Gender Patterns Research Articles

Gender and educational patterns in the demand and supply of grandparent childcare in Australia

AbstractGrandparents are an important source of childcare worldwide, but international patterns vary. We examine how demographic characteristics of parents, and of grandparents, factor into grandparent care provision considering the cultural assumptions and policy settings Australian families live within. Using the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia survey, we identify determinants of both the demand for and the supply of grandparent childcare in Australia (4266 grandparents and 9822 parents). Results suggest that grandmothers and mothers, as much or more than fathers and mothers, balance their reciprocal participation in employment and childcare. University‐educated grandmothers are more likely to provide regular childcare (at least once a week) and university‐educated mothers are more likely to draw upon it, inconsistent with research in other countries. It appears grandparents are stepping in as both “mother savers” and “system savers,” suggesting a need for more public policy support for Australian working mothers to capitalise on their increasingly high educational attainment.

Gendered environmental pathways to sports injury: insights from retired athletes in the UK high-performance context

ObjectiveWomen remain at increased risk for some sports injuries, such as anterior cruciate ligament rupture and concussion. This study applied a gendered environmental approach to identify modifiable features of women’s...

Challenges in measurement of adolescent mental health: how are gender patterns affected when level of symptoms is analysed simultaneously with impairment?

BackgroundAdolescent mental health surveys in public health are sometimes questioned because of their main focus on self-reported symptoms, lacking data on impairment, e.g. the consequences on everyday life of the mental health problems. While public health studies typically reveal higher prevalence rates of internalising problems for girls than boys, there are indications that the gender pattern may change when self-reported data on symptoms are analysed simultaneously with impairment. The purpose is to determine how gender patterns of adolescent mental health solely based on symptoms are affected when level of symptoms is analysed simultaneously with impairment.MethodsQuestionnaire data on adolescent mental health were collected in schools by Statistics Sweden in the autumn of 2009 as part of a national total population study in grades 6 and 9 in Sweden. In this study only data from grade 9 students are used (n = 91 627; response rate = 80 per cent). Psychosomatic symptoms were measured with the Psychosomatic Problems scale including eight items. Impairment was measured with four items included in the SDQ impact supplement. The associations between these key constructs were analysed with logistic regression and contingency tables.ResultsWhen analysing variables on psychosomatic symptoms and impairment independently, the results are consistent with typical findings of gender patterns in adolescent internalising mental health. Girls report both more psychosomatic symptoms, and more negative consequences in everyday life, than boys. The gender patterns are, however, strongly affected when impairment is conditioned on level of psychosomatic symptoms. Except for the Home Life setting, in the settings of Friendships, Classroom Learning and Leisure Activities, the previously reported gender pattern favoring higher disturbances among girls becomes partly reversed implying that boys report more negative consequences than girls. Hence, while girls report a higher prevalence of psychosomatic symptoms, boys appear to suffer from such symptoms more than, or as much as, girls in three out of four everyday life settings.ConclusionsThe study confirms the insufficiency of solely including data on symptoms in the measurement of adolescent mental health. Regardless of the causes of the complex gender pattern shown in this study, the results highlight the importance of simultaneous inclusion of indicators of impairment as well as symptom counts and frequency in the measurement of adolescent mental health.

Dementia in migrants living in Lazio region, Italy: prevalence and population characteristics

Abstract Background Given ongoing demographic and epidemiological transitions, dementia prevalence is expected to rise among both native populations and migrants. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial for healthcare planning. This study, part of the IMMIDEM project (GR-2021-12372081), aims to estimate dementia prevalence in Lazio by migrant status. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted on individuals aged ≥50, living in Lazio and receiving assistance from the Regional Health Service as of December 31, 2022. A validated algorithm based on Health Information Systems identified patients with dementia. Migrant status was defined by Country of birth, categorized as native Italians, migrants from Highly Developed Countries (HDCs) and from High Migratory Pressure Countries (HMPCs). Age-standardized prevalence of dementia was estimated overall and by migrant status, and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. Dementia population characteristics were described and compared according to migrant status using χ2test. Results The study included 3,976,160 individuals: 88.9% Italians, 1.7% migrants from HDCs, and 9.4% from HMPCs. Among them, 38,708 had dementia, with a prevalence of 8.48‰ (CI: 8.39-8.57). Dementia prevalence by migrant status was 8.68‰ (CI: 8.58-8.77) in Italians, 6.90‰ (CI: 6.19-7.62) in HDCs migrants, and 5.73‰ (CI:5.37-6.10) in HMPCs migrants. Demographic traits across migrant categories reveal distinct age and gender patterns, with more elderly Italians and a higher male percentage among migrants. From a clinical perspective, Italians showed a higher percentage of circulatory system diseases than migrants (23.5% Italians, 19.2% HDCs, 18.7% HMPCs, p = 0.001), along with a greater percentage of anti-dementia drug prescriptions (54.4% Italians, 50.9% HDCs, 47.4% HMPCs, p < 0.001). Conclusions The study found lower dementia prevalence among migrants compared to native Italians, with reduced access to healthcare services, especially in individuals from HMPCs. Key messages • The dementia prevalence in migrants is lower than in native Italians. • These findings suggest potential underdiagnosis and undertreatment, urging policymakers and healthcare providers to address these healthcare disparities.

Rethinking economic socialization: the intersection of culture, gender and economic life in a religious enclave

Abstract This article explores how economic socialization serves as a bridge between individual economic behaviors and the broader social and cultural contexts that shape them. Drawing on a post-functionalist approach to socialization, the study examines the ultra-Orthodox Jewish (Haredi) community in Israel, where distinct gender roles, cultural norms and patterns of economic participation create a unique context for investigating divergent economic socialization pathways. Comparing four groups within the Haredi community—average/below-average and high-income women, men with work experience, and men who study at religious seminaries (Yeshiva/Kollel)—analysis of an original survey study reveals how differential exposure to economic life leads to significant variations in financial risk-taking, loss-aversion, financial literacy and competitiveness. The findings problematize explanations attributing economic gender gaps to innate differences, instead highlighting the profound impact of the cultural framing of gender roles vis-à-vis economic integration. By foregrounding economic socialization as a sociological phenomenon, the study contributes to discourses on culture’s role in economic behavior and opens new avenues for examining how individuals acquire economic dispositions through socialization pathways shaped by structural constraints and power relations.

Gender Disparities and Femininity in the Third Mission: The Example of Blog Writing

Abstract The “third mission” in academia refers to work that makes research accessible and relevant to policymakers, stakeholders, and the public. This article explores the third mission from a gender and feminist perspective, analysing blog posts to illustrate gender disparities in Swedish academia. The analysis identifies gender differences in blog post frequency, topics, and styles. Women tend to write about general and popular themes with an emotionally charged and inclusive approach. In contrast, men focus more on research-related topics with an ostensibly neutral and assertive style. This difference reflects traditional gendered communication patterns, where women often adopt a relational style, and men take a factual approach. These gendered norms can potentially affect research focus and career progression. The implications suggest that these patterns reinforce societal gender norms, perpetuating disparities and limiting women’s voices in academic and research settings.

Comparing Gendered Exposure and Impact in Online Election Violence: Tunisian Political Candidates Targeted on Facebook

Abstract Election violence is increasingly taking place online. However, we still do not know much about how such attacks affect the representation of politically marginalized groups such as women. This article develops and applies strategies for analyzing (gendered) exposure to and impacts of online attacks against political candidates. It focuses on the 2019 parliamentary election campaign in Tunisia and combines manual analysis of Tunisian candidates’ public Facebook pages with candidate interviews. We find no gendered patterns in exposure to online election violence in the Facebook data and a low general exposure to attacks. The interview data nevertheless suggests gendered perceptions and impacts of attacks, as well as a perception among the candidates that online election violence is widespread and problematic. These discrepancies highlight that we need a combination of methods and materials to capture the multifaceted nature of online election violence, and in particular those that directly link candidate exposure to impact.

Craniofacial features and incisor position design of esthetics population after orthodontic treatment.

This study aims to provide craniofacial features and incisor position prediction models among esthetics population after orthodontic treatment. A total of 338 patients with esthetic profiles were selected from 1 055 post-orthodontic adults based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and scored by five dental students. Mean values of cephalometric measurement were demonstrated with gender and sagittal skeletal pattern (ANB) differences assessed by generalized estimating equation. Correlations among age, skeletal, and soft tissue variables in different genders were determined. Multivariate analysis was used to assess the influence of skeletal and soft tissue variables on orthodontic incisor position. Within the esthetic cohort after orthodontic treatment, gender differences existed in cranial and mandibular length, mandibular rotation, protrusion of pogonion, inclination of maxillary incisors, upper lip thickness, lower 1/3 face height, and nose protrusion. However, in class Ⅰ malocclusion, the development of the chin showed no significance, whereas the protrusion of the lower lip significantly differed between genders, with less protrusion in males. In males, the protrusion of lip and chin varied among groups, with thinner basic upper lip thickness of class Ⅱ than class Ⅰ and greater lower lip height of class Ⅲ than class Ⅰ. In females, the protrusion and height of the upper lip and chin varied in groups, with thicker basic upper lip thickness of class Ⅲ than class Ⅰ. Upper lip thickness, female basic upper lip thickness, and female lower lip height were correlated with age. The protrusion of the upper lip was mainly correlated with posterior cranial base, mandibular body length, ANB in male and SNA, ANB, sagittal maxillary length, mandibular rotation, and protrusion of pogonion in female. The protrusion of the lower lip in males was mainly correlated with ramus height, mandibular rotation, protrusion of pogonion in male and ANB, mandibular rotation, and protrusion of pogonion in females. After employing skeletal variables to fit dental parameters, optimal results were achieved in male IMPA (adjusted R2=0.712) and female G Vert-U1 (adjusted R2=0.795). After employing skeletal and soft tissue variables simultaneously, optimal results were achieved in male and female G Vert-U1, which was mainly influenced by the protrusion of the chin and nasal base in males (adjusted R2=0.836) and the protrusion of the nasal base as well as ANB in females (adjusted R2=0.842). This study demonstrated the craniofacial features of esthetics population after orthodontic treatment and revealed the correlation of gender, age, skeleton, and soft tissues to provide reliable prediction models for aesthetic orthodontic incisor position.

Grammatical gender universalities underlying uniform mental representations of the world: Myth or reality?

The subject of grammatical gender and cognition has been continuously examined in psycholinguistics, wherein findings show essential support for gender congruency effects, suggesting that grammar lends matrices for speakers’ mental representations. Based on these psycholinguistic data, this study offers an innovative vista of investigation that combines typological and cognitive linguistic approaches. Its purpose lies in determining whether grammatical gender patterns sanction cross-linguistic universality in conceptualising entities as male or female, and whether grammatical gender universalities have semantic motivation. This research reveals universal tendencies in grammatical gender affiliation of the analysed nouns in 32 two and three gender languages belonging to different groups of the Indo-European, Indo-Iranian and Afro-Asiatic language families. From a cognitive perspective, these findings testify to the identical mental images of the entities denoting artefacts, natural phenomena and abstract concepts in speakers of the languages under consideration. Furthermore, grammatical gender universalities manifest certain semantic dimensions involving the motives associated with masculine or feminine and symbolic suggestions of the Woman archetype. As per the data from cognitive poetics, grammatical gender universalities become objects of special stylistic choices emerging as personified images of symbolic relevance in gender and non-gender languages.

Unlocking vitiligo’s metal code: an analytical cross-sectional study of serum levels of trace elements in vitiligo patients

Background: Vitiligo is an acquired depigmenting skin disorder often associated with social stigma and having a significant psychological impact on patients. The study aimed to determine the correlation between serum levels of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), selenium (Se), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and Cu/Pb, Cu/Hg, Cu/Cd, Se/Hg, Se/Pb, Se/Cd, Zn/Hg, Zn/Pb, and Zn/Cd ratios in vitiligo patients. Materials and methods: In this analytical cross-sectional study, we enrolled 110 vitiligo patients as cases and 110 normal adults as controls. VIDA (Vitiligo Disease Activity Score) and VASI (Vitiligo Area Severity Index) were used to assess the activity and severity of vitiligo in patients. Venous blood samples of all study participants (aged >12 years) were examined for serum levels of Zn, Cu, Se, Pb, Hg, and Cd using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. SPSS.21 version software was used for the analysis of the data. Results: We noted a statistically significant (p-value < 0.05, student’s t-test) difference in mean serum levels of Cu, Zn, and Se (microgram/liter) between cases and controls, denoted as 1370.67 ± 484.36 versus 2887.30 ± 3744.15, 1324.50 ± 555.02 versus 1603.81 ± 551.03, 248.95 ± 120.06 versus 287.15 ± 117.37, respectively. A significantly low serum level of Se was observed in female vitiligo patients, unlike controls. Vegetarian patients had low levels of Pb (p-value <0.05) in comparison to non-vegetarian patients. Significantly low Zn/Hg and Cu/Hg ratios were observed in cases compared to controls. Limitations: Our study was limited by a small sample size. Being an observational study done from a single center, chances of inclusion of patients from a limited geographical area cannot be ruled out. Conclusion: Low levels of Zn, Cu, and Se could play a crucial role in the etiopathogenesis of vitiligo, which can vary based on the gender and diet pattern of the patient.

Trends in enrolment and academic performance of scheduled tribe students at the undergraduate level in Assam: A decadal analysis

This research work examines the enrolment and performance pattern of the Scheduled Tribe (ST) students at the undergraduate level in Assam for the period of 2012-2022. Based on the enrolment data collected from various ST students, the study examines the gender pattern and course selection of students in different disciplines such as B.A., B.Com., and B.Sc. The study reveals major trends in enrolment increase, gender distribution, and course choices for the decade. Using chi-square tests and comparative performance measures, the study reveals factors that affect academic performance and enrolment. Furthermore, bar graphs and line charts are used to present these trends and to give further analysis. The conclusion of this study provides significant implications for the policymakers and educators who are interested in improving the educational access and opportunities for ST students in the higher education in Assam.

Relationship between temperature and acute myocardial infarction: a time series study in Xuzhou, China, from 2018 to 2020

BackgroundIt is widely known that the incidence rate and short-term mortality of acute myocardial infarctions (AMIs) are generally higher during the winter months. The goal of this study was to determine how the temperature of the environment influences fatal acute myocardial infarctions in Xuzhou.MethodsThis observational study used the daily meteorological data and the data on the cause of death from acute myocardial infarction in Xuzhou from January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2020. After controlling meteorological variables and pollutants, the distributed nonlinear lag model (DLNM) was used to estimate the correlation between temperature and lethal AMI.ResultsA total of 27,712 patients with fatal AMI were enrolled. 82.4% were over the age of 65, and 50.9% were men. Relative to the reference temperature (15 ℃), the 30-day cumulative RRs of the extremely cold temperature (− 2 ℃) for the general population, women, and people aged 65 years and above were 4.66 (95% CI: 1.76, 12.30), 15.29 (95% CI: 3.94, 59.36), and 7.13 (95% CI: 2.50, 20.35), respectively. The 30-day cumulative RRs of the cold temperature (2 ℃) for the general population, women, and people aged 65 years and above were 2.55 (1.37, 4.75), 12.78 (2.24, 5.36), and 3.15 (1.61, 6.16), respectively. No statistically significant association was observed between high temperatures and the risk of fatal AMI. The influence of the cold effect (1st and 10th) was at its peak on that day, and the entire cold effect persisted for 30 days. Temperature extremes had an effect on the lag patterns of distinct age and gender stratifications.ConclusionAccording to this study, the risk of fatal AMI increases significantly in cold weather but not in hot weather. Women above the age of 65 are particularly sensitive to severe weather events. The influence of frigid weather on public health should also be considered.

TRANSCENDING BOUNDARIES – REPRESENTATION OF CHANGING GENDER DYNAMICS IN SELECT INDIAN TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENTS

Advertisements are primarily intended to persuade the consumers to buy a particular brand of product. In modern times Television advertisements or TV commercials as they are known, have emerged as one of the most visible and popular form of advertisements. Traditionally, selling a product entailed roping in a celebrity to either pose with the product or to highlight its advantages over other products. But the advent of various domestic and foreign channels offered the viewers the option to skip the advertisements and switch over to more interesting content in other channels. Besides, the stiff competition between the brands necessitated the advertisements to be more creative, resulting in the incorporation of engaging storylines. Thus, advertisements have transitioned from a means for merely selling products to cultural artefacts mirroring the socio-cultural practices and values of the society. They portray social norms, cultural reality, and gender patterns in keeping with the patriarchal ideology. Culture profoundly impacts gender-related behavior, roles, values, identity, and their perception in various social contexts. It governs the expectations placed on men and women and influences their attitudes and behavior. Since advertisements are predominantly created by men with the intention of appeasing the male consumers, women are often objectified. The recent decades have seen women progress in leaps and bounds but the advertisements have been slow in acknowledging their achievements. The winds of change have been very subtle but steady progress is being made in making progressive and socially relevant ads which has captured man - woman equation from a different angle. This paper proposes to analyze select TV advertisements that appeared after 2000 which show both men and women breaking away from the narrow confines of patriarchy to don new and unconventional roles.

Rural-urban Migration and Overweight Status in Low- and Middle-income Countries: Evidence from Longitudinal Data in Indonesia

With rapid urbanization and intensive rural-urban migration, being overweight has become an increasingly common source of health risks in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, the impact of rural-urban migration on overweight status is understudied in the LMIC context. Previous studies primarily used cross-sectional data, failing to adjust for migration health selection. Furthermore, the potential gender pattern in the impact of rural-urban migration remained unclear, and the potential cumulative effect of the duration of urban residence among migrants was rarely examined with longitudinal data. Meanwhile, the mediating effects of health behavioral factors were poorly understood. Using data from the fourth and fifth waves of the Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS) and employing fixed-effects (FE) models (N=7267), this study provided new evidence on the impact of rural-urban migration on overweight status across time and gender. Findings suggest that rural-urban migration significantly and positively predicted being overweight, and the association was significantly stronger among women than men. The results also show that years lived in urban areas did not significantly predict overweight among migrants, and that mediating health-related behaviors did little to explain adverse weight outcomes of migrants. As the number of rural-urban migrants continues growing, LMIC governments should implement health interventions aiming for healthy weight status among migrant communities. Meanwhile, gender-specific programs targeting women should be considered. Future research should explore other potential mediators of the link between rural-urban migration and overweight.

COVID-19 increased existing gender mortality gaps in high-income more than middle-income countries

ObjectiveTo analyze how patterns of excess mortality varied by sex and age groups across countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and their association with country income level. MethodsWe used World Health Organization excess mortality estimates by sex and age groups for 75 countries in 2020 and 62 countries in 2021, restricting the sample to estimates based on recorded all-cause mortality data. We examined patterns across countries using country-specific Poisson regressions with observations consisting of the number of excess deaths by groups defined by sex and age. FindingsMen die at higher rates in nearly all places and at all ages beyond age 45. In 2020, the pandemic amplified this gender mortality gap for the world, but with variation across countries and by country income level. In high-income countries, rates of excess mortality were much higher for men than women. In contrast, in middle-income countries, the sex ratio of excess mortality was similar to the sex ratio of expected all-cause mortality. The exacerbation of the sex ratio of excess mortality observed in 2020 in high-income countries, however, declined in 2021. ConclusionThe COVID-19 pandemic has killed men at much higher rates than women, as has been well documented, but these gender differences have varied by country income. These differences were the result of some combination of variation in gender patterns of infection rates and infection fatality rates across countries. The gender gap in mortality declined in high-income countries in 2021, likely as a result of the faster rollout of vaccination against COVID-19.

Epidemiological profile of polytrauma victims attended in a basic care hospital in the South of Brazil: retrospective cross-sectional study

Background: In the scope of public health, it is fundamental to comprehend the patterns and characteristics of the patients attended in hospitals for the guidance about prevention and intervention policies. In this perspective, the present study aims to evaluate the epidemiological profile of polytrauma victims who were assisted in a basic care hospital, located in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, during the period of January 1st to December 31th of 2022. The importance of studying the mechanism of trauma lies in the fact that it is the main cause of fatality in the population between 1 and 44 years old and represents a total of 5.8 million deaths annually in Brazil. Methods: The methodology consists of a retrospective cross-sectional study based on the analysis of hospital records, identifying patterns of gender, age, type of injury, modes of damage and outcome of the attended patients. Results: Based on the data collected, it was observed a predominance of the male gender among the polytrauma victims, with a significant incidence of assistance resulting from motor vehicle collisions, corroborating with previous epidemiological evidence. Conclusion: The epidemiological profile of polytraumatized patients is male, aged 41 and victims of traffic accidents. Therefore, urges the need to develop preventive and interventionist measures in relation to the causal factors of polytrauma, such as road infrastructure and alcohol use. In addition, the study was limited by the fact that it did not investigate the use of alcohol by the drivers, and the license status.

Biopsychosocial and Environmental Correlates of Children’s Motor Competence: An Exploratory Study

BackgroundGiven the significance of motor competence (MC) for healthy development and as a cornerstone for lifelong physical activity (PA), it is crucial to understand the manifold factors that are associated with MC. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate correlates of children’s MC and their fundamental movement skills (FMS) within their daily life from a comprehensive biopsychosocial-ecological perspective.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional sub-study of the ‘Physical Literacy for Communities (PL4C)’ WAVES cohort study conducted in the West Vancouver School District, Canada. Motor competence was assessed using the PLAYfun tool including overall MC score and five FMS category scores, namely, running, locomotor skills, upper and lower body control and balance skills. By means of structural equation modeling (SEM), direct associationswith MC and with the specific FMS categories addressing physical activity behavior, self-perceived physical literacy, parenting, and school ground design were investigated.ResultsA total of 355 children with a mean age of 7.5 years and 111.1 min of MVPA per day participated. The group comprised 51% boys and 47% girls from 14 elementary schools. Most children were at an emerging MC-level (71%), while those at a competent MC-level exhibited significantly more daily minutes of MVPA (123 versus 109, p = 0.001). Additionally, they played outdoors more frequently and engaged in more instructor-led PA. The results revealed that logistical support from parents had not only a direct positive association with overall MC, both for girls and boys, but also with most of the FMS categories. However, the correlates of MC varied between genders and showed different patterns across the five FMS categories. While time spent in sports or coach-/instructor-led physical activities had a significant SEM generated direct effect only for boys’ MC and for locomotor, upper body object control and balance, the aesthetic design of the school grounds was only associated with girls’ MC and those same three FMS categories. Multivariate SEM could explain 26% of variance for girls’ MC and 30% for boys’.ConclusionsThis exploratory baseline assessment revealed parental logistical support as an important correlate of MC, irrespective of gender. There were distinct gender patterns across biopsychosocial-ecological correlates influencing MC and FMS. Despite the heterogeneity of the results, our findings indicate a potential role of school ground design in supporting the development of children’s MC, especially for girls.

A booster to conditional cash transfer programme: experimental evidence on financial inclusion and livelihood enhancement project

ABSTRACT While Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Programmes have contributed to sustained economic growth in many countries, existing evaluations show that the Honduran CCT programme has only a modest impact on poverty. This study examines a causal impact of a training project on financial inclusion and livelihood enhancement conducted as a booster to increase the effectiveness of the CCT programme. Based on a graduation approach, the project provides multi-faceted interventions to randomly selected CCT beneficiaries. We estimate intention-to-treat effects and find that the interventions significantly increase financial literacy and inclusion, including knowledge of financial institutions, financial accounts, bookkeeping, and pro-saving attitudes. We also find that the treated individuals in rural areas gain significant income from business, livestock farming, and agriculture by switching employment. Importantly, we find evidence that the interventions contribute to female empowerment by changing the intra-household decision-making process. The impact is much larger in rural areas, where financial markets are underdeveloped, and the traditional gender pattern is more prevalent. The intervention seems to reduce the urban-rural gap.

Midpalatal Suture Maturation in Relation to Age, Sex, and Facial Skeletal Growth Patterns: A CBCT Study.

The evaluation of midpalatal suture maturation is essential to undertake the most predictable maxillary expansion approach. Several factors, such as age, gender, and facial growth patterns, seem to be involved in midpalatal suture staging and, consequently, in its opening; however, the link between these variables and the stages of midpalatal suture development remains poorly understood. Our study aimed to analyse the midpalatal suture maturation in relation to age, sex, and skeletal growth patterns by CBCT. We enrolled 263 patients (119 males and 144 females) aged from 8 to 20 years. The midpalatal suture maturation was defined according to Angelieri et al.'s classification using a low-dose CBCT. The chi-square test and linear regression were applied to investigate the suture stages by age, sex, and vertical and sagittal growth patterns. Stage A was present in 8- and 9-year-olds with a larger prevalence in boys, while the prevalence of stage E increased progressively with age. Stage D was the most prevalent in our sample. The statistical analysis described that stage A was more likely in the youngest subjects, and stage E in the oldest participants. The males tended to have lower maturation stages. Moreover, the hypodivergent and normodivergent subjects tended to have higher maturation stages, while Class III was more likely in subjects in stages D or E. A total of 127 patients were in stages A, B, and C, showing an unfused suture. In young individuals, the opening of the midpalatal suture leads to a proper facial growth development by correcting the transverse superior hypoplasia. The midpalatal sutural maturation classification was related to age, sex, and divergence.

Gendered wage returns to changes in non-routine job tasks: Evidence from Germany

The labor market exhibits persistent occupational segregation by gender, with women and men performing distinct job tasks within their occupations. Prior research suggests that non-routine job tasks generally lead to higher wages, especially in digitally advancing contexts. However, these findings are largely based on cross-sectional data and neglect gender as a relevant dimension of inequality. We analyze three-wave panel data over nine years from the German National Educational Panel Study to explore the relationship between changes in non-routine job tasks and wages by gender. Given the constrained wage-setting opportunities within German firms, we further examine whether the association between task changes and wages differs for employees with and without job changes, both within and across occupational segments. Our fixed-effect regression analyses reveal gender-specific associations between changes in non-routine job tasks and wage increases. Men benefit from performing more complex and autonomous tasks, with additional gains when an inter-segmental job change accompanies the increase in complex job tasks. Conversely, women do not see wage benefits from enhancements in either complex or autonomous job tasks. These findings underscore the gendered patterns of wage increases associated with advancements in non-routine job tasks, with men profiting intra-individually from shifts towards more non-routine job tasks.