<p> The effects of time and occupational prestige measured in this study had more of an impact than gender on how often witnesses hedged on the stand. A corpus of transcripts from 1893 to 2013 was assembled to test the variables of time, gender and occupational prestige on witnesses&rsquo; production of hedge constructions (e.g., <i>I think, sort of).</i> Results showed no significant differences between female and male hedge production over this 120-year period, yet significant differences were found in the production of phrases between earlier and later testimonies. Furthermore, a significant correlation was found between hedge production and occupational prestige. The more prestigious a witness&rsquo;s occupation, the fewer hedges s/he used. These findings support previous research that suggests a similarity between female and male speech in other genres of discourse and emphasizes social and environmental factors as areas worthy of deeper investigation for the contextual assessment of function in language.</p>

<p> Women comprise over 57% of all U.S. mortuary school students, yet less than 20% of all funeral directors employed in this country are women. As such, women are underrepresented as funeral directors in the funeral industry. Research to date has not established clear differences between perceived gender roles and occupations in the funeral service industry. The research questions examined the perceived differences of gender role characteristics of masculine, feminine, and androgyny between the occupations of funeral service providers and nursing. Bem&rsquo;s gender role theory was the theoretical framework of this study. The research compared the mean scores of male and female funeral service professionals and nursing professionals as measured by the validated Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). A sample consisted of 214 randomly selected male (n = 88) and female (n = 25) funeral service professionals and male (n = 37) and female (n = 64) nurse professionals. Data scores were analyzed using the factorial multivariate analysis of variance method. Results indicated nonsignificant gender role differences between male and female funeral directors. Funeral directors appear more androgynous compared to nurses. The present study contributed to the development of this important and neglected area of research by quantitatively examining the gender role perceptions of men and women in the funeral service industry for the first time. This study results highlighted the complexity in self-perceived gender role characteristics as measured by BSRI. When the funeral profession begins to dispel gender stereotypes and discrimination issues, positive social change can occur.</p>

The objectives of this thesis are: 1. To contribute to the contemporary agenda on research into fatherhood by focusing on the successes and difficulties of fathers being more involved in the intimate care of their children. 2. To contribute to the understanding of how traditional discourses on fatherhood and masculinity may affect involved fathers' ability to nurture children. 3. To consider how involved fathers manage predominant discourses on fatherhood, masculinity and anger within the home.

<p> The Female-To-Male (FTM) transgender community has begun to receive a lot of attention in recent years. Academic research executed with a focus on the experiences of the FTM community is also growing quickly and exploring issues and concepts beyond transition. The effect of social expectations on the leadership experiences of FTM leaders has yet to be examined, specifically the influence of the social expectations of masculinity and leadership on FTM leaders. This dissertation seeks to capture the experiences of 4 transgender men who hold, or have held, leadership roles in their organizations of employ and to inquire about how the social expectations about what it means to be a man, or how to appropriately behave to be perceived as a man, affects themselves as leaders as well as their leadership experiences. The work also elucidates a relationship between socially-imposed stereotypes on gender identity development as well as the importance of gender identity gaining recognition as a workplace well-being issue.</p>

No description available.

British cinema of the post-war period has often been characterised as anodyne in terms of gender relations, with the exciting 'wicked ladies' of the war years erased in favour of more conservative versions of femininity. Recent writing (Geraghty, 2000, Harper and Porter, 2003) has brought challenges to bear on this paradigm and opened up a critical space for a more nuanced analysis of gender. This thesis considers representations of divergent femininities in post-WWII British films, that is, female characters who function as liminal figures and who queer boundaries between normative and divergent femininity. I explore how divergent femininities are constructed and the extent to which gender conservatism can be challenged in films from the period. A number of well-known (cross-genre) films, such as Woman in a Dressing Gown (1957) and Mandy (1952), are analysed, augmented by other films that have received little critical attention, for example, The Perfect Woman (1949), Dear Murderer (1947) and Young Wives' Tale (1951). This study employs detailed textual and semiotic analyses (film, reviews, publicity material, critical writings) to produce a historicised feminist reading of 1950s films and femininity and, by combining attention to visual style with an analysis of contextual material, complements existing scholarship which emphasises film production and reception. This thesis explores the extent to which female desire for autonomy, excitement and social mobility could be expressed in 1950s films, and how women questioned their 'proper place' in the gendered social economy. Women's function as housewives is problematised in ways that enter into contemporaneous debates about modernity and consumerism. The heterosexual nuclear family survives as the preferred familial model but the difficulty of mothering is dramatised in ways that challenge hegemonic maternity. Heteroromance and marriage remain the central goal for all women and censorship largely curtails the depiction of female sexuality outside this paradigm. A space however is opened up for women to voice desire for something in addition to the role of wife and mother and in this respect these liminal figures represent a cultural contestation of normative femininity. They shore up - whilst simultaneously challenging - certain ideals of femininity and in doing so speak of the consolidation and transformation of gender relations in post-war British society, suggesting a more dynamic model than has been acknowledged.

<p> Transgender women have the highest HIV prevalence rates of all gender and sexual minorities, yet are less likely to enter and be retained in HIV care. As a result, they are at high risk for HIV-related morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to describe the illness career of transgender women living with HIV and to describe how interactions with health care providers and important others influenced their illness trajectory. The findings are a theoretical model that includes four stages: <i>Having the world come crashing down, shutting out the world, living in a dark world, and reconstructing the world. </i> Relationships within the social network (family, friends, and romantic partners) and the network of health care providers provided the context of the women&rsquo;s illness careers. Pivotal moments marked movement from one phase to the next. <i>Having the World Crashing Down</i> was the first stage that occurred when the participants were diagnosed with HIV. They felt that their lives as they knew them had been destroyed. They indicated that the &ldquo;whole world just shattered&rdquo; the moment they found out they had HIV. <i>Shutting Out the World</i> occurred next. During this stage, many participants experienced withdrawal, denial, social isolation and loneliness. As they struggled with their diagnosis, they often avoided HIV care and avoided contact with important others. During the third stage, <i> Living in a Dark World,</i> participants descended into a dark phase of self-destructive life and health-threatening behaviors following their diagnosis. During the fourth stage, <i>Reconstructing the World,</i> participants began to reestablish themselves in the world and found new ways to reengage with important others and resume meaningful life activities. Findings confirm that the illness careers of HIV-positive transgender women are influenced by the social context of the health care setting and interactions with health care providers and important others.</p>

<p> Gender-linked language penalizes women by both systematically devaluing women&rsquo;s speech and limiting its form and content. In 1975, Robin Lakoff claimed that gender-linked language was a key diagnostic for gender equality within society. Forty years later, this interdisciplinary analysis brings together feminist, legal justice, sociological, and linguistic perspectives to examine the courtroom testimony of female domestic violence victims for compliance with gender-linked language norms and subsequent success in obtaining protective orders. Testimony was evaluated for compliance with Mulac&rsquo;s Gender-Linked Language Effect (GLLE) as well as additional variables uncovered through research and experience. Results showed that all petitioners used female-linked variables at a consistent rate but that those who used more male-linked variables received fewer protective orders. The results of this analysis will serve to inform judges and legal professionals in their evaluation of women&rsquo;s narratives without bias, fill a gap in research on the effects gender-linked language in courtroom testimony, and uncover the presence of the GLLE in everyday life. Most importantly, this analysis provides a rationale for eliminating gender-linked language as an extralegal barrier to protection helping to ensure that all citizens receive equal protection from the Court regardless of gender.</p>

No description available.

Sexual orientation is a multi-dimensional construct, including sexual identity, attraction, and behavior. Adopting this multidimensional perspective, this thesis is structured in two manuscripts that investigate adolescent sexual orientation among a community sample of students from 14 high schools in Montréal, Québec. Study I examined sexual orientation and youth suicidality. Study II assessed factors related to concordance versus discordance of sexual identity, attraction and behavior. Students were surveyed anonymously. The survey included items assessing sexual orientation, health risk behaviors, suicidality, demographics, and social attitudes towards homosexuality. Multiple logistic regression models were used in both studies. Study I found that compared to youth with heterosexual identity, attraction and behavior, adolescents with GLB and “unsure” identities were at greater risk of suicidality. However, youth who reported same-sex attraction or behavior, but a heterosexual identity, were not at elevated risk. Study II found that compared with heterosexual-identified students, students with GLB identities were more likely to be older and to report that school homosexual attitudes were ridiculed, accepted, or appreciated versus tolerated or ignored. Overall, results highlighted the potential importance of social environment in sexual minority youth mental health outcomes and identity development. / L'orientation sexuelle est une construction mentale multidimensionnelle qui inclut l'identité sexuelle, l'attirance physique et le comportement sexuel. Cette thèse adopte la perspective multidimensionnelle et étudie l'orientation sexuelle chez un échantillon d'étudiants adolescents dans 14 écoles secondaires à Montréal, Québec. La thèse est divisée en deux manuscrits. La première étude examine l'orientation sexuelle et la suicidalité chez les jeunes. La deuxième étude examine les facteurs reliés à la concordance ou discordance de l'identité sexuelle, l'attirance physique et le comportement sexuel. Des étudiants étaient interrogés anonymement. Le questionnaire incluait des points qui évaluaient l'orientation sexuelle, les comportements de santé à risques, la suicidalité, les données démographiques et les attitudes sociales envers l'homosexualité. Les deux études ont utilisé des modèles de régression logistiques multiples. La première étude a trouvé que les jeunes avec une identité Gay-lesbienne-bisexuel(le)s (GLB) et « incertaines » étaient plus à risque pour la suicidalité comparer aux jeunes avec une identité, une attirance et un comportement hétérosexuel. Cependant, les jeunes qui ont mentionné avoir des attirances physiques ou des comportements sexuels avec le même sexe mais une identité hétérosexuelles n'étaient pas plus à risque. La deuxième étude a trouvé que, comparé aux étudiants avec une identité hétérosexuelle, les étudiants avec une identité GLB étaient plus vieux et plus porté à mentionné que l'attitude de leur école envers l'homosexualité était ridiculisé, accepté, ou apprécié au lieu de toléré ou ignoré. En tout, les résultats soulignent l'importance de l'environnement sociale pour la santé mentale et le développement de l'identité sexuelle chez les jeunes minorités sexuelles.