Previous studies have shown that many students have misconceptions about basic concepts in physics which persist after instruction. It has been concluded that one of the challenges lies in the teaching methodology. To address this, Georgia State University (GSU) has begun teaching studio algebra-based physics. Although many institutions have implemented studio physics, most have done so in calculus-based sequences. Additionally, the unique environment of GSU’s population as a diverse, urban research institution is considered. The effectiveness of the studio approach for this demographic in an algebra-based introductory physics course was assessed. This five-semester pilot study presents demographic survey results and compares the results of student pre- and post-tests using the Force Concept Inventory (FCI). FCI results show that 1) the studio approach yields higher learning gains than the conventional course, 2) there are significant performance differences among ethnic groups, and 3) a gender gaps exists regardless of instructional method.

Currently, between 21.9 and 23 million veterans have served in the United States armed forces. Of those, 2 million are women, and of those, only 6.5% use the Veterans Health Administration system. These females often suffer from physical and mental health disorders, and overall impaired quality of life (QOL), rendering their healthcare needs complex. Seeking, and providing care in this specialty area may become overwhelming not only for the women seeking the care, but also for healthcare systems that are unfamiliar with the specific needs of this population. A retrospective medical records review was completed of 51 female veterans between the ages of 40 and 60 years, and who attended a women’s health specialty clinic in a women’s health center in the VA healthcare system. This center provides comprehensive women’s health services to female veterans. By attending this center, female veterans are having most if not all of their healthcare needs met in one location. Some of the services provided at the center include: primary care; gynecology; other gender specific health care needs; mental health care; and social assistance among other issues that may be associated with the overall QOL and depression. Despite this study having a small sample size (n = 51), the participants were ethnically diverse: White (52.9%); African American (29.4%); Hispanic/Latino (15.7%); and Asian/Pacific Islander (2%). The overall results of this study reveal that female veterans who attend this clinic, have significantly lower baseline scores for QOL when compared to a North American population reference value. Means and standard deviation for total Menopause Rating Scale (MRS) score were; (n = 51, M = 21.2, SD = 9.2) compared to the North American women population reference values (n = 1,376, M = 9.1, SD = 7.6), z = 9.41, p < .0001, cohens d = 1.31. These results were significantly lower for all MRS subsets. The higher the means and standard deviation, the lower the QOL. A paired sample t-test indicated significant improvement in QOL after treatment in QOL (t = 7.80, p < .0001), and depression levels (t = 3.74, p < .0001) among female veterans attending the women’s health specialty clinic. Forward stepwise multiple linear regression models were fit to explore the association between the following variables and the outcomes of QOL and depression levels: low socioeconomic status (SES); number of deliveries; years of service; and military sexual trauma (MST). The only predictor that appeared to be significantly associated with higher MRS scores at baseline was a history of MST (β = .363; t = 2.44; p = 0.02). Higher MRS scores can be interpreted as lower QOL among female veterans. Despite the complexities and unique needs of female veterans, the findings of this study suggest that timely, comprehensive and gender specific healthcare can significantly improve overall QOL and depression levels. In addition, further studies are need to assess what other variables may have a direct association with QOL, depression levels, and overall health of female veterans.

Försvarsmakten uppnår inte sina jämställdhetsmålsättningar med en ökad andel kvinnliga officerare på högre chefsnivåer. Detta trots att styrdokument och policys finns, är välkända och etablerade i organisationen. Samtliga militära yrken har varit öppna för kvinnor i mer än 30 år, fortfarande är dock antalet kvinnor som valt att göra karriär på högre nivå idag lågt.  Denna kvalitativa intervjustudie syftar till att utforska och förstå hur kvinnliga officerare ser på valet att göra karriär – om det är ett aktivt val, ett incitament eller en konsekvens av något. Upplever kvinnorna några hinder eller motstånd, i organisationen eller hos dem själva? Resultatet visar att kvinnliga officerare som finns i Försvarsmakten idag är nöjda med sina befattningar på olika nivåer och de val som de gjort för att nå dit. Motstånd och hinder upplevs inte i den omfattning som tidigare forskning beskriver. Chefers stöd är starkt och avgörande, organisationen har erbjudit möjligheter för kvinnorna att utvecklas och välja karriär efter vilja, förutsättningar och intressen. Däremot lockar inte det högre chefskapet kvinnliga officerare i den omfattning som Försvarsmakten eftersträvar. En diskrepans finns mellan uppsatta mål och de val som kvinnorna gör.  Kvinnor som söker sig till militära organisationer har inte siktet inställt på karriär. Kvinnor behövs på alla nivåer men för att få fler att söka sig till högre befattningar behövs tidig uppmuntran och målbilder. Stödet för- och möjligheter att som officer och kvinna göra karriär som chef, finns väl etablerat i organisationen idag.

Women tend to be underrepresented among cyclists in many Western cities. The literature on gender and cycling identifies two main reasons to explain the gender gap: differences in risk aversion, and unequally shared domestic responsibilities. While urban cycling policies often focus on developing cycling infrastructures to encourage cycling, this research argues that such approach is not sufficient to achieve diversity among cyclists. The case study of Lyon, in France, provides a good example, as increased cycling infrastructures over the past few years have not prevented the existing gender gap among cyclists in the city. This research uses qualitative methods and feminist theories to investigate the reasons for the lower representation of women among cyclists in Lyon. It focuses especially on the role of the gendered meanings attached to cycling in explaining the gender gap, i.e., how cycling is perceived, interpreted, and appropriated by women. Female cyclists, non-cyclists, and members of cycling associations have thus been interviewed to understand their motivations and barriers to cycling. Numerous aspects impacting negatively cycling levels among women have been raised throughout the interviews, some not directly related to cycling infrastructures. These include a lack of representation of women among cyclists, restraining social norms, and gender inequalities in general. These findings underscore the importance to take into consideration, besides cycling infrastructures, social and cultural factors that may encourage or not women to cycle in urban cycling policies to close the gender gap.

In recent decades, Sweden has seen a rapid increase in the share of health care, education and social care that is delivered by privately-owned companies. Such privatisation of welfare state services has by some of its advocators been viewed as a means to enhance gender equality in labour market outcomes; one of them being access to managerial positions. This thesis uses Swedish registry data to examine how the underrepresentation of female managers differs between public sector and private sector providers of welfare state services. Moreover, the analysis pays close attention to how employees’ family statuses – partnership and parenthood – influence careers in each of the sectors. The result shows that the gender gap in managerial authority is narrower in the public sector than in the private sector. However, family responsibilities are shown to have a smaller and more gender-equal influence on managerial authority among employees in the private sector. The thesis’ conclusion is, thus, that even though career opportunities might be more gender-equal in the public sector than in the private sector, the theoretical assumption that women’s careers are better off in the public sector because it is more “family-friendly” does not receive support.

本研究之問題意識在於觀察台灣的總統選舉，是否如西方已發展國家，產生投票中的「性別差距」現象，以及台灣在地性別差距現象之樣貌為何。本研究採用政治大學選舉研究中心所進行之民意調查資料，以次級調查資料分析法為主，進行台灣1996年、2000年與2004年三次總統選舉之性別差距研究。 本研究所探討的面向主要包含政黨屬性、投票取向、人口背景變項三者與性別差距間的關係。其中以政黨屬性的分佈與演變來觀察台灣投票中性別差距之樣貌；而投票取向的部分則由選民之政黨認同、議題偏好、候選人取向及關係取向等四大取向，分析台灣選民在些投票取向上是否有性別差距現象；人口變項的分析則得以觀察教育程度、個人背景、社經地位、媒介使用程度與性別差距的關係，以及這十年間台灣男女在社經程度上的距離是否有所變化。 在研究發現上，以性別差距公式計算發現，台灣2004年的總統選舉首度出現女性較男性支持泛綠陣營的性別差距現象，先前兩次選舉則無。在人口變項上，男女在「婚姻狀況」、「教育程度」、「職業有無」、「個人收入高低」與「媒介使用」等變項上皆有顯著的性別差距，顯示台灣社會中男女在社經地位上仍有出入；而女性無論在「媒介使用頻次」或「媒介注意程度」，其平均分數都低於男性且有顯著的性別差距。投票取向的部分，本研究亦發現「政黨認同」變項確實會影響台灣選民的投票抉擇；對「議題立場」及「議題偏好」的分析也發現存有性別差距現象，例如在統獨立場上，女性贊成保持現狀的比例皆遠高於男性，甚至逐年增加。在「候選人取向」上亦有明顯的性別差距。另外，分析台灣投票行為研究中特殊的「關係取向」，發現女性選民特別重視「私人關係」的政治意見，男性選民則明顯重視「社會關係」與「政黨關係」。而男女在「投票自主性」也有差距，這樣的性別差距並不因女性選民高教育程度與就業的比例增長而縮減，但「自己決定」投票抉擇的女性已佔大多數。 由本研究的結果得以瞭解，如同西方蓬勃的性別差距研究，台灣男性與女性在政治意見與態度的不同面向上確實存有差距，也有不同於西方之樣貌。希望經由本研究對台灣三次總統選舉中性別差距現象之探討與發現，能做為後續更精確探討性別差距樣貌與所在之研究的出發點。 關鍵詞：性別差距、政黨屬性、投票取向、媒介使用、總統選舉

The aim of this paper is to make a satisfaction model of women entrepreneurs assuming that the level of satisfaction will make their companies more successful. We carried out a survey of women entrepreneurs and analyzed the satisfaction level using a structural equation model. Results showed that, in general, women entrepreneurs are quite satisfied with their job. Furthermore, these results led us to conclude that to achieve greater success, women entrepreneurs should build a business in which they are trained, in a sector where they have expertise and wherethey find good business opportunities, a market niche with competitive advantages. / El objetivo de este estudio es construir un modelo de análisis de la satisfacción de las mujeres empresarias asumiendo que esta satisfacción repercutirá en mayores niveles de éxito de sus empresas. Para llevar a cabo el estudio, se ha realizado una encuesta a mujeres empresarias y se han aplicado técnicas estadísticas de modelización mediante Sistemas de Ecuaciones Estructurales. Los resultados indican que, en general, las empresarias se encuentran bastante satisfechas con su actividad. Asimismo, dichos resultados nos permiten concluir que, para alcanzar un mayor éxito, las empresarias deberían crear un negocio en el que tengan una formación adecuada, en un sector en el que tengan experiencia y en el que existan buenas oportunidades de negocio, buscando un nicho de mercado en el que tengan ventajas competitivas. / O objetivo deste estudo é construir um modelo para analisar a satisfação das mulheres empresárias, assumindo que esta satisfação representará um maior sucesso das suas empresas. Para o estudo, foi aplicado um questionário às mulheres empresárias utilizando a técnica da Modelagem de Equações Estruturais. Os resultados indicaram que, em geral, as empresárias estão bastante satisfeitas com suas atividades. Além disso, estes resultados permitem concluir que, para alcançar maior sucesso, as empresárias deveriam montar um negócio no qual elas tenham uma formação adequada, em um setor no qual tenham experiência e com boas oportunidades de negócio, procurando um nicho de mercado com vantagens competitivas.

Submitted by Bernardo Dantas Pereira Coelho (bernardo.coelho27@gmail.com) on 2018-05-02T21:35:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Doutorado - Bernardo Coelho.pdf: 2101693 bytes, checksum: 84ef02769381cf1afb6f413b79ebde05 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by GILSON ROCHA MIRANDA (gilson.miranda@fgv.br) on 2018-05-28T16:24:46Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Doutorado - Bernardo Coelho.pdf: 2101693 bytes, checksum: 84ef02769381cf1afb6f413b79ebde05 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-14T20:31:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese Doutorado - Bernardo Coelho.pdf: 2101693 bytes, checksum: 84ef02769381cf1afb6f413b79ebde05 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-18 / Essa tese contém três capítulos. O primeiro capítulo estuda a relação entre o programa brasileiro de transferência condicional de renda Bolsa Família e os resultados das eleições de 2010. Nós procuramos estimar esse efeito utilizando uma abordagem estrutural, identificando características individuais que afetam o impacto eleitoral do programa. Fazemos isso utilizando um modelo mixed logit, um modelo de escolha discreta que considera tanto a distribuição paramétrica de variáveis não observadas quanto a distribuição não-paramétrica de variáveis conhecidas. Resultados indicam que o caráter redistributivo do programa possui um impacto eleitoral nos eleitores maior do que os ganhos individuais de renda dos beneficiários. O efeito marginal de ser um beneficiário do programa na decisão de voto é equivalente a um aumento de 81 reais na renda mensal do trabalho, menos do que o valor médio recebido por beneficiário que é de 90 reais. Nosso exercício contrafactual aponta que, sem o programa Bolsa Família, a incumbente, Sra. Rousseff, perderia 5,6% do total de votos, deixando o resultado da eleição inconclusivo. O segundo capítulo estuda a participação feminina na política, que aumentou na última década tanto em países ricos como em desenvolvimento. Não é claro, no entanto, se isso é parte de uma tendência ou apenas um crescimento reversível. A literatura apresenta argumentos teóricos tanto para um efeito de reforço quanto para um negativo da exposição a uma liderança negativa na probabilidade de apoio futuro a uma candidata mulher. Usando dados eleitorais e do Censo para o Brasil, testamos se o efeito da presença de uma prefeita mulher numa cidade impacta o apoio futuro a candidatas mulheres para Deputada Federal e não encontramos evidência de efeito significativo. Além disso, mostramos que apenas o uso de estatísticas agregadas, como médias demográficas, levaria a concluir equivocadamente que eleitores expostos ao governo de uma prefeita mulher teriam uma menor probabilidade de votar numa candidata mulher. O último capítulo investiga os determinantes para a queda de desigualdade de renda entre municípios brasileiros entre 2000 e 2010. Usando dados censitários, mostramos que a desigualdade caiu mais rápido em municípios com um maior nível de desigualdade em 2000 – sugerindo -convergência. Nós então, utilizamos a decomposição dinâmica (Shorrocks, 1982) para identificar a contribuição de mudanças nas condições do mercado de trabalho, como aumento do salário mínimo, formalização e melhoria na educação na convergência de desigualdade regional. Encontramos que a queda na desigualdade de renda no emprego formal foi o principal contribuinte para a redução de desigualdade de renda entre municípios no período. / This thesis contains three chapters. The first chapter studies the relationship between the Brazilian CCT program Bolsa Família and the outcome of the 2010 elections. We seek to estimate this effect using a structural approach, identifying individual characteristics that affect the electoral impact of the program. We do so by using a mixed logit model, a discrete choice model that considers both a parametrical distribution of unobserved variables and a non-parametrical distribution of known variables. Results indicate that the redistributive character of the program has a larger electoral impact on voters than the individual income gains of the beneficiaries. The marginal effect of being a beneficiary of the program on voting decision is equivalent to 81 Reais increase in monthly labor income, less than the average value received by a beneficiary, which is 90 reais. Our counterfactual exercise points that, without Bolsa Família, the incumbent, Mrs. Rousseff, would have lost 5.6% of the votes, making the election results unclear. The second chapter studies female participation in politics has increased in the last decade in both rich and developing countries. It is not clear, however, if this is part of a trend or just a reversible growth. Literature presents theoretical arguments for both a reinforcing force and a negative effect of the exposure to a female leadership on the probability of supporting a future female candidate. Using electoral and Census data for Brazil, we test the effect that the presence of a female mayor in a municipality has on future the support for a female candidate for Federal Deputy and find no evidence of a significant effect. Furthermore, we show that the use of aggregate statistics alone, as demographic averages, would mislead us to conclude that voters exposed to a female mayor have a smaller probability to support a female candidate. The last chapter investigates the determinants of the decline of income inequality across municipalities in Brazil between 2000 and 2010. Using censuses data, we show that inequality fell faster in municipalities with higher inequality levels in 2000 – suggesting - convergence. We, then, employ a dynamic decomposition (Shorrocks, 1982) to assess the contribution of changes in private labor market conditions as the increase in minimum wage, formalization and increase in education levels on the regional inequality convergence. We find that the fall in wage inequality in the private formal sector was the main driver of the reduction in income inequality across municipalities in the period.

This thesis seeks to examine if there is a connection between female representation among U.S. legislators at state level and support of legislation protecting LGBT+ people from discrimination in terms of adoption and foster care. Using the theories of substantive and descriptive representation, three hypotheses regarding female representation and partisanship were tested. In the analysis, it became clear that there is a positive significant correlation between female legislators and voting in favour of anti-discrimination legislation in terms of LGBT+ rights. In addition to this, the study found that partisanship also has a significant effect of the voting outcome, in fact one that is even greater than the effect of gender.

El siguiente trabajo de investigación consiste en analizar la mirada femenina detrás de dos grandes directoras peruanas, para conocer así la experiencia de vida de estas dos directoras junto a diferentes situaciones que hayan experimentado, que cosas han afrontado, qué lecciones y aprendizaje podemos rescatar en ellas. La raíz de la presente investigación, surge porque los aportes que se realizan, en nuestro país, por parte de mujeres, han demostrado, con el pasar de los años, tener una calidad extraordinaria. Sin embargo, cabe mencionar que ser mujer y hacer cine, en un país como el nuestro, no es nada fácil. La industria cinematográfica ha sido tradicionalmente de hombres y aún existen muchos prejuicios y subestimaciones. Por ende, se quiere dar a comprender la capacidad, el aporte y el mérito que posee una directora peruana diferenciándose del director peruano. Dicho lo anterior, el objetivo principal de la siguiente investigación es determinar cómo se plasma dentro de la industria cinematográfica peruana el enfoque femenino por parte de las directoras Rosario García-Montero y Melina León. La metodología empleada fue cualitativa, pues se da a comprender casos puntuales. De igual manera, para realizar los objetivos de investigación, se realizaron entrevistas a ambas directoras peruanas. / The following research work consists of analyzing the female gaze behind two great Peruvian directors, to know the life experience of these two directors together with different situations they have experienced, what things they have faced, what lessons and learning we can rescue in them. The root of this research arises because the contributions made in our country by women have shown, over the years, to have an extraordinary quality. However, it should be mentioned that being a woman and making movies, in a country like ours, is not easy at all. The film industry has traditionally been male and there are still many prejudices and underestimates. Therefore, we want to understand the capacity, contribution, and merit that a Peruvian director has, differentiating herself from the Peruvian director. Having said the above, the main objective of the following research is to determine how the female approach is reflected within the Peruvian film industry by the directors Rosario García-Montero and Melina León. The methodology used was qualitative since it is given to understand specific cases. Similarly, to carry out the research objectives, interviews were conducted with both Peruvian directors. / Trabajo de investigación