Locus of Control (LOC) is operationalized as a dispositional trait remaining stable throughout life, but may also be conceptualized as a domain specific state. Widowed persons' support groups, consisting of recently conjugally bereaved older adults (N=22) and one high functioning, long-term widowed peer group leader, were utilized to test LOC malleability. A significant increase in one State measure subscale, Desire for Control, was noted. Trait LOC remained stable. The change in State and Trait LOC change did not significantly relate to psychological symptom reduction. However, Trait LOC Internality related to fewer symptoms whereas State LOC Internality related to more symptoms.

In the context of a changing political landscape, where shifts in state boundaries and socio-economic structures deeply affected the Italian peninsula and its people, this thesis analyses women and the law in action in the years from the Restoration up to the enactment of the Pisanelli code (1815-1865). It does so with particular reference to the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia. These years also saw a number of changes in the legal system with various new laws instituted. The quick succession of these legal acts testified to the new ideas, behaviours and perceptions that began to take form in the period in question, but which the patriarchal and hierarchical nineteenth century society - so reliant on strict class stratification to perpetuate its status quo - resisted fully accepting. Within this context, women began to redefine their sense of self and to think of themselves as having an identity which went beyond their traditional domestic roles of mother, wife or daughter. This work aims to describe this process by focusing on women's attitudes towards the law and their interactions with the legal system. The thesis is structured in the following way: the first part focuses on the Ottocento context, the ideals promulgated about women in public discourse and the legal framework of the Italian peninsula. In the second part attention turns to relevant case studies from the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, brought to light by first-hand examination of archival documents and court proceedings preserved in legal journals of the time. Each part is subdivided into three chapters. After an examination of the social, political and economic context of the nineteenth-century Italian peninsula (Chapter one), the discussion presents a picture of contemporary views about women according to scientists, theorists, moralists and jurists (Chapter two). Chapter three is devoted to the law in force in the pre-unification states with regard to women, paying close attention to the institution of dowry. Chapter four deals with a selection of case studies concerning marriage promises, seduction, and extramarital relations. What emerges from the investigation is the intrusiveness of authorities and the reach they extended into people's private lives in an effort to maintain social order and exercise power within a society founded on hierarchy, immobility, and obedience. Chapter five examines lawsuits questioning dowries and wills. These acts show the families' choices to preserve their wealth, often inevitably paving the way to future discord, with women initiating lawsuits to obtain more money from their relatives. Finally, Chapter six analyses widowhood and separation, two possible moments in a woman's existence that had important implications in terms of both their intimate sphere and the devolution of wealth. In particular, the chapter traces widows' actual access to inheritance, and women's requests for separation, focusing on the reasons that drove them before a court to relate issues pertaining to their very intimate lives, such as contracting diseases. Through the analysis of the law in action and women's use of the law itself, this thesis will recover the forgotten voices and lives of those ordinary women, who, in their everyday life, reacted against the limitations and constraints imposed upon them by society and decided not to passively accept their status.

Cette thèse de doctorat étudie la place des femmes dans la société urbaine des derniers siècles du Moyen Âge. Son objectif réside en l’examen des multiples opportunités offertes alors aux femmes, tant dans le domaine juridique qu’économique et social. La recherche s’appuie sur l’observatoire privilégié de la ville d’Amiens, capitale régionale dynamique, qui présente l’intérêt d’appartenir à un système coutumier original, particulièrement favorable aux femmes. La caractéristique des coutumes picardes tient essentiellement à ce qu’elles donnent la priorité au ménage sur le lignage. L’institution de la communauté de biens entre époux permet ainsi de considérer les femmes comme de véritables actrices économiques. Leurs différentes occupations révèlent leur présence quotidienne et leur participation constante à la vie économique de la cité. Sur le plan social, elles en retirent une visibilité certaine et font partie intégrante de la communauté des habitants. De plus, l’étude des registres de délibérations et livres de justice démontre qu’elles n’hésitent pas à s’affirmer par la verdeur de leur propos sur la place publique, où tous sont en représentation. L’objectif de ce travail est également d’améliorer notre compréhension des rapports de genre dans le contexte du renforcement de l’ordre social à l’aube des Temps Modernes. Enfin, d’un point de vue méthodologique, ce sujet, centré sur un espace de syncrétisme aux confins des influences flamande et orléano-parisienne, entend réinterroger les périodisations académiques et conduire, par le dialogue entre sciences humaines, au décloisonnement des réflexions. / This dissertation examines the place of women in the medieval town of Amiens and demonstrates the continuing significance of women’s participation in diverse aspects of social and economic life during the historical shift from the medieval to the early modern era. This city adhered to a unique legal system called ‘picard-wallon’, which was particularly favourable to women, making them the owners of half of the family patrimony. Since family structures played a determining role in the ideological choices and economic behaviour of family members, the institution of community property between spouses allows us to consider women as legitimate economic agents. The study of women’s activity in the marketplace in particular, shows that we should first rethink the public/private dichotomies that have long been applied to gender studies. This work also highlights the nature of women’s contribution to the medieval society. Public space fostered orality and the production of specific speech acts. The study of women’s involvement in crime shows that they were not afraid of defending their honour if necessary. Therefore, this dissertation sheds light on the reinforcement of the public order at the end of the Middle Ages and its consequences on gender relations at the beginning of the early modern period. Finally, this dissertation makes use of new methodological perspectives. By focusing on a place of syncretism, at the intersection of three different regional areas, this study highlights the multi-cultural influences at work in the city in order to interrogate the relevance of classical periodization and establish the importance of a transdisciplinary approach to medieval studies.

This study explores women’s access to land under the customary tenure system. It examines how the changes in land tenure, access and rights to land as a consequence of HIV/AIDS are affecting agricultural productivity, food security and poverty, with a specific focus on women who have lost their husbands to HIV/AIDS in Zvimba. Zvimba is a village community located in Zvimba District in the Mashonaland West Province of Zimbabwe. The study also discusses policy responses designed to cushion the impact of HIV/AIDS on local communities especially women living with HIV/AIDS. The study highlights the vulnerability of widows to land rights violations, mainly inflicted by relatives but sometimes by the wider community. The main form of abuse encountered included the use of abusive language, threats of evictions and at times, beatings. The legal route for seeking redress was rarely used. Fear of witchcraft, low educational levels and fear of causing conflict between children and their paternal relatives also led widows to abandon the fight for their rights. The study further reveals that widows are heavily exposed to dispossession of their land rights. HIV/AIDS has increased the vulnerability of widows and other women to threats and dispossession of their land and other property rights. Dispossession of arable fields was observed in the four wards. The dispossessions and threats to livelihoods were directly related to the HIV positive status of the widows. The findings from this study illustrate the predominant role that male members of the household or family have over land. Thus, culture and traditional practices still affect women in other cases, disadvantaging them in favour of men, as in inheritance of land and property in the household.

Submitted by Oliveira Santos Dilzaná (dilznana@yahoo.com.br) on 2015-10-15T14:32:50Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Silmaria Souza Brandão.pdf: 4696730 bytes, checksum: db02d750f4a043ba2ed3a9d65c89ca8a (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Portela (anapoli@ufba.br) on 2016-01-25T13:11:48Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Silmaria Souza Brandão.pdf: 4696730 bytes, checksum: db02d750f4a043ba2ed3a9d65c89ca8a (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-01-25T13:11:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese - Silmaria Souza Brandão.pdf: 4696730 bytes, checksum: db02d750f4a043ba2ed3a9d65c89ca8a (MD5) / Ao longo da História, as mulheres foram consideradas como desprovidas de poder. Submetidas ao domínio de relações patriarcais, vivenciaram, por muito tempo, a autoridade do pai, do marido e, em algumas instâncias, a autoridade do padre. Distanciadas do poder formal, encontraram no Estado, na Igreja e na sociedade agentes que legitimavam a sua opressão. Entre os séculos XVIII e início do século XIX, esta situação de opressão vivenciada pelas mulheres sofreu variações. Despontando como um grupo heterogêneo, formalmente excluído das instâncias do poder, encontramos as mulheres viúvas. Discute-se, aqui, a noção corrente de “não poder”, a partir do exercício da atividade comercial exercidas pelas mulheres viúvas em Salvador, no período de 1850 até 1920, demonstrando como buscaram conquistar e manter sua autonomia pessoal e financeira a partir da ocupação habitual em pequenos comércios e até em estabelecimentos e negócios de maior envergadura. As estratégias de resistência que desenvolveram são demonstradas a partir do exame dos inventários e testamentos dos falecidos maridos, momento em que foram identificadas como protagonistas das suas histórias de vida, exercendo papéis inusitados para boa parte das suas congêneres, pois, de viúvas abandonadas e desamparadas se transmutaram em provedoras da família, exercendo o papel de pai e mãe, além de manterem a atividade comercial no trato diário com clientes, fornecedores, empregados e escravos, sem deixarem, no entanto, de ser a “viúva de Fulano de Tal”. O recorte no espaço que dura o inventário e, em alguns casos, a existência destas mulheres, revela muito mais que o silêncio e a invisibilidade que, à primeira vista, pode-se imaginar. O diálogo entre o feminismo, através de categorias de análise como gênero, classe e geração, e a micro-história permite uma abordagem multidisciplinar, ensejando dar visibilidade às mulheres viúvas, figuras pouco interessantes mesmo para os cientistas sociais, consideradas improdutivas do ponto de vista da (re)produção, silenciadas por uma estrutura patriarcal bem definida e que pouca margem deixou para uma atuação diferenciada. As viúvas que compõem este estudo são a exceção à regra, o contraponto, o singular dentro da ordem vigente. Longe de fazer a revolução, estas personagens nos fazem refletir sobre a dissimulação, os contrapoderes utilizados pelas mulheres e a prática cotidiana dos micropoderes, no silêncio, na obstinação e na força que caracterizaram suas condutas. Through history women have been considered powerless. They have been under the domination of patriarchal relations; women have lived for a long time the authority of their fathers, husbands and, in some cases, priests. They have been set apart from the formal power and have found on State, on Church and on society agents that legitimated their oppression. Between the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century this situation deeply experienced by women has been through variations. Emerging as a heterogeneous group, formally excluded from the power instances, we can find the widows. The notion of “non-power” has been discussed from the commercial activity made for these widows in Salvador during 1850 until 1920, showing how they searched to have and keep their personal and financial autonomy from working in small business or even big businesses. The resistance strategies that these women developed are shown from the examination of inventories and testaments from their deceased husbands, the moment when they were identified as main characters of their life stories, playing unusual roles for a good part of their relatives, because they went from abandoned and helpless to family providers, playing the role of mothers and fathers, and also keeping a commercial activity, working face to face with customers, suppliers, employees and slaves, without leaving the image of being someone’s widow. The outline in space of the inventory time and, in some cases, the existence of these women, reveal much more than the silence and the invisibility that can be imagined at first sight. The dialogue between the feminism through categories of analysis as gender, group and generation and the micro history allow a multidisciplinary approach, offering visibility to the widows, seen as less interesting even for the social scientists, considered unproductive from the point of view of (re)production, silenced one by one by a well-defined patriarchal structure which let little space for a different performance. The widows who took part in this study are the exception for the rule, the counterpoint, the singular inside the present order. Far from doing a revolution, these characters make us reflect about the dissimulation, the reverse power used by women, and the everyday practice of micro powers, in the silence, in the stubbornness and in the strength that portray their attitudes. Nel corso della storia, le donne furono considerate prive di potere. Soggette al dominio delle relazioni patriarcali, hanno vissuto per lungo tempo sotto l’autorità del padre, del marito e, in alcuni casi, quella del prete. Allontanate dal potere formale, hanno trovato nello Stato, nella Chiesa e nella società agenti che hanno leggitimato la loro oppressione. Tra il XVIII e l’inizio del XIX secolo questa situazione di oppressione ha subito delle variazioni. Da un gruppo eterogeneo, formalmente escluso dalle istanze di potere, emersero delle vedove. Qui se discute il concetto attuale di “non potere”, a partire dall’esercizio dell’attività commerciale svolta dalle donne vedove a Salvador, nel periodo tra il 1850 fino al 1920, dimostrando come hanno cercato di conquistare e mantenere la loro autonomia personale e finanziaria a partire dall’occupazione abituale in piccoli commerci fino ad arrivare alle grandi imprese. Le strategie di resistenza che hanno sviluppato sono state dimostrate dall’esame degli inventari e dei testamenti dei mariti morti, momenti in cui sono state identificate come protagoniste delle loro storie di vita, assumendo dei ruoli inconsueti per la maggior parte delle loro congeneri, perché, da vedove abbandonate e indifese, si sono tramutate in sostenitrice della famiglia, esercitando il ruolo di padre e di madre, oltre che mantenere l’attività commerciale nei rapporti quotidiani con clienti, fornitori, dipendenti e schiavi, senza lasciare, tuttavia, la vedovanza del Signor “X”. Lo zoom nello spazio in cui dura l’inventario dei beni lasciati dal defunto e, in alcuni casi, l’esistenza di queste donne rivela molto di più il silenzio e l’invisibilità che, a prima vista, si può immaginare. Il dialogo tra il femminismo, attraverso le categorie di analisi come il genere, la classe, la generazione e la micro storia, consente un approccio multidisciplinare, permettendo di dare visibilità alle donne vedove, figure poco interessanti anche per gli scienziati sociali, considerate improduttive in termini di ri/produzione, silenziate da una struttura patriarcale ben definita e che poco spazio ha lasciato per una performance differenziata. Le vedove che compongono questo studio sono l’eccezione alla regola, il contrappunto, il singolare dentro l’ordine stabilito. Lontani dalla rivoluzione, questi personaggi ci fanno riflettere sulla dissimulazione, sui contro poteri utilizzati dalle donne e sulla pratica quotidiana dei micro poteri, nel silenzio, nell’ostinazione e nella forza che hanno caratterizzato il loro comportamento.

The purpose of this study was to explore the nature of changes that take place in surviving HIVpositive spouses’ explanations of themselves in relation to their acquired positive status, and in relation to the role that forgiveness may play, all through Hermans’ theory of dialogical self in the self-identity reconstruction process. The interpretive qualitative paradigm was used, along with a phenomenological research design. Research was carried out in a rural area of Gwanda South Constituency in Zimbabwe. Homogenous purposive sampling was used to select five HIVpositive widows and five HIV-positive widowers. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were used and thematic, narrative and interpretive phenomenological analyses were employed to analyse the data. The results showed that the surviving HIV-positive spouses faced a plethora of challenges following the deaths of their partners. Identified key relations to the reconstruction of a new self were found to be: a good knowledge of HIV; being at peace with the past self; forgiveness of self; and reconciliation with what has happened. These were found to be good ingredients for quick recovery and self-identity reconstruction. Significant others play an important role in self-identity reconstruction as they offer an environment that is supportive of HIV disclosure, thereby reducing the occurrence of stigma and discrimination. The study recommends that HIV activists and all education systems that are involved in the HIV campaigns in Gwanda South Constituency incorporate teachings about and awareness of forgiveness, reconciliation, stigma and discrimination at all levels of their education efforts and campaigns. / Psychology / D. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology)

Depressionen bei hochaltrigen Menschen sind weit verbreitet und folgenschwer, dennoch bleiben diese häufig unentdeckt und unbehandelt. Daher ist die Identifizierung von Risikofaktoren besonders wichtig, um Depressionen im Alter zu erkennen oder präventiv zu begegnen. Die Bedeutung von psychosozialen Faktoren, wie Verlusterfahrungen und das soziale Netzwerk, werden dabei häufig vernachlässigt. Dabei wird der Tod von nahestehenden Personen mit zunehmendem Alter häufiger und erfordert ein hohes Maß an psychologischer Anpassungsleistung der Hinterbliebenen. Die damit einhergehende Veränderung des sozialen Netzwerks birgt ein Risiko für soziale Isolation und damit auch für Depressionen. Das Ziel der Dissertation war es, Depressionen bei hochaltrigen Menschen in Deutschland in Abhängigkeit von sozialer Isolation und Verlusterfahrungen zu analysieren und dabei auf mögliche Geschlechtsunterschiede einzugehen. Datengrundlage der ersten Untersuchung war die „Leipziger Langzeitstudie in der Altenbevölkerung“ (LEILA 75+), eine prospektive, epidemiologische und bevölkerungs-repräsentative Kohortenstudie. Mit einer Stichprobe von 783 Personen (durchschnittliches Alter 80,78 (SD 4,52) Jahre) wurde zunächst mittels einer deskriptiven Analyse die Veränderung des sozialen Netzwerks (PANT) im Alter unter Berücksichtigung von Verlusterfahrungen analysiert. 57% der älteren Menschen lebte kontinuierlich in einem restriktiven sozialen Netzwerk. Bei 30,9% der Hochaltrigen konnte eine Änderung im sozialen Netzwerk während des Untersuchungszeitraums festgestellt werden, diese konnten allerdings in keinen Zusammenhang mit Verlusterfahrungen gebracht werden. Verlusterfahrungen (OR 7,56 (1,60–35,72)) und ein restriktives soziales Netzwerk (OR 4,08 (1,52–10,95)) stellten sich in den Hybridregressionen als signifikante Prädiktoren zur Entwicklung einer Depression (ADS-L) heraus. Protektive wirkte hingegen ein integriertes soziales Netzwerk. In der zweiten Studie wurden die AgeDifferent.de Daten, die aus drei gepoolten Alterskohortenstudien (LEILA 75+, AgeCoDe / AgeQualiDe und AgeMooDe) bestehen, ausgewertet. Das durchschnittliche Alter der 2.470 Befragten lag bei 79,2 (SD 3,64) Jahren. Bei Frauen konnte ein signifikant höherer Schweregrad der Depression festgestellt werden als bei Männern (β=0.16; 95%-CI=0.09; 0.23). Analysen zum Vergleich der Depressivität vor und nach der Verwitwung verdeutlichten, dass der Schweregrad der Depression nach der Verwitwung signifikant höher ist. In dieser Studie konnte zudem gezeigt werden, dass verwitwete Männer signifikant mehr depressive Symptome haben als nicht verwitwete Männer. Bei der Betrachtung von Frauen konnten jedoch keine Unterschiede festgestellt werden. Bei intraindividueller Betrachtung zeigte sich, dass sowohl verwitwete Männer als auch verwitwete Frauen signifikant mehr depressive Symptome haben als vor ihrer Verwitwung. In der letzten Untersuchung wurde mit Daten der AgeCoDe / AgeQualiDe Studie analysiert ob Unterschiede zwischen Verwitweten und Verheirateten in Alter, Geschlecht und Bildung auch eine mögliche Erklärung für die Unterschiede in der Depressivität zwischen diesen Gruppen sein könnten. Mit Daten von 679 Personen (456 verwitwet, 223 verheiratet), mit einem durchschnittlichem Alter von 86,5 (SD 2,9) Jahren konnte gezeigt werden, dass Verwitwete häufig älter, häufiger weiblich und eher niedriger gebildet sind. Mittels „Entropy Balancing“ wurden diese Eigenschaften von Verwitweten und Verheirateten vereinheitlicht. Das Ausmaß der depressiven Symptome bei verwitweten hochaltrigen Frauen und Männern war in dieser Untersuchung ähnlich. Bei der Berücksichtigung der sozialen Isolation stellte sich in dieser Untersuchung heraus, dass soziale Isolation vor allem in der Gruppe der Verwitweten zu mehr depressiven Symptomen führt. Verwitwete Männer und Frauen, die zudem sozial isoliert leben, weisen signifikant mehr depressive Symptome auf, als Verwitwete ohne soziale Isolation (β=0.83; 95%-CI=0.44; 1.23). Soziale Isolation hatte in der Gruppe der Verheirateten im Gegensatz zu den Verwitweten keinen Einfluss auf die Häufigkeit depressiver Symptome. Zusammenfassend zeigt sich, dass Verlusterfahrungen als ein Risikofaktor zur Entwicklung depressiver Symptome identifiziert werden konnte. Nicht eindeutig ist der Einfluss des Geschlechts. Mögliche Unterschiede zwischen Frauen und Männern im Zuge der Verwitwung könnte beispielsweise die Unterrepräsentation von verwitweten Männern sein. Wird dieser Faktor berücksichtigt, können Frauen und Männer als ähnlich vulnerabel zur Entwicklung einer Depression nach dem Verlust des Ehepartners gelten. Für Menschen die zusätzlich neben dem Verlust des Ehepartners ein sozial isoliertes soziales Netzwerk haben, ist das Risiko zur Entwicklung einer Depression noch größer. Ein gestärktes soziales Netzwerk kann hingegen bei beiden Geschlechtern als ein protektiver Faktor zum Erhalt der psychischen Gesundheit gesehen werden.:Abbildungsverzeichnis Tabellenverzeichnis Abkürzungsverzeichnis 1 Einleitung 1.1 Depressionen im Alter 1.2 Trauer- und Verlusterfahrungen im Alter 1.3 Bedeutung des sozialen Netzwerks im Alter 1.4 Geschlechtsunterschiede im Alter 2 Datengrundlage und Publikationen der vorliegenden Dissertation 2.1 Datengrundlage 2.1.1 LEILA 75+ 2.1.2 AgeCoDe / AgeQualiDe 2.1.3 AgeMooDe 2.1.4 AgeDifferent.de 2.2 Überblick über die Publikationen der vorliegenden Dissertation 3 Loss experiences in old age and their impact on the social network and depression– results of the Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged (LEILA 75+) 4 Are older men more vulnerable to depression than women after losing their spouse? Evidence from three German old-age cohorts (AgeDifferent.de platform) 5 The role of social isolation and the development of depression. A comparison of the widowed and married oldest old in Germany 6 Diskussion 6.1 Allgemeine Diskussion 6.2 Implikationen für die Praxis und die Versorgungsforschung 6.3 Fazit Zusammenfassung der Arbeit Literaturverzeichnis Anhang A: Darstellung des eigenen Beitrags Anhang B: Erklärung über die eigenständige Abfassung der Arbeit Anhang C: Lebenslauf Anhang D: Wissenschaftliche Beiträge Anhang E: Danksagung

Cette dissertation a pour but d’examiner les effets des transitions adultes sur la participation électorale dans le contexte de la Grande-Bretagne et de la Suisse. En effet, un grand nombre de transitions sont considérées y compris celles qui ont lieu dans la vie personnelle et dans la vie professionnelle des individus. Les transitions étudiées dans le cadre de cette thèse sont la cohabitation/le mariage, la parentalité, le divorce ou la séparation, le chômage, la retraite et le veuvage. Deux questions de recherches vont donc être abordées: quelles sont les effets de chacune de ces transitions sur la participation électorale? Est-ce que le genre mitigent leurs effets sur le comportement politique? Dans ma revue de la littérature, je mobilise plusieurs cadres théoriques pour essayer de comprendre comment ces transitions vont influencer le vote, y compris les théories du choix rationnel, de la socialisation, de la mobilisation des ressources et des perspectives de cycle de vie. À partir de celles-ci, je développe une série d’hypothèses qui prédit la façon dont différentes transitions vont influencer la participation électorale. Afin de tester mes hypothèses, j’utilise des données de sondages d’études longitudinales à panel tels le British Household Panel Survey et le Understanding Society, United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study ainsi que le Swiss Household Panel. Utiliser ce type de données me permet de coder la participation électorale avant et après chaque transition afin de voir s’il y a eu un changement au niveau de la participation électorale des individus. Pour analyser les données de la Grande-Bretagne, j’utilise des tableaux croisés avec des tests McNemars ainsi que des modèles de régressions logistiques. Dans le cas de la Suisse, j’utilise des tests t appariés ainsi que des modèles de régressions linéaires multiples. Je trouve que la majorité des transitions de vie n’exerce pas d’influence sur la participation électorale dans le contexte de la Grande-Bretagne et de la Suisse à l’exception du veuvage et possiblement du divorce. Ces transitions mènent à un déclin dans les niveaux de participation. / The goal of this dissertation is to examine the effects of adult life transitions on political participation in the context of Great Britain and of Switzerland. Many transitions will be analysed throughout the course of this thesis, including those that take place in individuals’ personal and professional lives. These transitions are cohabitation or marriage, parenthood, divorce or separation, unemployment, retirement and widowhood. The questions guiding this research project are: what are the effects of each of these life transitions on electoral participation? And does gender mitigate the effects of transitions on turnout? In my review of the literature, I mobilize various theoretical frameworks to try and understand how these transitions will impact voting behaviour. I look at rational choice, socialization, resource mobilization and life course perspective theories. I then develop a series of hypotheses that predict how each life transition will influence electoral participation. In order to test these, I use data from longitudinal household panel studies such as the British Household Panel Survey, the Understanding Society, United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study and the Swiss Household Panel. Using this type of data allows me to code electoral participation before and after each life transition and to see if there is a change in individual level participation. To analyse the data from Great-Britain I use cross-tabulations with McNemar’s test along with logit regression models. For the Swiss data, I use paired t-tests and OLS regressions. I find that the majority of life transitions do not exert a significant influence on electoral participation in the context of Great Britain and Switzerland with the exception of widowhood and possibly of divorce. These transitions lead to a decline in turnout.

Thesis (M.A. (English Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / This study will examine the position of traditional African women as explored in the fictions, The Joys of Motherhood (Buchi Emecheta) and So Long a Letter (Mariama Bâ). It will probe into the depiction of a traditional African woman in the selected texts under thematic issues which will assist us in understanding how Emacheta and Ba perceive issues that directly impact the lives of women, even today. The issues include patriarchy, marriage, motherhood and childbearing, sex and gender, objectification of women, and the role of the chief wife. Both Emecheta and Bâ use communal voices that blend cultural incidents with fiction to demonstrate the subordinate role played by women in traditional African societies that are characterised by patriarchal practices and suppression of women. Both Emecheta and Bȃ demonstrate cultural and religious stereotypes towards African women. This study will apply the African womanism lens as a theoretical framework to underpin it. The study will attempt to reveal that, from the selected texts, contemporary African women writers oppose the injustice inflicted upon them through marriage or gender (sex) stereotypes. The selected fictions help the audience understand the plight of some African women.

A group of four widows undertook this research journey with me. They reflected on their widowhood experiences. Narrative and participatory practices guided our conversations. Participatory, contextual, postmodern, liberational feminist theology, poststructuralism and the social construction theory of reality informed this work. Reflective and summarising letters after each group meeting played a central part in the research. The letters were structured to make visible the "taken-for-granted" which informed the widows about who and what they are. The alternative stories of preferred widowhood practices that emerged during and between sessions were centralised in the letters. Elements of transformation, hope and empowerment surfaced as counter stories to the culture of oppression, providing the scaffolding for re-storying their lives. The group formed Chiedza Widows Association in order to support other widows who are still marginalised. / Practical Theology / (M.Th - Specialisation Pastoral Therapy))