Women's Social Networks Research Articles

결혼이주여성의 사회적 관계와 관련요인 : 개인특성, 가족특성, 이주민특성을 중심으로

This study aimed to explore the social networks which married immigrant women have in Korea. Special attention was paid to factors such as individual, family, and migrant characteristics contributing to the different patterns of social networks. I drew upon the nationally representative data on 60,719 immigrant women married to Korean men from the '2009 Survey on Korean National Survey on Multicultural Families.' Results showed that the foreign wives tended to maintain a connection with our society through contact with their neighbors and participation in social gatherings. Findings also showed that the types of social networks by the number of trusted neighbors and meetings were diverse among the immigrant women. In addition, the factors differentiating the types were mostly associated with socioeconomic resources or Korean proficiency. More interestingly, the immigrant women's contacts with their family members in their homeland contributed to their maintenance of more active social networks. These results provided a useful outlook on the relationship between patterns of social networks and the characteristics of the married immigrant women, which eventually showed a heterogeneous nature among them. At the societal level, supportive systems for enriching immigrant women's social networks should be developed particularly in terms of not their dependency, but their potential contributions to our society.

Gender Differences in Sexual Risk and Sexually Transmitted Infections Correlate With Gender Differences in Social Networks Among San Francisco Homeless Youth

To explore whether gender differences in sexual risk and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among homeless youth may be explained in part by gender differences in their social networks. Our sample includes 258 youth (64% male) recruited in San Francisco from street venues and transitional programs. Participants completed an audio computer-administered self-interview survey regarding their housing status and risk behaviors and an interviewer-administered survey regarding their social networks, and were tested for STIs (chlamydia and gonorrhea). We examined relationships between sexual risk and STI rates and social network characteristics by gender. Condom use was lower in young women than in young men, whereas young women were more likely to have an injection drug user (IDU) sex partner and to be diagnosed with an STI. Homeless young men were more likely to have stably housed contacts and same-sex friendships in their social networks than were young women. Stably housed network contacts were associated with increased condom use and decreased STI prevalence in young men. Same-sex friends were associated with increased condom use in young women. No young woman with a family member in her network had an IDU sex partner. Having a network member who had been recently incarcerated was associated with having an IDU sex partner for young women. Homeless young women's networks may place them at greater risk for STIs than young men. Increasing mainstream contacts and same-gender friendships may protect all homeless youth from STIs. Interventions addressing homeless young women's social networks may decrease their gender-disparate STI risk.

A Cookbook of Her Own

A Cookbook of Her Own

Beliefs and practices surrounding postpartum period among Myanmar women

Objectiveto examine the postpartum beliefs and practices among young women (15–24 years) Designboth quantitative and qualitative approaches were used: a cross-sectional comparative study using a semi-structured questionnaire and focus group discussions (FGDs). SettingKyimyindaing Township in the western district of Yangon, Myanmar. Participantsyoung women (15–24 years) who had experience of at least one live birth were included. A total of 196 women for a quantitative survey and 31 women for FGDs were recruited. Measurement and findingspostpartum beliefs and practices at the last childbirth were explored by a pretested semi-structured questionnaire and four FGDs (two in urban and two in rural areas). The survey questionnaire covered socio-demographic data, food and behavioural restrictions and observances during the last postpartum period and underlying reasons for those practices. Majority of participants followed the traditional postpartum practices regardless of the area of residence and education level. Notion of ‘dirty lochia’ was identified. Key conclusionstraditional beliefs and practices surrounding post partum were highly prevalent among young women. Variation in degree and duration of adherence to postpartum taboos was noted. These beliefs and practices were imparted and perpetuated by women's close social network. Implications for practicethe findings point out the importance of awareness of postpartum beliefs and practices among health staff for providing culturally sensitive health care and gaining better co-operation and mutual understanding in giving health care.

The Influence of Career Interrupted Women's Social Network upon Their Career Planning: Mediating Effect of Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy

The Influence of Career Interrupted Women's Social Network upon Their Career Planning: Mediating Effect of Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy

Social Aggression and Resource Conflict Across the Female Life‐Course in the Bolivian Amazon

This work explores sources of conflict among forager-horticulturalist women in Amazonian Bolivia, and applies life history theory as a tool for understanding competitive and cooperative social networking behaviors among women. In this study, 121 Tsimane women and girls were interviewed regarding current and past disagreements with others in their community to identify categories of contested resources that instigate interpersonal conflicts, often resulting in incidences of social aggression. Analysis of frequency data on quarrels (N = 334) reveals that women target several diverse categories of resources, with social types appearing as frequently as food and mates. It was also found that the focus of women's competition changes throughout the life-course, consistent with the notion that current vs. future reproduction and quantity-quality trade-offs might have different influences on competition and social conflict over resources within women's social networks across different age groups.

Association of childhood abuse with homeless women's social networks

ObjectiveChildhood abuse has been linked to negative sequelae for women later in life including drug and alcohol use and violence as victim or perpetrator and may also affect the development of women's social networks. Childhood abuse is prevalent among at-risk populations of women (such as the homeless) and thus may have a stronger impact on their social networks. We conducted a study to: (a) develop a typology of sheltered homeless women's social networks; (b) determine whether childhood abuse was associated with the social networks of sheltered homeless women; and (c) determine whether those associations remained after accounting for past-year substance abuse and recent intimate partner abuse. MethodsA probability sample of 428 homeless women from temporary shelter settings in Los Angeles County completed a personal network survey that provided respondent information as well as information about their network members’ demographics and level of interaction with each other. Cluster analyses identified groups of women who shared specific social network characteristics. Multinomial logistic regressions revealed variables associated with group membership. ResultsWe identified three groups of women with differing social network characteristics: low-risk networks, densely connected risky networks (dense, risky), and sparsely connected risky networks (sparse, risky). Multinomial logistic regressions indicated that membership in the sparse, risky network group, when compared to the low-risk group, was associated with history of childhood physical abuse (but not sexual or emotional abuse). Recent drug abuse was associated with membership in both risky network groups; however, the association of childhood physical abuse with sparse, risky network group membership remained. ConclusionsAlthough these findings support theories proposing that the experience of childhood abuse can shape women's social networks, they suggest that it may be childhood physical abuse that has the most impact among homeless women. Practical implicationsThe effects of childhood physical abuse should be more actively investigated in clinical settings, especially those frequented by homeless women, particularly with respect to the formation of social networks in social contexts that may expose these women to greater risks.

Women, Social Networks, and HIV

HIV/AIDS has been a growing problem since the 1980s. The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between social networks of women and their HIV/AIDS status in Debre Zeit, Ethiopia. In-depth interviews were conducted to collect data from 24 women, 14 of whom were HIV positive. A content analysis technique was applied and UCINET software was used to draw the social network sociograms of participants. Results indicate that social networks have a direct influence on the HIV status of participants. Most participants who were HIV positive (12 of 14) abandoned their former network members and established new social networks. Those who were HIV negative maintained the social networks that they established before their HIV test. For some participants, their social networks became a medium for contracting HIV; for others, their social networks helped protect them from possible infection by the virus. The study suggests that social network analysis provides knowledge for social work practice and planning health interventions.

Substance Use Disorders Treatment for Sexual Minority Women

The substance abuse treatment literature has overlooked the needs of sexual minority clients in general, but particularly sexual minority women, a category including lesbians, bisexual women, and women with same-sex experiences or attractions who do not use the aforementioned labels. Sexual minority women have rates of substance use disorders that exceed rates of heterosexual women, are as likely or more likely to seek help, and are likely to have treatment issues that differ from sexual minority men and heterosexual women. This review of the literature focuses treatment availability, access, and identifying elements of culturally-sensitive treatment for sexual minority women, with a special focus on minority stress. Some potential best practices for sexual minority women include trauma-informed treatment systems, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender–responsive agencies, welcoming and inclusive climate, and linkages with sexual minority women's community resources and social networks.

The experience of pregnancy: subjectivity and social relations

In this article, I examine from a comparative perspective how the experience of pregnancy is affected by pregnant women's social network, in an urban context. In particular, I analyse the role played by husbands or male partners, family, friends and medical specialists during gestation and how these relationships impinge on women's subjectivity. I contrast the earlier studies of Maria Isabel Almeida and Tania Salem, carried out in the 1980s, with my own research material, gathered in 2008, all of which dealt with middle class women living in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, who were going through their first gestation. I argue, with this comparison, that different ways of thinking and living these relationships as well as the changes undergone in gender roles in the family affects women´s subjectivity, in particular the value given to the expression of individuality - its motivations, desires and emotions.

Women's Social Networks and Female Friendship in the Ancient Greek City

This paper explores how women used their social networks within the ancient Greek urban environment in two spheres: first with regard to their civic engagement, and second with regard to their social relationships. By examining the types of social networks in which women were involved, how they were used and their impact on social relations, it argues that historians should broaden their conception of women's contribution to the Greek civic environment. Such an approach shows how women negotiated social and economic status within the polis community, how they used their social capital as a resource for social and civic engagement and sheds light on their personal relationships. These relationships not only enhanced women's well‐being and allowed them to determine their own roles in community life, but also formed the basis of their engagement with the polis. Considering the social networks to which women belonged, and the differing types of social capital embedded in them, further enables an examination of female friendship. Recognising the contribution of women to the polis community is necessary in order to understand the wider social and civic relationships within the ancient city.

Sources and Frequency of Secondhand Smoke Exposure During Pregnancy

This study examined sources of exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) during pregnancy and misclassification of women as having no SHS exposure if partner smoking was used as the only measure of SHS exposure. We also examined changes in SHS exposure across the three trimesters of pregnancy. The sample consisted of 245 pregnant women who were in a serious relationship with a partner and 106 for examination of change over time. Women's smoking status was determined by a combination of self-reports and oral fluid assays. Women's reports of partner smoking, smoking by other social network members, and frequency of exposure to SHS were obtained. The most common source of SHS exposure during pregnancy was the partner (n = 245). However, reliance on the partner smoking measure alone would have misclassified a substantial number of women as having no SHS exposure during pregnancy. The importance of exposure from the general social network was also evident in the finding that among nonsmoking women with nonsmoking partners, 50% reported some level of SHS exposure in the preceding week. Contrary to expectations, there were no changes in SHS exposure across the three trimesters of pregnancy (n = 106). Results highlight the need for treatment plans to target sources of exposure from other members of women's social networks in addition to partners. It may be unrealistic to expect women's cessation efforts to be successful in the face of consistent and continued SHS exposure through pregnancy.

Women's Micro Credit Loans and 'Gam'iyyaat' Saving Clubs in Cairo, Egypt: The Role of Social Networks in the Neighbourhood

No accessJournal of Human SecurityOther Journal Article01 January 2011Women's Micro Credit Loans and 'Gam'iyyaat' Saving Clubs in Cairo, Egypt: The Role of Social Networks in the Neighbourhood Authors: Julie Drolet Authors: Julie Drolet Assistant Professor, School of Social Work and Human Service, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada, email: [email protected] Google Scholar More articles by this author SectionsAboutPDF/EPUBExport CitationsAdd to FavouriteAdd to FavouriteCreate a New ListNameCancelCreate ToolsTrack CitationsCreate Clip ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInEmail Abstract This article examines the influence of social networks on women's micro credit loan groups and gam'iyyaat savings clubs. Research from Cairo, Egypt, suggests that women's social networks at the neighbourhood level facilitate micro credit and savings practices. A sample of 69 micro credit loan participants, including women borrowers and key staff members, was drawn from the Abdeen and Imbeba neighbourhoods of Cairo, Egypt. The article highlights that micro credit is not a solution for poverty in an often unpredictable and unstable economy, but should be available in collaboration with other health, social and educational initiatives to contribute to meeting women's gendered human development and human security needs. Full Text DOI Previous article Next article RelatedDetails View PUBLICATION DETAILSDate of Publication:January 2011Journal:Journal of Human SecurityISSN:1835-3800Volume:7Issue:2Page Range:20-31First Page:20Last Page:31Source:Journal of Human Security, Vol. 7, No. 2, 2011: 20-31Date Last Modified:05 September 2018 12:24Date Last Revised:19 August 2011SubjectSaving and investmentWomen--Social conditionsWomen--Economic conditionsWages--Women METRICS Downloaded 0 times Copyright© Human Security Institute, 2011Download PDFLoading ...

Factors which enhance or inhibit social support: a mixed-methods analysis of social networks in older women

ABSTRACTEvidence suggests that people with strong social support have lower mortality and morbidity and better self-rated health in later life, but few studies have used longitudinal data to examine the factors that inhibit or enhance social support. This study used both quantitative data and qualitative texts to explore older women's social networks. The mixed-methods design drew participants from the 1921–26 cohort of the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH). Regression modelling for repeated measures was used to analyse the longitudinal data. The qualitative data was content analysed by the themes identified from the quantitative analyses. The quantitative analyses revealed that larger social networks associated with better mental health, widowhood, illness or death of a family member, and no mobility problems. Women who were not Australian-born, had sight problems or who had moved house were more likely to have smaller social networks. The qualitative data provided insight into the lived experiences of this group of women. The use of a mixed methodology enabled the longitudinal quantitative results to be enriched by the women's own words. The findings highlight the importance to older women of being able to access their social network members to gain the psychological and emotional benefits.

Social Sustainability in Urban Areas – Communities, Connectivity and the Urban Fabric

Introduction 1. Understanding Social Sustainability: Key Concepts and Developments in Theory and Practice Part 1: Communities, Neighbourhoods and the Creation of Locality-Based Social Capital Introduction to Part 1 2. Creating Sustainable Neighbourhoods? The Development and Management of Mixed-Income Communities 3. Building Sustainable Communities from the Grassroots: How Community Land Trusts can Create Social Sustainability 4. Neighbourhood Asset Management: Life Cycles and Learning for Social Sustainability 5. Women's Social Networks and their Importance in Promoting Sustainable Communities Part 2: The Role of Place and Connectivity in the Urban Socio-Physical Environment Introduction to Part 2 6. Residential Intensification, Family Housing and Educational Provision 7. Transport Planning for Sustainable Communities 8. The Impacts of Teleworking on Sustainability and Travel Part 3: Regeneration and Economic Development Introduction to Part 3 9. Planning Obligations and Social Sustainability 10. The Urban Renaissance and the Night-Time Economy - Who Belongs in the City at Night? 11. The Relationship between Major Events, the Urban Fabric and Social Sustainability 12. Conclusions and Observations for Future Practice

Social Support: A Mixed Blessing for Women in Substance Abuse Treatment

Using a personal social network framework, this qualitative study sought to understand how women in substance abuse treatment describe their network members' supportive and unsupportive behaviors related to recovery. Eighty-six women were interviewed from residential and outpatient substance abuse treatment programs. Positive and negative aspects of women's social networks were assessed via open-ended questions. Analysis was guided by grounded theory techniques using 3 coders. The findings extend classic social support concepts such as emotional, tangible, and informational support. Practice implications are presented in light of the potential roles network members may play in substance use and recovery.

Migrant Social Networks and Health Care: Exploring the Relationship between Women's Social Networks and Migrant Health Care Access in the United States

The challenges facing today's Mexican migrant population, almost a third of the US migrant population, are formidable. Such high representation offers not only challenges, but also increased political representation and large networks of social support. Complex relationships established through such networks provide Mexican migrants with avenues of access to communities, opportunities and services. Following a working definition of community and the concept of social capital, this paper examines health care availability for Mexican migrants in the United States. Because Mexican women are traditionally responsible for the health of their families, a case study is used to illustrate how knowledge and information gained through women's social networks gives Mexican women in the US critical decision‐making power with regard to health care. Greater acknowledgement of women as the brokers of health‐preserving information networks is key to recognising their significance as stakeholders in community health care. Future policy developers should recognise the importance of understanding such specific contextual issues, because they create a health care system that is responsive to individual and community needs.

Pasa la Voz (Spread the Word): Using Women's Social Networks for HIV Education and Testing

Pasa la Voz (spread the word) is a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention methodology inspired by respondent-driven sampling (RDS) that uses social networks to access hard-to-reach populations. As field testing showed the approach to be efficacious among at-risk women in West Texas and Southern New Mexico, we set out to evaluate the methodology in a Mexican context. A local community organization, Programa Compañeros, first implemented a traditional one-on-one outreach strategy using promotoras (outreach workers) in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, from September 2005 to January 2006. This was followed by implementation of Pasa la Voz from February 2006 to January 2007. The percentage of women agreeing to be tested increased from 11.9% to 49.9%, and staff time declined from 22.70 hours to 3.68 hours per HIV test, comparing the one-on-one with the Pasa la Voz methodology, respectively. Pasa la Voz was successful at imparting a cost-savings prevention education program with significant increases in the number of at-risk women being tested for HIV.

Development of the mother–child relationship following pre‐eclampsia

The concept of primary maternal preoccupation defined by Winnicott constituted the theoretical framework. We assessed the establishment of the mother–child relationship in primiparous women who developed pre‐eclampsia in the final trimester of pregnancy. This qualitative study was based on semi‐structured interviews conducted with 15 women treated at a tertiary referral hospital for high‐risk pregnancy in Brazil, whose babies were 1–4 months old at the time of the interview. For analysis, themes were organised around the principal signs of primary maternal preoccupation and the relationship of the women with their mothers in accordance with the proposed theoretical framework, emerging themes relevant for the comprehension of the data collected concerning the significance of the diagnosis of pre‐eclampsia in women's lives and the importance of the women's social support network. The results showed that all participants referred to signs of primary maternal preoccupation, the importance of the relationship with their own mother as constituting a model of childcare, the relevance of social support, and the difficulties encountered in fully understanding the medical implications of the diagnosis in their lives and in dealing with hospitalisation. In conclusion, despite feeling the effect of the disease on their lives, these women developed a good mother–child relationship.

Employed Mothers’ Worker Ideology and Social Support Network Composition

The purpose of this ethnographic study was to examine employed mothers' social support network composition in relation to their orientation to worker ideology. A reanalysis of data from two longitudinal, interview studies was conducted. Ecomaps were developed to depict women's social support network composition, revealing five types of support sources: household family, nonhousehold family, friends and neighbors, workplace, and formal services. A typology of diverse, restricted, and mixed networks, reflecting patterns in availability, consistency, and types of support sources, was identified and analyzed in relation to women's orientation to worker ideology. Women with innovator or conformist orientations to worker ideology tended to have mixed or diverse networks. Women with a conformist orientation did not utilize formal services but tended to have a supportive workplace. Most of the women who transitioned into an innovator orientation had available, consistent support, most notably from household family.