The gender wage gap in the public and private sectors in Bangladesh

The gender wage gap is well studied in developed countries; however, recently it has generated much interest in developing countries. This thesis addresses three issues regarding the gender wage gap in Bangladesh. Firstly, it explores the wage determinants for formal public and private sector employees in Bangladesh and examines the gender pay gap. This is the first time different decomposition methods have been used to compare the sources of the gender wage gap as well as any potential discrimination effect in the formal sector of the Bangladeshi labour market. These decomposition methods are: the original Oaxaca (1973) and Blinder (1973) decomposition methods, the Neumark (1988), Cotton (1988), and Reimers (1983) methods, and the extended Oaxaca method including both the employment selection and the double selection correction in the wage equation. In addition to mentioned methods, to quantify the gender wage gap in monetary terms, a recently developed ‘simulated change’ approach by Olsen and Walby (2004) is also applied for the first time to the Bangladeshi data. By using the Labour Force Survey 2005-06, BBS (LFS 2005-06) data results show formal sector female employees earn about 32.1 per cent less than their male counterparts. Without considering the selection correction, a large range of human capital, demographic and labour market related variables are explained less than half of the total gender wage gap (21 to 46 per cent of the total wage gap) and the major part of the wage gap is unexplained (54 to 79 per cent of the total wage gap). This could partly be attributed to discrimination. Using the double selection correction method, the decomposition results changed where a small part of the wage gap was explained by the measured characteristics (only nine per cent of the total wage gap) and a major part is attributed to the discrimination and selection effect. The selection effect also reveals that exclusion of the double selection correction might lead to an overestimation of the gender wage gap in the formal sector of Bangladesh. In addition, results based on the Olsen and Walby (2004) simulation method show that, if the other characteristics of male and female employees were similar, ‘being female’ is sufficient, to generate significantly lower wages than males in the formal sector. If females in the workplace are treated as males, without considering any other endowment increases, females could increase their earnings by 4095.3 Taka1 per year. Results also indicate that not only endowment differences in human capital and work experience related variables were important, but discrimination appears to play a significant role in the total wage gap throughout the formal sector of the Bangladeshi labour market. Secondly, the study investigates whether public sector employees enjoyed a wage premium or not, compared to the private sector and whether the gender wage gap is greater in the public sector. In addition, the research considered whether there was an impact from the inclusion of the different selection correction terms in the wage equation. In Bangladesh, public sector employees have, on average, a 60 per cent wage premium over the private sector. Using both the original Oaxaca and the extended Oaxaca methods, where selection effect is partly captured by both explained and unexplained components, and using the public sector wage structure as the basis of the non-discriminatory wage structure, these methods revealed a considerably larger portion of explained (72 - 93 per cent of the total wage gap) and a smaller portion of unexplained part of the wage gap. However, if the selection correction is considered as another component of the decomposition outcome then the major portion of the total public and private sectors wage gap is justified (explained) by the effect of the selection correction and unexplained factors. Furthermore, a large part of the wage premium exists in favour of public sector female employees compared to males and the gender wage gap is lower in the public sector than the private sector. Finally, this study compares the gender wage gap of five different occupations. The gender wage gap is associated with labour market rigidities where one of the important factors is occupational segregation where females are disproportionately distributed in occupations resulting in lower earnings. The largest gender wage gap was found in agriculture, forestry, fisheries, production and transport labour jobs (56.4 per cent) and the lowest in the professional, technical administrative and managerial jobs (22.1 per cent). Substantial differences are found in the size of the endowment gap across occupations and larger variations occurred in the adjusted wage gap which varied from 21.4 per cent in sales and service occupations, to 100 per cent in professional and technical jobs (the highest). This too can be partly explained by discrimination. A reduction in the gender wage gap is expected not only to increase national income, but also to reduce poverty and lead to better outcomes for future generations. National policy should aim to reduce the gender wage gap and achieve gender wage equality in the formal sector; for example through a targeted program to remove the gender differences in education and to reduce the skill difference, with a better child care policy to encourage labour force retention and increased labour market experience for female employees, with anti-discriminatory policies and the enforcement of existing antidiscrimination policies, and a more equal distribution of males and females across occupations.

A social and gender analysis of Northern Province, Zambia: Qualitative evidence that supports the use of a gender transformative approach

A qualitative social and gender analysis was carried out in June 2015 in Luwingu and Mbala Districts in Northern Province, Zambia. The research explored the norms and power relations at various institutional levels that constrain certain social groups from benefiting from programmatic investments aimed at improving livelihoods, health status, and food and nutrition security within the Irish Aid Local Development Programme (IALDP). This technical paper provides a summary of the research findings, lessons learned and suggests options for action the IALDP could consider to help bring about gender transformative change in the lives and livelihoods of poor and vulnerable people.

DATA DRIVEN APPROACHES TO IDENTIFY DETERMINANTS OF HEART DISEASES AND CANCER RESISTANCE

Cancer and cardio-vascular diseases are the leading causes of death world-wide. Caused by systemic genetic and molecular disruptions in cells, these disorders are the manifestation of profound disturbance of normal cellular homeostasis. People suffering or at high risk for these disorders need early diagnosis and personalized therapeutic intervention. Successful implementation of such clinical measures can significantly improve global health. However, development of effective therapies is hindered by the challenges in identifying genetic and molecular determinants of the onset of diseases; and in cases where therapies already exist, the main challenge is to identify molecular determinants that drive resistance to the therapies. Due to the progress in sequencing technologies, the access to a large genome-wide biological data is now extended far beyond few experimental labs to the global research community. The unprecedented availability of the data has revolutionized the capabilities of computational researchers, enabling them to collaboratively address the long standing problems from many different perspectives. Likewise, this thesis tackles the two main public health related challenges using data driven approaches. Numerous association studies have been proposed to identify genomic variants that determine disease. However, their clinical utility remains limited due to their inability to distinguish causal variants from associated variants. In the presented thesis, we first propose a simple scheme that improves association studies in supervised fashion and has shown its applicability in identifying genomic regulatory variants associated with hypertension. Next, we propose a coupled Bayesian regression approach -- eQTeL, which leverages epigenetic data to estimate regulatory and gene interaction potential, and identifies combinations of regulatory genomic variants that explain the gene expression variance. On human heart data, eQTeL not only explains a significantly greater proportion of expression variance in samples, but also predicts gene expression more accurately than other methods. We demonstrate that eQTeL accurately detects causal regulatory SNPs by simulation, particularly those with small effect sizes. Using various functional data, we show that SNPs detected by eQTeL are enriched for allele-specific protein binding and histone modifications, which potentially disrupt binding of core cardiac transcription factors and are spatially proximal to their target. eQTeL SNPs capture a substantial proportion of genetic determinants of expression variance and we estimate that 58% of these SNPs are putatively causal. The challenge of identifying molecular determinants of cancer resistance so far could only be dealt with labor intensive and costly experimental studies, and in case of experimental drugs such studies are infeasible. Here we take a fundamentally different data driven approach to understand the evolving landscape of emerging resistance. We introduce a novel class of genetic interactions termed synthetic rescues (SR) in cancer, which denotes a functional interaction between two genes where a change in the activity of one vulnerable gene (which may be a target of a cancer drug) is lethal, but subsequently altered activity of its partner rescuer gene restores cell viability. Next we describe a comprehensive computational framework --termed INCISOR-- for identifying SR underlying cancer resistance. Applying INCISOR to mine The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), a large collection of cancer patient data, we identified the first pan-cancer SR networks, composed of interactions common to many cancer types. We experimentally test and validate a subset of these interactions involving the master regulator gene mTOR. We find that rescuer genes become increasingly activated as breast cancer progresses, testifying to pervasive ongoing rescue processes. We show that SRs can be utilized to successfully predict patients' survival and response to the majority of current cancer drugs, and importantly, for predicting the emergence of drug resistance from the initial tumor biopsy. Our analysis suggests a potential new strategy for enhancing the effectiveness of existing cancer therapies by targeting their rescuer genes to counteract resistance. The thesis provides statistical frameworks that can harness ever increasing high throughput genomic data to address challenges in determining the molecular underpinnings of hypertension, cardiovascular disease and cancer resistance. We discover novel molecular mechanistic insights that will advance the progress in early disease prevention and personalized therapeutics. Our analyses sheds light on the fundamental biological understanding of gene regulation and interaction, and opens up exciting avenues of translational applications in risk prediction and therapeutics.

A place for West Side Story (1961): Gender, race, and tragedy in Hollywood's adaptation

In 1961, three years after West Side Story premiered on Broadway, Hollywood created a highly successful film version. Although directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins strove to remain faithful to the original production in many ways, the change in medium necessitated a number of alterations, including those that conformed to the particular conventions of the Hollywood studio system. In this paper, I explore the film West Side Story as an adaptation in order to demonstrate how Hollywood’s conventions impact the show. The effects of the Production Code, the star system, and the practice of dubbing the actors all had a significant impact on the film. More than that, alterations made to Leonard Bernstein’s music coupled with cinematic techniques modify the musical’s dramatic arc while simultaneously affecting both the gendered and ethnic representations within the show. My approach within this paper takes into account how the music, lyrics, dialogue, and cinematography all work together to form a creative adaptation of West Side Story. Therefore, I combine cinematic and musical analysis in ways that have yet to be applied to this film. I take this approach in order to better understand how West Side Story reflects and even challenges the conventions and stereotypes present during the Hollywood studio era. Furthermore, this provides insight into the ways in which West Side Story fits into film history, particularly that of the movie musical.

Perceptions of climate change, environmental variability and the role of agricultural adaptation strategies by small-scale farmers in Africa: the case of Mwanga district in Northern Tanzania

Abstract The potential impacts of climate change and environmental variability are already evident in most parts of the world, which is witnessing increasing temperature rates and prolonged flood or drought conditions that affect agriculture activities and nature-dependent livelihoods. This study was conducted in Mwanga District in the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania to assess the nature and impacts of climate change and environmental variability on agriculture-dependent livelihoods and the adaptation strategies adopted by small-scale rural farmers. To attain its objective, the study employed a mixed methods approach in which both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used. The study shows that farmers are highly aware of their local environment and are conscious of the ways environmental changes affect their livelihoods. Farmers perceived that changes in climatic variables such as rainfall and temperature had occurred in their area over the period of three decades, and associated these changes with climate change and environmental variability. Farmers’ perceptions were confirmed by the evidence from rainfall and temperature data obtained from local and national weather stations, which showed that temperature and rainfall in the study area had become more variable over the past three decades. Farmers’ knowledge and perceptions of climate change vary depending on the location, age and gender of the respondents. The findings show that the farmers have limited understanding of the causes of climatic conditions and environmental variability, as some respondents associated climate change and environmental variability with social, cultural and religious factors. This study suggests that, despite the changing climatic conditions and environmental variability, farmers have developed and implemented a number of agriculture adaptation strategies that enable them to reduce their vulnerability to the changing conditions. The findings show that agriculture adaptation strategies employ both planned and autonomous adaptation strategies. However, the study shows that increasing drought conditions, rainfall variability, declining soil fertility and use of cheap farming technology are among the challenges that limit effective implementation of agriculture adaptation strategies. This study recommends further research on the varieties of drought-resilient crops, the development of small-scale irrigation schemes to reduce dependence on rain-fed agriculture, and the improvement of crop production in a given plot of land. In respect of the development of adaptation strategies, the study recommends the involvement of the local farmers and consideration of their knowledge and experience in the farming activities as well as the conditions of their local environment. Thus, the findings of this study may be helpful at various levels of decision making with regard to the development of climate change and environmental variability policies and strategies towards reducing farmers’ vulnerability to current and expected future changes.

Herbicides cross resistance of a multiple resistant short-awn foxtail ( Alopecurus aequalis Sobol.) population in wheat field

Alopecurus aequalis Sobol. is a common grass weed, which has become increasingly troublesome to control in China wheat fields. One A. aequalis population, collected from Anhui Province China, was suspected to be resistant to fenoxaprop-P-ethyl and mesosulfuron-methyl. This study aimed to establish the cross-resistance pattern using the purified subpopulation and explore the potential targetsite and non-target-site based resistance mechanisms. Sequencing results showed that a single nucleotide change of ATT to AAT was present in acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase) gene of the resistant (R) plants, resulting in an Ile2041Asn amino acid substitution. Besides, another single nucleotide change of CCC to CGC was present in acetolactate synthase (ALS) gene of the R plants, resulting in a Pro197Arg amino acid substitution. The homozygous resistant plants were isolated and the seeds were used in whole-plant herbicide bioassays. Compared with the susceptible (S) population, R population displayed high level resistance to fenoxaprop-P-ethyl and mesosulfuronmethyl. Cross resistance patterns showed that the R population was highly resistant to clodinafop-propargyl, moderately resistant to pyroxsulam and flucarbazoncsodium, lowly resistant to pinoxaden, and susceptible to tralkoxydim, sethoxydim, and isoproturon. The pretreatment of piperonyl butoxide reduced the 50% growth reduction (GR50) value of fenoxaprop-P-ethyl, suggesting that target-site resistance and non-target-site resistance mechanisms were both present in fenoxaprop- P-ethyl-resistance of A. aequalis. This is the first report of ACCase Ile2041Asn and ALS Pro197Arg mutation in A. aequalis.

Muscle fatigue resistance: comparison of Martin vigorimeter and Jamar dynamometer in community-dwelling people

Background: For the diagnosis of frailty exhaustion is a criteria currently measured by self-reported questionnaires, which are subjective and dependent on individual perception. The FR test has been developed as a bed side objective evaluation of muscle fatigue. The test was validated for the VM. However, the JD is frequently used to measure the grip strength. So the comparison of these devices is required to understand if FR is similar when measured with both devices. Methods: Fifty-four (29 female and 25 male; mean age: 39.98 ± 18.09) community-dwelling people were tested for muscle function. The Fatigue resistance (FR), which is the time during that grip strength drops to 50% of its maximum, was recorded with each device and simultaneous sEMG of the forearm muscles was obtained. The (co-)activation of agonist and antagonist muscles was calculated and compared with the differences between the performances with each device (controlling for gender and age). Results: FR was significantly better when measured with VM compared to JD. At all phases of the FR-test the antagonist muscle co-activation was significantly higher for VM compared to JD. In contrast, the agonist muscle activation level was significantly higher in JD compared to VM. When performing the FR-test with VM, both the agonist muscle activation and antagonist muscle co-activation decreased significantly (p<0.05). Whereas when using the JD, only a significant decrease in the antagonist muscle co-activation was observed. The difference in antagonist muscle activation between VM and JD was significantly related to the difference in FR between both devices. Conclusion: The results suggest that the FR-test when using the VM induces a more prominent muscle exhaustion than when using the JD, which makes the VM more suitable for measuring muscle fatigue resistance. However, these findings must be confirmed in a larger study population.

In vitro technique for selecting onion FOR white rot disease- resistance

In vitro selection is one of the most effective and efficient techniques for plant improvement. This is due to its ability to isolate plants with the desired character(s), either by applying a selection agent on the culture media to drive the selection of somaclones with the required character(s), or by establishing particular conditions that change in the genomes of somaclones toward the required character. The objective of this study was to identify a suitable protocol for in vitro selection of Allium white rot disease ( Sclerotium cepivorum ) tolerance in commercial Egyptian onion varieties, namely Giza 20, Giza 6 and Beheri Red. Oxalic acid (OA), the phytotoxin produced by Sclerotium cepivorum, was used as the selective agent. Seeds of the three Egyptian varieties were germinated on four concentrations (0.0, 0.02, 0.2, 2 and 20 mM) of Oxalic acid. Among the tested cultivars, Beheri Red had the highest germination frequency (52%) at all concentrations tested, followed by Giza 20 (42.6%), and Giza 6 at (32%). Cotyledon explants from the varieties were cultured on toxic MSBDK medium, supplemented with 0, 3, 6 and 12 mM OA. The survival of calli on MSBDK free toxic medium was 70.7% for all tested cultivars; however, MSBDK-stressed medium, with 3 mM OA reduced the viable calli to 42.1%. The highest OA concentration (12 mM) completely inhibited calli induction from cotyledons explants. A medium supplement with 3 mM OA retarded 80% of calli growth. Among 156 tested calli of Beheri Red, only 23 calli (14.7%) survived on toxic medium for 45 days. Similarly, there was 15.6% survival for Giza 20 calli, while 40.1% of the Giza 6 calli survived. Plantlets were regenerated from surviving calli and transplanted onto ex vitro, and formed bulb after acclimatisation.

Men's experiences of receiving objective feedback on physical activity and other indicators of health risk, within the context of a gender-sensitised weight loss intervention

Receiving personalised feedback on body mass index and other health risk indicators may prompt behaviour change. Few studies have investigated men’s reactions to receiving objective feedback on such measures and detailed information on physical activity and sedentary time. The aim of my research was to understand the meanings different forms of objective feedback have for overweight/obese men, and to explore whether these varied between groups. Participants took part in Football Fans in Training, a gender-sensitised, weight loss programme delivered via Scottish Professional Football Clubs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 men, purposively sampled from four clubs to investigate the experiences of men who achieved and did not achieve their 5% weight loss target. Data were analysed using the principles of thematic analysis and interpreted through Self-Determination Theory and sociological understandings of masculinity. Several factors were vital in supporting a ‘motivational climate’ in which men could feel ‘at ease’ and adopt self-regulation strategies: the ‘place’ was described as motivating, whereas the ‘people’ (other men ‘like them’; fieldwork staff; community coaches) provided supportive and facilitative roles. Men who achieved greater weight loss were more likely to describe being motivated as a consequence of receiving information on their objective health risk indicators. They continued using self-monitoring technologies after the programme as it was enjoyable; or they had redefined themselves by integrating new-found activities into their lives and no longer relied on external technologies/feedback. They were more likely to see post-programme feedback as confirmation of success, so long as they could fully interpret the information. Men who did not achieve their 5% weight loss reported no longer being motivated to continue their activity levels or self-monitor them with a pedometer. Social support within the programme appeared more important. These men were also less positive about objective post-programme feedback which confirmed their lack of success and had less utility as a motivational tool. Providing different forms of objective feedback to men within an environment that has intrinsic value (e.g. football club setting) and congruent with common cultural constructions of masculinity, appears more conducive to health behaviour change.

Gender and East Asian Welfare States: from Confucianism to Gender Equality

How can we understand the gender logic underpinning the welfare states/systems of East Asia? Does the comparative literature, which has largely been concerned with western Welfare states, whether in The Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism (Esping-Andersen 1990), or in gender-based analysis of the male breadwinner model (Lewis 1992, 2001, 2006), have anything to offer in understanding the gender assumptions underpinning East Asian welfare states? Are the welfare systems of East Asian countries distinctive, with Confucian assumptions hidden beneath the surface commitment to gender equality? We will use the (mainly western) comparative literature, but argue that Confucian influences remain important, with strong assumptions of family, market and voluntary sector responsibility rather than state responsibility, strong expectations of women’s obligations, without compensating rights, a hierarchy of gender and age, and a highly distinctive, vertical family structure, in which women are subject to parents-in-law. In rapidly changing economies, these social characteristics are changing too. But they still put powerful pressures on women to conform to expectations about care, while weakening their rights to security and support. Nowhere do welfare states’ promises bring gender equality in practice. Even in Scandinavian countries women earn less, care more, and have less power than men. We shall compare East Asian countries (Japan, Korea, Taiwan where possible) with some Western ones, to argue that some major comparative data (e.g. OECD) show the extreme situation of women in these countries. Some fine new qualitative studies give us a close insight into the experience of mothers, including lone and married mothers, which help us to understand how far the gender assumptions of welfare states are from Scandinavia’s dual earner model. There are signs of change in society as well as in economy, and room for optimism that women’s involvement in social movements and academic enquiry may be challenging Confucian gender hierarchies.

Chemical resistance of lime-based grouts for masonry strengthening

The stone masonry walls are present in many buildings and historical monuments, with undeniable asset value, but also in old buildings housing both in Portugal and in Europe. Most of these buildings in masonry are in certain cases in a high state of degradation needing urgent intervention. This requires the identification of deficiencies and the application of appropriate intervention techniques. One of the possible techniques for structural consolidation works of stone masonry walls is the injection of fluid mortars currently called grouts. The choice of grouts is very important with regard in particular to their chemical and physical properties. In this study, carried out under the Master of Chemical Engineering, two types of lime-based grouts were used, in order to evaluate and compare their chemical resistance due to the crystallization of soluble salts. One of the grouts is a pre-dosed blend commercially available, Mape-Antique I from company Mapei (CA), and the second grout is a mixture prepared in the laboratory (LB), comprising metakaolin, cement, hydrated lime, water and superplasticizer. With the purpose of evaluating the action of sulphates on these grouts, a series of samples underwent several wetting-drying cycles using two different temperatures, 20 °C and 50 °C. During the experiment it was determined the change of weight and compressive strength in the analyzed grouts, as well as the sulphate ion concentration and pH of the solution in which the samples were dipped. The commercial grout (CA) apparently has a greater chemical resistance to sulphates. However grout LB showed to have positive results in some parameters.

Faulkner revisited : narrating property, race, gender and history in William Faulkner's Go Down, Moses, Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon and Gloria Naylor's Mama Day

My thesis explores the formation of the subject in the novels of Faulkner’s Go Down, Moses, Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon, and Gloria Naylor’s Mama Day. I attach the concept of property in terms of how male protagonists are obsessed with materialistic ownership and with the subordination of women who, as properties, consolidate their manhood. The three novelists despite their racial, gendered, and literary differences share the view that identity and truth are mere social and cultural constructs. I incorporate the work of Judith Butler and other poststructuralist figures, who see identity as a matter of performance rather than a natural entity. My thesis explores the theme of freedom, which I attached to the ways characters use their bodies either to confine or to emancipate themselves from the restricting world of race, class, and gender. The three novelists deconstruct any system of belief that promulgates the objectivity of truth in historical documents. History in the three novels, as with the protagonists, perception of identity, remains a social construct laden with distortions to serve particular political or ideological agendas. My thesis gives voice to African American female characters who are associated with love and racial and gender resistance. They become the reservoirs of the African American legacy in terms of their association with the oral and intuitionist mode of knowing, which subverts the male characters’ obsession with property and with the mainstream empiricist world. In this dissertation, I use the concept of hybridity as a literary and theoretical devise that African-American writers employ. In effect, I embark on the postcolonial studies of Henry Louise Gates, Paul Gilroy, W. E. B Du Bois, James Clifford, and Arjun Appadurai in order to reflect upon the fluidity of Morrison’s and Naylor’s works. I show how these two novelists subvert Faulkner’s essentialist perception of truth, and of racial and gendered identity. They associate the myth of the Flying African with the notion of hybridity by making their male protagonists criss-cross Northern and Southern regions. I refer to Mae Gwendolyn Henderson’s article on “Speaking in Tongues” in my analysis of how Naylor subverts the patriarchal text of both Faulkner and Morrison in embarking on a more feminine version of the flying African, which she relates to an ex-slave, Sapphira Wade, a volatile female character who resists fixed claim over her story and identity. In dealing with the concept of hybridity, I show that Naylor rewrites both authors’ South by making Willow Springs a more fluid space, an assumption that unsettles the scores of critics who associate the island with authenticity and exclusive rootedness.

Traditions and contradictions of sexual function definitions for portuguese heterosexual men and women: medicalization and socially constructed gender effects

© 2015 College of Sexual and Relationship Therapists

The Issue with Issues Management: An Engagement Approach to Integrate Gender and Emotion into Issues Management

Using sexual assault on college campuses as a context for interrogating issues management, this study offers a normative model for inclusive issues management through an engagement approach that can better account for the gendered and emotional dimensions of issues. Because public relations literature and research have offered little theoretical or practical guidance for how issues managers can most effectively deal with issues such as sexual assault, this study represents a promising step forward. Results for this study were obtained through 32 in-depth interviews with university issues managers, six focus groups with student populations, and approximately 92 hours of participant observation. By focusing on inclusion, this revised model works to have utility for an array of issues that have previously fallen outside of the dominant masculine and rationale spheres that have worked to silence marginalized publics’ experiences. Through adapting previous issues management models to focus on inclusion at the heart of a strategic process, and engagement as the strategy for achieving this, this study offers a framework for ensuring more voices are heard—which enables organizations to more effectively communicate with their publics. Additionally, findings from this research may also help practitioners at different types of organizations develop better, and proactive, communication strategies for handling emotional and gendered issues as to avoid negative media attention and work to change organizational culture.

Convergence of gender roles in a globalized world: international comparison of family and gender roles

This paper examines emerging and changing gender roles in different regions of the world. Using data on 12 countries from last three ISSP Special Modules “Family and Changing Gender Roles” (1994, 2002 and 2012), we compare the evolution of gender roles about motherhood and fatherhood and its relation with the extension of women as breadwinners around the world: four Western Europe countries, representatives of different models of Welfare State (Germany, United Kingdom, Norway and Spain) plus United States, three former Soviet nations (Russia, Poland and Czech Republic), two Latin American countries (Chile and Mexico) and two Asian nations (Japan and Taiwan). Data show that family change (measured both in terms of attitudes and social practices) is spreading from Western contexts to other regions of the world, although the pace of this change varies from one country to another, depending on cultural, economic and political factors.