The purpose of this study is to examine, from a gender perspective, Utbildningsradions TV-program Hej Litteraturen! in the light of feminist literature studies conducted during the last twenty years. I want to examine if the feminist literature studies have had any impact on contemporary teaching material regarding the question of how much space in time is given to men versus women and which female authors are included in the literary canon. Hej Litteraturen! is a TV program produced in 2010 intended for high school teaching of literature history.    By conducting a content analysis in which I divide the study in a quantitative and a qualitative component, I have investigated how much space and time is given to female writers and how they are presented. My analysis draws on use Yvonne Hirdman’s theory of the gender system.    The result shows that the female authors get 37 percent of the total reference space and 42 percent of the time-space. The program has sought to describe male and female authors equally and gives them weight and relevance to the sections in a similar manner.     In conclusion, Hej Litteraturen! is a tutorial which embraces parts of the criticisms that have existed in historical literature review papers in general and literary history textbooks in particular. Hej Litteraturen! has worked on gender aspects of the program and by picking up contemporary authors as reference points for literary history in the present, the program contributes not only not only in renewing the literary canon, but also in balancing out the dominance of male writers in the history of literature. / Syftet med denna studie är att ur ett genusperspektiv granska Utbildningsradions programserie Hej Litteraturen! mot bakgrund av den feministiska litteraturforskning som bedrivits under de tjugo senaste åren.  Jag vill undersöka om forskningen har haft någon inverkan på ett nutida läromedel i frågan om hur mycket utrymme som ges till män respektive kvinnor och vilka kvinnor som ingår i kanon. Hej Litteraturen! är ett TV-program avsett för gymnasieskolans litteraturhistoriska undervisning och är producerat 2010. Genom att göra en innehållsanalys där jag delar upp undersökningen i en kvantitativ och en kvalitativ del, har jag undersökt vilket faktiskt utrymme i tid och omnämnanden som ges de kvinnliga författarna och hur de presenteras. I denna analys har jag använt Hirdmans teori om genussystemets två principer som utgångspunkt. Resultatet visar att de kvinnliga författarna får 37 procent av det totala omnämnandeutrymmet och 42 procent av tidsutrymmet. I programmet har man försökt beskriva manliga och kvinnliga författare likvärdigt och ger dem tyngd och relevans i avsnitten på ett likvärdigt sätt. Slutsatsen blir att Hej Litteraturen! är ett läromedel som tagit till sig delar av den kritik som funnits mot litteraturhistoriska översiktsverk i allmänhet och litteraturhistoriska läromedel i synnerhet. Man har arbetat med genusaspekter i programmet och genom att låta nutida författare medverka som referenspunkter för litteraturhistorien i samtiden, bidrar man inte bara till att förnya kanon, utan väger också upp den dominans av manliga författare som finns i litteraturhistorien.

The aim of this master thesis is to examine high school students’ understandings and experiences of gender equality and to critically study the formulations and the basis of the project from Save the Children Sweden which are the basis for this master thesis. By using critical discourse analysis and gender theories the formulations and basis of the project and the interviews has been analyzed. The analysis of the project showed neglect for intersectional perspectives and taken for granted hidden opinions about masculinities and femininities. The interviews have been conducted with four high school students, and the students felt that they attend schools which are equal between genders. The analysis of the interviews gave another picture which showed that there are a number of factors that indicate that their schools aren’t equal between genders. The analysis deal with discourses as equality between gender and the lack of equality between gender, individuality, responsibility, resistance to change and will to change.

自世界有萬物以來，即存在「雌、雄」二性，人類亦有「男、女」性別上的差異。我國古代社會的結構，以士、農、工、商為基礎，隋煬帝開科取士，確認了「士」的地位，而「士」則為社會的高階層，他們對社會具有極大的影響力，不但可以影響政治，而且也可以左右大眾的社會生活，因此，人人都想成為士的階級，士子應試，除其本身的基礎條件外，並無任何因素剝奪其應試的權益，「寒窗苦讀無人問，一舉成名天下知」，布衣可以為卿相，是為最佳寫照。 經由國家舉辦考試選任政府官員，可說是中國政治制度的最大特色，我國古代因受傳統宗法制度影響，男尊女卑，可說毫無兩性平權意識，即便科舉制度亦多以男性為對象，女性可謂與科舉考試絕緣。國家考試性別設限政策並非今日獨創，其可上溯隋唐，自隋、唐、宋、元、明、清至民國18年可稱為「性別設限黑暗期」。民國18年至36年由於考試法公布，不再以年齡及性別作為應考的基本條件，女性開始取得參加國家考試之機會，本時期可謂「性別設限曙光期」。民國36年施行憲法後，考試法亦於民國37年修正公布，明定國家考試以高等考試及普通考試為主，遇有錄取不足時始以特種考試為輔，從行憲迄今以來，國家考試甄補初任公務員之主要管道，即高普考試與特種考試，高普考試無性別設限，特種考試則依業務性質，由限制女性報考→分定男女錄取名額→大部分特考性別不拘，性別設限政策係在各界呼籲改進與磨合中，逐步遞演而來，故本時期可謂「性別設限磨合期」。 國外先進國家如美國、英國、徳國等，其公務人員之招募均未有性別限制。我國公務人員高等、普通及初等考試雖亦未有性別限制，但特種考試則基於業務性質設有性別限制，雖然在近19種特種考試中，迄民國94年底僅餘國家安全情報人員特考、調查人員特考、海巡人員特考、基層行政警察及消防人員特考、司法人員特考之監獄官、監所管理員、法警類科與原住民族特考之監所管理員類科等6項考試，仍定有性別設限，或限制女性報考、或分定男女需用、錄取名額。但上述6項特種考試，其性別設限是否合理、合法，本文乃就考選理論、兩性差異、性別角色、就業理論、平等理論及美國、英國、日本及我國兩性工作平權相關法制等面向加以探討，並就國家考試性別設限現況與國內外性別歧視案例等，作綜合整理分析，發現國家考試性別設限對男性有利、用人機關確實有用人困境，且目前用人機關性別設限之理由，除基於分監管理需要之監所管理人員及派赴中東地區人員外，其餘很難通過兩性工作平等法之檢核，形成實務面與法規面之執行落差，針對研究發現本文亦提出未來展望及研究建議，俾提供相關機關在兩性平權觀念、法規修正及政策執行等面向之參考。 關鍵詞（keyword）：國家考試、性別設限、兩性平權 / Since the earliest origins of life, the distinction of male and female genders has been a characteristic of nature that is manifested in the human race as well. The social structure of ancient China was founded on its division into classes of scholars, farmers, workers and merchants, and when the Sui Dynasty Emperor Yangdi (569-618) initiated the “keju” imperial examination system, members of the scholar class were automatically favored, and these scholars came to represent the upper class of society. They exerted great influence, not only in terms of governance but also in many ways upon the everyday lives of the populace, and many thus aspired to join the ranks of the scholar class. No factors other than a candidate’s personal aptitude restricted the rights of all to challenge the examinations. Indeed, the cherished image of a penniless peasant rising to the heights of state is expressed in the well-known aphorism, “No one calls at the cold window where the candidate studies long, But let him pass and all will praise his name, his fame, in song”. The selection of government officials through examinations is perhaps the most unique feature of China’s political systems. Under the influence of ancient China’s clan system, however, which strongly favored men over women, there was no consciousness of gender equality, and only men took these examinations. It is fair to say that women were absolutely excluded. The notion of gender inequality in national examinations is thus not a modern phenomenon but one which can be traced forward through the Sui, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties until as recently as the 18th Year of the Republic (1929), a period we can call the ‘Dark Age’ of gender-based restrictions. The period from 1929, when the Examinations Act promulgated that year removed age and gender restrictions as part of eligibility criteria, through until 1947 can be called a ‘Period of Awakening’, as women began to avail themselves of the opportunity to take the examinations The Constitution of the Republic of China that came into force in 1947, and the Examinations Act as amended the following year, named the Senior and Junior examinations as the principal instruments of the system, and stipulated that where these did not supply an adequate number of qualifiers for various needs, Special examinations should be conducted. Since that time, national examinations have been the principal source of new recruits to the Civil Service, and while no gender restrictions apply in the Senior and Junior examinations, they are to be found in the terms of various Special examinations, in keeping with the nature of the work the examination addresses. These restrictions are manifested in various ways, from outright denial of female candidacies, to varying quotas for male and female qualifiers, to no gender restriction whatsoever. Under increasing social pressure, policies of gender limitation have gradually eroded, and this most recent period can be termed one of ‘Gender Restriction Erosion.” Civil service recruitment in Western countries such as the USA, the UK, Germany etc. is not touched by gender restrictions, and Taiwan’s Senior, Junior and Elementary examinations are similarly free of any gender-based eligibility criteria. Such criteria do exist, however, for various of Taiwan’s Special Examinations in view of the specialized nature of some of the occupations they address. Specifically, six of Taiwan’s nineteen Special Examinations feature gender restrictions of some type. These are the Special Examinations for National Security Personnel, for Agents of the Investigation Bureau, for Coast Guard Personnel, and for Entry-Level Administrative and Firefighting Police Officers, as well as the prison guard and bailiff categories of the Judicial Officers examination, and the prison guard category of the Special Examination for Indigenous Peoples. The nature of the restrictions varies from outright exclusion of female candidacies, to gender-based quotas for qualifiers and persons employed. It is the objective of this paper to explore, from the perspectives of examination and recruitment theory, gender differences, gender attributes, employment theory and equality theory whether the gender restrictions of these six Special Examinations are justifiable and legitimate. Gender equality law in the USA, the UK, Japan and Taiwan is also studied in this context. The paper presents an analysis of prevailing gender restrictions in national examinations and case studies of gender discrimination both in Taiwan and abroad, and observes that while gender restrictions in these examinations are to the advantage of males, employing agencies have trouble finding suitable personnel. It is further observed that the reasons cited for current gender restrictions, with the exception of where supervisory duties are designated by sex as in prisons, or where individuals are sent to represent Taiwan in Middle-Eastern countries, are difficult to reconcile with the provisions of Taiwan’s Gender Equality in Employment Act, and lead to ‘enforcement gaps’ between the letter of the law and its actual implementation. The paper posits future developments in this area and proposes further areas of research for reference by concerned agencies in the contexts of gender equality per se, amendments to laws and implementation of policy. Keywords: national examinations, gender restrictions, gender equality

My dissertation addresses and responds to research and practical interventions on gender in the Andean area. In it, I argue for the native Andean gender system's pertinence as an explanatory variable of past and present gender relations. This gender arrangement's name is 'Complementarity and Parallel Lines of Descent' (CPLD) (Silverblatt, 1985; Harris, 1987; Hardman, 2005; Vieira, 2005); it holds equivalent and complementary functions for women and men inside and outside the home. CPLD prevents women's subordination and the over-valuing of men's actions and characteristics on the basis of women's independent access to vital resources and the non-separation and non-primacy of the productive/public over the reproductive/private sphere (Roel Pineda, V., 1981-83; Lajo, J. 1985-6). Three independent studies show the empirical and theoretical importance of CPLD: 1) social identity observations during socio-anthropological field work on rural-to-urban migration in Lima, Peru (Lloyd, 1981; Herencia, 1985); 2) an historical monograph on CPLD's manifestations in the Tupac Amaru II Rebellion of the 1780's (Herencia, 1999); and 3) a political sociology essay on contemporary social movements in the Andes, seen through the prism of ethnicity and gender (Herencia, 2006). The transformation of gender relations through social identity moments (Study 1) serves to propose the theoretical coexistence and evolution, in a dominant/dominated condition, of engendered Native Andean and Western capitalist socio-cultural systems. For this reason, observations of gender at any point in time should consider the relation between the two. Also hypothetically, the Andean socio-cultural system's distinctive quality may result from Andean women's unrestricted social involvement, in contrast to that in the Western patriarchal capitalist system (and others). From a native people's perspective, conserving worldview and culture in past and present times implies preserving native gender relations. CPLD manifestations are ubiquitous in the Andean socio-cultural system’s traditions, beliefs and practices. Indigenous social movements need to fend off ideological barriers that obscure this gender system's existence, consciously ratifying and honoring the gender relations that continue to sustain the social reproduction of communities in not less than half the population of Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and surrounding areas. CPLD's intrinsic merits are indispensable for a genuine response to capitalist patriarchy. / text

This study aims to deepen our understanding of both how men are affected by taking longer periods of parental leave, and the factors behind the decision of some men to take at least six consecutive months of leave. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five men living in Umeå, Sweden, who had been on parental leave for periods ranging from 6-15 months. Thematic analysis of these interviews revealed four themes: The female as the norm, gender-equal masculinity, the significance of paid work, and understanding provided by practical experience. The men in the study appeared to embody/perform a gender-equal masculinity, which differs from traditional masculinities. This deviant group challenges normative beliefs about how parenting should be done. Based on the four themes, above, a number of problem areas were identified: Firstly, even though a majority of the men seemed to pay less interest to their career than to their child, the paid-work norms affected the choices and possibilities for the men to take parental leave. The men feel that women, as the parent who carries the baby, are the major focus of parental education programs, and that different expectations exist formale and female parents. They experienced difficulty relating to other men in parental education  programs, and one man clearly expressed the discomfort of discussing parenting issues with other men. Breastfeeding also appeared to be problematic. This was partly because some of the men felt uncomfortable with the assumption of parental education programs that the woman would be the one to feed the baby, through breastfeeding, and partly because some of the men felt a sense of alienation from the fact that they themselves were incapable of breastfeeding. They felt a certain sadness that their children formed links to their mothers in this manner, which they were unable to. Finally, some of the men experienced difficulty in finding social groups, with the exception of the open preschools (öppna förskolan), while on parental leave. The paper discusses, and proposes suggestions to, the aforementioned problem areas, with the aim of contributing to regional development in Västerbotten,  Sweden.

Detta avhandlingsarbete undersöker hur psykologer förhåller sig till de olika betydelser av kön som finns i de sammanhang de befinner sig i när de utövar sitt yrke. Genom att utforska de betydelser som barn- och ungdoms­psykologer ger skillnader mellan flickor och pojkar har jag identifierat svårigheter och möjligheter när det gäller att inkludera sociala och kulturella aspekter i beskrivningar av barns och ungas psykologiska utveckling inom psykologiprofessionen i Sverige. Ett inkluderande av sociala och kulturella aspekter skulle bidra till en förståelse för hur barns psykologiska fungerande hänger ihop med de samhälleliga sammanhang de befinner sig i, och kunna användas för att ge barnen ett bättre stöd i behandlingsarbete.   Metod Elva intervjuer med svenska barn- och ungdomspsykologer, samt tre svenska läroböcker i utvecklingspsykologi analyserades. Analyserna utgick från socialkonstruktionistiska och diskurspsykologiska perspektiv.   Resultat Analyserna visade att psykologerna gav kön, genus och jämställdhet flera olika betydelser och att dessa olika betydelser ofta var motstridiga. Ett glapp identifieras mellan övergripande beskrivningar av barn och ungas utveckling där ambitionen att beskriva psykologisk utveckling som en interaktion mellan biologiska och kulturella faktorer tydligt kom till uttryck, och de mer konkreta beskrivningarna av psykologisk ut­veckling där ett biologiskt och/eller individinriktat synsätt gavs företräde. Detta glapp kom framförallt till uttryck i läroböckerna. I barn- och ungdoms­psykologernas tal om sitt arbete blev ett annat glapp synligt. När de talade mer övergripande om vad ett professionellt förhållningssätt till kön innebar baserade sig talet på strävan efter neutralitet och en syn på kön som ovid­kommande för psykologisk behandling. När talet handlade om det konkreta behandlingsarbetet konstruerades kön som skillnader. Barn- och ungdoms­psykologerna tycktes sitta fast i ett dilemma mellan en könsneutral retorik och ett bemötande och en behandling som utgick från könsskillnader som ”naturliga”. Det snäva individfokus som kom till uttryck i psykologernas berättelser lyfts fram som en förklaring till att psykologerna inte själva tycktes uppmärksamma detta glapp under sitt berättande. En fråga där psykologerna ställde kritiska frågor kring jämställdhet och lika fördelning av resurser handlade om att så få flickor i yngre åldrar besöker barn- och ungdomspsykiatrin. Vid dessa tillfällen kom en vilja att omfatta flickors och pojkars olika livsvillkor som förklaring till könsskillnader till uttryck. Då det i deras tal inte fanns några kopplingar mellan den olika fördelningen av resurser och över- och underordning mellan kvinnor och män på en samhällsnivå, verkade psykologerna dock sakna tillgång till analytiska redskap att fullfölja tankarna om olika livsvillkor. Försöken att kontextu­a­lisera flickornas ”osynlighet” tycktes då landa i en anpassning efter köns­stereotyper för ”deras eget bästa”. Jag identifierade några undantag från detta mönster. Några få psykologer uttryckte explicit ett jämställdhets­intresse och en önskan att arbeta på ett jämställt sätt i sitt behandlings­arbete. Analyserna av deras berättelser visar att professionella ideal när det gäller kunskapssyn hade stor betydelse för om, och hur, de kunde motarbeta ett könsstereotypt förhållningssätt i sitt arbete. En strategi att arbeta för jämställdhet utifrån ett neutralt kunskapsideal tycktes leda till ett fokus på ”likabehandling” och osynliggöra skillnader i värdering och handlings­ut­rymme mellan flickor och pojkar. En strategi att arbeta för jämställdhet som baserar sig i idealet ”rättvist resultat” tycktes öppna upp för möjlig­heter att upprätthålla uppmärksamheten på orättvisor och maktprocesser mellan könen.   Slutsats Möjligheterna att inkludera kulturella och sociala betydelser av kön i psykologiskt behandlingsarbete med barn och unga verkar hänga nära samman med psykologers professionella ideal för vad som är legitim kun­skap. I vilken utsträckning psykologerna hade tillgång till analytiska redskap att reflektera över kopplingar mellan problemen hos de flickor och pojkar de träffade och över- och underordning mellan kvinnor och män på en sam­hälls­nivå var också viktigt. Sådana tankemässiga redskap, som utgår från feministiska teorier och genusvetenskap, saknades till stor del i de intervjuer och de läroböcker som granskades. / This thesis examines how Swedish child psychologists relate to the meanings of gender in the surrounding culture. By exploring the meanings that psycho­logists working in child- and youth psychiatry, schools, and in the developmental field give differences between girls and boys I have aimed to identify obstacles against, and possibilities for more inclusive ways to under­stand and theorize the psychological development of children and young people. Such inclusive ways would contribute to an understanding of how children’s psychological functioning is related to the societal context in which they live their life, as well as to strategies for psychotherapy.   Methods Eleven interviews with psychologists working with child and adolescent interventions in Sweden, and three Swedish textbooks on developmental psychology were analysed. The analyses were informed by constructionist and discourse-psychological approaches.   Results The analyses showed that both the books and the psychologists gave gender and gender equality many different meanings and that these meanings often were contradictory. A gap was identified between general descriptions of the development of children where an ambition to emphasize interactions between biological and social factors was clearly expressed and more specific parts of the descriptions of child development where priority was given to biological and/or individual-based explanations. This gap was particularly prominent in the textbooks. In the child psychologists’ nar­ratives about their practice another type of gap was more prominent: When talking on a general level about gender and treatment the psycholo­gists construed a child’s gender as irrelevant to treatment. However, when talking about specifics of their practice the psychologists framed gender in terms of differences between boys and girls. The child psychologists seemed to be stuck between a view of gender as neutral and irrelevant, and assumptions of gender differences as ”natural”. The psychologists evidenced no conscious reflections on this gap, possibly because of the strong individual focus that they expressed. On a few occasions an ambition to encompass how living conditions could cause differences between girls and boys was expressed. Some psychologists noted that among younger children less clinical attention was paid to girls than to boys and saw this as unfair; however, none of them reflected on whether there could be connections between this asymmetry and patterns of gendered power and subordination in society. I therefore concluded that the psychologists seemed to lack analytical tools for such a contextualisation. What began as an attempt to bring in the girls’ context then became conserving and lead to a strategy to adjust the girls to expectations in the girls’ surroundings “for their own good”. I identified a few exceptions from this pattern. A few psychologists spontaneously ex­pressed an engagement in gender equality issues and wanted to promote gender equality in their work as therapists. The analyses of their interviews point to how child psychotherapists’ ideals regarding legitimate therapeutic knowledge impact their thinking about whether, and how, to counteract gender stereotypes through therapy. Efforts to promote gender equality that are based in an ideal of neutral knowledge seemed to lead to a focus on “equal treatment” and to work to conceal the asymmetries in valuation and freedom of action of girls and boys. Efforts to promote gender equality that are based in an ideal of justice as the outcome seemed to open possibilities to maintain attention on injustice and power issues related to gender.   Conclusion The possibilities to include cultural and social meaning of gender in psychotherapy with children and young people seem to be closely related to professional ideals regarding legitimate therapeutic knowledge. The extent to which the psychologists had been given analytical tools to reflect on connections between the various problems of the girls and boys they treated, and patterns of gendered power and subordination in society was also important. That kind of tools, based in feminist theory and gender studies, were to a large extent missing in the interviews and the develop­mental psychology textbooks that were analysed.

This thesis takes as its point of departure the Swedish governmental family policy and the debate on the proposed reform ‘vårdnadsbidraget’. The supporters of the reform present it as something that will increase the freedom of choice for families and benefit the children, whereas the opponents warn for decreased equality and a return to the male breadwinner-model.<br /><br />From a constructivist perspective, language is closely related to power through defining and ascribing meaning to reality. By applying a feminist political theory on the debate within the Swedish national parliament 2007/2008 and conducting a discourse analysis, the aim of this paper is to analyse which concepts are used and how they construct to what makes a family within the political debate – is there any difference or similarity between the view of the opponents and the supporters of ‘vårdnadsbidraget’?<br /><br />The main conclusion of this paper is that even though the political ideal and rhetorical concepts differ between the supporters and the opponents, they still constitute the heterosexual nuclear family as an obvious norm in family politics. Even though the opponents of the reform are critical to the nuclear family as a ideal, their strife for gender equality contributes to reproduce the heterosexual nuclear family as the family norm.

Šiuo metu pripažįstama, jog lyčių lygybės aspekto integravimas darbo rinkoje yra neatsiejama užimtumo politikos įgyvendinimo dalis. Nepaisant pažangos moterų užimtumo srityje Lietuvoje vis dar egzistuoja lyčių diskriminavimo apraiškos užimtumo srityje, kurios tampa ypač aktualios ekonominio sunkmečio akivaizdoje. Šio magistro darbo tikslas yra atskleisti lyčių lygybės principo įgyvendinimą Lietuvos užimtumo politikoje. Darbą sudaro teorinės studijos, problemos analizė, praktinis tyrimas bei darbo išvados ir siūlomos rekomendacijos. Teorinėje dalyje aptariama užimtumo samprata ir lyčių lygybės principo įgyvendinimo darbo rinkoje svarba. Problemos analizė grindžiama statistiniais duomenimis, kurie atskleidžia nelygias moterų ir vyrų dalyvavimo darbo rinkoje galimybes. Praktinėje dalyje atlikta ekspertų apklausa, siekiant atskleisti lyčių diskriminacijos apraiškas ekonomikos nuosmukio metu. Atliekant teorines gyventojų užimtumo studijas bei atliekant užimtumo analizę lyčių aspektu magistro darbe naudoti bendramoksliniai tyrimo metodai – sisteminė ir lyginamoji mokslinės literatūros, teisinių dokumentų, internetinės informacijos bei statistinių duomenų analizė. Empirinio tyrimo atlikimui pasirinktas ekspertų apklausos metodas. / Despite the substantial progress, there are still significant employment problems related to gender equality facing Lithuania. Gender discrimination in labour market especially is important in presence of economics crisis. Aim of this work is to analyze and to estimate implementation of gender equality in employment policy. The work consists of the following parts: theoretical solutions, problem analysis, research and its results, conclusions and recommendations. The theoretical studies consist of three basic parts: theoretical aspects of employment, analyse of the employment policy implementation in Lithuania and importance of gender equality in labour market. Problem analysis is based on statistical data which help to identify men’s and women’s opportunity to participate in labour market The empirical research is based on the survey. The goal of the research is finding out about gender discrimination in Lithuania labour market nowadays. The last chapter consists of conclusions and recommendations drawn upon the results of theoretical and empirical researches. The methods used in this work are: the systematic and comparative analysis of scientific literature, juridical acts, internet information sources and statistical data. For the empirical part was used qualitative research method – expert interview.

<p>In many developing countries including South Africa, there is an overwhelming number of people infected with HIV/AIDS in the hospitals, which the health care workers are unable to cope with. Therefore, an urgent need to develop alternative community based activities such as support groups, home based care programs and placement of&nbsp / orphans, for the provision of social health care services to the HIV client, arises. However, a deeper understanding of the challenges facing community organizations when&nbsp / providing home based care is crucial and necessary in order to formulate effective and relevant care services. The aim of the study was to explore the challenges faced by Umtha&nbsp / elanga Community Organization (UWCO) in the provision of HIV/AIDS home based care. The objectives of the study were to assess the current home based care of the UWCO and to explore the challenges that community based organizations have to face when providing care services to people being infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. The research design undertaken was the case study of UWCO. The qualitative approach with in-depth interviews with the&nbsp / management staff and home based caregivers was utilized. Data analysis began immediately after the interviews by transcribing and translating the audio-taped data. Thematic analysis was used in which data was coded and categorized. The findings of the research&nbsp / indicated that the home based care programme assists PLWHA clients in their natural home setting. All home based carers work voluntary and get supported by the organization as&nbsp / ell as by the department of social development and health such as the social workers. Finances appear to be, both for the organization and the home based carers, a huge&nbsp / hindrance. Research indicated that the organization experiences various challenges to provide the service to their community. It is recommended that Government must ensure that&nbsp / home based care workers get recognition, credit and support for their valuable contribution. Training for HBC employers needs to be extended to expose and add more skills. This&nbsp / will ensure that they are equipped for their tasks. Home based care workers must become registered and paid better salaries by the government.</p>

This thesis is an ethnological study of the truck-driver profession and an examination of the prerequisites for sexual equality and diversity in the haulage branch. The aim is to: from a cultural perspective, with a special focus on gender and masculinity, study truck-drivers as an occupational group. A main question deals with male dominance within the haulage business. What supports this dominance and what possibilities exist for change? The cultural phenomena within the trucking business are analysed with a particular focus on class. The collective idea, that I found among truck-drivers and haulage firm owners, of a kind of self-imposed “underdog identity’* is important to my analyses. Within the group, however, disloyal competition is widespread. The employment process for drivers is built on responsibility. The driver must prove himself sufficiently reliable before the employer will hand over responsibility for truck, cargo and the assignment itself. Since those who lack the collectively accepted indicators of competence/responsibility have difficulty gaining employment, a kind of “catch 22” situation is created, which is reinforced by the truck-drivers’ “underdog identity”. Those who share the values and outer features with the majority receive considerable advantages in the employment process,which adds to what is already a widespread male dominance and strengthens the cultural homogeneity. The truck-drivers* relationship to freedom forms a “key symbol” in the analysis. The Swedish haulage branch is investigated using Yvonne Hirdman’s gender contract, which makes visible how perceptions of masculinity have been given normative status within the haulage business. Another theme in the analysis is the “masculine manuscript” — embodied by a wellbehaved and reliable, middle-aged, white (Swedish), heterosexual man with a working class upbringing. The manuscript functions as a kind of ideal with which drivers are compared. Those who fit the manuscript are afforded considerable advantages, above all in the recruitment process. In order to draw attention to different types of power within the haulage business, Robert W. Connels’ term hegemonic masculinity is used. With some reservations one can express the long-distance truck-driver as an ideal with hegemonic status within the context of haulage. This category of driver has considerable influence on the definition of how a “real” driver should be and on ideas of how transport work is best organised. This group of drivers is relatively small, but its symbolic influence is large. From a gender perspective, the aim is to “grapple” with the images of truck-drivers, both within and outside of the business. The attitude to the trucker myths is critical. The masculinity ideal of the trucker myth is about the right to seek personal freedom and to live exclusively in and for the truck. Possible explanations for the interest in truck-drivers are discussed with the help of the concept of “masculinity crisis” and George L. Mosses* figure of thought: “the male stereotype”. / <p>Diss. Umeå : Univ., 2003</p> / digitalisering@umu