Responsibility For Children Research Articles

Work-Family Challenges and Their Impact on Career Decisions: A Study of Indian Women Professionals

A broad review of existing literature on barriers to women's career advancement suggests that one of the most important reasons inhibiting women's rise to the top positions in management is the work-life conflict that women professionals experience because of their strong commitment to family responsibilities. The primary objective of this study is to understand the impact of family responsibilities on the career decisions of women professionals and also to find out the type of work-life support they would require from their employers to balance their work and life in a better manner. The study is conducted with 121 women professionals working in government services, public sector, private sector, and in NGOs across different levels. The perception of women professionals regarding the barriers against their career advancement is studied. The impact of demographic factors like managerial level, marital status, and family structure on all the above-mentioned issues are also analysed. Following are some of the major findings of the study: Apart from other factors, ‘commitment to family responsibility’ and ‘lack of gendersensitive policies by the employer’ are considered as important barriers which affect the career advancement of women professionals to senior positions. Senior and middle level professionals believe more strongly than the junior level women professionals that commitment to family responsibility hinders women professionals' advancement. Family responsibility considerably affects the career decisions of women professionals. It is generally expected that the female spouse should take care of the family responsibility. Women professionals agree that children's responsibility hinders their ability to advance. They think that they are not able to utilize their full potential and at times they have to make career trade-offs because of the family responsibilities. They also believe that putting career ahead of family leads to social disapproval and rejection and at the middle level of their career, the pressure for conforming to the societal norms could be more. The research reveals the expectations of the women professionals in terms of the support that organizations can provide to help them in achieving better work-life balance and advance in their career. A significant percentage of respondents have shown their strong preference for provisions like flexible working hours, childcare facilitates and emergency care for children and elders, support for non-work commitment, wellness, and personal development programmes. Half of the women professionals agree that “flexibility in work location” (working from home⁄telecommuting) can be taken up as an additional support provision. The requirement for all these work-life provisions are felt more at the middle and junior level rather than at the senior level.

Child Sexual Abuse in Schools: Preliminary Indication for Enhancement of Universal Primary Education and Community (EUPEC Project)—Uganda

This study sought to access pupils' knowledge on their rights as children, establishing the common violations experienced with emphasis to understanding the forms of child sexual abuse acts in Ugandan primary schools. Quantitative data were collected from 30 schools covering 442 pupils (male= 223; female= 219) and 81 teachers (24=male and 57=female). A total of 30 pupils from 2 schools participated (males=15, females=15; age range=12 to 14) participated in the focus group discussion. In addition, teachers participated. Qualitative data were collected through focus group discussions. The study found that 53% of the teachers did not have specialized training on children's rights and responsibilities. Children were mistreated by parents or guardians including food deprivation, child labor and conscription into early marriage.

Parent involvement in children's homework in American and Swedish dual-earner families

This study analyzes parent involvement by employing ethnographic methods and discourse analysis of parent–child talk about homework. We juxtapose what is often presented as a straightforward and unproblematic concept of parent involvement in education policy and research with actual instances of the day-to-day practices and reported experiences of parent involvement in children's homework in the U.S. and Sweden. Our analyses show that parent involvement may be either parent or child initiated, and varies widely according to how much homework the child is assigned, the child's orientation to homework and a number of other factors. Analyses demonstrate that parents become involved in two main ways: 1. through anticipating and planning the activity of homework and 2. by directly participating in the accomplishment of the homework task itself. We additionally highlight in the paper that there is an inherent tension between a parent's responsibility for homework and the child's responsibility for homework, and that parent involvement can cause tension in communication in the parent–child relationship.

Associations of Warmth and Control of Filipina Domestic Helpers and Mothers to Hong Kong Kindergarten Children's Social Competence

Research Findings: Across 63 Hong Kong families, both Filipina domestic helpers and mothers separately rated their own caregiving style (warmth and control) and kindergarten children's social competence. Results indicated that Filipina helpers rated themselves as higher in warmth than mothers did. In addition, self-rated warmth of both caregivers, and Filipina domestic helpers' self-perceived control were correlated with children's social competence. With ratings of warmth and control from both Filipina helpers and mothers included in separate regression equations, mothers' warmth was a strong unique correlate of all measures of children's social competence. However, Filipinas' warmth was uniquely associated with children's responsibility only, whereas their control was uniquely associated with children's assertion and responsibility. Practice or Policy: Results extend previous research on the importance of nonparental caregivers for children's social development in a new cultural context.

Early and middle adolescents' autonomy development: impact of maternal HIV/AIDS.

Progression toward autonomy is considered of central importance during the adolescent period. For young adolescents with an HIV-infected parent, there may be additional challenges. This study investigated current autonomy among early and middle adolescents affected by maternal HIV (N = 108), as well as examined longitudinally the children's responsibility taking when they were younger (age 6-11; N = 81) in response to their mother's illness and their current autonomy as early/middle adolescents. In analyses of self-care and family autonomy, children with greater attachment to their mothers had higher autonomy, and there was a trend for children who drink or use drugs alone to have lower autonomy. In analyses of management autonomy, attachment to peers was associated with higher autonomy. Trajectory group findings indicate that those children who had taken on more responsibility for instrumental caretaking roles directly because of their mother's illness showed better autonomy development as early and middle age adolescents. Therefore, 'parentification' of young children with a mother with HIV may not negatively affect later autonomy development.

The Moral Responsibility of Children and Animals

The Moral Responsibility of Children and Animals

Children's Unintentional Injury In Cultural Context

This paper considers the cultural context of children's unintentional injuries using Super and Harkness' developmental niche theory as a theoretical framework. Examples are drawn from a review of research in Nigeria and Britain. The ‘developmental niche' comprises three major subsystems that function together and interact with each other. These are (1) the physical and social setting in which the child lives, (2) the psychology of the caretakers and (3) customs of child-care. Risk and protective factors in the physical and social setting are discussed in relation to family characteristics, family income and the physical environment of the home. Caretaker psychology is discussed with examples of parental beliefs about children's responsibilities, capabilities and risks, as well as attributions of responsibility for injury. Customs of child-care in Nigeria and Britain are discussed in relation to domestic and pedestrian injury. Age and sex differences in injury rates in Nigeria and Britain are discussed in relation to the adaptation of the developmental niche for children as they develop and the limitations to such adaptations. It is concluded that the development niche theory provides a useful framework for studying and explaining children's unintentional injuries in cultural context. IFE PsychologIA Vol. 15 (2) 2007: pp. 35-52

The construction of moral and social identity in immigrant children's narratives-in-translation

In this article we examine the complexities of immigrant children's role as translators and linguistic mediators between their parents and their teachers during parent-teacher conferences. In our analyses, we first examine the linguistic structure of teachers’ narratives about the children, and then look at how children construct their moral and social identities as students in their translations of these narratives, and how parents respond to their children's translations. We found that in their translations children consistently downgraded their teachers’ praise and exaggerated their responsibility for any problems the teachers identified; parents in turn took up the problem focus and underscored children's responsibility. Implications for the socialization of immigrant children and parents into educational institutional ideologies, as well as the impact of these practices on children's development are discussed.

Pediatric Pain Prevalence and Parents' Attitudes at a Cancer Hospital in Jordan

There has been little research on implementation of pediatric pain programs. These studies are part of a project to develop such a program for the King Hussein Cancer Centre in Jordan. Study 1 captured information on pain prevalence in 35 children using chart reviews and parent/child interviews to establish baseline pain burden. Forty-seven percent of children had pain at the time of interview; 11% had “a lot” of pain and only 22% received analgesics. Twenty-two parents were interviewed in Study 2 to identify attitudes toward pain management. Thematic analysis revealed six themes: 1) pain can and should be managed; 2) God's will; 3) parent's worst pain was emotional pain due to child's diagnosis; 4) belief that their presence could ameliorate their child's pain; 5) desire for shared decision making; and 6) the child's responsibility to express pain. These study results were used to inform the action research approach in the overall project.

Values and assumptions underpinning policy for children and young people in England

This paper provides an account of current ideas about English childhood that seem to underpin policies ‘for’ children. New Labour values the future adulthood of children more than their childhoods, and stresses children's responsibilities over their rights. Generally, child protection and provision for children has higher status than children's participation. Children are excluded from participation in social life. Traditional psychological formulations remain powerful in their stress on childhood as a preparatory stage of life, where children are socialised into conformity with the norms of social life. However, the last 15 years have seen greater respect for children's own views and experiences, for their rights and for the idea that childhood is socially constructed. But the idea that children are contributors to society is still rarely recognised and they continue to suffer from low social status accordingly.

Orphan Living Situations in Malawi: A Comparison of Orphanages and Foster Homes

AbstractOrphans have become an increasingly large percentage of the population in Sub‐Saharan Africa due to the AIDS epidemic. Debate ensues about more supportive living situations for these youth, with most research supporting foster homes over orphanages. This article compares these two situations in the country of Malawi, considering how the two systems meet material needs, psychosocial needs, and those needs created by the constraints of the nonprofit environment in Malawi. Interviews were conducted with 50 orphans, nine orphanage and foster system administrators, five foster and group home caregivers, five health care workers, and five community members. All interviewees were asked questions about the children's routine, educational experience, residence characteristics, responsibilities, free time, health care, and future prospects. Administrators and parents were also queried about the management and organization of the programs, and health care workers were asked additional questions about the orphans’ health care and supplies for it. It was found that Malawian orphans placed in orphanages have an advantage over those placed in foster homes along the dimensions of lodging, health care, food quantity and variety, clothing, and school supplies. Additionally, children in orphanages have more autonomy, and have a broader concept of their future potential. Orphanage residents view their caregivers as compassionate and loving. Finally, it was found that orphanages are more efficient in providing care and at exchanging information with other organizations. They are also easier to replicate for use in other areas than are community‐based programs. The article concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of these findings and directions for future research.

Attribution and Mitigation of Parent and Child Responsibility: A Qualitative Analysis

The present study examined how parents account for the level of responsibility attributed to both the child and the parent when a child commits a delinquent act. Ninety-two parents gave their reasons for attributing responsibility in eight specifically designed hypothetical scenarios. Using a content/thematic analytical approach, the findings indicate that parents attributed responsibility to the child when they felt the child knew right from wrong, or when the act appeared to be premeditated. Parents were attributed responsibility in terms of their level of physical supervision, and surveillance of their child's behaviour. Irresponsible parenting was equated with a lack of supervision by the parent. The child's responsibility was mitigated by their age (10 years or 13 years) and whether they were provoked into the action. Mitigating for the parents included arguments that the child had been taught correct behaviour, and that it was impossible to accompany a child 24 hours a day. The ramifications of the findings for legal and psychological realms are discussed.

Validation of the CHORES: a measure of school-aged children's participation in household tasks

The CHORES (Children Helping Out: Responsibilities, Expectations, and Supports) is a clinical and research tool that measures school-aged children's participation in household tasks. Separate performance and assistance scores enable examination of changes in children's responsibilities for household tasks as they mature and the work of families to promote their participation. The Self-Care and Family-Care subscales afford study of cultural aspects of household tasks that may influence children's participation and opportunities for learning. Thirty-two parents from diverse backgrounds participated in the first part of the study. Twenty-one of these parents participated in the test–retest study. The sample was culturally diverse and included parents of 6- to 11-year-old children with and without disabilities who have average or above intellect. Results from the psychometric analyses show that the CHORES has strong reliability and validity. The variance in children's task performance and overall levels of assistance supports the utility of this measure for capturing differences among children in the extent of their participation. Stability of parents’ responses over time is strong both for performance (ICC, r=0.88) and for assistance (ICC, r=0.92) scores. The validity of the CHORES is supported by the parents’ judgments of the importance of involving their children in household tasks. The CHORES is easy to complete, considers the parent's perspective, and provides a way to collect information on children's participation in household tasks. The CHORES provides a mechanism to learn more about factors that influence children's participation in household tasks, changes in their responsibilities over time, and outcomes from their participation in these tasks.

Social competence in Zimbabwean multicultural schools: Effects of ethnic and gender differences

Students' social competence was investigated in relation to race/ethnicity and gender for a sample of 371 Zimbabwean students attending racially/ethnically integrated schools. About 42% of the students were black, and 58% white (mean age 12 years; SD=9 months). Peer and teacher sociometric ratings of children's social behaviour, social responsibility, and friendliness comprised the social competence measures. Tests of empirical independence among these social competence measures supported their uniqueness in reliably assessing components of the general construct of social competence among Zimbabwean students. Multiple analysis of variance procedures were used to examine the relationship between social competence statuses and group membership (i.e., race/ethnicity, gender) while controlling for aggregate scores and classroom racial proportions. Superior academic achievement and racial/ehnic propinquity are social status levelling factors in multiracial school settings. Teachers rated white students higher on social responsibility and social behaviour. Students rated white students higher on social responsibility only. Comparisons of social competence by ethnicity and gender revealed that white and female students were rated significantly higher on social behaviour and social responsibility than their black and male classmates. Female students were perceived as more socially competent or better adjusted to school than males. Reliable differences in social competence in race/ethnicity and gender groups were concentrated in peer ratings of social responsibility and in teacher ratings of social behaviour and social responsibility. In postcolonial settings or settings with a history of race/ethnicity and gender‐based privilege, minorities from a dominant culture may have higher social status than peers from a majority culture. Superior social competence in females is a resource for school adaptation and social climate. Students have perceptions of social competence in peers that only partially overlap with those of teachers and contribute uniquely to their experience of school. Social competence in students is multifaceted, gendered, and differently perceived by teachers and peers.

The Criminal Responsibility of Children and Young Persons: A Comparison of English and German Law

The Criminal Responsibility of Children and Young Persons: A Comparison of English and German Law

An analysis of child consumers in Turkey

AbstractThis research was conducted on 402 children going to kindergarten and primary schools with the purpose of analysing the children's interests, responsibilities, economic resources, purchasing activities, and socialization agents and purchase influences as consumers. Data were collected using a questionnaire, which was prepared by considering some previous research. The questionnaire was applied to subjects through face‐to‐face individual interview. The data were analysed by using explanatory variables, including age, gender, socio‐economic status and family type. Findings indicated that consumer socialization of children was connected to selected demographic characteristics, especially age, and they were surprisingly independent and influential consumers. The results of this study are important for those involved in children's and adults’ markets, and for consumer educators.

Everyday Worlds of Young Refugees in London

This article examines the everyday lives of a sample of young refugees living in London, based on a study of the social roles and social networks of refugee children undertaken under the ESRC Children 5–16 Programme. It draws on findings from a survey of refugee and non-refugee children aged between 11 and 14 in two London schools, complemented by data from in-depth interviews with refugee children. The article focuses on the children's responsibilities towards home and family, friendships, and leisure activities. It highlights the experiences of the refugee children in the sample, and explores some gender differences between the social lives of refugee boys and girls, and between the lives of refugee children and those of their non-refugee peers.

CHILDREN'S HOME RESPONSIBILITIES: FACTORS PREDICTING CHILDREN'S HOUSEHOLD WORK

The main theories predicting children's home responsibilities are sex roles theory and timeavailability theory. This paper reports relevant results from a cross-sectional survey of children ages 10 and 11 in Canada. The strongest predictors of children's home responsibilities were female gender of the child and the number of children aged 0–17 in the household. Home responsibilities also increased when the person most knowledgeable about the child was active in volunteer work, and had more positive interaction with the child. Parents' work status was not related to children's home responsibilities. Sex roles theory is upheld by the results of this study, but time-availability theory is only partially supported.

Enhancing children's responsibility to take action against bullying: Evaluation of a befriending intervention in Italian middle schools

AbstractThis paper reports on the evaluation of a peer support model implemented in two Italian secondary middle schools as an anti‐bullying intervention. Specifically, the aims of the intervention were (1) to reduce bullying episodes through developing in bullies an awareness of their own and others' behaviour, (2) to enhance children's capacity to offer support to the victims of bullying, (3) to enhance responsibility and involvement on the part of bystanders, (4) to improve the quality of interpersonal relationships in the class group, and (5) to analyse possible age and gender differences related to the effect of intervention.Two middle schools from central Italy took part in the study (age range of pupils, 11–14 years). In the two schools, nine classes (94 boys and 84 girls ) were part of the experimental group, whereas the remaining five classes formed the control group (63 boys and 52 girls). The intervention was implemented for one school year, from October 1998 to May 1999. Before and after the intervention, two measures were administered in the experimental and control classes: (1) a questionnaire on the participants' roles in bully/victim relationships, originally developed by Salmivalli et al. [1996: Aggressive Behavior 22:1–15] and revised for younger children by Sutton and Smith [1999: Aggressive Behavior 25:97–111], and (2) a questionnaire on attitudes toward bullying—an Italian questionnaire comprising 11 attitude items previously developed [Menesini E, et al. 1997: EARLI Conference] on the basis of Rigby and Slee's [1991: Journal of Social Psychology 131:615–627] pro‐victim scale. Given the within‐subjects design of the study, a MANOVA was run using time as the within‐subjects factor and sex and age as between‐subject factors.The results of this short‐term study highlight the fact that a befriending intervention had a positive effect on the experimental classes, preventing the increase of negative behaviours and attitudes reported in the group that did not receive the intervention. The findings that related to the pro‐bullying roles and to the role of outsiders are particularly relevant since these roles remained stable or decreased in the experimental group, whereas they clearly increased in the control group. The opposite trend was registered for children's pro‐victim attitude, which shows a decrease in the control sample and good stability in the experimental group. On the whole, the intervention seemed to prevent the escalation of negative behaviours and attitudes that often develop spontaneously in young people of this age. Aggr. Behav. 29:1–14, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

Jurisdiction and Enforcement in International Family Law: A Labyrinth of European and International Legislation

Since 1 March 2001, family courts in the European Union (except Denmark) have been obliged to follow the rules of EC Regulation No. 1347/2000 of 29 May 2000 on Jurisdiction and the Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments in Matrimonial Matters and in Matters of Parental Responsibility for Children of Both Spouses. The Regulation was meant to complement the Brussels Convention on Jurisdiction and the Enforcement of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters of 27 September 1968, and that is why it has come to be known as the ‘Brussels II Regulation’. The Convention covers, roughly speaking, patrimonial matters – such as property, contracts and torts – while the Regulation deals with divorce and child custody. On 1 March 2002, another Regulation entered into force, replacing the Brussels Convention and therefore aptly called the ‘Brussels I Regulation’. However, ‘Brussels I’ does not apply in Denmark, and that means that the Brussels Convention is still in force as between Denmark and the other EU member states. To complicate matters further, another Convention on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters continues to apply in all EU member states, as well as in Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Poland: the Lugano Convention of 1988. Its text is virtually identical to that of the Brussels Convention, but there are major differences between the Lugano Convention and the Brussels I Regulation. As far as patrimonial matters are concerned, the courts in Europe now have to juggle with three different sets of rules: the Brussels I Regulation, the Brussels Convention and the Lugano Convention.