Shannon N. Davis

Effects of Union Type on Division of Household Labor: Do Cohabiting Men Really Perform More Housework?

Using data from 17,636 respondents in 28 nations, this research uses multilevel modeling to compare the reported division of household labor and factors affecting it for currently married and currently cohabiting couples. Cohabiting men report performing more household labor than do married men, and cohabiting women report performing less household labor than do married women. The findings provide support for the time-availability, relative-resources, and gender-ideology perspectives. The effects of time availability and relative resources on the division of household labor are substantially the same for both union types, but gender ideology is more influential on the division of labor reported by cohabiting than by married respondents. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

SEX STEREOTYPES IN COMMERCIALS TARGETED TOWARD CHILDREN: A CONTENT ANALYSIS

This article reports the results of a content analysis of 467 commercial characters in the programming between childrens cartoons. Replicating and expanding upon Smiths (1994) research, the findings reveal that being in a major role, having active movement in an individual activity, and being in an occupational setting all significantly increase the likelihood of an actor being male. It is suggested that media perpetuation of these stereotypes over time, which exists in spite of decreases in real-world sex-typed behaviors, may be related to a reliance of advertisers on cognitive shortcuts they anticipate their viewers will use while viewing their commercials.

Interactive Effects of Gender Ideology and Age at First Marriage on Women’s Marital Disruption

A sample of ever-married women from the NLSY79 is analyzed to examine the effects of age at first marriage and gender ideology on the likelihood of experiencing marital disruption. The authors hypothesize that age at first marriage will have no effect on the likelihood of experiencing marital disruption for non-traditional women, but that there will be a strong negative effect for traditional women. The authors use the log-rate model for piecewise-constant rates to estimate the log odds of respondents’ hazard for experiencing a marital disruption separately for each of the three gender ideologygroups.Findingssuggest that ageat first marriage affects women’s likelihood of marital disruption contingent upon gender ideology. It is suggested that gender ideology is a lens through which women view the world and make decisions and that within each ideology category the factors that affect likelihood of divorce may differ as a result.

An Examination of the (In)visibility of Sexual Orientation, Heterosexism, Homophobia, and Other LGBTQ Concerns in U.S. Multicultural Teacher Education Coursework

Heterosexism and homophobia permeate U.S. educational institutions. However, research heretofore has shown that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and queer (LGBTQ) concerns remain largely invisible in teacher education contexts. In an effort to better understand this phenomenon relative to multicultural education and related courses, we performed a content analysis on 41 syllabi from multicultural education courses taught in the United States with special attention to the extent to which LBGTQ concerns were included or omitted from the course designs. In addition, we examined data from a survey of 80 people who teach multicultural education courses in U.S. teacher credentialing programs to uncover both the likelihood that, and the nature by which, they incorporated LGBTQ concerns into their courses. We found that LGBTQ concerns often are invisible in multicultural teacher education coursework in the United States and that, when these concerns are covered, they generally are addressed in decontextualized ways that mask heteronormativity.

The role of ‘workplace family’ support on worker health, exhaustion and pain

The goal of this study was to improve understanding of the potential health benefits of social support at work. We utilized 2002 GSS data to examine the relative influence of workplace support on self-reported health, exhaustion and experience of persistent pain in a sample of 1602 workers. Building on previous Demand-Control-Support models, we examined co-worker, supervisor, and organizational safety support (conceptualized as ‘workplace family’) in concert with job demands, job control and work-family conflict as predictors of worker health measures. We further tested the extent to which work-family conflict acted as a mediator between family and work characteristics and worker health outcomes. We found that increased co-worker support in the workplace was associated with better worker self-reported health, lower exhaustion and less pain. In addition, higher levels of perceived organizational safety support were associated with better self-reported health and lowered exhaustion. There is little evidence that work-family conflict mediates between work and family characteristics and worker health, and work-family conflict does not mediate the relationship between workplace family measures and worker health. We discuss results in light of workers’ changing and expanding definitions of family, with implications for changes in the organization of the workplace to improve workers’ health.

Preparing Future Faculty: A New Approach at North Carolina State University.

In the fall of 2000 the Department of Sociology at North Carolina State University (NCSU) implemented a Phase IV Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) initiative. The goal of this program was (and is) to ensure that doctoral students anticipating entry into a professional position be prepared for all expectations associated with faculty life in a wide variety of college and university placements. NCSUs program combined in-house research mentoring opportunities as well as off-campus mentoring relationships with faculty at other schools to explore the teaching and service responsibilities of junior faculty members. An evaluation committee assessed the effectiveness of this new initiative. Data were collected using several methods, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups. The committee found the PFF program to be a welcome addition to graduate training; however, the NCSU program experienced struggles that provide insight for other schools that may wish to start a PFF program of their own.

Self-Efficacy and Multicultural Teacher Education in the United States: The Factors That Influence Who Feels Qualified to be a Multicultural Teacher Educator

A growing body of scholarship in the United States focuses on the “multicultural” dispositions, ideologies, and attitudes that teachers carry from preservice training into classroom practice. However, little attention has been paid to the dispositions, ideologies, and attitudes of multicultural teacher educators—those tasked with preparing teachers to teach multiculturally. This scholarly gap limits understandings of how and by whom this preparation is happening. The purpose of this study, drawing on scholarship about the role of efficacy in educational environments, was to fill part of that void by examining the experiences by which multicultural teacher educators in the United States come to feel qualified to teach multicultural teacher education courses. Results suggested higher efficacy among White and “other race” participants than African American participants and higher efficacy among heterosexual participants than their lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning counterparts. No significant differences across gender or other identities were found. Similarly, no correlation was found between participation in professional conferences, other professional development opportunities, or participation in professional associations and level of efficacy. Implications for the preparation and support of multicultural teacher educators are discussed.

Theoretical Explanations Amid Social Change: A Content Analysis of Housework Research (1975-2012)

Three main theoretical frameworks are used to explain the division of household labor: time availability, relative resources, and gender ideology. Examining 162 regression equations from 62 articles published from 1975 to 2012, we examine whether there has been a change in the likelihood that the three theoretical frameworks find empirical support over time. We find no evidence to suggest that there has been a declining significance of the three theories over time, as some family scholars recently have claimed.

Support, Demands, and Gender Ideology: Exploring Work–Family Facilitation and Work–Family Conflict Among Older Workers

Only recently have researchers begun to investigate issues surrounding the work experiences of individuals in late midlife. This article contributes to the literature on work–family facilitation and conflict among older workers. I focus specifically on the extent to which gender ideology is associated with facilitation and conflict and whether that relationship differs for women and men. Using a sample of older workers (n = 2,253), I find that gender traditional respondents are more likely to report work–family conflict than are nontraditional respondents, with no corresponding association for work–family facilitation. There are no sex differences in the effect of gender ideology on facilitation or conflict. Results are discussed in the context of the importance of understanding the work–family interface among older employees.

Racial/Ethnic Variations in the Influence of Parental Attachment on Adolescent Substance Abuse

This article examines whether the influence of parental attachment on adolescent substance abuse differs by race/ethnicity. We hypothesized that the effect of parental attachment would be stronger for Asian Americans than for other adolescents. Using data from the 2005 Fairfax County Communities That Care survey (N = 7,589), we found no support for our hypothesis. Results suggest that the effect of parental attachment on self-reported substance abuse differs dramatically by the race/ethnicity of the adolescent. Possible explanations for these findings are discussed.