Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:08:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Maria braga.pdf: 4286275 bytes, checksum: 6afd63bd90613cb7ebfc1b46425b0379 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005-02-17 / The present thesis concems to matemity, within the universe of assisted reproduction techniques, that belongs to our contemporaneous feminine condition. In spite of being a recent event, it's very frequent the demand for reproductive medicine technologies. This research intends to comprehend women's expertences in search for matemity, through biotechnologies. It also provides a reflection about femininity and our contemporaneous way of living, which emphasizes scientific discourse, and contributes to psychological clinical attendance. In order to reach our aims, we interviewed women who have been, or still are, in medical treatment for pregnancy and we analyzed the narratives in a qualitative way, by using the method of contents analysis. We observed that women's experiences with assisted reproduction are events of multiple implications upon feminine subjectivity, couples relationship and families. It also involves complex affections and matters among women and affects parental and filial positions / Esta dissertação tem como tema a maternidade, no universo das tecnologias de procriação, elemento próprio do feminino contemporâneo. Apesar de ser um fenômeno recente, é frequente a procura por tecnologias da medicina reprodutiva. Este trabalho pretende compreender a experiência de mulheres na busca pela maternidade, através das biotecnologias e, com isto, propicia uma reflexão sobre a feminilidade e a forma de vida na contemporaneidade, tendo como destaque o lugar ocupado pelo discurso científico, contribuindo, também, para a clínica psicológica. Para tal, entrevistamos mulheres que já estiveram ou que estão em tratamento para engravidar, e analisamos qualitativamente as narrativas através da análise de conteúdo. Observamos que a experiência das mulheres com a reprodução assistida é um fenômeno de implicações múltiplas na subjetividade feminina e na dinâmica do casal e da família, que envolve afetos e questionamentos complexos para a mulher e afeta a parentalidade e filiação

Mulheres em transição para a maternidade por adoção vivenciam as transformações psíquicas e a espera por seus filhos enfrentando as adversidades específicas deste contexto. Com frequência, o período que antecede a chegada do filho adotivo é descrito como um momento de preparação para a parentalidade. Nesta etapa, que pode se estender por longos anos, a formação da identidade materna e a significação, através dos sentimentos, do tempo de espera pelo filho adotivo são importantes processos da construção destas famílias. Diante de tais evidências, a presente dissertação dedicou-se a compreender como se dão, no contexto da adoção, as transformações da organização psíquica no sentido de tornar-se mãe e quais são os sentimentos relatados na espera pela adoção em suas diferentes etapas que precedem a colocação da criança na família. Dois artigos compõem esta investigação. As participantes dos estudos foram quatro mulheres, de idades entre 38 e 44 anos, habilitadas e ativas no Cadastro Nacional de Adoção (CNA) há no máximo um ano. No primeiro foi investigado o processo de transformação da organização psíquica das mulheres (motherhood mindset), de acordo com Stern, Bruschweiler-Stern e Freeland (1998), no contexto da maternidade por adoção. Encontrou-se que mulheres em espera pela adoção vivenciam as mudanças próprias da formação da identidade materna, confirmando-se a experiência de gestação psíquica no período que antecede a chegada do filho adotivo. Já no segundo estudo, buscou-se compreender quais os sentimentos relatados por mulheres na espera pela adoção durante o processo de habilitação à adoção e durante a espera na fila do CNA. Os resultados apontaram que, na habilitação à adoção, as mulheres destacaram sentimentos como apreensão, frustração, dor e morosidade. Quando na espera na fila do CNA, estas mulheres enfatizaram sentimentos que foram alocados em duas categorias: esperança e desesperança. A análise destes dois estudos contribui para a literatura sobre a espera pela adoção, dando voz as mulheres que vivenciam este processo marcado por transformações psíquicas e comoções de sentimentos. Espera-se que este trabalho auxilie na compreensão da transição para a maternidade por adoção durante a espera pelo filho adotivo, motivando o cuidado com a saúde emocional destas famílias bem como novos trabalhos que se dediquem a esta temática. / Women in transition to adoptive motherhood experience the psychic transformations and the waiting for their children facing the specific adversities of this context. Often, the period that precedes the arrival of the adoptive child is described as a time of preparation for parenting. In this stage, which can last for many years, the development of the maternal identity and the significance of the waiting time are important processes of the construction of these families. In face of these evidences, this thesis is dedicated to understand how the transformations of psychic organization occur in the sense of becoming a mother in the context of adoption and what are the feelings manifested during the different stages of the waiting time that precedes the child`s reception in the family. Two papers compose this research. The participants of these studies were four women, aged between 38 and 44 years, qualified and active in the National Adoption Registry for a maximum of one year. In the first, the process of transformation of the motherhood mindset was investigated in the context of adoption maternity according to Stern, Bruschweiler-Stern and Freeland (1998). It was found that women waiting to adopt a child faced specific changes of the maternal identity development process, confirming the experience of psychic gestation in the period before the arrival of the adoptive child. In the other study, it was sought to understand the feelings in women waiting to adopt during the process of habilitation for adoption and during the waiting period in the National Adoption Registry´s queue. The analysis of these two studies contributes to the existing literature about the adoption waiting process, giving voice to these women who experienced this process marked by psychic transformations and feelings commotions. We hope that this thesis helps in understanding the transition to motherhood through adoption during the waiting period for the adopted child, motivating the attention to emotional health care of these families and the elaboration of new studies dedicated to this subject and the promotion of new studies dedicated to this subject.

This thesis elaborates the results of the research I carried out wtihin the year 2009 in a paid course of female tantric initiation. The theme of the thesis was inspired by my previous interest in the Goddess movement. As this movement is not yet concretized in the Czech republic, I have chosen participating in a closed women's group which is very close to it due to a specific combination of religion, philosophy and psychology. My goal was to find out what form the women's spirituality has in the Czech environment and what kind of women are drawn to it. While the first part of the thesis deals with the universal characteristics of the current eclectic spirituality generally described as the New Age movement, the second part is devoted to the research itself. I come to the conclusion that the symbol of the Goddess, the key idea of the thesis, is not perceived only as a religious concept but also as a medium by means of which women define their needs and problems resulting from their femininity. By this particular case, I advert to the very psychotherapeutic dimension of women's spirituality. Keywords: New Age, tantra, The Goddess, body, spirituality, femininity, self-realization, strength, motherhood

This essay analyses Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin (2003) from a feminist perspective. The objective of the essay is to demonstrate that a feminist reading of We Need to Talk about Kevin sheds light on the concept of shame and generates a discussion on the implications of the expectations that are placed upon a woman when she becomes a mother. The essay draws on the work of cultural feminists, such as Elspeth Probyn and Adrienne Rich, to demonstrate how shame and motherhood are entwined in the novel. This approach illuminates how patriarchal patterns in today’s society can restrict women’s abilities to lead a full life by blaming and by making them feel ashamed of not only their own actions but also of those of their children. The concept of shame is outlined as a gendered emotion, and the essay then examines the novel’s description of a mother’s responsibilities. These are then contrasted with the way in which shame functions for the community. The conclusion of the essay is that patriarchal structures are ever present in the novel and in society as a whole, and the location of shame in the mother, brought on by other members of the community as well as by the protagonist herself, results in the community being unable to heal itself.

Ensamstående mödrar kan utifrån samhällets normer betraktas som ett socialt problem, eller en social framgång. Forskning har funnit att ensamstående mödrar ofta har sämre livsvillkor än andra samhällsgrupper, även i jämförelse med ensamstående fäder. Följande studie undersökte hur de ensamstående mödrarna själva såg på sin situation, utifrån stigma och social exklusion i det svenska samhället. Studien baserades på en kvalitativ metod i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer, med sju ensamstående mödrar. Resultaten visade att majoriteten av informanterna har upplevt stigmatiserande och socialt exkluderande behandling från såväl samhällsinstanser som övriga samhällsgrupper. Resultaten visade också på att samtliga informanter upplever att den generella förståelsen och det tillgängliga stödet för deras livssituation är bristfällig.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / In this thesis, I use gender and human rights approaches to examine and analyse the major causes of maternal mortality, which result from delay in seeking maternity care and failure to attend maternity care during pregnancy. A gender approach was used to identify and analyse inequalities that arise from belonging to one sex or from unequal power relations between sexes and how these impact on women accessing maternity care. The Human Rights approach was used to identify and analyse health system related factors that led women to delay seeking care and also failing to attend maternity care. A qualitative multiple case study methodology was followed with data analysed thematically. Findings were interpreted in the context of the International Bill of Rights, the South African Bill of Rights and International Human Rights treatises. Maternity women are unable to access maternity care because of their unmet gender equity needs, and because of maternity services that are not respecting, protecting and fulfilling their human right to access health care. A Gender-Human rights model of accessibility to quality maternity care is developed to assist health care providers in promoting availability of maternity services to health consumers. The model propositions are based on the major concepts which are: Gender equity, Women empowerment, Human rights to quality health care, Evidence Based Health Care, and Support during labour.

This thesis investigates the utilisation of maternal health care in Zambia, where despite being a signatory to the Safe Motherhood Initiative and Millennium Development Goals, which are aimed at improving maternal health, indicators of maternal health continue to perform poorly. The need to understand crucial factors in improving maternal health motivated the current research, especially since there is a dearth of literature in this area in Zambia. The thesis focuses on two aspects of maternal health care: antenatal care (ANC) and facility-based deliveries, to answer two broad questions. Firstly, what factors determine the use of ANC in Zambia? Secondly, to what extent has the abolition of user fees affected facility-based deliveries? An assessment of the factors, which explain the utilisation of ANC in Zambia, using three sets of comparable datasets reveals that, while there are differences in the factors explaining the decision to use ANC and the frequency of visits over time, the decision to seek ANC and the frequency of use is low among the poor and less educated, and there are marked regional differences in utilisation. The most appropriate econometric specification for antenatal visits, according to different performance indicators, was the two-part model, which differs from recent research favouring more complex methodologies. The analysis is further extended through the inclusion of supply-side factors and the examination of individual and community level factors associated with inadequate and non-use of ANC, following the adoption of the focused ANC approach in Zambia. To incorporate the supply side factors, the 2007 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey was linked to administrative and health facility census data using geo-referenced data. To assess the factors associated with (1) the inadequate use of ANC (defined as three or less visits), and (2) the non-use of ANC in the first trimester of pregnancy, we specify two multilevel logistic models. At the individual level, the woman’s employment status, quality of ANC received and the husband’s educational attainment are negatively associated, while parity, the household childcare burden and wealth are positively associated with inadequate utilisation of ANC. Both individual and community level characteristics influence inadequate use and non-use of ANC in the first trimester; however, community level factors are relatively stronger in rural areas. Although ANC is an important facet of maternal care, it occurs before delivery, but does not necessarily provide much information with respect to delivery decisions. Therefore, the thesis investigates delivery decisions, as well, in particular, the effect of user fee removal in rural areas of Zambia on facility-based deliveries. To account for regional differences, we employ a Seemingly Unrelated Regression model incorporating an Interrupted Time Series design. The analysis uses quarterly longitudinal data covering 2003q1-2008q4. When unobserved heterogeneity, spatial dependence and quantitative supply-side factors are controlled for, user fee removal is found to immediately increase aggregate facility-based deliveries, although the national trend was unaffected. Drug availability and the presence of traditional birth attendants also influence facility-based deliveries at the national level, such that, in the short-term, strengthening and improving community-based interventions could increase facility-based deliveries. However, there is significant variation and spatial dependence masked in the aggregate analysis. The results highlight the importance of service quality in promoting facility-based deliveries, and also suggest that social and cultural factors, especially in rural areas, influence the use of health facilities for delivery. These factors are not easily addressed, through an adjustment to the cost of delivery in health facilities. Additionally, we analyse the effect of user fee abolition on the location of childbirth, focussing on deliveries that occur in public health facilities using household survey data. To elicit the causal relationship, we exploit the relative change in fees across health districts within a difference-in-differences framework. Surprisingly, although reductions in home deliveries were observed, as expected, reductions in public health facility-based deliveries were also uncovered, along with increases in deliveries at private health facilities. However, these findings were statistically insignificant; suggesting that the abolition of user fees had little, if any, impact on the choice of location for childbirth. The statistically insignificant, but unexpected, causal effects further suggest that the removal of user fees have unintended consequences, possibly the transference of facility costs to the client, which would deter the utilisation of delivery services. Therefore, abolishing user fees, alone, may not be sufficient to affect changes in outcomes; instead, other efforts, such as improving service quality, could have a greater impact. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Economics / unrestricted

Problem statement: How do South African women experience the current gender equality work in their workplace and how does it affect their working conditions? Purpose: The purpose of our study is to contribute to an understanding of how South African women are experiencing gender equality work in their workplace and how this is affecting their working conditions. The aim is to find personal experiences of working women in South Africa of how gender equality work is being experienced on an individual level. South Africa has a broad range of legislations about gender equality but the perspective interesting for this study is how the individual South African women experience this is being realized. Methodology: A qualitative research method with an inductive approach. The empirical material was conducted with semi-structured interviews and later a thematic analysis was applied. Conclusions: Social structures, organizational culture and motherhood are areas identified by South African women to affect their working conditions as well as how they experience gender equality work within their organization. Although these are hard to change to some extent, the study found that by contributing to an understanding of the women’s experiences and identify the reasons of these, it creates possibilities for organizations to strive for a more gender equal workplace initiated with acknowledging aspects that can result in gender equality being experienced as fulfilled.

MA (English Literature) / Department of English / See the attached abstract below

The main subject of this master thesis is the issue of surrogacy in the Czech Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany. At the beginning, this thesis aspires to define the term surrogacy in general as well as other connected terminology, and subsequently to specify its categories and describe its major historic milestones. Afterwards, it deals with the rather brief Czech legislation concerning this institute and the consequences this has inevitably led to. It also concentrates on the methods of the assisted reproduction which help to put the surrogate motherhood into practice. This thesis does include ethical problems of surrogacy and some of the psychological and sociological aspects as well. Consequently, it summarizes sanctions which may arose as a result of surrogacy. After that, it explains the legislation related to this issue in the Federal Republic of Germany, its history and legal limits. It deals with the German sanctions which the realization as well as mere arrangement may be subjected to. It examines the standpoint of the German legislator regarding the right of a child to know his or her origin including its consequences, such as non-anonymous sperm donation and obligation of the legal parents to undergo a DNA test. It describes most recent demands of the society regarding the new...