Unemployed Women Research Articles

Exposure to phenols during pregnancy and the first year of life in a new type of couple-child cohort relying on repeated urine biospecimens

BackgroundParabens, bisphenol A and triclosan have been forbidden or restricted in specific types of consumer goods in Europe and France. Limited biomonitoring data are available in France since the implementation of these regulations, and exposure data on infants is scarce worldwide. Understanding the predictors of phenol urinary concentrations will help identify potential targets for prevention. AimWe described levels, variability and predictors of exposure to 12 phenols in pregnant women and infants recruited between 2014 and 2017 in a French couple-child cohort. MethodsAmong 479 pregnant women and 150 of their infants, we studied phenol urinary concentrations in within-subject, within-period pools of repeated urine samples collected during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy (up to 42 samples per woman), at 2 months and 12 months (up to 14 samples per infant). Time trends and associations with demographic, protocol, occupational and behavioral factors were studied using interval censored models to accommodate for undetected and unquantified urine concentrations. ResultsDetection rates were above 90% for bisphenol A, ethylparaben, methylparaben, benzophenone-3 and triclosan and below 5% for bisphenol AF, B, F and triclocarban. Median levels of bisphenol A, bisphenol S, methylparaben, ethylparaben and propylparaben at 12 months were similar or higher than during pregnancy. For pregnant women all phenols but benzophenone-3 and bisphenol S showed a linear decrease between 2014 and 2017 (p-values < 0.02). Women with the shortest education (primary and secondary school) had higher urinary concentrations of triclosan (β = 0.58 (95% confidence interval (CI), −0.04; 1.20)), ethyl (β = 0.43 (95%CI, 0.03; 0.84)) and propyl paraben (β = 1.39 (95%CI, 0.55; 2.24)) than those with the longest education. Cashiers had higher conccentrations of bisphenol S (β = 0.99 (95%CI, −0.11; 2.09)) but not of bisphenol A (β = −0.04 (95%CI, −0.26; 0.19)) than unemployed women. ConclusionsDespite recent regulations, bisphenol A, triclosan and paraben detection rates were high in women and young infants. High bisphenol and paraben median levels at 12 months require further investigation as early infancy is a sensitive period for exposure to environmental contaminants.

Drought and intimate partner violence towards women in 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa during 2011-2018: Apopulation-based study.

Drought has many known deleterious impacts on human health, but little is known about the relationship between drought and intimate partner violence (IPV). We aimed to evaluate this relationship and to assess effect heterogeneity between population subgroups among women in 19 sub-Saharan African countries. We used data from 19 Demographic and Health Surveys from 2011 to 2018 including 83,990 partnered women aged 15-49 years. Deviations in rainfall in the year before the survey date were measured relative to the 29 previous years using Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station data, with recent drought classified as ordinal categorical variable (severe: ≤10th percentile; mild/moderate: >10th percentile to ≤30th percentile; none: >30th percentile). We considered 4 IPV-related outcomes: reporting a controlling partner (a risk factor for IPV) and experiencing emotional violence, physical violence, or sexual violence in the 12 months prior to survey. Logistic regression was used to estimate marginal risk differences (RDs). We evaluated the presence of effect heterogeneity by age group and employment status. Of the 83,990 women included in the analytic sample, 10.7% (9,019) experienced severe drought and 23.4% (19,639) experienced mild/moderate drought in the year prior to the survey, with substantial heterogeneity across countries. The mean age of respondents was 30.8 years (standard deviation 8.2). The majority of women lived in rural areas (66.3%) and were married (73.3%), while less than half (42.6%) were literate. Women living in severe drought had higher risk of reporting a controlling partner (marginal RD in percentage points = 3.0, 95% CI 1.3, 4.6; p < 0.001), experiencing physical violence (marginal RD = 0.8, 95% CI 0.1, 1.5; p = 0.019), and experiencing sexual violence (marginal RD = 1.2, 95% CI 0.4, 2.0; p = 0.001) compared with women not experiencing drought. Women living in mild/moderate drought had higher risk of reporting physical (marginal RD = 0.7, 95% CI 0.2, 1.1; p = 0.003) and sexual violence (marginal RD = 0.7, 95% CI 0.3, 1.2; p = 0.001) compared with those not living in drought. We did not find evidence for an association between drought and emotional violence. In analyses stratified by country, we found 3 settings where drought was protective for at least 1 measure of IPV: Namibia, Tanzania, and Uganda. We found evidence for effect heterogeneity (additive interaction) for the association between drought and younger age and between drought and employment status, with stronger associations between drought and IPV among adolescent girls and unemployed women. This study is limited by its lack of measured hypothesized mediating variables linking drought and IPV, prohibiting a formal mediation analysis. Additional limitations include the potential for bias due to residual confounding and potential non-differential misclassification of the outcome measures leading to an attenuation of observed associations. Our findings indicate that drought was associated with measures of IPV towards women, with larger positive associations among adolescent girls and unemployed women. There was heterogeneity in these associations across countries. Weather shocks may exacerbate vulnerabilities among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Future work should further evaluate potential mechanisms driving these relationships.

Domestic violence among married women of reproductive age in Zimbabwe: a cross sectional study

BackgroundDomestic violence does not only violate women’s fundamental human rights but it also undermines them from achieving their fullest potential around the world. This study was conducted to assess trends and factors associated with domestic violence among married women of reproductive age in Zimbabwe.MethodThis was a cross-sectional study which used secondary data obtained from 2005/06, 2010/11 and 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Surveys (ZDHS). Respondents ranged from married or living with a partner (15–49 years). Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine factors associated with domestic violence.ResultsOut of 4472 women who were currently married, 1907 (42.7%) had ever experienced one form of domestic violence (physical, emotional and sexual violence). Women aged 40–49 was deemed a protective factor against domestic violence. Risk of domestic violence was higher among working women than unemployed women [AOR = 1.35; p ≤ 0.047]. Women who drink alcohol significantly risk experiencing domestic violence compared to their non-drinking counterpart; also women whose husbands drink alcohol were at higher risk of experiencing domestic violence [AOR = 1.35; p ≤ 0.001]. Domestic violence was higher among women whose husbands have ever experienced their fathers beating their mothers and significant for women whose husbands have more than one wife (polygamy) [AOR = 1.35; p ≤ 0.001]. High parity (5 or more children) was also a risk factor for domestic violence among the studied population [AOR = 1.35; p ≤ 0.038].ConclusionDomestic violence was found to be strongly associated with women whose husbands drink alcohol, products of abusive parents/father beating their mother and/or polygamous marriage (had more than one wife). Domestic violence still remains a challenge and a more biting policy efforts are needed to eradicate this public health canker in Zimbabwe.

Spatial variations and socioeconomic determinants of modern contraceptive use in Ghana: A Bayesian multilevel analysis.

The literature on spatial patterns and contextual factors affecting modern contraceptive use is not well-documented in Ghana. This study describes the spatial variations and estimates the socioeconomic determinants of modern contraception among women in reproductive age in Ghana. Using data from the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, both global and local Moran’s I test were performed to show spatial autocorrelation and Bayesian multilevel models estimated to determine socioeconomic factors affecting modern contraceptive use. The results show evidence of low prevalence and spatial clustering of modern contraception use across the country. There were also notable regional disparities in contraceptive use that favour mostly the southern regions. Modern contraceptive use is significantly associated with socioeconomic factors such as educational attainment, work status, and marital status, as well as age, religious affiliation, and parity. Contextual factors such as the convenient location of health facility and family planning messages exposure also have a considerable positive effect on modern contraceptive use. Uneducated, unemployed and never-married women are considerably disadvantaged in the utilisation of modern contraception in Ghana. Socioeconomic and contextual factors play a key role in modern contraceptive use in Ghana.

Pelatihan Kewirausahaan Berbasis Iptek untuk Membina Ibu Rumah Tangga yang Produktif di Kelurahan Lolong-Belanti, Padang

The polemic of unemployed women is getting worse because in choosing a job, women often think about work that does not interfere with their routine as housewives. In addition, there is also a labor market that does not accept female workers, either single or married, for reasons that are sometimes illogical. Even though the abilities and skills of women are no less good and there are no differences with men. This is also a major factor why many women are unemployed. As a result, it becomes a factor of poverty. Given the importance of this problem, it is necessary to implement ways to overcome them, especially in reducing the number unemployment. The solution to this problem is quite easy, as long as it is given a job, the unemployment problem will be resolved. However, in practice it is not that easy. To open new jobs requires substantial funds, in addition to funds, it is necessary to provide entrepreneurship training for the unemployed so that the unemployed have skills capital in the world of work to be involved. As a scientific discipline, entrepreneurship can be studied and taught, so that every individual has the opportunity to appear as an entrepreneur (entrepreneur). Even to be a successful entrepreneur, having talent is not enough, you also need to have knowledge of all aspects of the business that you will be engaged in. The tasks of entrepreneurship are very many, including the task of making decisions, technical leadership, and leadership, therefore facilities and infrastructure are needed, one of which is education.

Vitamin D level in a sample of egyptian females in child bearing period attending a family medicine center

Abstract Background Vitamin D deficiency is now recognized as a pandemic. It plays an important role in the development of bone health and possibly non-communicable diseases. The normal range of Vitamin D in the Arab countries is much lower than the international standards. Some Arab countries had made their own national studies to assess serum vitamin D level among women, yet in Egypt there is no national survey done, therefore we tried to assess serum vitamin D level among women during the child bearing period in Egypt and to investigate the factors affecting it. Objective To measure vitamin D level among a sample of females during the child-bearing period attending a family medicine center. To identify the factors affecting vitamin D level among studied females. Patients and Methods In the present study, we included 100 healthy adult females in their childbearing period who were attending a Family Medicine Center. The age of the included women ranged from minimum 19 years to maximum 49 years old with a mean age of 34 ± 8.47 years. We found that the majority of participants have deficiency and insufficiency of vitamin D level; 43% of the included women had vitamin D deficiency and 13% of the women had vitamin D insufficiency. In the present study, we sought to identify the factors affecting vitamin D level among studied females. Results The analysis showed that there was a statistically significance association between the employment status of the included women and vitamin D3 level groups; unemployed women were more likely to have vitamin D deficiency than employed women. In the present study, a statistically significance association was observed between the duration of sun exposure and vitamin D3 level groups. Participants who exposed to sun &amp;gt; 30 min/day were more likely to have sufficient vitamin D level. The results of the present study demonstrated that all participants who consume fish ≥3 times/week have sufficient vitamin D level. Therefore, there was a statistically significance association between a number of consuming fish/week and vitamin D3 level groups. The results of the present study also showed that there was statistically significant association between number of consumed milk cups/day and vitamin D3 level groups. All participants who drink 2 cups of milk have sufficient vitamin D level. In addition, we found no statistically significance association between using multivitamins and vitamin D3 level groups. Half of the participants who were using multivitamins had vitamin D insufficiency. Conclusion Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency are prevalent among Egyptian women in childbearing period. In addition, the unemployment, low milk and fish consumption, and infrequent sun exposure are significant risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. Therefore, for improving the health and productivity of women in childbearing period, a routine monitoring system for vitamin D and the other factors should be put in place. Nevertheless, future research on the role of multivitamins supplements and fish consumption in improving vitamin D nutrition is warranted.

Maternal Delays for Institutional Delivery and Associated Factors Among Postnatal Mothers at Public Health Facilities of Gamo Zone, Southern Ethiopia.

BackgroundMaternal health delays like delay in deciding to seek care, reaching a health facility, and receiving appropriate care were identified as the main contributing factors for maternal mortality and morbidity in many developing countries including Ethiopia. However, little is known about the magnitude and factors predisposing for maternal health delays in Ethiopia especially in a rural part of the country. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the magnitude of maternal delays for institutional delivery and associated factors among mothers attending post-natal service at public health facilities of the Gamo zone, Southern Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in rural districts of Gamo zone. Eleven public health centers in the two districts were selected randomly. The Systematic random sampling method was used to select study participants from each public health centers. A total of 394 postnatal mothers were selected every secondly and interviewed in a separate room. Face to face interview methods were used to collect the data. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the associated factors for the three delays.ResultsThe magnitude of first, second and third maternal delays were 46.80%, 44.00%, and 31.70%, respectively. Unemployed women [AOR: 2.20, 95% CI (1.15, 4.16)], birth preparedness [AOR: 2.70, 95% CI (1.29, 5.71)], husband’s decisions making [AOR: 6.00, 95% CI (2.87, 12.42)] were found to be significantly associated with first delay. Distance to health facility [AOR: 7.00, 95% CI (3.58, 13.71)], and means of transportation [AOR: 3.30, 95% CI (1.13, 9.54)] were found to be significantly associated with the second delay. Availability of obstetric drugs [AOR: 8.40, 95% CI (3.76, 18.76)], and availability of skilled health provider [AOR: 10.40, 95% CI (4.24, 25.69)] were found to be significantly associated with the third delay for institutional delivery.ConclusionThe magnitude of first, second and third maternal delays were high which indicates that most mothers were not receiving institutional delivery services at the recommended time. Maternal socio-economic, obstetric factors and health-care system factors affected the three delays in this study. Therefore, improving women empowerment and resource availability at health facilities is vital.

Do Polish Consumers Take Proper Care of Hygiene while Shopping and Preparing Meals at Home in the Context of Wasting Food?

The objective of this paper is to evaluate the knowledge and practices of Polish consumers in terms of broadly defined hygiene on food preparation at home. The consequence of improper food handling may be a faster rate of food spoilage. A specially designed questionnaire was used. The study was conducted on a nationwide, random, and representative group of 1115 adult respondents. Segmentation (cluster analysis) of respondents differing in their practice and knowledge of meal preparation and personal hygiene was carried out. Several areas were diagnosed in which the respondents’ knowledge and practice were insufficient, such as storage of food products, inappropriate conduct of the thawing process, and heating of dishes. It was found that the best practice and knowledge of the issues discussed were characteristic of unemployed women over 35 years of age (cluster D). They offen gave answers that were significantly different (p < 0.05) from those given by the other clusters. The most limited knowledge and the worst practices were characteristic of mainly men with elementary and secondary education who are a part of the labor force (cluster E and A). The segmentation provided valuable information which indicates that educational programs on food safety need to be further strengthened.

Caso da Cooperativa de Trabalho de Costureiras Unidas Venceremos

Este artigo apresenta relatos de uma experiência de Economia Solidária, o caso da Cooperativa de Costureiras Unidas Venceremos - Univens. Com a ascensão do neoliberalismo e o crescimento do desemprego, em 1996, um grupo de mulheres desempregadas de uma comunidade da cidade de Porto Alegre/RS, viram na formação da cooperativa uma oportunidade de trabalho, geração de renda e inclusão social. É comum em estudos de empreendimentos de corte coletivista, como o caso da Univens, especificamente ligado à Economia Solidária, um confronto entre o modelo organizacional desejado talhado numa perspectiva idealista e a realidade vivida nesses empreendimentos. Por isso, o objetivo deste estudo foi identificar as principais aderências e distanciamentos da experiência da Univens em relação aos princípios que fundamentam a Economia Solidária. Utilizando-se de procedimentos metodológicos qualitativos, procuramos compreender o processo de organização e desenvolvimento da cooperativa diante de um contexto socioeconômico adverso. Para a realização da coleta de dados foram utilizados três instrumentos: a pesquisa documental, a entrevista semiestruturada e a observação direta. As análises foram realizadas a partir da triangulação dos instrumentos de coleta de dados e os dados ordenados em três categorias: desenvolvimento histórico, processos de gestão, desafios e problemas. Como resultados, identificamos que a Univens utiliza princípios do modelo de autogestão; que o processo produtivo é dividido em três etapas (corte, costura e serigrafia), demonstrando uma clara divisão do trabalho; e que as fragilidades da cooperativa são decorrentes da sazonalidade dos pedidos e da falta de capacitação das cooperadas e das potenciais cooperantes. Conclui-se que apesar da Univens não ter superado a lógica capitalista, é preciso considerar o potencial transformador de suas práticas como forma de resistência as organizações capitalistas.&#x0D; Palavras-chave: Economia solidária. Cooperativismo. Empreendimentos solidários. Univens.

‘Only a Housewife?’ Subjective Well-Being and Homemaking in South Africa

Over the past 50 years, a sizeable literature has developed that investigates the subjective well-being implications for women of being full-time homemakers. However, this research is limited in focus, to women in developed countries who are typically married or in cohabiting unions and where the alternative to specializing in household production is employment. In this study, we contribute to the literature by exploring the relationship between full-time homemaking and subjective well-being in South Africa, a developing country where family formation often does not involve a conjugal unit, and where unemployment or economic inactivity are as likely alternatives to full-time homemaking as employment. Our analysis of national longitudinal data shows that specializing in household production is clearly less satisfying for women than being employed, and particularly among unmarried women. However, being without any activity is the least satisfying of all. Further analysis reveals that the benefits of employment derive specifically from regular employment (as opposed to casual employment), and that controlling for socio-economic status eliminates the relative dissatisfaction of homemakers at the cross-section, but not that of unemployed or inactive women.

Peran Balai Latihan Kerja Padang dalam Pemberdayaan Perempuan Muslimah di Kota Padang

Padang Work Training Center (BLK) is an institution under the auspices of the Indonesian Ministry of Manpower authorized in the field of women's empowerment through apparel garment skills programs. This institution aims to increase or increase knowledge, skills, attitude and work experience for training participants in the field of sewing clothes. This institution empowers women, especially in the city of Padang to be able to be independent in the economic field. BLK Padang Institute educated training participants in 2017 totaling 94 people, and in 2016 there were 95 people consisting of housewives and unemployed women to be trained by experienced instructors. This training runs for 40 working days, and plus training participants must take part in an internship at a garment company for 1 month. It is expected that after receiving training, participants will be able to be independent and can open their own jobs. This training aims to find out the role of Padang BLK in empowering women through the apparel garment skills program, the economic impact after receiving apparel garment training, as well as supporting and inhibiting factors in the apparel garment skills program by Padang BLK. The research method used is in the form of qualitative deepening literature. Data obtained from structured interviews, non-participant observation, and documentation. The results of the study note that Padang BLK empowers women in the form of soft skills and hard skills. Soft skills and hard skills are two things that complement each other in achieving one's aspirations and life goals for trainees. Both are equally important and should be owned by everyone if you want to achieve a success in life. The results of the study note that the training participants succeeded in increasing family income. It was evident from the interview that the trainees could help with the cost of college education from the proceeds of sewing wages. The results of the study also note that there are still many trainees who are not yet independent after receiving apparel garment training, this is due to the absence of business partners from BLK Padang.

The Relationship Between Women’s Eating and Their Mental Situation

This study aims to investigate the relationship of the automatic thoughts, eating attitudes, body mass index and socio-demographic attributes of women between the ages of 18-55 years. The universe of the study consisted of 356 women. The data were collected using a demographic information form, automatic thoughts scale and eating attitude test. The results show indicated that automatic thoughts increased as body mass index increased; and eating attitude increased as negative thoughts increased. The sense of inadequacy and negative self-respect scores of unemployed women were higher than those of employed women. Also, it was concluded that childless women felt more helpless and inadequate than women with a child. The results indicated that single women felt more helpless than married women; the total score of the automatic thought decreased as education level increased; the scores of helpless feeling and negative self-respect of the women having a master’s degree were lower than any other education levels. Eating attitudes of unemployed women were higher than employed women, though, body mass index of employed women was higher than unemployed women. Education level of women does not affect their eating attitudes. Body mass index decreases as education level increases. Body mass index and eating attitudes of women are not affected by the fact whether women have a child or not.

Associated Factors with Pre-eclampsia Among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Care in SOS Hospital Mogadishu, Somalia: A Hospital-based Study

Background and objective: Preeclampsia is a condition that affects some pregnant women during the second half of their pregnancy. It is estimated that 3-5% of all pregnancies is affected by preeclampsia and it has become the leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality across the world. The objective of this study was to determine risk factors associated with Pre-eclampsia among pregnant women attending antenatal care in SOS hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional hospital-based study was conducted among 80 pregnant women attending antenatal care in SOS hospital. Face to face interview questionnaire was performed from April to June 2020. SPSS version 23, was used for the data analysis. Socio-demographic of respondent, previous history of chronic disease obstetric characteristics were described using the statistics of frequency and Percentage distributions. Results: of the 80 of the diagnosed with preeclampsia, majority of the them were above the age of 30 this represented 33.8% depict that there is a high rate of preeclampsia cases in extreme ages. Divorced women had higher percentage of 61.3% compared to widowed and married women with 33.8% and 5 percent respectively. High blood pressure was high among the women tested with 77.5% of them had the history of hypertension. Majority of the women interviewed 76.3% had no family history of preeclampsia. Conclusion: the prevalence of preeclampsia variation was related by maternal age, maternal education, unemployed women, family problem, and previous history of hypertension and used women more salts during pregnancy. Among the pregnant women, those that were in the first trimester were almost the same as those that were at their third trimester with 42.5% and 38.8% respectively. Only 42.5% of the gestational age of pregnancy were at their first trimester. Regular training of health workers on preeclampsia causes, effects and how to prevent it from becoming a long lasting issue among pregnant women need to be addressed and for further studies are recommended.

Under-nutrition of 2–5 years old children and associated factor among employed and unemployed women: Comparative cross-sectional study

Background: Many child deaths result from undernutrition globally. More than half of total childhood deaths are attributed to mild and moderate undernutrition in low-income countries. This study in...

Modern urban families’ new consumer practices in childcare and parenting

The aim of the study presented in this article is to determine the characteristics of Russian mothers seeking care and education services for their children. This work examines the transformation of the traditional family function of raising, socializing and educating children. Currently we are witnessing an increase in the number of parents who resort to paid family services. Therefore it is important to understand the evolution of this market segment, what defines consumers’ choice of services and which types of services are the most popular, while also assessing costumer satisfaction with the services they acquired. Analysis is conducted based on a series of semi-structured interviews with Russian women who have children of preschool or school age. Respondents included both working (be it on hire or self-employed) and unemployed women. Research was conducted within Nizhniy Novgorod city limits. While conducting the interviews, it was discovered that the basic selection of paid services which parents acquire includes services offered by children’s development centers, paid additional lessons at kindergarten or school, sports clubs, dance, art and foreign language lessons; children’s parties – renting dedicated facilities, hiring clowns, purchasing thematic programs and holiday treats; hiring babysitters (either on a regular basis or on demand), psychologists and parenting coaches. The authors reached the conclusion that modern urban families tend to split their responsibility (delegate authority) for raising, caring for and educating their children with those who have expertise in this field. Consumption of services by urban families starts earlier and continues for a longer period of time – in line with their children maturing – there’s not too much diversity, but consumption does depend on such important motives as the desire to satisfy today’s requirements for raising and developing children, parents freeing up spare time for their own needs, taking care of the child’s future.

Социально-экономическое положение российских эмигрантов в Шанхае в 1922–1925 годах

The article focuses on the problem of social and economic status of Russian émigrés in Shanghai in 1922–1925, in particular from the arrival of the Siberian flotilla to the beginning of the May Thirtieth Movement. Based on previously unexplored official records from the Shanghai Municipal Archive (SMA), Shanghai Municipal Police Files (SMPF) and the detailed research of the press, the author manages to significantly supplement the portrait of Russian émigrés’ life during the above period. The wider source base of this research, as compared those that are available for an earlier period of 1917–1922, allows us to describe the social and economic status of the émigrés in more precise terms. Statistical information from the Municipal Council of the Shanghai International Settlement evidences a high unemployment rate among the émigrés (according to the police records, it reached 71,4 % among employable men). Obviously, the humanitarian aid from the government and city communities could not satisfy needs of the unemployed. 1) At the end of 1924, Shanghai press reported the case when the Russians were sleeping in the houses without roof near the Chapei railway; 2) Shanghai was able to provide free food only for 2280 Russian refugees. However, according to statistics dated October 9, 1923 and February 1, 1924, the number of unemployed men and women reached 3 500. This means that not all Russians in Shanghai were provided with a minimum of food. As compared to 1917–1922, problems of women and street kids also persisted but due to public support child begging stopped although problems of women continued to exist until the communists came to power in Shanghai. “Russian prostitution” even became part of the Shanghai’s historical memory. A special problem during the period of 1922–1925 was poor sanitation in areas where Russian cadets lived as a result of harsh living conditions and low social and economic status (this situation was not recorded in the anniversary editions of Khabarovsky and Siberian Cadet Corps).

Assessing and Modelling Perceived Safety and Comfort of Women during Ridesharing

Ridesharing is one of the effective tools to solve some of the environmental and congestion problems; however, it is not very well used by women in developing countries due to safety and comfort issues. Lack of prior planning of addressing the issues which influence the ridesharing choices of women is one of the main hurdles to the growth of ridesharing practices in developing countries like India. This study is designed to examine the safety and comfort perceptions during ridesharing among women residing in India. A comprehensive questionnaire with six different thematic sections (such as demographic attributes, safety perceptions with different co-riders, the importance given to cost, privacy, etc. and various other situational factors concerning ridesharing for women) is prepared. The data from 293 female respondents are collected through a survey. Factor analysis is performed on the perception variables to find out any underlying correlation; and the results showed a four-factor solution. The factors accounting for safety and comfort perceptions during ridesharing are modelled with an ordered logistic regression approach. The model results suggest that young women due to fear of being victimized and unemployed women due to their less exposure to ridesharing have lesser trust in such facilities. Women feel less safe and comfortable when sharing a ride with unknown males or during night. A focus group discussion is also conducted to validate the results and to obtain in-depth knowledge of safety and comfort issues during ridesharing.

Comparative Exploration of Psychological Health and Subjective Well-being among Fertile and Infertile Females

Psychological health directly affects life satisfaction especially to those women who face social and family pressure about their infertility. A wide range of research studies comparing fertile and infertile women documented that there is negative impact of infertility on subjective well-being and global life satisfaction (Abbey et al., 1991, 1992; Callan, 1987; Callan&amp; Hennessey, 1988). The present study was aimed to investigate the impact of psychological health on life satisfaction among fertile and infertile females. Through the convenience sampling technique, a sample of 310 (N=310) fertile and infertile women was selected whose age ranged between 25 to 50 years. Demographic variables included age, employment status, level of education, duration of marital life, type of marriage and family system for both fertile and infertile females. To be included in sample, Women must have been diagnosed with infertility (primary or secondary), they must not have adopted any child, and marriage duration must be at least 2 years and must not have past history of psychiatric illness. General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) was used for current psychological health and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) was used to measure life satisfaction. Data was analyzed by using SPSS version 21. Descriptive statistics, Regression analysis, ANOVA and t-test were used to analyze the data. Results have shown that psychological health has impact on life satisfaction in both fertile and infertile groups of women. Furthermore, results show that level of life satisfaction and psychological health is more prevalent in educated and employed women as compared to uneducated and unemployed women. To conclude, this study will be helpful in resolving psychological problems of the infertile females. Education can increase awareness about infertility and infertile females can meet the challenges of the society and can stand with better health and emotions.

Analysis of the gross margins and commercialization of manure and fertilizer based waterleaf (Talinum triangulare) farmers in Nigeria

Purpose. Waterleaf production is an emerging crop enterprise and is a reliable source of livelihood for many unemployed women around peri-urban centres and rural areas in the southern region of Nigeria. Its production is most hindered by low soil fertility caused by continuous cropping and increasing alternative land uses among others. In response to low soil fertility, Waterleaf farmers have resorted to the use of organic manure and or fertilizer to enrich the soil. In an attempt to develop an appropriate policy framework that would encourage sustained use of soil enhancing materials among small scale farmers, the study compared the economic performance of the organic manure-based and fertilizer based Waterleaf farmers in Uyo agricultural zone of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. &#x0D; Methodology / approach. The study was conducted in the southern region of Nigeria. Waterleaf farmers were selected using random sampling and the data was obtained using a well-structured questionnaire. Inferential and descriptive statistics including multiple regression technique based on Ordinary Least Squares estimation technique were employed. &#x0D; Results. Empirical results showed that the following socioeconomic characteristics were statistically different between Waterleaf farmers using organic manure and those utilizing fertilizer: age, education, household size, years of membership in social organization, access to extension services, farm size, and farm income. The results further revealed that organic and fertilizer based Waterleaf farmers earned income (gross margin) that averaged at N17835.00 and N18783.12 respectively, for a single production cycle and it was statistically similar. The OLS result showed that education, farm income, and gender had a significant positive impact on the gross margin of organic manure users while stem cost household size, membership in social organization, labour cost and farm credit showed a significant negative effect. Also, farmers’ age, farm income, and household size showed a positive effect on the gross margin of fertilizer based farmers while education, marital status, stem cost social organization, labour cost, the quantity of Waterleaf stolen, gender and farm size showed a significant negative impact. The findings also revealed that the level of commercialization in organic manure farmers was higher and statistically different from fertilizer based farmers. Empirical results showed that farmers’ age, education, farming experience, farm size, and social capital formation have a positive influence on the level of commercialization of fertilizer based farmers while gender, household size, and a household dependent ratio showed a significant negative effect. On the other hand, education, gender, farm size and extension service have positive correlations with the level of commercialization of organic farmers while household size, household dependent ratio, and marital status have a negative impact.&#x0D; Originality / scientific novelty. The study has developed out of absolute necessity to sustain Waterleaf production as a means of livelihood for thousands of resource-poor farmers and unemployed women in the region. This is the first attempt to analyse the production performance of categories of Waterleaf farmers practising different soil management techniques in the region. The findings satisfied a priori expectations and reflected the extent of economic and environmental deterioration engulfing the small scale farmers in the region. &#x0D; Practical value / implications. The study has identified policy variables that will enable policymakers to develop a sustained policy framework that would enhance the use of manure and fertilizer by small scale farmers in the region. To further enhanced sustainability of Waterleaf enterprise, it is recommended that, adult education should be encouraged and extension services, strengthen as well as planned subsidies for fertilizer and other farm inputs for Waterleaf farmers in the region.

Sustainable Development through Gender Equality – A Case of Higher Education of Data Scientists

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector in Serbia is fast growing and in constant high demand for qualified workforce. In order to continuously fulfil the demand, the National strategy for gender equality defined as one of the actions, requalification of the unemployed women for different ICT profiles. Investing in education is the policy of creating human capital that influences the overall development of the society. Women empowerment through education is recognized as one of the prerequisite for sustainable ICT workforce generation. Data science represents particularly important field of ICT which is still in its development phase in Serbia. All industries with transaction-based processes and industries that use connected or mobile devices or similar, which generate high volumes of data on a daily bases can benefit from application of data science in terms of increased profits and ROI. While developing data science in Serbia and during the peak of productivity in the overall ICT sector, it is important to acknowledge the lack of women in technology, why that is detrimental to progression, and to take intentional actions to overcome this issue. This paper addresses these issues and points to the large gender gap in ICT higher education which consequently shapes the ICT labor market and the workplace. In the paper we give an overview of the state of the art and perspective actions in the domain of higher education of female data scientists in Serbia, and highlight the opportunities for further improvements.