Donald W. Hastings

Reasons for Participating in a Serious Leisure Career: Comparison of Canadian and U.S. Masters Swimmers

For Canadian and United States Masters swimmers we examined how career contingencies (age, sex, familial status, and stage of swimming experience) were linked to benefits derived (personal and social rewards - importance of reasons for participation) from their pursuit of this serious leisure sport career. From questionnaire data on convenience samples of Masters swimmers, Canadian (337) and U.S. (363), we identified reasons for adult participation in competitive swimming, measured the relative importance of reasons, and ascertained whether the relative importance of reasons varied by age, sex, familial roles, or swimming experience. A factor analysis of 25 reason statements extracted six factors (sociability, achievement, fitness, skill development, enjoyment, and tension release). A series of regression models specified which career contingency variables were linked to each reason and whether differences existed across samples. In sum, Canadian and U.S. swimmers generally endorsed similar reasons for participation. U.S. swimmers assigned greater importance than Canadians to achievement, fitness, and tension release. For the career contingencies: fitness, sociability, and enjoyment were important to females; all ages viewed fitness, achievement, skill development and sociability as important; and stage of swimming experience was linked to relative importance assigned to skill development and achievement.

Drowning in Inequalities Swimming and Social Justice

The authors argue that age, sex, and racial differentials in swimming participation are conditioned by the availability of swimming infrastructure and the principle of social exclusivity that limits access of lower status groupings, even where pools and programs are available. In turn, the authors argue that participation in swimming and where that activity occurs (pool versus open water) affect life chances (accidental drowning rates) across status groups. Multiple data sources were used to operationalize measures of swimming participation, social exclusivity, conditions associated with the development of swimming infrastructure, risk for a place to drown, and age, sex, and racial accidental drowning and submersion rates. Given that some progress has been made toward lessening social exclusivity with lower status groups now participating in many sports, and the under-reporting of deaths from accidental drowning and submersion, the authors believe that the confirmation of their hypotheses is conservative.

Effects of parental church attendance, current family status, and religious salience on church attendance

Using data from the General Social Survey we find that when predicting respondents church attendance, salience of religion is more important than parental attendance, marriage, or children. The findings are a result of an analysis of church attendance beginning with parental attendance, then adding marriage and children, and finally adding salience. Our conclusion is that church attendance is more a function of current social location than social history. Theoretically and practically. the conclusion is that churches would do better trying to recruit friends of parishioners rather than children of loyal members.

THE ROLE OF COLLECTIVE IDENTITY IN INHIBITING MOBILIZATION: SOLIDARITY AND SUPPRESSION IN OAK RIDGE

On the basis of documents and in-depth interviews with 80 residents of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, we analyzed the lack of collective mobilization against documented environmental problems. Collective identity is a central concept in new social movement theory and is seen as a major determinant of collective action. We borrowed the concept but examined the converse. Individual activism has consistently emerged in Oak Ridge without the development of the collective processes that mark mobilization. We examined the establishment of a special collective identity for the community in Oak Ridge, then analyzed the role of collective identity in the suppression of health grievances through heightened saliency, consciousness, and opposition to activism.On the basis of documents and in-depth interviews with 80 residents of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, we analyzed the lack of collective mobilization against documented environmental problems. Collective identity is a central concept in new social movement theory and is seen as a major determinant of collective action. We borrowed the concept but examined the converse. Individual activism has consistently emerged in Oak Ridge without the development of the collective processes that mark mobilization. We examined the establishment of a special collective identity for the community in Oak Ridge, then analyzed the role of collective identity in the suppression of health grievances through heightened saliency, consciousness, and opposition to activism.

Incidence of childlessness for United States women cohorts born 1891-1945.

By following Ryders technique for analyzing trends in fertility across cohorts and modifying his technique through the computation of zero parities for cohorts by individual years as well as updating his data series cohort estimates of childlessness can be obtained. This paper follows this strategy and addresses 3 questions: What changes have occurred over time across cohorts in the levels of childlessness among women who have reached age fifty? What shifts have transpired over time in cohort specific age specific levels of childlessness? What comparison can be made between measures of childlessness as reported from period data and the estimates of childlessness derived herein from cohort data? (authors)By following Ryders technique for analyzing trends in fertility across cohorts and modifying his technique through the computation of zero parities for cohorts by individual years as well as updating his data series cohort estimates of childlessness can be obtained. This paper follows this strategy and addresses 3 questions: What changes have occurred over time across cohorts in the levels of childlessness among women who have reached age fifty? What shifts have transpired over time in cohort specific age specific levels of childlessness? What comparison can be made between measures of childlessness as reported from period data and the estimates of childlessness derived herein from cohort data? (authors)

THE GLOBALIZATION OF A MINOR SPORT: THE DIFFUSION AND COMMODIFICATION OF MASTERS SWIMMING

ABSTRACT We examine the global spread of Masters Swimming (MS) focusing on the economic, social, and demographic conditions associated with its initiation in the United States and its international growth. We characterize MS as a modern sport and look at its subcultural form, organizational structure, practices, and early pattern of organizational growth from bottom to top. Then we describe the top down role of La Federation Internationale de Natation Amateur (FINA) in supplying legitimacy, resources, organizational coherence, and corporate sponsors to spread the sport among FINA members. By establishing mutually beneficial relations with corporate sponsors, MS rapidly commodified and diffused to countries and territories with middle to high socio-economic development.

Open and closed birth intervals for once-married spouse-present white women

Using the 1970 1/1,000 Public Use Sample of the U.S. population, the relationships of the closed and open birth intervals with parity and mother’s age, with parity and marital duration and with children ever born/marital duration and mother’s age are analyzed. These findings both replicate and expand on Srinivasan’s earlier research on the open interval. The open interval is more sensitive as an index of marital fertility when marital duration and parity are controlled than when mother’s age and parity are controlled.

Rationality, Inequity, and Civic Vitality: The Distribution of Treatment, Storage, and Disposal Facilities in the Southeast

This study examines the distribution of commercial treatment, storage, and disposal facilities (TSDFs) of hazardous waste in the southeast. Four hypotheses are tested: (1) economic rationality, (2) social inequity, (3) civic capital, and (4) scientific rationality. The data set is a match of records on operational TSDFs and large quantity generators (LQGs) of hazardous waste from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, demographic data from the U.S. Census Bureau, nonprofit organization data from the National Center for Charitable Statistics, and seismic hazard and hydrologic data from the U.S. Geological Survey. Logistic regression results indicate that location outcomes are predictable by the distribution of civic capital assets, the racial composition of a community, the hydrologic suitability of a land use, and TSDF proximity to LQGs. The concentration of LQG activity and the percentage of African Americans in a neighborhood are the most consistent predictors of TSDF location outcomes across spatial measures of risk.

Cohort Surfaces: A Graphic Approach to Teaching Social Stability and Change

A graphic approach to cohort analysis using quasi-scenic rendering of cohort surfaces and contour graphs produced with GRAFTOOL is discussed as a teaching strategy for understanding stability and change in life course patterns. We describe the lessons learned from each graphic image, and note courses and topics for which this strategy is applicable. We outline the classroom approach to teaching cohort analysis and orienting students to graphic visualization.

The Ethos of Masters Swimming

Since World War II affluence, consumerism, and leisure increasingly have occupied the lives of Americans. As part of this pursuit of the &dquo;good life&dquo; Americans have developed a love affair with sports which is almost a religious fervor. Business and sport are coupled, with advertising, firms using heroes and heroines to endorse a variety of products and services. The vocabulary of sport, locker room images, and maxims are part of everyday speech. Sports metaphors even inform politicians in addressing domestic and foreign policies. Sports &dquo;careers&dquo; of presidents