Examining representations of women's leadership in the media and Australian universities

Examines how diverse academic women educational leaders experienced and negotiated media representations of leadership in their work. The thesis argues that feminist leadership analyses assume a commonality of women's interests, ignoring the diversity, which exists between different groups of women and the material impact of diversity upon female leaders' work.

Australian women learning information technology skills in the workplace

This thesis investigated gender, learning and equity within the context of women learning IT skills in Australian workplaces. The research identified women's training needs and responses when attending IT classes and found that many women in the workplace grapple with issues of social conditioning predicated on common perceptions of IT being aligned with a masculine culture.

Explaining the recent increase in numbers of CRC women pastors

This thesis concluded the increase in the number of women pastors in the CRC, from six in 1990 to sixty eight in 2005, is best attributed to: the recognition of the role of the pastor's wife; the external and internal pressures upon the denomination and; the influence of second-wave feminism.

A narrative study of migrant women and Australian law

This thesis found that the migrant women it studied experienced everyday, discrimination-related hardships and legal problems which the law only partially resolved. It concluded that discrimination was an invisible issue with serious personal consequences for these migrant women.

Socio-economic explanators of mental morbidity differences between Australian men and women

This study aimed to investigate differences in reporting rates for mental morbidity between Australian men and women aged 25-54. Data for the study was obtained from the 1983 Australian Health Survey.

Australian women artists and domesticity in the twentieth century

The professionalism of women artists around the turn of the century coincided with the growing expectation that female members of the family should do the housework formerly done by domestic servants. The Women's Art Register was the research base for the compilation of a twentieth century history of Australian women artists and their attitude towards domesticity and housework. The authors work as located within this artistic tradition is also discussed.

Why is type 2 diabetes such a serious risk factor for coronary heart disease in women?

Women with type 2 diabetes were found to display an altered distribution of body fat, higher resistance to the action of insulin, highly increased levels of tryglycerides and significant elevations in the level of plasminogen activator inhibiter. Concludes that interventions which enhance the action of insulin, such as exercise or drug therapy, should lower the risk of coronary heart disease in these women.

Circle of women : an indepth study of the spirituality and ceremony of a group of white Australian women

Explores the spirituality of some white, rural, Australian women, and includes their experience of ceremony as part of their shared spiritual practice. The women's self-identification, relationship with divinity, the land and their bodies are documented, together with their experience of ceremony and its power.

Papers from Marrakech : a post-colonial reading of western women's travel writing in North Africa and the Middle East

This thesis takes the form of a collection of theoretical and fictional documents comprising a journal, letters and essays sent home to Australia by a woman travelling in Morocco. In different modes, these papers examine issues of colonialism, gender and desire in western women's travel writing about North Africa and the Middle East.

Older women and sternotomy

Explores the experiences of older women having a sternotomy incision following cardiac surgery. Older women account for a large proportion of patients undergoing cardiac surgery each year in Australia. The context from which they face cardiac surgery is unlike that of men and of younger women, and there has been limited exploration of their experiences.

Travel undertaken by women accessing private Victorian pregnancy termination services

Objective: To investigate the extent and cost of travel undertaken by women accessing Victorian termination of pregnancy services.

Design, setting and participants: This was a multi-centre, cross-sectional observational study of women receiving privately funded pregnancy termination services, conducted between November 2002 and June 2003 at eight major pregnancy termination service providers in Victoria.

Main outcome measures: Distance travelled, money and time expended undertaking travel, and reasons women chose particular clinics.

Results: Of the 1,244 Australian resident respondents who resided in Victoria, 9.3% travelled more than 100 km to access services. Teenagers were 2.5 times more likely than other respondents to travel further than 100 kilometres (km) (18.2% compared with 7.8%, OR=2.5, 95% CI 1.5-4.2, p<0.001). Women originated from all Australian States and Territories except South Australia and 13.7% were from Statistical Divisions other than Melbourne. More than one-third of respondents (41.3%) chose their clinic because they were referred by a doctor or general practitioner.

Conclusion: Many pregnancy termination patients face substantial and immediate costs beyond the service fee, as well as the diffculties associated with poor continuity of care and signifcant time away from home. Patients and service providers should be consulted further to determine appropriate clinical services, support services and subsidy schemes for the sizeable proportion of patients who undertake long-distance travel to access pregnancy termination services.

Attracting women to computing : a framework for evaluating intervention programmes

The lack of women in the computing industry in Australia, and in many western countries, is a problem that has been recognised by academics, the industry and governments. Over the last 20 years there have been many attempts to redress this gender imbalance via intervention programs aimed at increasing female participation in computing education and ultimately the computing profession. However statistics show no improvement in the rate of participation of females in this industry and anecdotal evidence suggests that these intervention programmes have not been as successful or effective as was anticipated. Evaluation could determine the effectiveness of such programmes yet only limited evaluations appear in the literature about intervention programmes established to encourage females in computing. This research sought to investigate how these types of intervention programmes should be evaluated.

Waist circumference has heterogeneous impact on development of diabetes in different populations : Longitudinal comparative study between Australia and Iran

Aims : Comparing waist circumference (WC) role in diabetes risk prediction and diagnosis of metabolic syndrome (MS) in different populations.

Methods : Population-based samples from Australia (n = 9026) and Iran (n = 8259) were studied in 2000 and followed for 4 years. Follow-up attendance was 58% and mean age was 51 vs. 47. Pearson correlations calculated between WC and other MS components. ROC for the role of WC in the prediction of incident diabetes was used.

Results : Prevalences of MS (48% vs. 28%), an increased WC (58.5% vs. 54.5%), low HDL-C (35% vs. 11.2%), high triglyceride (52.2% vs. 29.6%) were significantly higher in Iran. Fasting glucose ≥5.6 mmol/L was higher in Australia (26% vs. 23%). Hypertension was no different (38%). Pearson correlations between WC and other MS components were stronger in Australians: FPG (0.32 vs. 0.2), HDL (0.47 vs. 0.16), TG (0.38 vs. 0.30) and SBP (0.38 vs. 0.36). Among women, area under ROC curve for WC as a predictor for diabetes was significantly higher for Australians (0.76 vs. 0.68, p < 0.001) with no difference among men (0.69 vs. 0.71, p = 0.4).

Conclusion : WC was more strongly related to other components of MS in Australia. Association between WC and MS or incident diabetes varies between ethnicities.

Individual, social and environmental correlates of physical activity among women living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods

Women living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods are at heightened risk for physical inactivity, but little is known about the correlates of physical activity among this group. Using a social-ecological framework, this study aimed to determine the individual, social and neighbourhood environmental correlates of physical activity amongst women living in such neighbourhoods. During 2007–2008 women (n = 4108) aged 18–45 years randomly selected from urban and rural neighbourhoods of low socioeconomic status in Victoria, Australia completed the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (long). They reported on individual (self-efficacy, enjoyment, intentions, outcome expectancies, skills), social (childcare, social support from family and friends/colleagues, dog ownership) and neighbourhood environmental (neighbourhood cohesion, aesthetics, personal safety, ‘walking environment’) factors. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine the odds of increasing categories of leisure time physical activity (LTPA) and transport-related physical activity (TRPA) for each individual, social and environmental factor. In partially adjusted analyses, all individual, social and environmental variables were positively associated with LTPA, while all individual factors, family and friend support and the walking environment were positively associated with TRPA. In fully adjusted multivariable models, all individual and social factors remained significantly associated with LTPA, while self-efficacy, enjoyment, intentions, social support, and neighbourhood ‘walking environment’ variables remained significantly associated with TRPA. In conclusion, individual and social factors were most important for LTPA, while individual, social and neighbourhood environmental factors were all associated with TRPA. Acknowledging the cross-sectional design, the findings highlight the importance of different levels of potential influence on physical activity in different domains, which should be considered when developing strategies to promote physical activity amongst women living in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods.