Student Number : 0001367T - MA dissertation - School of Architecture and Planning - Faculty of Humanities / This is an exploratory study which seeks to look at barriers to land accessibility for the construction of low-income or affordable housing on former mining lands between Soweto and Johannesburg CBD. Based on the findings, there are various barriers which inhibit and threaten the construction of houses on former mining lands. These barriers, exposed by the findings of this report are radon, mine dust - both of which pose a serious health risk to residents if exposed to it for a long period of time - high prices of land, inadequate funding for housing subsidies and the National Nuclear Regulator’s too strict and uncompromising stance on housing construction on contaminated lands. The conclusion drawn by this report is that the government, owners of former mining land and the National Nuclear Regulator need to co-operate and work together towards finding a common ground in order to enhance the possibility of a total removal of these barriers, so that the previously marginalized citizens can afford to own houses closer to the Central Business District of Johannesburg.

This research project looks at the experiences of a group of pregnant teenagers in a low socio-economic area. Teenage sexuality and pregnancy has been the subject of substantial research in South Africa and the rest of the world as it is a global issue. The challenge that pregnant teenagers face are to manage schooling, pregnancy and mothering rather than dropping out of school. This study was conducted using a qualitative research method through semi-structured interviews. The participants consisted of fourteen teenagers ranging from fifteen to eighteen years of age. The teenagers were either pregnant or had delivered their babies. They attended the local high school with the exception of one participant who had dropped out of school. I interviewed one Life Orientation educator from the local high school and one ante natal nursing sister from the local municipal clinic. Teenage pregnancy produced gender inequalities as the female adolescent is unable to attend school whilst recuperating from the birth of the child; the male continues attending school regardless of fathering the child. Culturally it was inappropriate to receive sex education at home so information was gained within the formal setting of Life Orientation classes, peers or social media. Due to varying degrees of familial support, the teenagers were able to return to school after the birth of their babies. The level of family support ranged from taking over full responsibility of the child so the adolescent continued with her former life to the teenager having to care for the child when returning from school and only being able to complete homework tasks once the baby was asleep. Agency was most apparent in the decision of abortion. The teenagers would not be forced into the procedure if it was not the option of their choice despite pressure from boyfriends and family. Teenagers also showed agency in ending relationships with their partners if the partner was dating other girls concurrently. However, they did not use agency in the negotiation of condom use despite stating that they were in equal relationships with their boyfriends. This indicates how structures may constrain agency, specifically structures that are located in gendered inequalities. The teenagers were knowledgeable about the facts of condom use as protection against pregnancy and disease but these facts were not put into practice. Discourses suggest female teenagers’ fear of being rejected by their partner through the insistence of condom use and male domination over the female.

O interesse pelo bem-estar financeiro está crescendo no mundo. A partir da desregulamentação e com o aumento da concorrência no setor financeiro, cidadãos comuns passaram a operar em um mercado complexo de forma a atender as próprias necessidades e às de sua família. Todas essas mudanças ajudaram a aumentar a preocupação sobre até que ponto tais cidadãos estavam preparados para operar nesse cenário. A partir de tal mudanças iniciou-se uma discussão sobre qual deve ser o foco das políticas públicas: concentrar mais no que as pessoas sabem ou no que elas fazem? Somado a esse cenário, vivemos uma mudança na composição da população brasileira e mundial com uma virada histórica prevista para 2050, quando os idosos passarão a ser em maior número do que os jovens graças a fatores como maior expectativa de vida e queda no número de filhos entre as famílias. Nesse contexo, esse trabalho tem por objetivo estudar o bem-estar financeiro do consumidor idoso de baixa renda e o uso de instituições bancárias. A pesquisa foi realizada em duas etapas, sendo a primeira uma revisão da literatura referente aos dois temas principais, bem-estar financeiro e idosos, apoiada por uma revisão sistemática. A segunda parte consiste em uma pesquisa empírica. Por um lado, os resultados da revisão sistemática apontam para o fato de que os trabalhos publicados sobre o tema bem-estar financeiro carecem de conceituação e entre os que conceituam, há diversas abordagens. Além disso, vê-se ainda poucos trabalhos em periódicos de maior relevância, apesar do crescimento na quantidade de artigos nos últimos anos. Já em relação à pesquisa empírica pode-se dizer que, embora os idosos de baixa renda apresentem um conhecimento sobre finanças, esse conhecimento é limitado ao ser comparado com o conceito apontado pelas teorias. Tal fato aumenta a vulnerabilidade dos consumidores, haja vista que o processo de construção do conhecimento é extremamente informal e aspectos relacionados ao bem-estar financeiro como segurança e liberdade de escolha ficam totalmente comprometidos. Como achado apresenta-se os antecedentes do conhecimento financeiro dos consumidores idosos de baixa renda pesquisados e uma esquematização dos sensos observados dentro dos quatro pilares que formam o conceito de bem-estar financeiro. / Interest in financial well-being is growing in the world. As a result of deregulation and increased competition in the financial sector, ordinary citizens began to operate in a complex market in order to meet their own needs and those of their families. All of these changes helped increase concern about the extent to which such citizens were prepared to operate in this scenario. From such changes began a discussion about what should be the focus of public policies: focus more on what people know or what they do. In addition to this scenario, we are experiencing a change in the composition of the Brazilian and world population with a historical turn expected in 2050, when older people will be more numerous than the young, thanks to factors such as a higher life expectancy and a decrease in the number of children among families. In this context, this study aims to study the financial well-being of low-income elderly consumers and the use of banking institutions. The research was carried out in two stages, the first one being a review of the literature on the two main themes, financial wellbeing and the elderly, supported by a systematic review. The second part consists of empirical research. On the one hand, the results of the systematic review point to the fact that the published works on the subject of financial well-being need to be conceptualized and among those who conceptualize, there are several approaches. In addition, there are still few papers in major journals, despite the growth in the number of articles in recent years. Regarding empirical research, it can be said that, although low-income elderly people have a knowledge of finance, this knowledge is limited when compared to the ideal indicated by theories. This fact increases the vulnerability of consumers, given that the process of knowledge construction is extremely informal and aspects related to financial well-being such as security and freedom of choice are totally compromised. We present the antecedents of the financial knowledge of the low-income elderly consumers surveyed and a schematization of the observed senses within the four pillars that form the concept of financial well-being.

A presente pesquisa foca os programas de assistência técnica direcionada às melhorias habitacionais ofertados à população de baixa renda no Brasil, mais precisamente na cidade de Diadema, e em Cuba, na província de Holguín. O conceito de melhorias habitacionais presente nesse estudo abrange todas as intervenções realizadas em moradias existentes que visam à melhoria da condição de habitabilidade do espaço construído como a ampliação da área construída; a melhoria das condições de iluminação e de ventilação; a melhoria das instalações hidrossanitárias; a correção de patologias construtivas; entre outros. Dada a complexidade da questão e o universo da sua atuação, a pesquisa visa discorrer sobre a efetividade dos programas de assistência técnica de melhorias habitacionais voltados à população de baixa renda ao considerar o projeto personalizado, a escala de atuação alcançada e a relação do arquiteto com a população. Para tanto, foram avaliados dois programas governamentais, sendo eles: a segunda fase do Programa \"Tá Bonito\" da prefeitura de Diadema, município da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo, realizado no núcleo Vila Olinda, durante os anos de 2006 a 2008; e o Programa Arquitetos da Comunidade desenvolvido em Cuba desde 1994 com foco na atuação dos profissionais da província de Holguín. A partir das dificuldades enfrentadas pelos programas e das conquistas alcançadas pelos mesmos, analisaremos as duas propostas a partir de quatro aspectos ora apresentados: 1) as formas de divulgação dos programas e o acesso aos serviços; 2) a aproximação do arquiteto com a população; 3) a elaboração dos projetos personalizados e 4) os resultados e as limitações; a fim de vislumbrar elementos importantes que contribuam para a construção, pelos governos municipais, de uma metodologia de assistência técnica de melhorias habitacionais voltada ao atendimento da população de baixa renda. / This research focus on the technical assistance programs for home improvements directed to lowincome dwellers in Brazil, more precisely in the Brazilian city of Diadema and in the province of Holguín, in Cuba. The concept of home improvement herein adopted encompasses all building interventions carried out in existent dwellings aimed to improve the indoor living conditions such as the increase of the built area; the improvement of lighting and ventilation conditions; the improvement of the hydrosanitary installations; the correction of building pathologies; among others. Given these issues\' complexity and the broadness of their action, this research aims to discuss the effectiveness of such programs considering customized project design, scale and the relationship between architect and dwellers. For such, two governmental programs were assessed: the second phase of the Program \"Tá bonito\" (It is Beautiful) from the municipal government of Diadema, State of São Paulo (Brazil), carried out in the settlement of Vila Olinda from 2006 to 2008; and the Program Architects of the Community developed in Cuba since 1994 with a focus on the work of the professionals of Holguín province. From the difficulties faced by these programs and their achievements, the two programs are assessed in the following four aspects: 1) the ways of publicizing the programs and the access to their services; 2) the approximation of the architect with the dwellers; 3) the custom-made project designs; and 4) their results and limitations in order to identify important elements to contribute to the elaboration of a technical assistance methodology for home improvements directed to low-income dwellers by municipal governments.

Thesis advisor: Lisa Dodson / Thesis advisor: C. Shawn McGuffey / Non-traditional students are quickly becoming a statistical majority of the undergraduate student population. Furthermore, nearly one-quarter of contemporary undergraduates is a student parent. Emergent imperatives shaped by technological changes in the economy, deindustrialization, credential inflation, the continuing feminization of poverty and the diminished safety net for low-income families have created a mandate for postsecondary education for anyone hoping to move from poverty into the middle-class. Yet, welfare reforms of the past 17 years have de-prioritized, discouraged, and disallowed post-secondary education as a meaningful pathway for low-income parents to achieve economic mobility, even despite a large body of research demonstrating the connections between higher education and: income, occupational prestige, access to employer sponsored benefits, positive intergenerational outcomes, community development, and broader societal gains. While previous research has focused on the impact of welfare reform on access to post-secondary education for participants within the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance program, declining overall TANF participation rates indicate that low-income families are largely turning to more diverse strategies to support their families and pursue higher education. Despite both the recent growth of the population of student parents as a significant minority of the undergraduate population, and the rise of governmental initiatives promoting the expansion of post-secondary education and training to traditionally underserved student populations, very little is known about the comprehensive experiences of contemporary low-income mothers as they navigate college while simultaneously working to balance these endeavors with motherhood and family labor, paid employment and public assistance requirements. This dissertation presents the findings of a multi-method institutional ethnographic research process through which the author collected data regarding the experiences of low-income mothers across the country. This process included conducting in-depth interviews with 31 low-income mothers who were currently enrolled in college or who had been enrolled in college within the past year. Additionally, research journals were collected from an additional 20 participants documenting their experiences across an academic term. In total these participants represented 10 states in three regions of the United States: The West Coast, Mid-West, and Northeast. Secondary data were collected through: institutional interviews with student parent program coordinators, collection of primary materials from programs serving student parents throughout the country, and review of primary policy documents regarding higher education and federal and state welfare policies. As a feminist participatory action research project, participatory methods were employed at all stages of the research process and included the use of two interpretive focus groups within campus-based programs serving student parents that both added to the research findings and to the process of analysis and interpretation. The findings of this dissertation begin by painting the picture of the complex lifeworlds of low-income mothers and their simultaneous experience of role strain and material hardship as they work to balance the responsibilities of college enrollment with mothering, work, and the labor involved in researching, applying for and maintaining multiple public assistance benefits. Next, the author argues that conflicts between higher education policies and public assistance policies as experienced by participants shape the strategies through which they attempt to make ends meet and finance their education and ultimately exacerbate their experiences of role strain and material hardship. The author then moves to explore the impact that these policies have on academic outcomes for this sub-set of students. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the broader social context in which this takes place: one in which policies have been structured on meritocracy rather than equal opportunity for higher education. This presents a dual-edge sword scenario however in that the American Dream both drives the motivation of low-income mothers to persevere in college despite tremendous hardship and personal sacrifice, while it also serves to frame the very policies that make their quest for higher education so grueling. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

Thesis advisor: Lisa A. Goodman / Those in poverty face myriad stressors, traumatic events, and ongoing hardships; and not surprisingly, struggle with a range of mental health issues. Yet, they are less likely to access mental health services than their middle-income counterparts, and when they do, they are more likely to drop out of treatment prematurely. Although researchers have found that when interventions are tailored to address poverty-related stressors outcomes are dramatically improved, the perspectives of those providing such treatment is rarely described. This qualitative descriptive study of twelve experienced psychologists working with clients in poverty aimed to fill this gap. The study explored the extent to which psychologists develop unique practices for working with low-income clients, as well as the personal and contextual factors that support or hinder these efforts. Findings can be distilled into three categories: Practices unique to working with low-income clients include strategies for addressing power dynamics, managing boundaries, and addressing external stressors as part of the therapeutic process. Therapist attributes key to working with low-income clients include possessing a values-based commitment to working with marginalized groups; possessing experience with, knowledge of, and empathy for the realities of living in poverty; possessing a high degree of self-awareness related to poverty; and possessing a willingness to be deeply affected by the work and cope with negative feelings. Contextual obstacles to working with low-income clients include agency-level and social service system-level challenges. Perhaps the most striking finding was participants' understanding of how conceptualizations of appropriate boundaries need to change in the context of work with this population. Many participants described, for example, giving food to their clients when they were hungry or giving them small amounts of money to help them take care of their most basic needs. The discussion section explores these findings in the context of ecological and feminist theoretical models and current research and describes the implications of the results for research, training, and practice. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology.

Thesis advisor: Ana Martinez-Aleman / College student engagement has been linked to a host of positive educational outcomes including academic performance and persistence. Problematically, many low-income college students are not able to get involved within the social system of higher education due to the costs associated with participation in the co-curricular events and activities that comprise so much of the full college experience. This mixed methods study explored the effect on student engagement of the Pinnacle Alliance (PA) - an intervention program designed to remove these cost barriers for low-income students at Lakefield University (LU), a private, highly selective, religiously-affiliated institution located in the Northeast United States. An electronic survey was administered to a sample of Lakefield undergraduate students concerning their involvement in co-curricular activities. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between participation in the Pinnacle Alliance and student engagement. While the quantitative findings indicate a non-significant relationship, subsequent focus groups were conducted to further examine and contextualize the effects of the Pinnacle Alliance on low-income students. Qualitative findings from the focus group suggest that the Pinnacle Alliance is an extremely important resource for many low-income LU students. The PA allowed these students to make participation choices free of the financial barriers they often face. In addition, PA-participating students reported feeling a greater sense of community and that they fit in more at LU. However, these students made clear that fitting in and belonging were not the reasons they chose to participate in the program; rather the elevated feelings of fitting in and belonging were the result of their participation. Finally, findings from focus groups conducted with students who were eligible for the Pinnacle Alliance but chose not to participate revealed that beyond financial constraints, motivational constraints can also inhibit engagement. Non-participating students cited lack of time, lack of interest, lack of awareness, and social stigma as the four major reasons behind their decisions to not be more involved with the Pinnacle Alliance. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Karen Arnold / Currently, there are nearly a million high-achieving, low-income students in the United States. In the nation's most selective institutions of higher education, students from low-income families have been persistently under-represented. Elite colleges, in particular, have only recently begun admitting low-income students in large numbers, a result of full need-based financial aid programs that began in the early 2000s as a way to attract a more socioeconomically diverse student body. This hermeneutic phenomenological study describes the lived experiences of these undergraduates and how they navigated a college environment historically reserved for wealthy students. Although participants initially expected to feel marginalized due to unfounded concerns of elitism, they formed friendships both within and across socioeconomic class divisions and described feeling integrated within the elite college. Participants developed self-protective narratives to compensate for their low-income backgrounds and employed strategies to make up for poor high-school preparation. Participants were grateful for the opportunity to attend an elite college and were proud and relatively forthcoming about their financial aid status because they considered it a reward for their intellectual ability. Three main conclusions derive from the findings of this research: Low-income students' tendency to make a distinction between socioeconomic and financial aid status; the notion of a new cultural capital hierarchy for high-achieving, low-income students within an elite college setting; and, a specific application of Bronfenbrenner's ecological developmental model for this niche population. The results of this study indicate that high-achieving, low-income students are flourishing in full need-based financial aid programs as a result of their own resilience and intellectual capital. Participants' experiences indicate that this population of undergraduates faces unique challenges and requires specific support services to equalize their opportunities vis-à-vis higher-income peers. From these findings, implications for colleges and universities and full need-based financial aid programs are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Administration and Higher Education.

Thesis advisor: Gilda Morelli / Although trying to survive on a low income is challenging for all individuals, the experience of losing government supports can propel households into a crisis situation which may cause them to act or react in distinctive ways. This study used a survey of 78 low-income women followed by in-depth interviews with 18 of these women to explore how two groups of women--those close to losing government supports (i.e., within three months) and those further from losing government supports (i.e., experienced at least one year ago)--plan for and cope with financially vulnerable periods in their lives and how they fare as a result. There are two parts to this research. First, information on government support use, social support, proactive coping, and overall well-being were gathered using survey techniques. Linear regression and mediation analyses were conducted to further explore the association between these constructs. Proactive coping was found to be a significant predictor of well-being (R2=.305, &#946;=.552, p<.01), but social support did not mediate this relation. Findings from the survey also demonstrated the women in the near loss group scored higher on proactive coping and well-being measures, and the far from loss group scored higher on measures of social support. Second, a sub-sample of the survey participants were chosen for an in-depth interview based on when they lost (or were anticipating to lose) government supports. This sub-sample was invited to discuss their resource loss experience, how they planned for and coped with this loss, and what role other factors such as social support, consideration of future consequences, choice deferral, and perceived transaction costs played in this process and what it meant for their well-being. The conversations with the women revealed that the group near a loss situation deferred decisions less frequently and had shorter planning horizons focusing more on the immediate (and less on the future) consequences of their decisions. While the far from loss group discussed, with less urgency, their plans as being distant and spoke of their more extensive social support networks. Both groups discussed similar sentiments of shame, degradation, and inconvenience associated with their experiences at the welfare office, and although the cost of this transaction outweighed the benefit for the women in the far from loss group, the near loss participants chose to endure it to receive the assistance. This research demonstrated that individuals who face government support loss because of an increase in income and who proactively plan make better strides towards becoming economically self-sufficient and investing in the health and well-being of their families now and in the future. This, in turn, may continue to encourage and promote the ability to act in proactive ways and may lead to greater overall well-being. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Psychology.

Este estudo versa sobre o comportamento de um grupo específico de consumidores brasileiros, classificados como de baixa renda, e busca avaliar como se dá o processo de tomada de decisão na compra de preservativos. Basicamente dois fatores justificam a importância do tema: o primeiro é o fato de que um dos segmentos que mais têm sido afetados pelo aumento da incidência da Aids é a população de baixa renda; o segundo, é a constatação de que crescem as taxas de fecundidade entre mulheres dessa mesma classe. As conseqüências socioeconômicas desses fatos podem ser graves. O uso de métodos contraceptivos e de prevenção contra a doença parece ser, portanto, o caminho para se amenizar o problema. O preservativo tem papel de destaque nessa luta. Tendo isso em vista, o trabalho procura lançar luz à compreensão do perfil das classes populares, seus estilos de vida e de compra, dando foco ao produto preservativo. A revisão da literatura trata da teoria do comportamento do consumidor, associando-a a estudos sobre hábitos de uso do preservativo e a considerações sobre atributos do mesmo. A pesquisa de campo procura identificar quais atributos do preservativo são considerados mais importantes pelos consumidores de baixa renda e qual o peso relativo dessa importância. Para tanto, faz uso de um estudo exploratório-descritivo, apoiado no método de análise da Conjoint Analysis, próprio para avaliação relativa entre atributos. Os principais resultados apresentados mostram que esses consumidores consideram fortemente a importância da marca e do preço, mas não desprezam fatores como formato e textura. Para concluir, as considerações finais destacam que os resultados apresentados sugerem oportunidades de ações de marketing que chamem a atenção dos atributos identificados como de maior importância relativa e permitam o maior acesso do indivíduo de baixa renda ao preservativo. / This thesis is about the behavior of a specific group of brazilian consumers who are classified as low income people. It aims to evaluate how they choose and buy condoms. There are mainly two factors that make this research important: the first one is related to the fact that the number of low income people with Aids is increasing; the second one is related to the growing birth rate in the low income group. The social and economical consequences of these factors are really serious. Using condom can be one of the ways to prevent Aids and pregnancy. Because of this, condom has an important role in this situation. This research intends to understand the profile of the low income groups, their way of living and buying, especially condoms. The theoretical review is based on the consumer behavior, relating it to the searches about the condom using habits and their attributes. The marketing research aims to identify which condom attributes are considered more important by the low income consumers and how such attributes are important or not to these consumers. The main results show that the consumers really consider the condom brand and price, but they also consider the format and texture. Finally, we conclude that there are marketing opportunities related to the condom attributes identified as the most important ones to the low income consumers.