(De)colonization through topophilia: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’s life and work in Florida

(De)colonization Through Topophilia: Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings’s Life and Work in Florida attempts to reveal the author’s intimate connection to and mental growth through her place, namely the Cross Creek environs, and its subsequent effect on her writing. In 1928, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and her first husband Charles Rawlings came to Cross Creek, Florida. They bought the shabby farmhouse on Cross Creek Road, trying to be both, writers and farmers. However, while Charles Rawlings was unable to write in the backwoods of the Florida Interior, Rawlings found her literary voice and entered a symbiotic, reciprocal relationship with the natural world of the Cracker frontier. Her biographical preconditions – a childhood spent in the rural area of Rock Creek, outside of Washington D. C. - and a father who had instilled in her a sense of place or topophilia, enabled her to overcome severe marriage tensions and the hostile climate women writers faced during the Depression era. Nature as a helping ally and as an “undomesticated”(1) space/place is a recurrent motif throughout most of Rawlings’s Florida literature. At a time when writing the American landscape/documentary and the extraction of the self from texts was the prevalent literary genre, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings inscribed herself into her texts. However, she knew that the American public was not yet ready for a ‘feminist revolt’, but was receptive of the longtime ‘inaudible’ voices from America’s regions, especially with regard to urban poverty and a homeward yearning during the Depression years. Fusing with the dynamic eco-consciousness of her Cracker friends and neighbors, Rawlings wrote in the literary category of regionalism enabling her to pursue three of her major aims: an individuated self, a self that assimilated with the ‘master narratives’ of her time and the recognition of the Florida Cracker and Scrub region. The first part of this dissertation briefly introduces the largely unknown and underestimated writer Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, providing background information on her younger years, the relationship toward her family and other influential persons in her life. Furthermore, it takes a closer look at the literary category of regionalism and Rawlings’s use of ‘place’ in her writings. The second part is concerned with the ‘region’ itself, the state of Florida. It focuses on the natural peculiarities of the state’s Interior, the scrub and hammock land around her Cracker hamlet as well as the unique culture of the Florida Cracker. Part IV is concerned with the analysis of her four Florida books. The author is still widely related to the ever-popular novel The Yearling (1938). South Moon Under (1933) and Golden Apples (1935), her first two novels, have not been frequently republished and have subsequently fallen into oblivion. Cross Creek (1942), Rawlings’s last Florida book, however, has recently gained renewed popularity through its use in classes on nature writers and the non-fiction essay but it requires and is here re-evaluated as the author’s (relational) autobiography. The analysis through place is brought to completion in this work and seems to intentionally close the circle of Rawlings’s Florida writings. It exemplifies once more that detachment from place is impossible for Rawlings and that the intermingling of life and place in literature, is essential for the (re)creation of her identity. Cross Creek is therefore not only one of Rawlings’s greatest achievements; it is more importantly the key to understanding the author’s self and her fiction. Through the ‘natural’ interrelationship of place and self and by looking “mutually outward and inward,”(2) Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings finds her literary voice, a home and ‘a room of her own’ in which to write and come to consciousness. Her Florida literature is not only product but also medium and process in her assessment of her identity and self. _____________ (1) Alaimo, Stacy. Undomesticated Ground: Recasting Nature as Feminist Space (Ithaca: Cornell UP, 2000) 23. (2) Libby, Brooke. “Nature Writing as Refuge: Autobiography in the Natural World” Reading Under the Sign of Nature. New Essays in Ecocriticism. Ed. John Tallmadge and Henry Harrington. (Salt Lake City: The U of Utah P, 2000) 200.

The dual impact of gender and the influence of timing of parenthood on men’s and women’s career development: Longitudinal findings

This study investigated the impact of gender, the gender-related self-concept (agency and communion), and the timing of parenthood on objective career success of 1,015 highly educated professionals. Hypotheses derived from a dual-impact model of gender and career-related processes were tested in a 5-wave longitudinal study over a time span of 10 years starting with participants’ career entry. In line with our hypotheses we found that the communal component of the gender self-concept had an impact on parenthood, and the agentic component influenced work hours and objective career success (salary, status) of both women and men. Parenthood had a negative direct influence on women’s work hours and a negative indirect influence on women’s objective career success. Women who had their first child around career entry were relatively least successful over the observation period. Men’s career success was independent of parenthood. Sixty-five percent of variance in women’s career success and 33% of variance in men’s career success was explained by the factors analyzed here. Mothers with partners working full time reduced their work hours more than mothers with partners not working full time. A test for a possible reverse influence of career success on the decision to become a parent revealed no effect for men and equivocal effects for women. We conclude that the transition to parenthood still is a crucial factor for women’s career development both from an external gender perspective (expectations, gender roles) and from an internal perspective (gender-related self-concept).

Prevalence and risk factors of asthma and work -related asthma among U.S. adults: Data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988--1994

This cross-sectional analysis of the data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was conducted to determine the prevalence and determinants of asthma and wheezing among US adults, and to identify the occupations and industries at high risk of developing work-related asthma and work-related wheezing. Separate logistic models were developed for physician-diagnosed asthma (MD asthma), wheezing in the previous 12 months (wheezing), work-related asthma and work-related wheezing. Major risk factors including demographic, socioeconomic, indoor air quality, allergy, and other characteristics were analyzed. The prevalence of lifetime MD asthma was 7.7% and the prevalence of wheezing was 17.2%. Mexican-Americans exhibited the lowest prevalence of MD asthma (4.8%; 95% confidence interval (CI): 4.2, 5.4) when compared to other race-ethnic groups. The prevalence of MD asthma or wheezing did not vary by gender. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that Mexican-Americans were less likely to develop MD asthma (adjusted odds ratio (ORa) = 0.64, 95%CI: 0.45, 0.90) and wheezing (ORa = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.44, 0.69) when compared to non-Hispanic whites. Low education level, current and past smoking status, pet ownership, lifetime diagnosis of physician-diagnosed hay fever and obesity were all significantly associated with MD asthma and wheezing. No significant effect of indoor air pollutants on asthma and wheezing was observed in this study. The prevalence of work-related asthma was 3.70% (95%CI: 2.88, 4.52) and the prevalence of work-related wheezing was 11.46% (95%CI: 9.87, 13.05). The major occupations identified at risk of developing work-related asthma and wheezing were cleaners; farm and agriculture related occupations; entertainment related occupations; protective service occupations; construction; mechanics and repairers; textile; fabricators and assemblers; other transportation and material moving occupations; freight, stock and material movers; motor vehicle operators; and equipment cleaners. The population attributable risk for work-related asthma and wheeze were 26% and 27% respectively. The major industries identified at risk of work-related asthma and wheeze include entertainment related industry; agriculture, forestry and fishing; construction; electrical machinery; repair services; and lodging places. The population attributable risk for work-related asthma was 36.5% and work-related wheezing was 28.5% for industries. Asthma remains an important public health issue in the US and in the other regions of the world. ^

Speech Signals Feature Extraction Model for a Speaker’s Gender and Age Identification System

Durante el proceso de producción de voz, los factores anatómicos, fisiológicos o psicosociales del individuo modifican los órganos resonadores, imprimiendo en la voz características particulares. Los sistemas ASR tratan de encontrar los matices característicos de una voz y asociarlos a un individuo o grupo. La edad y sexo de un hablante son factores intrínsecos que están presentes en la voz. Este trabajo intenta diferenciar esas características, aislarlas y usarlas para detectar el género y la edad de un hablante. Para dicho fin, se ha realizado el estudio y análisis de las características basadas en el pulso glótico y el tracto vocal, evitando usar técnicas clásicas (como pitch y sus derivados) debido a las restricciones propias de dichas técnicas. Los resultados finales de nuestro estudio alcanzan casi un 100% en reconocimiento de género mientras en la tarea de reconocimiento de edad el reconocimiento se encuentra alrededor del 80%. Parece ser que la voz queda afectada por el género del hablante y las hormonas, aunque no se aprecie en la audición. ABSTRACT Particular elements of the voice are printed during the speech production process and are related to anatomical and physiological factors of the phonatory system or psychosocial factors acquired by the speaker. ASR systems attempt to find those peculiar nuances of a voice and associate them to an individual or a group. Age and gender are inherent factors to the speaker which may be represented in voice. This work attempts to differentiate those characteristics, isolate them and use them to detect speaker’s gender and age. Features based on glottal pulse and vocal tract are studied and analyzed in order to achieve good results in both tasks. Classical methodologies (such as pitch and derivates) are avoided since the requirements of those techniques may be too restrictive. The final scores achieve almost 100% in gender recognition whereas in age recognition those scores are around 80%. Factors related to the gender and hormones seem to affect the voice although they are not audible.

Gender and health inequalities: intersections with other relevant axes of oppression

The risk of disease, disability, and mortality as well as access to health services are unfairly distributed among the population, with certain groups bearing an unequally larger burden of ill health and poorer access to care due to gender, sexual identity/orientation, ethnic background, or class. According to the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH), these health inequalities emanate from socioeconomic and political factors (governance, cultural values, macroeconomic policies), which generate a set of socioeconomic positions in society according to which populations are stratified based on gender, ethnicity, education, income, or other factors. These societal inequalities influence people’s material and psychosocial circumstances as well as behavioral and biological factors, which in turn impact on health inequalities. Tackling gender, race/ethnic, and socioeconomic inequalities in society is thus recognized as the most powerful action to cope with unequal health risks distribution, and social innovations focusing on these ‘root causes’ are needed in order to prevent and stop endemic social inequalities and social exclusion in health within low-income as well as high-income countries. Increasing existing knowledge and making visible the health status of the most vulnerable and invisible groups are critical in order to contribute to this imperative challenge.

Gender and feminine Identities - women as managers in a UK academic institution

The paper considers gender identities in higher education. It examines how people involved in university life engage in (re)creating gender identities and in (re)producing gender-related expectations (and stereotypes) of managerial behaviour. The process of construction of feminine identities is explored through the discourses of academics from a UK university (mainly women who hold managerial positions). The paper reports findings from a series of in-depth interviews with women managers (dean, associate deans and heads of departments) and with university academics (men and women) from a Business School, part of a large British new university. The school was of special interest because women held the majority of senior managerial posts. It appears that the process of construction of femininities is mainly developed around four (stereo-)typical aspects generally associated with feminine management practices (multi-tasking, supporting and nurturing, people and communication skills, and team-work).

The effect of age, gender and driver status on pedestrians' intentions to cross the road in risky situations

The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) has been used successfully in the past to account for pedestrians' intentions to cross the road in risky situations. However, accident statistics show age and gender differences in the likelihood of adult pedestrian accidents. This study extends earlier work by examining the relative importance of the model components as predictors of intention to cross for four different adult age groups, men, women, drivers and nondrivers. The groups did not differ in the extent to which they differentiated between two situations of varying perceived risk. The model fit was good, but accounted for less of the variance in intention for the youngest group (17-24) than for other age groups. Differences between the age groups in intention to cross seemed to be due to differences in perceived value of crossing rather than differences in perceived risk. Women were less likely to intend to cross than men and perceived more risk, and there were important age, gender and driver status differences in the importance of the TPB variables as predictors of intention. A key implication of these findings is that road safety interventions need to be designed differently for different groups. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"Girls Who Do Boys Like They’re Girls": gender and call centre’s junior management

This paper focuses on the structuring of work and organization by exploring the hierarchical and gendered nature of the division of labour within a contemporary service-based organization. Central to our account is the role of the ‘team leader’, which we argue, as a junior management position, occupies a key role in understanding and accounting for the gendered hierarchical terrain of the organization. In exploring the role of team leaders, a position that empirically, tends overwhelming to be held by female members of staff, we draw attention to the perception of the gendered nature of the role by subordinate members of the organization, team-leaders themselves, and more senior members of staff. The specific constitution and character of the team leader position is brought into sharp relief through comparison with the subordinate role of ‘problem manager’, a position which was overwhelming held by men. Our ethnographic approach attempts to draw attention to that which is both ‘said’ and ‘done’ within the organizational context and the account of junior managers that emerges is highly gendered. The paper seeks to map this account onto the existing and on-going debate within Gender and Organizational research, which explores, documents and challenges Masculinities at work.

The influence of gender and ethnic diversity on team effectiveness

Organizations are becoming increasingly diverse as a growing number of women and ethnic minorities enter the workforce. Understanding the influence of diversity is particularly important for organizations that rely on team-based work structures, where individuals must engage in face-to-face interactions more frequently than in other organizational settings. The purpose of this research was to examine the effects of gender and ethnic diversity on team member interactions when performing a highly interdependent task that is both cognitively and behaviorally challenging. Participants were composed of 264 undergraduate students who enrolled in psychology courses at Florida International University and formed 66, 4-person teams. Teams participated in a low fidelity F-22 flight simulation consisting of two aircraft that had to interact in order to be successful. A 2 x 2 design was utilized in which the gender and ethnicity composition of each team was manipulated to form four experimental conditions (same gender/same ethnicity, same gender/mixed ethnicity, mixed gender/same ethnicity, mixed gender/mixed ethnicity). Both ethnic and gender homogeneity in teams resulted in increased interpersonal cohesion. Moreover, coordination fully mediated the relationship between interpersonal cohesion and team performance. Higher levels of interpersonal cohesion enhanced coordination between team members, which ultimately improved performance. Implications of these findings are discussed, as are limitations of the study and suggestions for future research. ^

Through the prisms of gender and power: Agency in international courtship between Colombian women and American men

Since 1999 Colombia has experienced dramatic increases in emigration, particularly the emigration of women towards the U.S. as fiancées of U.S. citizens or residents. Parallel to this trend is the increased number of websites facilitating these Colombian-American matches. This dissertation investigates the agency of Colombian women and American men who pursue romantic courtship through the services of International Marriage Brokers (IMBs) from the “Gendered Geographies of Power” (GGP) framework of analysis. It examines how both groups’ social locations, their positioning in multiple axes of differentiation including gender, nationality and social class, affects how and why they exert their agency across and within different geographic scales. Most importantly, it investigates the role the imagination plays (imagination work) in both men and women’s agency, an aspect of the GGP framework that has been under-researched and theorized to date. The research also finds that this imagination work is promoted and cultivated in deeply gendered ways by IMBs seeking to profit off this transnational courtship. ^ Employing data collected via interviews and content analysis of IMBs’ websites, the dissertation analyzes comparatively the expectations each group (women, men and IMBs) bring to their imagination work and experiences of the courtship marketplace. A central question posed and answered in the dissertation is “What do women and men courting each other in cyberspace seek and do they find it?” The dissertation finds that the men seek “traditional” women and the women seek “liberated” less “macho” men. Ironically, the men find Colombian women who are among the most “liberated” women in their homeland but who downplay this aspect of themselves in order to strategically find a more modern man and migrate abroad where they expect to find greater personal and professional opportunities.^

Imah on the bimah: Gender and the roles of Latin American Conservative congregational rabinas

The aim of this research is to analyze the impact of gender on the work of Latin American rabinas within Conservative congregations in Latin America. The fact that women’s roles in Latin America and in Judaism have been traditionally linked to nurturing and caring serves as the point of departure for my hypothesis, which is that the role rabinas play within their congregations is also linked to those traits. In this research I utilize a social scientific approach and qualitative methodology, conducting personal interviews with the rabinas. While this work proves that Conservative congregations in Latin America are gendered, my research demonstrates that this gendered division of labor does not have a negative impact on the work of rabinas. On the contrary, by embracing attributes of womanhood and motherhood rabinas become imah (mother) on the bimah (pulpit), educating, caring, and nurturing their congregations in a special and unique way.^

Influence of gender and life stressors on longitudinal depression treatment outcomes among older primary care patients

Purpose: Depression in older females is a significant and growing problem. Females who experience life stressors across the life span are at higher risk for developing problems with depression than their male counterparts. The primary aim of this study was (a) to examine gender-specific differences in the correlates of depression in older primary care patients based on baseline and longitudinal analyses; and (b) to examine the longitudinal effect of biopsychosocial risk factors on depression treatment outcomes in different models of behavioral healthcare (i.e., integrated care and enhanced referral). Method: This study used a quantitative secondary data analysis with longitudinal data from the Primary Care Research in Substance Abuse and Mental Health for Elderly (PRISM-E) study. A linear mixed model approach to hierarchical linear modeling was used for analysis using baseline assessment, and follow-up from three-month and six-month. Results: For participants diagnosed with major depressive disorder female gender was associated with increased depression severity at six-month compared to males at six-month. Further, the interaction between gender and life stressors found that females who reported loss of family and friends, family issues, money issues, medical illness was related to higher depression severity compared to males whereas lack of activities was related to lower depression severity among females compared to males. Conclusion: These findings suggest that gender moderated the relationship between specific life stressors and depression severity similar to how a protective factor can impact a person's response to a problem and reduce the negative impact of a risk factor on a problem outcome. Therefore, life stressors may be a reliable predictor of depression for both females and males in either behavioral health treatment model. This study concluded that life stressors influence males basic comfort, stability, and survival whereas life stressors influence females' development, personal growth, and happiness; therefore, life stressors may be a useful component to include in gender-based screening and assessment tools for depression. ^