Gendered Geographies in the Workplace of Reproductive Genetics in China

According to stress theory, social support from work and non-work-related sources may influence the level of perceived work-family conflict. Despite the high prevalence of work-family conflict as a source of distress among female physicians, no information is available on the associations between work-family conflict and social support in a traditional, family-centric cultural setting, where female role expectations are demanding. The author hypothesized that high prevalence of work-family conflict could be attributed to the lack of social support among female physicians. To investigate the prevalence and psychosocial characteristics of social support and its relations to work-family conflict among female physicians. Quantitative and qualitative study using questionnaires ( n = 420) and in-depth interviews ( n = 123) among female and male physicians. Female physicians reported significantly higher mean level and prevalence of work-family conflict compared to men. The predominant form of work-family was work-to-family conflict among physicians; however, significantly more female physicians experienced family-to-work conflict and strain-based work-family conflict compared to men (39% vs. 18% and 68% vs. 20%, respectively). Significantly more male physicians experienced time-based work-family conflict compared to women. Content analyses of interview data revealed that provision of support to physicians manifested itself in parental support in career selection, spousal support with household duties, peer support with enabling access to professional role models-mentors, peer support to ensure gender equity, and organizational support with family-centric policies. Female physicians reported significantly less parental, spousal, and peer support compared to men. Female physicians lacking parental, peer, or organizational support experienced significantly higher level of work-family conflict compared to appropriate control. In regression analyses, high job demands, job strain, high workload and number of children, younger age, and lack of support in the workplace predicted work-family conflict best (adjusted R 2 0.59). Lack of social - particularly parental, peer, and organizational - support may play an important role in the pathogenesis of work-family conflict experienced by female physicians.

Women physicians are relatively less likely to practice in rural areas. The purpose of this study was to describe differences in perceptions of rural practice between male and female physicians currently in rural practice. A questionnaire was developed from interviews with rural family physicians and mailed to 118 randomly selected board-certified family physicians in rural towns of the northwestern United States. Responses from 63 physicians were analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. Female family physicians were more likely than their male counterparts to agree they had been attracted by the availability of part-time work and by opportunities for their personal partner. Compared with men, women were more likely to expect to earn less in rural than in urban practice. On open-ended questions analyzed using qualitative methods, women were more likely to report discouragement by professional isolation and by potential lack of privacy in rural areas. These responses suggest that during recruitment efforts rural communities might be able to attract more female physicians by offering flexible schedules, spouse or partner opportunities, role boundaries, and professional or personal support networks.

Smoke aerosols have been observed in Southwest China as a result of long‐range transport from surrounding areas in March and April. The processes driving this transport and the resultant impact on regional aerosol optical properties are studied here through a combined use of the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS)‐Chem chemistry transport model in conjunction with satellite and the first‐ever ground‐based observations in the Southwest China. The potential biomass burning source regions as well as their respective contributions to aerosol loading in Southwest China are quantified. Compared to Sun photometer observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) at 550 nm at eight stations in the study region (10–28°N, 90–115°E, comprising Northeast India, Indo‐China Peninsula, and Southwest and South China), the AOD simulated by GEOS‐Chem (nested grid with 0.5° × 0.667° resolution) by using the Fire Inventory from National Center for Atmospheric Research shows an average bias of −0.17 during January 2012 to May 2013. However, during the biomass burning months (March–April), the simulated AOD is much improved with a bias of −0.04. Model sensitivity experiments show that biomass burning in Burma and Northeast India is the largest contributor to smoke AOD (~88%) and total AOD (~57%) over Kunming, an urban site in Southwest China. Case studies on 21–23 March 2013 show that the smoke layer in Northeast India and North Burma can extend from the surface to 4 km and then be transported to Southwest China by prevailing westerly airflow. Model‐simulated AOD and vertical distribution of aerosols are respectively in good agreement with satellite measurements from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and Cloud‐Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization.

The aim of this paper is to analyse the identity(ies) and experiences of a selected group of female physicians in five provincial states of Mexico. In the last 30 years the number of female physicians in Mexico has grown considerably and yet little is known about these women. Data for this work were drawn from two in-depth interviews with 99 female physicians during 1995-1996. In addition, physicians were asked to complete a personal diary to illustrate the nature of their daily experiences over a three-month period; the gap between the two interviews. Analysis reveals female physician identity is shaped by Mexican health care service structures, personal characteristics and goals, and career development choices and opportunities. Association with particular spaces and places influences female physician career development and identity. The multiple identities of these professional women and their lived experiences can result in various pressures and tensions in family and career life. As a result these women make choices about career development; some reassess their career goals given their family and household circumstances and thus their career development may appear to be constrained. The paper concludes by suggesting that changes in Mexican health institutions and the science of medicine may lead to changes in female physician identity.

A successful career requires improving professional skills and developing business relationships. A personal profile in professional social networks and its proficient management can have a significant impact on career development. The article is devoted to investigating the impact of a specialists profile in professional social networks on the career development. The study analyses the statistical data on the use of social networks for recruiting. The relationship between a profile in professional social networks and the development of a specialist's career was investigated by conducting a sociological survey of networks users from various fields of activities. Most of the surveyed respondents (61 %) answered positively to the question about the benefits of professional social networks for career advancement, another part of the respondents (19 %) is not sure, but tends to answer positively. Only 11 % of the respondents are inclined to give a negative answer to this question and 1 % answered negatively, pointing out the uselessness of professional networks in their careers. Thus, the study confirmed the need to apply the profile for the development of a specialist's career. The advantages of a profile in professional networks are highlighted, allowing the development of effective professional communications: users of social professional networks, actively participating in forum discussions, publishing papers on the site, can attract attention of potential employers and develop their reputation. The authors propose to use a profile in a professional social network more widely in order to develop a specialist's career.

IntroductionEvidence suggests that female physicians experience higher rates of burnout compared to their male counterparts and are less likely to be satisfied with work-life integration. Understanding factors related to burnout and job turnover among female physicians is particularly relevant given the nationally projected physician shortage and maldistribution of providers. It may be particularly important to explore these factors among resident physicians, as many organizations might aim to pipeline these individuals into their existing workforce. This study aimed to (a) determine prevalence estimates of access to childcare and identify specific difficulties faced by working female physicians who are parents; (b) examine associations between provider distress and workplace flexibility; (c) examine differences in resident and non-resident physicians regarding workplace flexibility and access to parental resources.MethodsParticipants included 839 female medical providers who completed electronic surveys via social media. Descriptive, correlational, and linear regression analyses were used to examine associations.ResultsFew providers indicated that they had access to daycare through their workplace (7.2%, n = 62), but over three quarters of the group indicated that they wished they had access to daycare (76.0%, n = 638). Stress and burnout were negatively associated with how supported female physicians felt at work. This was the case for time off for parental leave, access to a comfortable space and adequate time for breastfeeding, flexibility of the job to handle family conflicts, and amount of time available for family and professional development.DiscussionFuture research might examine whether medical organizations that implement childcare facilities for working female physicians are more likely to retain and/or attract physicians to their employment.

The influence of a professional physician network on clinical decision making

The decision-making and learning roles of a professional social network: The case of a family physicians’ network

A doctor's place: female physicians in Mexico DF

As the numbers of female physicians continue to grow, fewer medical marriages are comprised of the traditional dyad of male physician and stay-at-home wife. The "two-career family" is an increasingly frequent state for both male and female physicians' families, and dual-doctor marriages are on the rise. This qualitative study explored the contemporary medical marriage from the perspective of male spouses of female physicians. In 2010, we conducted semi-structured, in-depth interviews with nine spouses of internal medicine resident and faculty physicians. Interviewers queried work-home balance, career choices, and support networks. We used an interpretive, inductive, iterative approach to thematically analyze interview transcripts and develop broad, consensus-derived themes. A conceptual framework based on three major themes emerged: "A time for us? Really?", "Supporting and protecting her, sometimes at my expense,'" and "Hers is a career, mine is a job." This framework described the inflexibility of physicians' time and its impact on spousal time, career development, and choices. Having a set time for synchronizing schedules, frequent verbal support, and shared decision-making were seen as important by the husbands of female, full-time physicians. This exploratory study examined the contemporary medical marriage from the male spouse's perspective and highlights specific strategies for success.

Research on professional learning and social networks among music educators points to the importance of closely-situated colleagues. However, the co-teaching dyad (i.e. a pair of music educators teaching elective instrumental music classes during the school day) has not been investigated in music settings. Research is needed on the co-teaching arrangement and how it interacts with advice-seeking. Therefore, the purpose of this case study was to investigate the co-teaching relationship among secondary (grades 6–12) instrumental music teachers and to understand the relationship of co-teaching with teachers’ professional networks. Research questions were: (a) How do the participants interact around instructional issues? (b) How do the participants interact around administrative issues (e.g. micro-politics, resources)? (c) How does the co-teaching arrangement impact the participants’ professional networks? Participants were two instrumental music educators who shared instructional responsibilities at a high school in the United States. Data sources included regular interviews and personal social networks created by the participants. Findings suggested that because the participants had a clear difference in experience, their co-teaching relationship functioned as a mentor/mentee dyad. However, the co-teaching arrangement combined with interpersonal trust to privilege novice teacher expertise in some situations. Instructional and administrative networks differed in meaningful ways between the participants.

ABSTRACTProfound changes have been identified in the ethnic tea regions of Yunnan Province, southwest China, with the influence of tourism and the tea economy. The tea industry and tea tourism provide special opportunities for females. This research captures the characteristics of the changes in family and labor division. Empirical data were collected between 2006 to 2016 from in-depth interviews and focus groups on ethnic females. This research indicates that the intermarriage radius of local people is greater than ever before, as local people have more and wider encounters. Marriage provides a pathway for people from diverse backgrounds to complement each other. Both male and female play important roles. Although some women are more sociable and adventurous, and they are responsible for expanding business, other females prefer to take home-based duties. The dynamics of power in gender relationships has evolved significantly with the influence of tea and tourism. Tea tourism provides a platform for individual development within the social evolution. This article reflects the swift changes in remote Yunnan, where gender roles, the tea industry and social changes are interwoven. The research is significant in exploring changes in ethnic marriage and labor division based on tea resources.

The extended idea about “professional network” has been developed based on the concept of “social network”.
 The main features and tasks of professional social networks have been revealed. The task of management
 in social and professional networks which demanded formalization of criteria and models of their
 functioning has been set. Professional social network has been represented as a graph model. Known
 models of influence in social and professional networks have been considered and described in detail from
 the point of view of their analytical representation. The main features of professional networks influence
 on society and production have been revealed. Possibility for mass distribution of information by means
 of professional social networks has been analyzed. A mechanism for network agents’ opinion formation
 on the basis of authoritative opinion and a trust vector has been revealed.

BackgroundEqualizing basic public health services (BPHS) for all has been one goal of the health system reform in China since 2009. At the end of the 12th five-year plan, we conducted a series of surveys to understand BPHS implementation in Southwest China, and firstly reported implementation of health education (HE) and explore the barriers to HE delivery.MethodsMixed research methods were used to investigate achievement in and barriers to HE in Southwest China. SPSS 22.0 was used for data analysis.ResultsNine hundred and eighty-nine residents were surveyed by questionnaire. 16 health care workers (HCWs) and 16 directors from 16 PHC sectors were included in the in-depth interviews. Less than 50% of residents who knew or utilized some item of HE. Age, residence, region (Chongqing or Guizhou), marital status, education, occupation, type and quality of primary health care (PHC) sectors to deliver BPHS, self-reported health and status of chronic diseases were associated with knowledge or utilization of HE. Distance to PHC sectors was associated with the knowledge of HE, gender and health insurance were associated with utilization of HE. Age, marital status, occupation region and self-reported health were associated with satisfaction regarding HE. Barriers to HE delivery included defects in HE design, weak capacity in PHC sectors to provide HE, residents’ poor cooperation, lack of multi-sector cooperation, poor equipment and weak health system.ConclusionsSouthwest China delivered HE in all PHC sectors. However, our study underlined many barriers to equalization of HE. To address those barriers and achieve HE quality improvement, comprehensive measures to improve capacity of PHC sectors, enhance multi-sector cooperation and strengthen health information systems are all urgent needs.

Professional and personal social networks: A bridge to entrepreneurship for academics?