Gender-related symptoms and correlates of alcohol dependence among men and women with a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol use disorders

This study explored gender-related symptoms and correlates of alcohol dependence in a cross-sectional study of 150 men and 150 women with a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol use disorders (AUD). Participants were recruited in equal numbers from treatment settings, correctional centres and the general community. Standardized measures were used to determine participants' use of substances, history of psychiatric disorders and psychosocial stress, their sensation seeking and family history of substance use and mental health disorders. Multivariate analyses were used to detect patterns of variables associated with gender and the lifetime severity of AUD. Men had a longer history of severe AUD than women. Women had similar levels of alcohol dependence and medical and psychological sequelae as men, despite 6 fewer years of AUD. More women than men had a history of severe psychosocial stress, severe dependence on other substances and antecedent mental health problems, especially mood and anxiety disorders. There were differences in family history of alcohol-related problems approximating same-gender aggregation. The severity of a lifetime AUD was predicted by its earlier age at onset and the occurrence of other disorders, especially anxiety, among both men and women. The limitations in the generalizability of these findings due to sample idiosyncrasies are discussed.

Jurors' responses to expert witness testimony: The effects of gender stereotypes

The present study investigated whether the impact of expert testimony was influenced by the congruency between the gender of the expert and the gender orientation of the case. Participants (N = 62) read a trial transcript involving a price-fixing allegation in either a male or female oriented domain. Within the case, the gender of the expert was manipulated. As predicted, the impact of the expert (e.g. damage awards) was greater when the gender of the expert and domain of the case were congruent as opposed to incongruent. Results also indicated that the impact of gender-domain congruency was particularly pronounced following group discussion. In addition, there was evidence that this effect was mediated through participants' evaluations of the expert witness.

The effect of defendant gender on juror decision-making

Research investigating the role of stereotypes in jury decision-making has typically considered stereotypes as acting as peripheral cues in determin ing the credibility of experts or likelihood of guilt of defendants — with counter-stereotypic courtroom participants faring less well. The present study investigated the possibility that the extent to which courtroom participants are stereotypic can alter the mode of information processing. Students (N = 78) read a transcript of a case in which either a male or female allegedly committed an armed robbery. As predicted, the female counter-stereotypic defendant was distracting and effortful processing only occurred when the defendant was male. The male was seen as more guilty and the prosecution's case was more convincing when the prosecution had a strong, but not weak, case. There were no effects of case strength for the female defendant. Results are discussed in terms of the role of stereotypes in the jury decision-making.

The impact of expert testimony on jurors' decisions: Gender of the expert and testimony complexity

The present study investigated whether people used the gender of an expert witness as a heuristic cue to evaluate the evidence presented by the expert. Specifically, the gender of the expert and the complexity of the expert's testimony (low, high) were varied systematically within a simulated civil trial involving an antitrust price-fixing agreement. It was expected that the male expert would be more persuasive than the female expert, but only when the testimony presented was complex. As predicted, this interaction was revealed across a range of dependent measures. Somewhat unexpected was the finding of a female expert advantage in the low-complexity condition. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Gender differences in work satisfaction

This paper explores differences between men and women in levels of work satisfaction, employing data from the Australian component of the International Project on Class Structure and Class Consciousness. While moment tend to be concentrated in low-status, low-paid positions, that is the secondary labour market, the data suggest that, in general, they are more satisfied with paid employment than men. Employment constraints are found to be a key factor in the observed differences in levels of work satisfaction. For both groups, however, it is clear that work satisfaction derives primarily from work-related factors.

Labour flexibility and gender in the service sector: A study of employment practices in law and accounting firms

In seeking to increase the flexibility of their use of employee time, employers can pursue strategies based on the employment of casual and part-time workers (numerical flexibility) or strategies based on ad hoc variation of the working hours of permanent employees (working time flexibility). Patterns of flexibility strategies and their implications are examined in the context of a highly feminised sector of work-clerical and administrative employment in law and accounting firms. We consider whether, as is often assumed, working time flexibility strategies are generally better for employees because they avoid the substitution of core, high quality jobs with the peripheral, relatively insecure employment often associated with casualisation. Analysing data drawn from a survey of law and accounting firms, we argue that there are three distinct flexibility strategies adopted by employers, and that the choice of strategy is influenced by the size of the firm and the extent of feminisation. The quality of employment conditions associated with each strategy is investigated through an analysis of the determinants of training provision for clerical and administrative workers. Rather than an expected simple linear relationship between increasing casualisation and decreasing training provision, we find that firm size and feminisation are implicated. Larger firms that tend to employ at least some men and use a combination of working time and numerical flexibility strategies tend to provide more training than the small, more fully feminised firms that tend to opt for either casualisation or working time flexibility strategies. This suggests that, from an employee perspective, working time flexibility may not be as benevolent as is often thought.