Free and fragmenting filling length

The filling length of an edge-circuit η in the Cayley 2-complex of a finite presentation of a group is the minimal integer length L such that there is a combinatorial null-homotopy of η down to a base point through loops of length at most L. We introduce similar notions in which the full-homotopy is not required to fix a base point, and in which the contracting loop is allowed to bifurcate. We exhibit a group in which the resulting filling invariants exhibit dramatically different behaviour to the standard notion of filling length. We also define the corresponding filling invariants for Riemannian manifolds and translate our results to this setting.

The impact of labour market status on second and higher-order births. A comparative study of Denmark, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom

This paper investigates the effects of women‘s labour force participation on fertility, as well as the effects of the combined labour force participation of both members of a couple. It specifically focuses on such dimensions as unemployment, earnings, temporary contracts and part-time jobs, and it shows that their effects differ in accordance with national institutions and labour market regulations. Event-history methods and a longitudinal sample of the European Community Household Panel are used in the analyses, concerning the years 1993-2000. The results show that labour market insecurity of one or both members of a couple has a particularly strong impact in reducing birth rates in the Southern European countries studied. The more conventional model of men’s employment combined with housewifery has a positive impact on second or higher order births in United Kingdom, Spain and Italy, while in Denmark the effect is the opposite. These differences are consistent with different national models of combining parental responsibilities and participation by gender across the life course.

La perspectiva de genere: una nova mirada a la realitat social

La realitatdel fenomen que hem anomenat violencia de genere ha convertit el terme genere, concepte acade mic que ne ix de les teories femin istes dins de les ciencies socials. en un terme mediatic, que ha passat a formar part delllenguatge comú, tot i que sovint no s ' ha utilitzat de forma molt adequada. Aquest article pretén, d' una banda, analitzar el genere com un dels eixos estructuradors de les desigualtats en la nostrara societat, clarificant el mateix concepte en el marc teoric de les ciencies socials i, de l' altra, plantejar-Io com una perspectiva d' analisi de la realitat social; una nova mirada que cal tenir en compte, també, en el moment de dissenyar les intervencions en el camp socioeducatiu.