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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Virginia, 2003. / Spine title: A test of the epidemiology of health. Includes bibliographical references (p. 162-201). Also available online through Digital Dissertations.

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This study was concerned with the sources of variation in the attitudes of manual workers toward social class and related matters. A review of the literature suggested that, for workers to adopt a perspective that challenges the existing distribution of rewards and privileges in society, they have to be involved in a series of relationships, in work and in the wider community, that create barriers to the influence of the values of dominant groups in society. Evidence from studies in several societies suggests that involvement in predominantly working-class milieux, at work, in the community, and in kinship and friendship networks, leads to the worker adopting a perspective that is "deviant" from the dominant value system. Exposure to the influence ) of people from other classes, on the other hand, 'Would weaken the' barriers and increase the likelihood that the worker would adopt a perspective akin to that of groups higher in the social hierarchy. This study involved the application of the perspective outlined above to differences in the attitudes of manual workers in four Ontario communities. A questionnaire survey was administered in the four committees, which were selected because, in terms of class structure, they differed from each other in ways that were believed to be associated -with differences in working-class attitudes. The indicators of class attitudes examined in this thesis are class identification, choice of models describing the bases of the stratification system, an index of militancy, and support for the New Democratic Party. Residence in a predominantly working-class community was expected to influence the worker to adopt a "deviant" set of attitudes. But community differences in class identification and choice of class models among workers did not follow the expected pattern. Militancy and support for the NDP were found to be related to differences in the class compositions of the conm.mities studied, but, over-all, community differences were not as large as evidence from studies in other societies would lead one to expect. It was argued that the extensive geographical mobility among workers, and the ethnic diversity in three of the comm.mities, attenuated sanewhat the effect that differences in canmunity class stnicture were expected to have on workers' attitudes. Elements in the work situation did, however, show a more substantial relationship with differences in workers' attitudes. Membership in a trade union was found to be the most consistently strong influence on the workers' adoption of "deviant" attitudes. White-collar kinship and friendship affiliations, on the other hand, particularly marriage to a woman who had, at one time or another, been employed in white-collar work, were found to be related to the worker adopting attitudes more similar to those held by people higher in the social hierarchy. It was argued that the barriers to the influence of the dominant culture are nrutua.lly reinforcing, so that removal of one weakens the power of the others. Geographical mobility among workers, combined with ethnic and religious diversity, were seen as weakening even the solidarity ties that might exist in a community predominantly working-class in social composition. And the large number of workers who-were married to women with experience of non-manual work was seen as a further factor weakening the barriers to the influence of the dominant atlture. It was argued that, even though the trade union appears to be the most effective barrier to the dominant culture, the absence of other strung barriers lessens the power the union has to provide a set of alternative definitions of social reality for workers. It was concluded that the weakness of the barriers to the influence of the dominant culture may be suggested as one reason why Ontario workers do not provide the kind of support to the New Detoocratic Party that is provided to parties of the left by workers in other western societies. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The Social Class Worldview Model (SCWM; Liu, 2011) is a recent phenomenological framework, in which social class is understood based on experiences of acculturation, identity, and stress, as opposed to a narrow view of access to resources. Based on this model, people's experiences of social class discrimination (i.e., classism) are an integral part of how they make meaning of their social class. The current study addresses the development and initial validation of the Perceived Classism Questionnaire (PCQ), a scale of distress due to classist experiences. Items were initially created and refined based on a review of the available literature, expert analysis, and a pilot study. In Study 1, an Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted on a sample of 309 participants, reveling three distinct factors: Downward Classism, Upward Classism, and Lateral Classism. In study 2, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis in a distinct sample of 274 participants provided further support for the three-factor structure of the PCQ. The three subscales were correlated in the expected directions with convergent and discriminant measures (i.e., subjective social status, self-rated health, stress, state and trait anxiety, life satisfaction, and well-being), supporting validity evidence of the PCQ. The Perceived Classism Questionnaire advances on previous scales of classism, as it is a theory-driven scale, and it is not restricted to academic environments. Research and practical implications of the PCQ are discussed.

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of the intersection of race, gender and social class on women leaders’ work experience and career progression in order to come up with strategies for gender transformation at leadership level in corporate South Africa. The problem statement of this research study concerns the indication in the annual report of the Commission for Employment Equity (Department of Labour 2012) that there is under-representation of women, especially African and Coloured women, at top management level relative to the economically active population. The Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill was published in the Government Gazette No. 37005 of 6 November 2013. This Bill aims to enforce compliance with the stipulated minimum representation of women at senior levels in both the private and public sectors. This study, with its objective of reaching an understanding of the impact of the intersection of race, gender and social class on women’s career progression, is therefore timeous. Getting the perspective of woman CEOs across race and class on how to transform gender at leadership level could add an important voice to transformation and could be of benefit to decision makers in business and in government. Based on this problem statement the following research questions were formulated: - To what extent does the intersection of race, social class and gender impact on women CEOs’ experience in their work roles and career progression? - How might an understanding of women leaders’ experiences in their roles assist with strategies to transform gender at leadership level in corporate South Africa? Qualitative research methodology was chosen as the appropriate methodology and grounded theory was employed. Purposive, snowball and theoretical sampling methods were used to identify fourteen participants (13 CEOs and one chairman).The life story method was employed for in-depth semi-structured interviews from which rich descriptive data was collected and which was analysed using grounded theory. Findings confirmed that the intersection of race, gender, age and class does have an impact on women’s career progression and their life experiences. The dominant social identity was race for blacks and gender whites; class and age were the overlay. In terms of strategies for gender transformation, first-order constructs from the participants were related to abstract second-order constructs from the literature, which led to the formulation of the WHEEL Theoretical Model. The theoretical model is an integration of different elements required for the formulation of strategies for gender transformation at leadership level. The different elements were women themselves; domestic and family support; the organisation; society and government. Despite some limitations that were encountered, the aim of the study was achieved by making a contribution not only to the development of theory related to strategies for gender transformation at leadership level, which other scholars can build from, but also to the gaining of insights into the intersection of multiple social identities and their impact which can be used by business leaders and policymakers to address inequalities in organisations. In addition, this research study made various recommendations for future research / Business Management

A Research Report submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Degree of Master of Public Health Johannesburg, June 2017 / Background The disparities in health outcomes between the poor and the rich are increasingly widened, with conditions like stunting still dominating the public health agenda. Policy-makers and researchers need to investigate and inform policies that are aimed at reducing inequities and implement interventions based on available evidence. Objectives The study aimed to investigate the relationship between household socio-economic status and stunting in children younger than five years in Zimbabwe using the 2010 Demographic and Health Survey (DHS). The specific objectives were (i) to describe the different levels of stunting in children under-five years of age; (ii) to determine the association between socio-economic status and stunting in the under-five year age group; and (iii) to determine other factors associated with stunting in children under-five years of age in Zimbabwe. Methods Data from the 2010 Zimbabwe DHS was used for a cross sectional analysis. A modified Poisson regression was used to compute the crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) and the 95% confidence interval (CI) of the association between socio-economic status and stunting. For multivariate models, variables that were identified a priori, those that had a p-value <0.20 in bivariate analyses and inclusion of variables that resulted in a change of 10% or more in the estimate of outcome, were included in the multiple regression models as potential confounders. Results A total of 1,080 children (25.3%; 95% CI: 23.8-26.8 %) of the 4,761 included in the sample were stunted. In univariate analysis, children in the richest households were shown to have a 43% significantly reduced prevalence of stunting as compared to the poorest households [crude PR=0.57, 95% CI (0.45 – 0.72)]. In multivariate analysis, the richer households had less stunted children than the poorest households (adj PR 0.63; 95% CI: 0.47 - 0.84), richer (adj PR 0.79 95% CI: 0.63 - 0.97 ;), middle (adj PR 1.01; 95% CI: 0.87 – 1.17 ;), and poorer (adj PR 0.85; 95% CI: 0.74 – 0.97). Other factors associated with stunting were the child’s anaemia status, age, sex, weight, living with mother or other, the mother’s height and the mother’s body mass index (BMI). Conclusion This study showed that household socio-economic status is associated with stunting in children under the age of five years in Zimbabwe. Stunting is still an immense challenge for most economically unindustrialized nations, Zimbabwe included, and threatens the possibility of many of these countries meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore there is need for multi-sectoral interventions that include poverty alleviation, social welfare, educational and health policies that will enhance the socio-economic status of the household in order to improve children’s nutritional status in Zimbabwe. / MT2017

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan, 1986. / eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (p. 328-375).

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University.