The main aim of this research was to explore the experience of known egg donation in order to identify the psychosocial issues involved. Previous research into known egg donation remains sparse, with the majority of studies focusing on the psychological aspects of treatment, providing largely quantitative information about the practice. In addition to the purely psychological, the current research acknowledges the importance of social factors, highlighting the psychosocial implications of known egg donation for those involved. The study took a hermeneutic phenomenological approach in an effort to understand and interpret participants’ experience of known egg donation through the use of language during interviews. The research was conducted in two distinct phases. During Phase One, semi-structured interviews were conducted with counsellors in UK licensed treatment centres and analysed using a version of thematic analysis. During Phase Two, known egg donors, recipients and the partners of recipients were interviewed in-depth and analysed using a voice-centred relational approach. Following the identification of a number of key themes, the data collected during both phases were synthesized to enable the identification of the psychosocial implications of known egg donation. The main findings highlighted the importance of negotiating relationships before, during and after the donation. Key psychosocial issues identified are: the existence of pressure (both overt and covert) within the donor-recipient relationship, defining and maintaining clear relationship boundaries, involvement of male partners, relationship changes, and a continued renegotiation of relationships in the longer-term. The psychosocial implications identified emphasise the need for counsellors to: adopt a relationally-focused approach within their work, promote the best interests of the families involved, work with all those involved in the donation throughout the donation process and beyond, encourage ongoing discussion surrounding the implications of secrecy and disclosure, and ensure consistency of psychosocial care.

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This thesis explores the motivations and lived experiences of Nigerian Christian women engaged in postgraduate studies in UK higher education based on 20 semi-structured interviews. For this group of women, their educational quest abroad is happening at the phase in the normative life course when they are expected by Nigerian society to be wives as well as mothers. Such cultural expectations carry social sanctions for non-conformity. This thesis investigates the immense social pressures the women come under as their educational achievements are not considered as important as the fulfillment of their social roles in their home country, and the strategies/negotiations they engage in to gain and maintain support for their educational pursuit. Being that they are studying and living in an egalitarian society like the UK, the thesis also examines why the women remain attached to Nigerian patriarchal values. Using empirical data, the thesis attempts to challenge and critique the current debates on international student migration that portray it as an individualized process and international student migrants as a homogenous group. It argues that the participants’ motivations and migration experiences are gendered and embedded in social relationships and processes. Furthermore, the thesis claims that the set of women interviewees are not just engaged in academic study alone as the literatures tend to portray international student migrants, they are also family members (wives/mothers/daughters) and workers, who consciously juggle their multiple roles in an order that seems to prioritize their social roles above the rest. The thesis asserts that the women are not victims; rather they are agentic beings whose compliant attitudes to patriarchal gender structures and roles are rooted in their religious and cultural beliefs.

The state education system of the inter-war years was characterised by the three crucial divisions of social class, ability and gender. It was the non-academic working class girl who was most disadvantaged by those divisions and who has been most ignored by educational policymakers and, indeed, by historians. That disadvantage was most apparent in the debate about vocational training for paid employment which marked these years. The controversy between the proponents of liberal and vocational education was of special significance for girls because of the frequently expressed argument that a girl had a single vocation - homemaking and domesticity. As the economy was restructured and women were drawn into the new consumer industries, the crucial dilemma of whether education should enable girls to enlarge their opportunities in paid employment or whether it should continue to orientate girls towards the domestic role had to be addressed. It is the educational policy and practices resulting from that tension between domesticity and productivity which this thesis will examine. Its focus will be the elementary and technical schools of London. The London County Council adopted a consciously progressive technical education programme during the inter-war years. This local study will therefore elucidate trends in the policy, practice and experience of girls' vocational schooling. It will be suggested that policy reflected the coexistence of patriarchy and capitalism. Class intersected with gender to result in a situation where schools trained girls to be cheap, unskilled workers in certain women's trades. Educational policy was constrained by the desire to preserve conventional domestic roles intact and a belief that working class girls could be defmed by their gender as a homogeneous group undistinguished by aptitude or ability. The assumption was made that girls would engage only temporarily in paid employment before returning to their true vocations as wives and mothers. Thus vocational schooling provides a concrete expression of inter-war gender ideology. The Introduction sets out the theoretical framework upon which this thesis is based. Chapter Two will provide an examination of the political, economic and social context in which educational policy was made. The third chapter analyses domestic studies' courses, the most explicit formulation of how schools prepared girls for their adult role. Chapters Four and Five focus on the Junior Technical and Central Schools, illustrating how schooling within them epitomised assumptions, prejudices and ideologies about girls' education during the inter-war years.

The principle of equality in the workplace, enshrined in the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, applies to a wide category of workers. However, there are certain exceptions to the legislation. Ministers of religion are not protected by the Act where employment is limited to one sex. Historically "employment" as a Church of England priest was limited to one sex. Then in 1993, following the momentous General Synod vote, legislation was passed which allowed women to be ordained as priests. A significant change had taken place regarding the theology of the Church. This shift in theology also brought the legal position of priests, in relation to sex discrimination, into question. An initial question was, should such priests be protected by secular employment legislation? if so, what are the legal difficulties of inclusion under the Sex Discrimination Act, and what are the practical difficulties of accommodation under the Act? These questions form the foundation stones of this thesis. A four stage process was used to answer these questions. First, a philosophical analysis of the theory behind sex discrimination law was undertaken, focusing on the concepts of equality and difference. Secondly, the position of the Church of England in relation to sex discrimination law was assessed with special reference to the employment status of ministers of religion. Thirdly, drawing on the theoretical work of stages one and two, an empirical investigation into the treatment of Church of England priests was conducted. The fourth stage built upon the empirical findings and the theoretical framework. British and European Community sex discrimination law was critically analysed, as was the relevant ecclesiastical law, and recommendations for law reform were made.

This thesis aims to explore how older (60-87 years) South Asian migrant (SAM) women anticipate and approach old age and ageing experiences across the life course. It draws attention to the ways in which older SAM women construct and (re)negotiate gendered roles across the intersections of gender, ethnicity and age in order to sustain quality of life. In addition to subjective experiences of the life course, this thesis examines how older SAM women (re)negotiate collective cultural identities in the place of migration and settlement. A qualitative feminist constructionist approach, utilising a transnational life course perspective, has guided the theoretical underpinnings for this research. Moreover, a two-part method has been used, presenting a multi-sited ethnography and life course interviews. Data elicited from the study included ethnographic observations, an ethnographic interview, a reflexive research and observation diary and 16 in-depth life course interviews. The study analysed data using thematic analysis and elicited themes via a thematic analysis network. In this research, key findings reveal that older SAM women’s experiences of age and ageing intersect with gender roles, responsibilities and obligations that are in turn influenced by positions of authority across the matriarchal hierarchy. Gendered roles, such as, the daughter, wife, becoming a daughter-in-law and mother, mother-in-law and older woman are influenced by cultural values and norms overlaid by patriarchal ideologies. Furthermore, thematic readings show that older SAM women construct, (re)negotiate and access cultural identities in the place of migration through culturally prescribed scripts themed around gender, family and a migrant identity in order to publically display and sustain loyalties to a past homeland, across the life course. Methodological findings indicate that in order to produce ethical research it is important to recognise the spaces in which the researcher and participant negotiate boundaries, as the researcher’s identity does effect the research process. Recommendations from this research suggest that in order to gain a better understanding of older SAM women’s experiences of old age and ageing, a multi-dimensional theoretical approach to age is required. Moreover, this approach needs to take into account the fluid and overlapping constructs of transcultural, transnational and translocational positionalities which additionally embrace insider/outsider binaries.

This thesis examines the experiences and the attitudes of Bradford females who have Pakistani Mirpuri heritage. The study has involved people of different ages ranging from sixteen to thirty-five and older women aged in their forties and beyond. The women explore their relationship with their parents, the biraderi (their extended family), career and educational aspirations, involvement with religion and culture and how these fit into their personal identities. The data was gathered incrementally over three stages. Each stage was equally important, and themes emerged at each stage, which were then explored further. The data comes out from a number of questionnaires, which were followed by interviews. The research evidence creates consistent pictures and provides an insight into the lives and experiences of Bradford females, of Pakistani Mirpuri origin. The concern was to explore the notions of their sense of personal identity in the face of conflicting cultures and conflicts between culture and religion. The research evidence shows that younger women believed they did share a close relationship with their parents. At times this relationship was tested. The evidence shows that an area of major inter-generational tension was where parents were trying to control the behaviours of younger women by using cultural interpretations of Islam. This was particularly mentioned by younger women in relation to education, careers, and marriage and on issues of freedom generally. The relationship of younger women, with the biraderi (kin) is not as close as their parents' relationship with it. Younger women are leading independent lives and have high career and educational aspirations. The majority of the respondents felt their parents had supported their aspirations. The evidence shows that younger women feel comfortable with the freedom they have. They wanted to be able to fulfil their education and career aspirations and socialise with friends. The younger women felt they understood Islam and followed religion more than culture. They felt they were able to distinguish between culture was and where parents were confusing religion and culture. The majority of women in this study described having multiple identities and were comfortable with this. Being British did not mean they had to compromise them as Muslims. The thesis demonstrates that Pakistanis are not homogonous and that there are many differences based on gender, cast and sect. At the core, however, is the sense of personal identity and the use the women made of their religious beliefs, not as a sign of the subjection to their inheritance but a symbol of their sense of personal independence.

The aim of this study is to explore the social organisation of men’s intervention in men’s violence against women, and the men who work within this realm. The area of intervention chosen, known as ‘domestic violence’, has seen considerable voluntary sector growth during the past two decades. However, few studies have investigated the positioning of men’s intervention within the wider context of ‘domestic violence support and services, which, in the main, have been developed by women. Therefore, this study maps the interconnections of men’s everyday workings within ‘domestic violence’ as professionals, public service providers, activists, and as men. The study was underpinned by a feminist framework and attempted to synthesise theory, practice and activism. Dorothy E. Smith’s approach of institutional ethnography was employed, and analysis was rooted in her concepts of ‘ruling relations’ and ‘Ideological codes’. The entry point for research comprised professional men who worked with men who had been violent to known women, as well as men who volunteered their time in violence prevention campaigns. During the course of the research seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted, and thirty public and semi-public events around the theme of men’s violence towards women were attended. The main findings from this study include the identification of processes that have reconceptualised the social problem of men’s violence towards women into ‘the relations of ruling’. Findings also suggest that feminism as an ‘ideological code’ is a key organiser of social relations within the ‘domestic violence’ sector. Furthermore, although the majority of leadership, work and activism within the area of ‘domestic violence’ is carried out by women, and despite the relative smallness of men’s intervention in ‘domestic violence’, the findings indicate that disproportionate opportunities for men to utilise their social power can be available in this area of intervention.

Background: The rationale for this study was developed from the personal and professional experience of the researcher living in a Muslim community in Nigeria where HIV/STIs are major health and social care problems. Most literature reviews on HIV/STIs and polygamy in Nigeria and in sub-Saharan Africa, have focused mainly on case studies and surveys. Aim: This study explores the experience and impact of HIV/STIs on Muslim women living in polygamous marriages in Nigeria. The objectives of this study are to explore their perceptions, knowledge and awareness of HIV/STIs, examine the effect of polygamy and identify factors to empower Muslim women to protect themselves. Method: The study adopts a qualitative approach, consisting of one-to-one in-depth interviews, within a feminist framework, with 20 women living in polygamous marriages in Nigeria. The qualitative approach was valuable because the words of the women who live in polygamous relationships cannot be quantified. A narrative, descriptive approach to the one-to-one in-depth interviews helped the researcher to listen and to describe their perspective; this was necessary because it is about their lived experience in polygamy. Using feminism, as the theoretical framework, offers an understanding of how polygamous women can be understood in relation to the dominant ideologies existing within a particular socio structure and it provides the lens to review the situation and suggest the necessary changes. The extract from the interview transcript was used to illustrate how the polygamous women’s accounts were explored in their own vernacular ways of speaking. Through the use of thematic analysis ten themes emerged. Findings: Ten themes were initially identified and four concepts finally emerged after coding and recoding of the similarities. These are the four concepts that emerged. They are; Education, Testing, Condom usage and an Economic empowerment (ETCE) approach. This means that there is a need for education, especially sex education as well as economic empowerment. The women’s accounts in this study area highlight the problems that polygamous women frequently experience such that, they cannot negotiate their sexual needs and cannot refuse their husbands taking on additional wives, within this kind of marriage system. The knowledge systems of polygamous women were evaluated and positioned in terms of women’s subjectivity and experiential knowledge. This study reveals that polygamy creates asymmetrical positioning, such asymmetrical positioning creates unequal power positions, not only among spouses, but among the co-wives within the polygamous marriage. The ways in which these social relations are negotiated and experienced are shaped by religion and traditions. This study also reveals that power and gender issues are critical factors in disempowering polygamous women, as they appear to be voiceless on issues that affect them in their polygamous marriage. Therefore, this means that there is a need for sexual education and for an improvement in the socio-economic status of women. Conclusions: Power and gender issues are critical factors in subordinating and disempowering polygamous women in their community; they are voiceless on their reproductive rights and limited in their option to control the spread of HIV/STIs. This study therefore, calls upon policy makers in Nigeria to consider these four concepts of Education, Testing, Condom Use and Economic empowerment (ETCE), as identified in the study, to help enhance the issue of economic empowerment of the polygamous women. Also this is to say that a window of opportunity exists; planners should develop partnerships with religious and community leaders to change the detrimental behaviours of polygamous men and women on issues of prevention and the control of HIV/STIs.

The thesis is focused on family in the early 21st century in the Czech Republic. The basic objective is to analyze important differences in for-family behaviour (in terms of traditional families) based on selected demographic indicators in regions and districts of the Czech Republic. The theoretical part describes basic concepts related to family, its functions and changes of the family. Czech families are studied mainly on evidence of selected statistical data published by the Czech Statistical Office. To determine the regional disparities, in approach to the concept of family at the district level, the synthetic indicator T has been designed. In the final part, the economic and social conditions (unemployment, education, etc.) affecting the people's approaches to the concept of family are examined within districts.