Individual Norms Research Articles

Gender precedes sex: Epistemological considerations for occupational science from a materialist feminist perspective

ABSTRACT The cognitive tools humans use to perceive and name reality are social constructs that necessitate critical examination. ‘Gender’ and ‘sex’ are socially constructed categories used in daily life and in relation to occupations, that warrant scrutiny, as traditional explanations for gender differences based on biology fail to account for the social processes that construct gendered groups. Questioning the naturalness of these categories is essential for understanding how they shape individual capabilities and social norms around occupations. This discussion paper adopts a materialist feminist standpoint to problematize the concepts of gender and sex. Rejecting biological essentialism, we argue that social organization precedes and constructs the significance of sex categories. By reconceptualizing both gender and sex as socially constructed, our analysis challenges notions of gender as culture applied to a pre-existing biological sex. Occupational literature makes use of these categories to explore gender-related issues. It mainly focuses on gender identity through an interactional orientation that, nevertheless, preserves an individual conception. Social categories are also used to illustrate inequalities and contextual factors related to gender; an essential usage that remains at risk of reifying such categories as pre-existing groups. The use of gender as a social system of hierarchical bi-categorization, as we propose, is not present in occupational literature. This materialist feminist analysis underscores the importance of questioning entrenched biological determinism of sex, on which rests gender as identity. In highlighting the social construction of categories, occupational science can contribute to a deeper understanding of occupation within, and in the challenge of, oppressive systems.

Individual empowerment and community norm effects of engaging young husbands in reproductive health in rural India: findings from a pilot study

BackgroundDespite decades of a call to action to engage men in reproductive health, men are often left out of programs and interventions. In India, where half of pregnancies are reported as unintended, patriarchal gender norms and still dominant patterns of arranged marriages make engaging men in family planning and strengthening couples communication critical in increasing reproductive autonomy and helping young couples meet their reproductive goals. This study explores the feasibility and acceptability from the men’s perspective of the pilot of a gender transformative intervention for newly married couples in India.MethodsA pilot study was conducted of TARANG, a 4 month intervention for newly married women, with light touch engagement of husbands (4 sessions). A total of 41 husbands participated in the pilot, and we collected baseline knowledge and endline feasibility and acceptability data from them, along with in depth qualitative interviews with 13 men. The study was conducted in June 2023-January 2024.ResultsMen had low levels of knowledge about biology, family planning, with the majority of men reporting that no one had provided them information about these topics. Most men wanted to delay the first birth by at least 2 years, yet less than a quarter had discussed childbearing plans with their partner or engaged in family planning methods. While all men reported high acceptability (satisfaction and usefulness), feasibility (participation) was low, with only 43% attending 2 or more sessions. Main barriers to participation included commitments due to work and migration. Men reported that the intervention led to improvements in their relationships with their wives, gave them a sense of empowerment, and led them to become resources for other men in their community.ConclusionsMen in these rural communities are not receiving the information that they need to meet their reproductive goals, however, they greatly desire this information and ways to improve relationships with their new wives. Such an intervention appears to have the potential to help change norms and spread information in the community and provide men with positive, life affirming feelings. Providing information through technology could address barriers to in-person engagement.Trial registration clinicaltrials.gov 03/13/24.NCT06320964

Produktverpackungen als alltägliche Manifestationen des Umweltdiskurses

The article outlines the technical, semiotic and discourse-linguistic challenges that arise in the data collection, the data processing and the data analysis of a quite small corpus of current product packaging texts (food/beverages, cleaning agents and hygiene products) of a running DFG-project. These three types of problems are due to the materiality, multimodality and multithematicity of the material analysed. The project which is focused on the German environmental discourse 1990-2020 and which is investigating the tension between individual freedom and social norms expressed in it, thus deliberately leaves the big data level of the originally project context within a bigger research group and switches to the level of hermeneutic-qualitative analyses of selected key texts. The hypothesis underlying this decision is that the environmental discourse is reflected in a condensed form in texts that are committed to corporate sustainability communication and are influencing the discourse space of everyday life in everyone’s household. Initial insights into the material and multimodal nature of the corpus are provided and the first results of the discourse linguistic analysis are offered, whereby the material is always discussed in its special significance "beyond big data". The preliminary results show that the everyday products analysed here are discursive mediators between companies, consumers and the environment, in that responsibility is shifted and displaced several times so that in the end it can to be concluded on all sides: Good for you and good for the planet.

Contesting clusters: a study of norm weaving in Pacific climate mobilities policies

Abstract This article identifies a sub-category of norm contestation I've termed ‘norm weaving’, where actors contest the constitution of norm clusters, instead of the validity of individual norms. This occurs through processes of stretching or reproducing individual strands of existing norm clusters before weaving them together to create behaviour guides in undergoverned issue areas that are greater than the sum of their individual parts. I identify two examples of weaving in the world-leading actions of Fiji and Vanuatu around domestic climate mobilities. Using these two cases, we can see that existing models of norm dynamics need to be developed to better explain and understand weaving-like processes of norm contestation. There are two areas where norm weaving extends our understanding – in how clusters of norms emerge and change, and in how contestation applies to groupings of norms. Clarifying what norm weaving looks like in these cases could open the door to further examples being identified in other contexts and a more complete understanding of how norms operate in global politics.

To Speak Up or Not to Speak Up, Organisational and Individual Antecedents That Undergird This Behaviour in Resource Constrained Region.

To examine the organisational (i.e., perceived organisational support and psychologically safe environment) and individual (i.e., value, belief and norm) antecedents that strengthen healthcare workers' speaking-up behaviour in a developing economy. The study uses a cross-sectional design to gather the same data from healthcare workers within the Ashanti Region of Ghana. The data collection happened between 15 June and 30 August 2023. A sample of 380 healthcare workers was selected from 20 facilities in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. A configurational approach, a fussy-set qualitative comparative analysis, was used to identify the configurations that caused high and low speaking-up behaviour among the study sample. The study results reveal that whereas four configurations generate high speaking-up behaviour, three configurations, by contrast, produce low speaking-up behaviour among healthcare workers. Results suggest that in so far as organisational support systems which take the form of a psychologically safe environment and perceived organisational support are vital in relaxing the hierarchical boundaries in a healthcare setting to improve healthcare workers' speaking-up behaviour, the individual value-based factors that take the form of values, beliefs and norms are indispensable as it provides the healthcare workers with the necessary inner drive to regard speaking-up behaviour on patient safety and care as a moral duty. Healthcare workers' speaking-up behaviour is better achieved when organisational support systems complement the individual norms, values and beliefs of the individual. Adhered to Strengthening Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. No patient or public contribution.

Monitoring the heart rate variability of servicewomen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the legal regime of martial law

The article features the results of the analysis of heart rate variability of 30 female military personnel (n=30). The purpose of this study was to assess the state of regulatory mechanisms of the autonomic nervous system. The analysis of heart rate variability indicators reflects the general level of autonomic regulation, which is important for assessing the physical and psychological state of military personnel. The RRNN parameter had a median of 814.5 ms, which corresponds to the norm for healthy individuals and indicates a normal level of cardiac activity of females being under the research. The SDNN indicator, which characterizes the total effect of autonomic regulation of blood circulation, was 37.4 ms on the median, which also corresponds to the norm and indicates an adequate level of adaptation capabilities of the body. However, RMSSD was at the median below normal, indicating reduced recovery and high levels of stress among female military personnel. pNN50, which reflects the proportion of consecutive RR intervals differing by more than 50 ms, was also below normal, further confirming reduced parasympathetic activity. The LF index was 301.0 ms² on the median of female military personnel, which is at the lower limit of the norm. The result we obtained may indicate a reduced sympathetic influence or a general depletion of adaptation reserves. The VLF indicator, which characterizes neurohumoral regulation, was also below the norm, which indicates a possible depletion of the body's adaptive reserves. Such studies make it possible to detect signs of fatigue or insufficient recovery in time and take the necessary measures to optimize the training process and the performance of official duties. Our research confirms that heart rate variability is an important indicator of the body's adaptive capabilities, especially in the conditions of martial law, where stress and physical exertion are constant factors of influence.

Success and Survival: Black Advantaged Parents’ Views of Race, White Space, and HBCU Attendance

The sociocultural norms of White spaces place Black individuals at greater risk of anti-Black racism, racial discrimination, exclusion, and violence. This reality requires that Black people develop sociocultural toolkits with strategies, behaviors, and knowledge to navigate and advance within society. Black parents play a critical role in readying their children for such survival and achievement in an unequal world. Existing scholarship on socialization focuses on Black parents raising preadolescent children, limiting our understanding of how Black parenting continues throughout emerging adulthood. Through the lens of college decision-making and the case of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), the author uses interviews with Black advantaged parents of college-bound children to explore understandings of the worlds children will enter as adults. Findings show that parents are aware of the burdens of Whiteness in its many forms in the environments where their children will enter and recognize that their children require sociocultural tools to succeed and thrive. These perspectives are made clear by parents’ discussions of the benefits and limitations of HBCU attendance. This article raises implications for understanding Black parenting, socialization, higher education, and transitions to adulthood and work.

Legal regulation of economic security in Ukraine

It is indicated in a legal state, regulation of interaction between members of society, coordination of their interests and smoothing of conflicts arising between them and their associations is unthinkable without law. With the help of the influence of law on social relations, it is possible to order and regulate them in a civilized manner. In the sphere of achieving a state of security, the law allows you to set the limits of what is permitted, to determine the obligations and prohibitions in the behavior of the relevant subjects. Due to regulatory legal regulation, security receives a unique meaning that determines the final goal of its provision, connects it with national priorities and interests of each legal entity, preventing blurring of the understanding of the essential characteristics of the basic category «national security» and its derivatives. The conducted scientific analysis of the legal regulation of the economic security system of Ukraine made it possible to conclude that it has a complex and multifaceted nature, that is, it involves the creation of a complex of legal, economic and administrative-organizational mechanisms aimed at ensuring the rights of citizens and other subjects of economic activity to protect private property, economic freedom and unimpeded implementation of economic and other economic activities. It is pointed out that the state should implement the appropriate organizational and legal provision of economic security of Ukraine, aimed at increasing the investment attractiveness of the country, eliminating offenses in the economic sphere. The analysis of regulatory legal acts made it possible to single out the following shortcomings of the legal provision of economic security of Ukraine: complexity, vagueness and inconsistency of individual legislative norms, ambiguous interpretation in their application; inconsistency between developers and lack of system of legal acts regulating economic security. It was concluded that the presence of such shortcomings indicates the need to modify approaches to the formation of legal support for the economic security of the state, to make changes to the current legislation.

"One blade, two cuts?" A multidisciplinary survey investigating practice variability of scalpel blade change forsimultaneous excision of multiple skin lesions in the same patient.

Skin cancer incidence increases globally, requiring effective preventive measures and evidence-based treatment strategies. Current guidelines advocate for surgical excision as a first-line treatment for most early skin cancers. The study investigated practices regarding changing scalpel blades when excising multiple skin lesions in the same patient during the same visit (CSB) and explored how beliefs about iatrogenic seeding influence individual norms of practice. A multidisciplinary survey was conducted among 173 medical specialists involved in skin cancer care. Participants provided demographic information, years of experience, and practices regarding CSB in four clinical scenarios (first excised tumor: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, melanoma suspect, and evident melanoma). Practice variations based on specialty, experience, and beliefs about seeding risk were statistically assessed. Surgeons exhibited a significantly higher tendency to change blades compared to non-surgeons across all diagnoses. Iatrogenic seeding (56.52%) and clinical training (18.84%) were the main reasons provided for CSB. Beliefs about seeding risk did not differ significantly between specialties. Although the practice of CSB lacks strong scientific rationale, the approach to this practice significantly varies among different medical specialties. Healthcare professionals should critically evaluate and standardize evidence-based practices to ensure optimal patient care and mitigate potential harm.

Family Caregivers' Perceptions and Experiences of Supporting Older People to Cope With Loneliness: A Qualitative Interview Study.

Loneliness has become a significant public health issue among community-dwelling older adults particularly those with multimorbidity. Family caregivers are crucial care resources for dependent older adults living in the community before transitioning to institutional services. However, understanding of their perceptions in supporting older adults with multimorbidity to cope with loneliness is limited. This qualitative study aimed to elucidate on the experiences of caring and explore the experiences and perceptions of family caregivers in supporting older community-dwelling adults with multimorbidity to cope with loneliness. Eleven family caregivers, aged 51-93 years old, with at least 2 years of caregiving experience were purposively recruited and interviewed individually. The Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist was utilised to report the study. Three key themes were generated from the inductive analysis: (1) recognising older adults' loneliness through the expression of unusual emotions, behaviour/s, social network alteration and speech; (2) variations in perceptions and responses to loneliness among different family caregiving relationships; and (3) challenges in addressing loneliness. Positive feedback from cared-for older adults was appreciated by their family caregivers which in turn motivated further actions to alleviate loneliness. The findings emphasised the importance of developing specific patients and family caregivers centred interventions, such as communication skills training to enhance effective communications. Cultural values and norms of individuals should be respected in those interventions, ensuring that emotional expression is facilitated in a comfortable way for both older patients and family caregivers.

How do we justify research into enhanced warfighters?

Abstract State militaries have strong interests in developing enhanced warfighters: taking otherwise healthy service personnel (soldiers, marines, pilots, etc.) and pushing their biological, physiological, and cognitive capacities beyond their individual statistical or baseline norm. However, the ethical and regulatory challenges of justifying research into these kinds of interventions to demonstrate the efficacy and safety of enhancements in the military has not been well explored. In this paper, we offer, in the context of the US Common Rule and Institutional Review Board framework, potential justifications for justifying research into enhancing warfighters on the grounds of (i) individual and group risk reduction; (ii) protection of third parties such as civilians; and (iii) military effectiveness.

‘Am I both or not?’: The role of perceived societal norms of multiculturalism in negotiating bicultural identities

AbstractThe present study explored the role of perceived societal norms of multiculturalism in the engagement of cultural identity styles (hybridising‐HIS and altenating‐AIS) and, in turn, their impact on bicultural identity consolidation and cultural identity conflict. We examined 293 Chinese Americans' perceptions about the extent to which culturally diverse groups are in contact with one another (multicultural contact); whether diversity is valued and appreciated (multicultural ideology); and whether there are policies and practices that support and accommodate diversity (multicultural policies and practices) in the United States. Results from a path analysis showed that multicultural ideology was negatively associated with AIS and cultural identity conflict. Multicultural contact was positively associated with HIS and bicultural identity consolidation. Multicultural policies and practices had no significant associations. The findings underscore the important role of perceived societal acceptance of multicultural ideology and perceived norms of multicultural contact in managing cultural identities. Furthermore, the study highlights that perceived multiculturalism norms as societal‐level factors combined with individual‐level cultural identity styles can influence the identity outcomes of multicultural individuals. Further research into the role of perceived societal norms for both majority and cultural minority individuals in identity integration is warranted.

TYPOLOGIZATION OF ANTI-CORRUPTION MONITORING LEGISLATION OF CONSTITUENT ENTITIES OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The purpose of the work is to identify regional features of the legislative consolidation of anti-corruption monitoring and typology of legislation in Russian regions. The formal-logical method of studying legal norms was used as a basic methodological approach. He helped establish general trends in the legal regulation of anti-corruption monitoring in regional laws. The dialectical approach helped to analyze individual special norms and identify the features of monitoring measures in those subjects of the federation where an attempt at fragmented regulation was made. The author also used discursive, formal legal and textual research methods. The main result should be the alignment of regional legislation into three groups, depending on the consolidation of the institution of anti-corruption monitoring. The author states that the concept of anti-corruption monitoring established in the legislation of individual Russian regions needs to be adjusted taking into account theoretical developments. At the same time, it must be enshrined in federal legislation in order to unify regional legal norms. The absence of systemic norms on anti-corruption monitoring at the federal level is dictated by the peculiarities of the delimitation of jurisdiction between the Russian Federation and Russian regions in the field of anti-corruption policy

Investigating college students' green food consumption intentions in China: integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior and Norm Activation Theory

IntroductionThe global trend toward consuming green food is on the rise. College students, as the future consumer base, have sparked significant interest in their inclination toward consuming environmentally-friendly foods. This paper integrates the Theory of Planned Behavior with the Norm Activation Theory to investigate the factors influencing college students' propensity to choose green foods, establishing a comprehensive model.MethodsThis study utilized online and paper questionnaires for data collection, distributing them among college students and receiving 350 valid responses. In the data analysis phase, SPSS was employed for statistical data analysis, including descriptive statistics and regression analysis, while AMOS was used for structural equation modeling.Results and discussionThe data analysis results indicate that subjective norms, behavioral attitudes, and individual norms have a significant positive influence on college students' inclination to purchase green food. Purchase intention is indirectly influenced by personal norms and behavioral attitudes through perceptions of consequences. Responsibility attribution indirectly impacts purchase intention of green food through personal norms. Personal norms are indirectly influenced by responsibility attribution through perceptions of consequences.

Vote Trading and Elections in Nigeria: Democracy as an Article of Trade?

This paper is underscored by the commodification and trading of votes in Nigeria which poses a threat to credible elections, democracy, and good governance. Domestic and global studies including election observers have established that there has always been widespread exchange of votes for money in Nigeria. In this regard, this paper looks at the issue of voting commodification in the country with a view to highlighting its attendant implications for present and future elections, democracy, and governance. Using descriptive and content analysis with data gathered through secondary sources the paper sought to answer the following questions: What is behind the narrative of vote trading in Nigeria? Why do politicians buy votes? Why do people sell votes? Is vote trading conditioned by individual beliefs or social norm? What are the consequences of vote trading on governance? What are the possible solutions to the problem? The paper argues that candidates and political parties engage in material gratification and vote trading during elections and that vote trading is propelled by independent, individual decision and mainly driven by material circumstances. It further contends that the more politicians engage in vote buying and gratification the more unstable the electoral process becomes as that prevents credible candidates from running for political office as they may not have the humongous amount required to contest in election. The study concludes that material vote selling and buying, and gratification pose negative tendencies for Nigerian political system, democracy, and good governance if not properly handled. The paper recommends among others taking political financing seriously with the electoral umpire- Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) more proactive in fighting vote trading and the electorates through political education be encouraged to avoid all kinds of inducements from political parties and candidates.

Platform Law as EU Law

Abstract Digital platforms have become the subject of several legal acts within a relatively short period of time. The emerging European platform law faces particular challenges due to three specificities of platforms. First, the area to be regulated consists of the same platforms operating throughout the Union with a more or less uniform service in all Member States and beyond the Union. Second, the fact that the platforms can be used for almost unlimited purposes, whereas the Union does not have unlimited regulatory powers. Third, there is the dynamic development of the platform economy, which constantly presents us with new phenomena and potential risks, giving operators a knowledge advantage over regulators and generating a need for private ordering by platforms themselves. In this combination, the legal challenges differ from the issues addressed by most other acts of the EU Digital Strategy: for example, the Data Governance Act focuses not on private but on public data owners, while the Data Act focuses on Internet of Things applications, which are not used as ubiquitously as digital platforms. Because of these particularities, an overarching view of the phenomena of platform regulation helps to provide a background against which the appropriateness of individual norms can be assessed. In order to structure the observations, the platform phenomenon will first be contrasted with that of the EU (I.), before the characteristics of platform law as supranational law (II.) and European administrative law (III.), as well as questions of the platform-related protection of fundamental rights are addressed (IV.).

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies in Antisocial Personality Disorder: A Narrative Literature Review.

Individuals with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) are characterized by impulsive behaviorand a lack of empathy, which can eventually lead to criminal behavior. In our narrative review, we are investigating the neurological differences in the function, structure, and connectivity of those with ASPD in comparison to those without, with a major focus on psychopathic cluster B populations of ASPD individuals. We reviewed 86 published articles, and five of these met the inclusion criteria for distinct psychopathic and non-psychopathic groups. After reviewing these sources, we found deficits in function and structure leading to a lack of empathy and adherence to social norms in individuals with ASPD. Currently, there are very few treatment options for those living with ASPD. It is our opinion that with a better understanding of the structural and functional differences in those with ASPD, we might see more efficacious treatment therapies for this population group in the medical community.

Individual empowerment and community norm effects of engaging young husbands in reproductive health in rural India: findings from a pilot study.

Despite decades of a call to action to engage men in reproductive health, men are often left out of programs and interventions. In India, where half of pregnancies are reported as unintended, patriarchal gender norms and still dominant patterns of arranged marriages make engaging men in family planning and strengthening couples communication critical in increasing reproductive autonomy and helping young couples meet their reproductive goals. This study explores the feasibility and acceptability from the men's perspective of the pilot of a gender transformative intervention for newly married couples in India. A pilot study was conducted of TARANG, a 4-month intervention for newly married women, with light touch engagement of husbands (4 sessions). A total of 41 husbands participated in the pilot, and we collected baseline knowledge and endline feasibility and acceptability data from them, along with in depth qualitative interviews with 13 men. The study was conducted in June-January, 2023. Men had low levels of knowledge about biology, family planning, with the majority of men reporting that no one had provided them information about these topics. Most men wanted to delay the first birth by at least 2 years, yet less than a quarter had discussed childbearing plans with their partner or engaged in family planning methods. While all men reported high acceptability (satisfaction and usefulness), feasibility (participation) was low, with only 43% attending 2 or more sessions. Main barriers to participation included commitments due to work and migration. Men reported that the intervention led to improvements in their relationships with their wives, gave them a sense of empowerment, and led them to become resources for other men in their community. Men in these rural communities are not receiving the information that they need to meet their reproductive goals, however, they greatly desire this information and ways to improve relationships with their new wives. Such an intervention appears to have the potential to help change norms and spread information in the community and provide men with positive, life affirming feelings. Providing information through technology could address barriers to in-person engagement. clinicaltrials.gov (NCT06320964), 03/13/24.

Early pandemic recreational fishing patterns across the urban-to-rural gradient in the U.S.

In 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted individual and social behaviors and norms, including outdoor activities. A recreational angling survey of 18,000 licensed anglers from 10 states (AR, CT, FL, IA, MO, NC, SC, TX, UT, WY) was conducted in summer 2020 to characterize recreational fishing trends during the first few months of the pandemic. The study presented here builds off this survey by combining the survey data with county-level human population density and spring 2020 per capita COVID-19 cases to understand how anglers responded to the pandemic along the urban-to-rural continuum. Specifically, we wanted to know if population density or COVID-19 cases per capita influenced angler-reported 1) changes in license sales, 2) number of fishing trips, and 3) motivation for fishing. Overall results suggest that per capita COVID-19 cases were more influential in driving angler behavior than population density in the early pandemic (01 March 2020–31 May 2020). At the onset of the pandemic, high COVID-19 case counts were associated with an uptick in recreational angling activity. In counties with greater COVID-19 case counts, there was greater angler recruitment (i.e., attraction of new individuals to recreational fishing) and earlier license purchases. Anglers aged ≥40 years and earning ≥$50,000 living in areas of greater per capita COVID-19 cases also went on more fishing trips than they typically would. Angler motivations varied across gradients of population density and per capita COVID-19 cases: anglers living in areas of higher population densities were more likely to report fishing for stress relief, sport, and competition among friends, and anglers living in areas of higher per capita COVID-19 cases were more likely to report fishing for sport and because they had free time and less likely to report fishing for food. Management efforts can focus on retaining and reactivating pandemic anglers.

Gendered keywords as entry points: the construction and evolution of nüpin and nüxing-xiang in Chinese Internet literature

ABSTRACT China’s Internet literature (CIL) epitomises one of the most vibrant platformised cultural sectors in China and is characterised by a distinct gender demarcation. This paper critically revisits the history of its gendered development by identifying nüpin (women’s channel) and nüxing-xiang (women-oriented) as keywords in China’s cultural sphere. Drawing from platform studies and cultural studies, the study examines the power dynamics underpinning the construction and evolution of nüpin and nüxing-xiang, and the implications for their normalisation. My research finds that nüpin is established on patriarchal assumptions that prescriptively confine women’s literature to certain genres as a point of difference for market competition. Additionally, while nüxing-xiang started as a community identity, it later became incorporated into the nüpin effect through the increasing convergence of CIL and multimedia sectors. By unveiling how individual platforms, users, market forces, gender norms, and power relations intersect to shape the trajectories of these keywords, this article lays the groundwork for interventions to challenge the prevailing gendered binarity in CIL.