The problem of detecting monotonic increasing/decreasing trends in variances from k samples is widely met in many applications, e.g. financial data analysis, medical and environmental studies. However, most of the tests for equality of variances against ordered alternatives rely on the assumption of normality. Such tests are often non-robust to departures from normality, which eventually leads to unreliable conclusions. In this thesis, we propose a combination of a robust Levene-type test and a finite-intersection method, which relaxes the assumption of normality. The new combined procedure yields a more accurate estimate of sizes of the test and provides competitive powers. In addition, we discuss various modifications of the proposed test for unbalanced design cases. We present theoretical justifications of the new test and illustrate its applications by simulations and case studies.

Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka hur fyra kvinnor över 75 år upplever jämlikhet i sina liv, med avseende på ålder, genom att göra intervjuer utifrån en fenomenologisk ansats. Ansatsen medförde utgångspunkten att det är individers upplevelser i sin vardagliga värld som har betydelse för att skapa förståelse. Analytiska verktyg i studien har varit delar av Bourdieus teori i Modeskaparen och hans märke, samt Elias och Scotsons teori i Etablerade och outsiders. De intervjuade kvinnorna framhöll att de upplevde sig bli väl bemötta i samhället. Jag finner dock att det, i deras berättelser, går att återfinna inslag av stigmatisering i äldres liv. Detta tar sig bland annat uttryck i att äldres delaktighet i samhället begränsas och att de uppmanas att orientera sig mot centrala delar av yngres värderingar. För att lyckas med det sistnämnda argumenteras det för att det blir särskilt viktigt för äldre att visa sig självständiga. En möjlig anledning till detta föreslås vara att kvinnorna levt hela sina liv i en välfärdsstat där beroende av andra individer inte har varit nödvändigt. / The aim of this study was to explore how four women over the age of 75 experience equality in their lives with respect to age, by conducting interviews from a phenomenological approach. The point of departure was that it is the experiences of individuals in their life world that is of relevance when striving for understanding. Analytical tools in this study have been parts of the theory presented by Bourdieu in Modeskaparen och hans märke, along with parts of the theory presented by Elias and Scotson in The Established and the Outsiders. The interviewed women emphasised that they perceived themselves to be treated well in society. However, I find that it, in the narratives of the women, is possible to identify elements of stigmatisation in the lives of older people. This is, among other ways, expressed when older people’s participation in society is limited, and when they are encouraged to orient themselves to central aspects of younger peoples values. To achieve the last it is argued that independence is of special importance for older people. One possible reason for this is suggested to be that the women have spent their whole lives in a welfare state where a dependence on other individuals has not been necessary.

Despite significant progress in increasing female participation in national politics, Tanzanian households are still predominately run by men. Gender norms which define women as houseworkers and men as providers continue to pervade widespread notions that put a heavy burden on the backs of women and hinder an equal division of household labor, regardless of women’s employment situation. Although often disfavored in this patriarchal structure, research has found that women sometimes desire men to adapt to a role that further establishes these norms. This study examined how women and men in Babati town construct masculinities and the male role in romantic relationships, and how officially contested gender roles persist. Primary data was collected through qualitative interviews and focus groups with primarily highly educated married women and men in Babati town. The data was analyzed using a theoretical framework based on masculinities in gender relations and African notions of feminism. Moreover, explanations and rationalizations of gender inequality were deconstructed and categorized in a content-oriented analysis to explicate the resilience of dominant ideologies. The study found that men are expected to have a job and to make sure that the basic needs of the family are met. Most men did not construct ideal masculinity as mutually exclusive to cooking and cleaning, and neither did any woman. However, men often exempted themselves from household labor by arguing that African culture does not allow men to cook and clean unless the wife is sick or otherwise incapacitated.

Following the prosperity and economic growth of society, the people in Taiwan start to pay attention to the quality of hospitalization and personal health care. There are numerous new types of medical care business start to grow to meet these demands; hence the pressure of the competition in the medical care market becomes more serious ever. An immediate and important task is to utilize the knowledge and experience of the medical care workers to improve the quality of medical care service hence to create a long-term competitiveness. However, to enhance the quality of medical service, it needs to satisfy its internal customers (employees) to provide a high quality products and service. Then with high quality products and service, it will produce the satisfactory outside customers. This study focuses on the relationship between medical care industry knowledge employee¡¦s work values, motivation equality and resignation inclination. The actual survey objects are the employees of the hospitals, the pharmaceutical manufacturing and biotech related industry. This research adopts the random selection methodology for questionnaire. A total of 338 questionnaires were collected to perform the statistic analysis. The results are emphasizing the individual attributes of medical care knowledge worker to his work values, motivation equality, and resignation inclination. In summary: 1. Different individual attributes of medical care knowledge worker have significant difference in work values. 2. Different individual attributes of medical care knowledge worker have significant difference in resignation inclination. 3. Medical care knowledge workers¡¦ work values in different level have significant impact on resignation inclination. 4. Interaction between medical care knowledge workers¡¦ individual attributes and motivation equality has significant impact on resignation inclination. 5. Interaction between medical care knowledge workers¡¦ work values and motivation equality has significant impact on resignation inclination. Based on the results mentioned above, this study recommends the following suggestions to the medical care industry: (1) establish an equal and justice decision process and a transparent employee salary system, (2) enhance the mutual trust between the medical care industry and medical care workers, (3) pay attention to workers¡¦ career and development, and increase the human capital, (4) create an excellent working environment, and to allow the growth for both business and workers, (5) remove any blocks in the communication channels to create a win-win situation between medical care employer and workers. To future researchers on this topic, the author suggests that the research objectives should be expanded to the whole medical care industry. The statistical methodology should adopt the Stratified Random Sampling method. Data collection uses questionnaire mainly but complements with other observation method and in-depth interview method. There are many factors to affect the employee¡¦s resignation inclination, but only the worker¡¦s work values, motivation equality, and individual attributes to be selected as the variables. Other variables, such as organization climate, behavior of leadership, and etc.., are not included in this research. The author recommends that the future study can concentrate on the actual case study for the resignation inclination problems by using multi-variable analysis method.

The right of existence in the Constitution and the living support to request right in Public Assistance Act ensure the right to minimum of subsistence. But the right of existence in the Constitution ensures individual right, Public Assistance Act ensures family. It is specifically feasible to discuss that the living support to request right in Public Assistance Act is enacted to care for the people of low incomes and help them to live on themselves in a moment. This paper studies regulations of Public Assistance primarily. Therefore the research project of this paper includes¡GThe living supports to request right, administrative organ¡¦s organization, the regulations of behavior do conform to legally the administrative requirement. Second, the administrative relief, the judicial relief and Legal Aids Act forming a complete set. Third, by the principle of equity examines regulations of Public Assistance, that whether it is to be suitable ¡§the substantive equality under law¡¨. To be brief, this paper anticipates constructing more rational regulations of poverty.

Abstract The purposes of this study were to develop a gender equality program through information technology for junior high school to inquire the individual class students¡¦ gender consciousness-raising and to understand the changes of existing gender-role stereotypes among eighth grade students to offer some implications on adolescent¡¦s gender equity education program in the future. The subjects are one class (17 females, 20 males) of 8th grade students in Junior High School in Kaohsiung County as the case group. The study adopts qualitative and quantitative methods to explore subjects¡¦ the process of gender consciousness-raising. The former of which is major method including, colloquies and worksheets in the class and observation by researcher. In this study, the gender equality education program met for one a week, for 10 weeks. Teacher¡¦s introspection connects with student¡¦s performance would be the feedback to help researcher adjusts teaching strategy. From this process the major findings were as following: (1)By the systematized gender equality program, gender consciousness of students had been roused. (2) The gender consciousness of students presented from indefinitely to perceptively. (3) After taking part in this gender equality program, the mood of the class was developing by degrees into an esteemed¡Bcatholic and harmonious condition. (4) The e-learning experience had broadened students¡¦ horizons. (5) The response of students had positive feedback on teachers and induced their introspection. Finally, based on the research results, we can provide valuable suggestions to school education and further study plans.

The main aim of the thesis is to investigate the process of the legislative reforms in Turkey between 1998 and 2005 in the context of gender mainstreaming. To illustrate the process, descriptively, the actors behind the amendments in the Turkish Constitution, Civil Code, Penal Code, Labor Law and the Law on the Protection of the Family are investigated based on the &ldquo / Gender and Development&rdquo / approach. The thesis exposes that international organizations (EU and UN), women&rsquo / s activism and state are incredibly influential in the process of the legislation stage of gender mainstreaming. The legislation stage of gender mainstreaming has been almost eventuated in Turkey, however, the second stage, which is institutionalization stage, has just started to be implemented.

The purposes of this study were to develop a gender equality program for junior high school, to inquire the individual class students' gender consciousness-raising and to find out the relation between teaching behavior and students' gender consciousness by undergoing a semester teaching experiment. The subjects were one class (19 females, 16 males) of 10th grade students in Junior High School in Kaohsiung City as the case group. The worksheet, depth interview and class observation were used to understand the real condition of the Implementation of Gender Equality Education. ¡uGender Bias Inventory¡vwas administered to the subjects before and after the program. The collective data were analyzed by qualitative and quantitative methods. The major findings were as following: (1) lacking of specific gender equality program, students had indistinct gender consciousness; (2) the response of students presented the dominant of fatherhood; (3) the program had improved the gender consciousness-raising but was rejected by some boys; (4) students who active participated in the program yearned for those knowledge; (5) Awakening of gender consciousness was obvious in the group of girls; (6) There were significant differences between boys and girls in gender bias. Teacher teaching behavior: (1) the response of students had positive feedback on teachers and induced their introspection; (2) the positive discrimination is empowerment for the weak group in the class.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of junior high school educators¡¦ attitudes in Tainan county toward the school-based finance management¡Bthe equality of educational opportunity and school efficiency. With the result¡Awe may analyse the expectation on the equality of educational opportunity and school efficiency. This study was conducted by the questionnaires survey. The valid samples are 271. The data was collected by self-designed questionnaire, and analyzed by statistic methods of mean, standard deviation, independent samples t-test, one way ANOVA , Pearson's product-moment correlation and stepwise multiple regression. The following conclusions are derived¡G First, generally speaking, the junior high school faculties in Tainan county hold the positive attitudes toward school-based finance management. Second, there would be different attitudes toward school-based finance management with different school occupations. Third, there would be different attitudes toward the equality of educational opportunity with different school occupations. Fourth, entirely speaking¡Athe attitudes of junior high school faculties in Tainan county toward the expectation of school efficiency with school-based finance management are positive. Finally, support for school-based finance management would explain 36.2¢H of the equality of educational opportunity and 40.3¢H of school efficiency by total variance explained. Keywords¡Gschool-based finance management¡Bthe equality of educational opportunity¡Bschool efficiency

In this article, I want to explain Michael Otsuka¡¦s idea of distributive justice, the latest theory of the left-libertarianism. Otsuka argued that self-ownership can be combined with a kind of egalitarian ownership principle and he critics that the conflict between self-ownership and equality is an illusion. I will examine Otsuka¡¦s theory about self-ownership, egalitarian proviso and the framework of political societies of voluntarism. And I will point out what is the wrong and right in his theory.