news value orientation, Hong Kong media tended to treat foreign domestic helpers as outsiders and less sympathetically when writing news stories.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11169724/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141318561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Introduction: Despite the commitment of the Swedish government to ensuring equal access to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights services for all citizens, shortcomings persist among the migrant population. In cases where healthcare providers lack sufficient knowledge or hold misconceptions and biases about these contentious issues, it can lead to the delivery of suboptimal care. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge of Swedish healthcare providers on global and Swedish migrant Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights.
Methods: A national cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire consisting of seven questions related to global and Swedish migrant Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights. The questionnaire was distributed among midwives, nurses, gynecologists and obstetricians, and hospital social workers (N = 731). The analysis was guided by the Factfulness framework developed by Hans Rosling to identify disparities between healthcare providers' viewpoints and evidence-based knowledge.
Results: There was an overall lack of knowledge among the health care providers on these issues. The highest correct responses were on the question on abandonment of female genital cutting/mutilation after migration (74%). The findings indicated that healthcare providers originating from Sweden, physicians, those with fewer years of clinical experience, and exhibiting more migrant-friendly attitudes, demonstrated a higher level of knowledge regarding global and Swedish migrant Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates that healthcare providers lacked knowledge of global and Swedish migrant Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, which was almost uniformly distributed, except among those with more comprehensive and recent education. Contrary to expectations, healthcare professionals did not primarily rely on their education and experiences but were influenced by their personal values and opinions. The study underscores the importance of upgrading knowledge in Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights and encourages policymakers, professionals, and students to base their opinions on well-founded facts, particularly in the context of a diverse and globalized society.
{"title":"Assessing knowledge of migrant sexual reproductive health and rights: a national cross-sectional survey among health professionals in Sweden.","authors":"Birgitta Essén, Ayanthi Wickramasinghe, Lise Eriksson, Irina Vartanova, Andrey Tibajev, Pontus Strimling","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1356418","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1356418","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Despite the commitment of the Swedish government to ensuring equal access to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights services for all citizens, shortcomings persist among the migrant population. In cases where healthcare providers lack sufficient knowledge or hold misconceptions and biases about these contentious issues, it can lead to the delivery of suboptimal care. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the level of knowledge of Swedish healthcare providers on global and Swedish migrant Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A national cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire consisting of seven questions related to global and Swedish migrant Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights. The questionnaire was distributed among midwives, nurses, gynecologists and obstetricians, and hospital social workers (<i>N</i> = 731). The analysis was guided by the Factfulness framework developed by Hans Rosling to identify disparities between healthcare providers' viewpoints and evidence-based knowledge.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There was an overall lack of knowledge among the health care providers on these issues. The highest correct responses were on the question on abandonment of female genital cutting/mutilation after migration (74%). The findings indicated that healthcare providers originating from Sweden, physicians, those with fewer years of clinical experience, and exhibiting more migrant-friendly attitudes, demonstrated a higher level of knowledge regarding global and Swedish migrant Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study demonstrates that healthcare providers lacked knowledge of global and Swedish migrant Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights, which was almost uniformly distributed, except among those with more comprehensive and recent education. Contrary to expectations, healthcare professionals did not primarily rely on their education and experiences but were influenced by their personal values and opinions. The study underscores the importance of upgrading knowledge in Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights and encourages policymakers, professionals, and students to base their opinions on well-founded facts, particularly in the context of a diverse and globalized society.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11169828/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141318558","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing challenges faced by academic staff in UK higher education and drawn attention to issues of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). Amidst global competitiveness and workplace pressures, challenges such as managerialism, increased workload, and inequalities have worsened, significantly impacting mental health. This paper presents a conceptual analysis connecting EDI with organizational compassion within the context of Higher Education. The prioritization of organizational compassion is presented as a means to enhance sensitivity to EDI in the reconstruction of post-pandemic learning environments. Anchored in the organizational compassion theory and the NEAR Mechanisms Model, our study contributes to the intersection of the organizational compassion, EDI and higher education literatures by exploring how fostering compassion relations can contribute to enhancing EDI. This offers a new perspective to creating a more humane and supportive higher education environment.
COVID-19 大流行加剧了英国高等教育学术人员所面临的原有挑战,并引起了人们对平等、多样性和包容性(EDI)问题的关注。在全球竞争力和工作场所压力下,管理主义、工作量增加和不平等等挑战加剧,严重影响了心理健康。本文以高等教育为背景,对 EDI 与组织同情心进行了概念性分析。在重建流行病后的学习环境时,将组织同情作为提高对 EDI 敏感性的一种手段。我们的研究以组织同情理论和 NEAR 机制模型为基础,通过探索培养同情关系如何有助于增强 EDI,为组织同情、EDI 和高等教育文献的交叉做出了贡献。这为创造一个更加人性化和支持性的高等教育环境提供了一个新的视角。
{"title":"Cultivating staff equality, diversity, and inclusion in higher education in the post-pandemic era: an organizational compassion perspective.","authors":"Haleh Hashemi Toroghi, Fiona Denney, Ace Volkmann Simpson","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1378665","DOIUrl":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1378665","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing challenges faced by academic staff in UK higher education and drawn attention to issues of Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). Amidst global competitiveness and workplace pressures, challenges such as managerialism, increased workload, and inequalities have worsened, significantly impacting mental health. This paper presents a conceptual analysis connecting EDI with organizational compassion within the context of Higher Education. The prioritization of organizational compassion is presented as a means to enhance sensitivity to EDI in the reconstruction of post-pandemic learning environments. Anchored in the organizational compassion theory and the NEAR Mechanisms Model, our study contributes to the intersection of the organizational compassion, EDI and higher education literatures by exploring how fostering compassion relations can contribute to enhancing EDI. This offers a new perspective to creating a more humane and supportive higher education environment.</p>","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11173083/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141318559","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-24DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1214878
Alexandra Vuyk, Maureen Montania, Liz Barrios
Boredom, a state where the task at hand presents difficulties in attentional resources and attributed meaning, can be detrimental to talent development by reducing cognitive engagement. This study employed a mixed sequential design to assess boredom in adolescents with exceptional mathematical talent in Paraguay participating in a talent development program.First, in the quantitative phase 54 students completed the Boredom Short Scale, School Attitudes Assessment Survey-Revised, and Psychological Well-Being Scale for Adolescents. Next, in the qualitative phase 50 students participated in focus groups to explore their personal experiences of boredom, along with their perception of possible factors that impact boredom.Boredom in this population was similar to the general population of adolescents, albeit significant differences existed in items and subscales showing a pattern unique to this population; they tended to become bored quicker but had an easier time sparking interest in activities. Higher boredom had small to moderate correlations with worse attitudes at school and with teachers, lower motivation and self-regulation in academic activities, lower self-control, and lower involvement in personal projects. Higher valuation of goals and academic self-perception related with a lower tendency toward boredom only in the context of a talent development program, but not at school. Boredom seemed multifaceted, with dimensions such as the absence of meaning, superficial entertainment, and wasted time. Contributing factors included waiting for other people’s slower pace, limited choices, lack of novelty, insufficient intellectual challenge, and the influence of teachers and social dynamics. Coping mechanisms included inner intellectual stimulation, seeking entertainment and escape, pursuing independent learning, extracurricular activities, like-minded peers, and extreme sensation-seeking.Fostering adequate challenge and support in advanced academic endeavors for the development of mathematical talent can prevent negative consequences associated with boredom in exceptionally talented populations.
{"title":"Boredom and its perceived impact in adolescents with exceptional mathematical talent: a sequential mixed-methods study in Paraguay","authors":"Alexandra Vuyk, Maureen Montania, Liz Barrios","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1214878","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1214878","url":null,"abstract":"Boredom, a state where the task at hand presents difficulties in attentional resources and attributed meaning, can be detrimental to talent development by reducing cognitive engagement. This study employed a mixed sequential design to assess boredom in adolescents with exceptional mathematical talent in Paraguay participating in a talent development program.First, in the quantitative phase 54 students completed the Boredom Short Scale, School Attitudes Assessment Survey-Revised, and Psychological Well-Being Scale for Adolescents. Next, in the qualitative phase 50 students participated in focus groups to explore their personal experiences of boredom, along with their perception of possible factors that impact boredom.Boredom in this population was similar to the general population of adolescents, albeit significant differences existed in items and subscales showing a pattern unique to this population; they tended to become bored quicker but had an easier time sparking interest in activities. Higher boredom had small to moderate correlations with worse attitudes at school and with teachers, lower motivation and self-regulation in academic activities, lower self-control, and lower involvement in personal projects. Higher valuation of goals and academic self-perception related with a lower tendency toward boredom only in the context of a talent development program, but not at school. Boredom seemed multifaceted, with dimensions such as the absence of meaning, superficial entertainment, and wasted time. Contributing factors included waiting for other people’s slower pace, limited choices, lack of novelty, insufficient intellectual challenge, and the influence of teachers and social dynamics. Coping mechanisms included inner intellectual stimulation, seeking entertainment and escape, pursuing independent learning, extracurricular activities, like-minded peers, and extreme sensation-seeking.Fostering adequate challenge and support in advanced academic endeavors for the development of mathematical talent can prevent negative consequences associated with boredom in exceptionally talented populations.","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141101358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-24DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1383028
Marita Flisbäck
Sociologists often argue that communication in long-term couple relationships is the basis on which expectations, trust, and equality are created in contemporary society. However, what is the role of these everyday conversations in uncertain life situations such as expecting one’s first child? This article examines concerns reported by prospective Swedish parents in order to explain the role of communication to alleviate these. Concerns, related to the formation of new relationships with one’s partner, oneself, and one’s future child, are mitigated by referring to the couple’s “good” communication. In the present prenatal situation, the communication pattern (established in the past) seems to serve three functions in mitigating future concerns: (1) the communication generates a trust capital in the relationship, allowing the couple to venture into the uncertain future, (2) the communication makes social perceptions of family life “real” by constructing a common nomos that is internalized in the individual as an existential motto, and (3) the communication legitimizes family practices as democratic when referring to future plans as emerging from responsive and consensual dialogs. In the article it is emphasized that welfare policy needs to be based on an existential legitimacy, often developed in couple conversations, and particularly shaped in life situations characterized by change. However, the stability offered at the conversational micro level may simultaneously prevent macro level changes, a complexity that needs to be considered when developing a gender equality policy that is to resonate with people’s existential meaning making. With the aim of consensus, and the means of balancing conflicts, there is a risk that the conversation will consolidate the interests of the stronger party. In this way, the responsive conversations in long-term relationships may consolidate gender inequality and counteract the welfare policy goal of equalizing power relationships.
{"title":"Conversations in couple relationships: a trustful foundation when making future parenthood “real”","authors":"Marita Flisbäck","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1383028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1383028","url":null,"abstract":"Sociologists often argue that communication in long-term couple relationships is the basis on which expectations, trust, and equality are created in contemporary society. However, what is the role of these everyday conversations in uncertain life situations such as expecting one’s first child? This article examines concerns reported by prospective Swedish parents in order to explain the role of communication to alleviate these. Concerns, related to the formation of new relationships with one’s partner, oneself, and one’s future child, are mitigated by referring to the couple’s “good” communication. In the present prenatal situation, the communication pattern (established in the past) seems to serve three functions in mitigating future concerns: (1) the communication generates a trust capital in the relationship, allowing the couple to venture into the uncertain future, (2) the communication makes social perceptions of family life “real” by constructing a common nomos that is internalized in the individual as an existential motto, and (3) the communication legitimizes family practices as democratic when referring to future plans as emerging from responsive and consensual dialogs. In the article it is emphasized that welfare policy needs to be based on an existential legitimacy, often developed in couple conversations, and particularly shaped in life situations characterized by change. However, the stability offered at the conversational micro level may simultaneously prevent macro level changes, a complexity that needs to be considered when developing a gender equality policy that is to resonate with people’s existential meaning making. With the aim of consensus, and the means of balancing conflicts, there is a risk that the conversation will consolidate the interests of the stronger party. In this way, the responsive conversations in long-term relationships may consolidate gender inequality and counteract the welfare policy goal of equalizing power relationships.","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141100442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-24DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1370517
Khuman Bhagirath Jetubhai
Suicide is a significant newsworthy event, and the media often cover cases involving queer individuals. However, there is a notable lack of research on the quality of reporting of queer suicide cases within the Indian context. This article aims to address the existing gap in Indian online news media by investigating the portrayal of queer suicide via content analysis. Content analysis involves qualitatively condensing and interpreting data to extract key consistencies and meanings from a plethora of qualitative material. The newspapers considered span from 2005 to 2022, with data collection conducted in 2023. The author alone identified news articles on queer suicide and conducted the subsequent content analysis. The study reveals that reporting on queer suicide tends to divide queer couples into the gender binary and describes what it deems to be careless sexual conduct driven by obsessive queer love, which, in turn, is blamed for the suicide. Moreover, these reports often do the following: feature families who refuse to accept their children’s identities, adopt dread-filled tones, and cite experts who provide incorrect information while engaging in victim blaming. As a result, the quality of queer suicide reporting in Indian newspapers is deemed substandard and offensive. To address this issue, the study proposes the need for training and curriculum updates in journalistic courses. This way, reporters can develop the skills necessary to sensitively and respectfully report on queer individuals in general and on queer suicide in particular.
{"title":"“Dressed like boys, hair trimmed, a nalla kutti otherwise”: construction of queer suicide in Indian online news media","authors":"Khuman Bhagirath Jetubhai","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1370517","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1370517","url":null,"abstract":"Suicide is a significant newsworthy event, and the media often cover cases involving queer individuals. However, there is a notable lack of research on the quality of reporting of queer suicide cases within the Indian context. This article aims to address the existing gap in Indian online news media by investigating the portrayal of queer suicide via content analysis. Content analysis involves qualitatively condensing and interpreting data to extract key consistencies and meanings from a plethora of qualitative material. The newspapers considered span from 2005 to 2022, with data collection conducted in 2023. The author alone identified news articles on queer suicide and conducted the subsequent content analysis. The study reveals that reporting on queer suicide tends to divide queer couples into the gender binary and describes what it deems to be careless sexual conduct driven by obsessive queer love, which, in turn, is blamed for the suicide. Moreover, these reports often do the following: feature families who refuse to accept their children’s identities, adopt dread-filled tones, and cite experts who provide incorrect information while engaging in victim blaming. As a result, the quality of queer suicide reporting in Indian newspapers is deemed substandard and offensive. To address this issue, the study proposes the need for training and curriculum updates in journalistic courses. This way, reporters can develop the skills necessary to sensitively and respectfully report on queer individuals in general and on queer suicide in particular.","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141098752","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-23DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1365517
Angela Genova, Simone Lombardini
COVID-19 has highlighted strengths and weaknesses in healthcare systems all over the word. Despite the differences in primary care models in Europe, this study investigates the state-of-the-art of general practitioners (GPs) before the COVID-19 pandemic spread as a result of the reform process of the previous two decades. The GPs numbers over 100,000 inhabitants has been considered as a proxy of public health investment in GPs. Is the number of GPs increased or decreased in the last 20 years of reform processes in European countries? The main hypothesis is that European healthcare systems would have increased the number of GPs coherently with WHO recommendations. Comparative data on the number of GPs per 100,000 inhabitants in 21 European countries are investigated between 1995 and 2014 (the last available data). Data show that the number of family doctors over 100,000 inhabitants in European countries has increased over the last 20 years, except for Italy, where it has strongly reduced. Primary care has had a crucial role in managing the pandemic. Results of this study suggest that a country such as Italy, which has not invested in family doctors in the last two decades, would have been less equipped to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
{"title":"General practitioners in front of COVID-19: Italy in European comparative perspective","authors":"Angela Genova, Simone Lombardini","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1365517","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1365517","url":null,"abstract":"COVID-19 has highlighted strengths and weaknesses in healthcare systems all over the word. Despite the differences in primary care models in Europe, this study investigates the state-of-the-art of general practitioners (GPs) before the COVID-19 pandemic spread as a result of the reform process of the previous two decades. The GPs numbers over 100,000 inhabitants has been considered as a proxy of public health investment in GPs. Is the number of GPs increased or decreased in the last 20 years of reform processes in European countries? The main hypothesis is that European healthcare systems would have increased the number of GPs coherently with WHO recommendations. Comparative data on the number of GPs per 100,000 inhabitants in 21 European countries are investigated between 1995 and 2014 (the last available data). Data show that the number of family doctors over 100,000 inhabitants in European countries has increased over the last 20 years, except for Italy, where it has strongly reduced. Primary care has had a crucial role in managing the pandemic. Results of this study suggest that a country such as Italy, which has not invested in family doctors in the last two decades, would have been less equipped to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141106146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-22DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1254094
S. Lawali, Seyni Boureima, Salissou Idi
Climatic variability and a decrease in soil fertility have had a detrimental effect on the productivity of the main rainfed crops in Niger (millet, sorghum, and cowpea) and led to a deterioration of the nutritional status and income of the country's farmers. The spatio-temporal variability in rainfall has led rural populations to diversify their farms by integrating sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) into their cropping systems because of its low water and fertilizer requirements. Sesame is increasingly becoming a significant source of income for farmers, and it contributes to their food and nutritional security. To boost the production of sesame and facilitate its rapid adoption, our breeding program focused on participatory breeding and varietal selection with the inclusion of gender-specific preferences, from the variety design to the evaluation of new lines on farms. This case study shows that, although women have more experience in sesame cultivation than men, they have less access to production factors such as land. This limited access is especially problematic, as recent trends in land tenure mean that the poorest are no longer able to exploit large areas of cultivable land. It also evidenced that the varietal preferences of sesame growers as well as the mastery of production techniques are a function of the livelihoods and the investment capacity of actors in the value chain. Our study found that men mainly prefer production traits, whereas women have fewer trait preferences, and their preferences tend to be related to marketing and processing. This finding highlights the contrasting roles and responsibilities between men and women in the sesame value chain. Therefore, the inclusion of complementary traits preferred by women and men, provided that they are not negatively correlated with a variety profile, will help meet the full range of needs across the value chain. We recommend the inclusion of gender research in setting breeding goals prior to variety design.
{"title":"A gender-responsive breeding approach to the intensification of sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) production in the Maradi region of Niger","authors":"S. Lawali, Seyni Boureima, Salissou Idi","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1254094","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1254094","url":null,"abstract":"Climatic variability and a decrease in soil fertility have had a detrimental effect on the productivity of the main rainfed crops in Niger (millet, sorghum, and cowpea) and led to a deterioration of the nutritional status and income of the country's farmers. The spatio-temporal variability in rainfall has led rural populations to diversify their farms by integrating sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) into their cropping systems because of its low water and fertilizer requirements. Sesame is increasingly becoming a significant source of income for farmers, and it contributes to their food and nutritional security. To boost the production of sesame and facilitate its rapid adoption, our breeding program focused on participatory breeding and varietal selection with the inclusion of gender-specific preferences, from the variety design to the evaluation of new lines on farms. This case study shows that, although women have more experience in sesame cultivation than men, they have less access to production factors such as land. This limited access is especially problematic, as recent trends in land tenure mean that the poorest are no longer able to exploit large areas of cultivable land. It also evidenced that the varietal preferences of sesame growers as well as the mastery of production techniques are a function of the livelihoods and the investment capacity of actors in the value chain. Our study found that men mainly prefer production traits, whereas women have fewer trait preferences, and their preferences tend to be related to marketing and processing. This finding highlights the contrasting roles and responsibilities between men and women in the sesame value chain. Therefore, the inclusion of complementary traits preferred by women and men, provided that they are not negatively correlated with a variety profile, will help meet the full range of needs across the value chain. We recommend the inclusion of gender research in setting breeding goals prior to variety design.","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141108470","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2024-05-22DOI: 10.3389/fsoc.2024.1388380
Jean-François Orianne, Serge Heiden, Carine Klein-Peschanski, Francis Eustache, D. Peschanski
The present study was based on empirical data collected during the first phase (2016) of Study 1000, part of the 13-November Program: a corpus of 934 individual interviews conducted 6-11 months after the events. To process this empirical material, the authors used integrated TXM software, which provides several classic textometry tools. They mainly used the lexical specificity analysis tool, which statistically measures the irregularity of the word distribution according to the parts of the corpus. They also analyzed the concordances of certain very specific lexical forms. Analysis revealed the important influence of social roles on the construction of memories and narratives of this event. Application of textometry tools highlighted lexical fields specific to the different social roles played by the interviewees in this social drama, and showed that it was through these specific vocabularies that they remembered and recounted this extraordinary story. Social roles therefore influence the formation of memories both individual and collective, by modulating the way in which individuals select what to remember and what to forget. The article opens up several interesting avenues for future analyses, mainly a longitudinal perspective (including phases 2 and 3 of Study 1000) for the study of flashbulb memories and the gender issue to fine-tune the analysis of social roles.
{"title":"Collective memories and social roles: the case of the Paris terrorist attacks of 13 November 2015","authors":"Jean-François Orianne, Serge Heiden, Carine Klein-Peschanski, Francis Eustache, D. Peschanski","doi":"10.3389/fsoc.2024.1388380","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2024.1388380","url":null,"abstract":"The present study was based on empirical data collected during the first phase (2016) of Study 1000, part of the 13-November Program: a corpus of 934 individual interviews conducted 6-11 months after the events. To process this empirical material, the authors used integrated TXM software, which provides several classic textometry tools. They mainly used the lexical specificity analysis tool, which statistically measures the irregularity of the word distribution according to the parts of the corpus. They also analyzed the concordances of certain very specific lexical forms. Analysis revealed the important influence of social roles on the construction of memories and narratives of this event. Application of textometry tools highlighted lexical fields specific to the different social roles played by the interviewees in this social drama, and showed that it was through these specific vocabularies that they remembered and recounted this extraordinary story. Social roles therefore influence the formation of memories both individual and collective, by modulating the way in which individuals select what to remember and what to forget. The article opens up several interesting avenues for future analyses, mainly a longitudinal perspective (including phases 2 and 3 of Study 1000) for the study of flashbulb memories and the gender issue to fine-tune the analysis of social roles.","PeriodicalId":36297,"journal":{"name":"Frontiers in Sociology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141111631","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}