Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Sociology, Aug. 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 147-162). Also available on the Internet.

The question which formed the starting point of this research, and which has provided the central thread in this work is 'how can the later integration of Dutch women into the formal economy, compared to British women, in the period between 1940 and 1990, be explained?' This study looks at this question from (1) a macro perspective and (2) from the perspective of a middle-range case-study in the banking sector. In the macro perspective, theoretical discussions on how the post-war increase in women's participation in the labour market may be explained, and how comparative differences between industrialised countries in this respect may be explained, are brought forward. This provides the basis for a comparative historical investigation in which three historical periods are highlighted; the Second World War years, the post-war years (1945-1970) and the contemporary period (1970-1990). Particular reference is made to such issues as the marriage bar in employment and changes in ideological notions around women's paid employment. Changes in the gender composition of bank staff, and comparative differences in these changes, are investigated in their own right. This is done within the context of the same historical periods, though different theoretical considerations are taken into account. This case-study is in turn used to contrast what is occurring on the aggregate level with the banking sector. This highlights (1) the culturally specific histories of each society in relation to the themes investigated and (2) the particularity of the banking sectors in each society and their employment organisation.

This dissertation demonstrates that twentieth-century dramas by Sean O'Casey, John Osborne, and Harold Pinter continue the convention of nineteenth-century domestic drama. From the expressionist movement, theatre of the absurd, and theatre of anger, to the theatre of extremes, diverse theatrical experiments in the twentieth century urged critics to focus on the contemporary theatrical effort to break away from convention. Consequently, critics have often emphasized the disconnectedness of the twentieth-century avant-garde theatre from nineteenth-century conventions, especially from the tradition of the well-made drawing room drama. My thesis focuses on the trajectory of the nineteenth-century domestic melodrama. Despite the seeming disconnection, nineteenth-century domestic melodrama still lurks within political theatre in the twentieth century as a cultural inheritance. This study argues that the aforementioned twentieth-century playwrights participate in political critique through the discourse of domesticity. Despite the geographical and temporal differences, the characters in the plays all struggle in the absence of communal integrity or national consensus. They suffer from war trauma, from disillusioned nationhood, from abuses of power, and from fascist violence. In addressing the fractured nationhood, these playwrights reference the Victorian perceptions of the home, the mother, and the nation. While the Victorian discourse of domesticity celebrated the idea of the home as a non-material, sacred haven and admired female virtue in support of patriarchal/national stability, Victorian domestic dramas displayed the anxieties surrounding domesticity. This dissertation examines how the twentieth-century plays considered here enhance the vision of late nineteenth-century domestic drama and exploit the myths of the home, the woman and the nation. / text

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This thesis contains 11 papers published in peer reviewed journals between 2006 and 2012. The papers focused on gender violence research methods, the prevalence of risk factors for gender violence, and its association with HIV and maternal morbidity. The accompanying commentary addresses three uncertainties that affect gender violence epidemiology. These are missing data, clustering and unrecognised causal relationships. In this thesis I ask: Can we reduce these three uncertainties in gender violence epidemiology? A systematic review of the intimate partner violence literature over the last decade found that few epidemiological studies manage missing data in gender violence questionnaires in a satisfactory way. Focus groups in Zambia, Nigeria and Pakistan confirmed that missing data lead to underestimation of gender violence prevalence. A partial solution to this problem was to place greater emphasis on interviewer training. In a reanalysis of the data from the published papers I compared different approaches to dealing with clustering in gender violence epidemiology. Generalised linear mixed models and other methods found that clustering potentially plays a causal role. This can be important in interventions that target a community at large, and act throughout the cluster. In a reanalysis of several datasets I show how a history of gender violence influences measurement of many associations related to HIV, possibly due to an unanticipated role of gender violence in the causal pathway with HIV. In conclusion, it is possible to reduce the uncertainties associated with missing data, clustering, and unrecognised causality in gender violence epidemiology.

This research thesis main focus was examining parental factors in the development of self-criticism in young people and role of mindfulness, self-compassion and compassion to others, play in the psychological well-being of mothers. Chapter one is a literature review of twelve empirical studies exploring the role of parental factors in the development of self-criticism in young people. The findings from this review show an association between parental self-critical personality style and parenting behaviours, which in turn are associated with levels of self-criticism in their offspring. This review highlights the potential importance of parent and carer interventions aimed at modifying the parents’ and children’s self-critical behaviours and attitudes. The literature review has been prepared for submission to the Clinical Psychology Review (see Appendix A,‘Guide for Authors’). Chapter two is a quantitative, empirical study. The study explored maternal levels of mindfulness, self-compassion, and compassion to others; and their association with psychological well-being and parental stress. Mothers were invited to participate via the internet and completed questionnaires on-line. Higher levels self-compassion and mindfulness were found to predict maternal psychological well-being and lower levels of maternal stress. Clinical implications and areas for future research are discussed alongside methodological limitations. The empirical study has been prepared for submission to Self and Identity (see Appendix A, ‘Guide for Authors’). Chapter three is a reflective account of the research thesis as a whole. The paper’s focus is on the importance of reflection, self-compassion and mindfulness on personal and professional development. Methodological issues arising from conducting quantitative research are discussed. This paper has not been prepared for publication.

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The western world has a rapidly aging population. Depression and anxiety in combination with physical health problems are common and approaches are required to help people successfully negotiate the challenges of aging. This volume explores the contribution made by the concepts of self-compassion and mindfulness, considering the role they may play in helping us understand vulnerability to later life mental health problems and in psychological interventions for older people. Chapter I provides a critique of the research on mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) with older people, considering their acceptability, accessibility and usefulness. The reviewed literature comprises a small evidence-base, with many methodological weaknesses. However, it suggests MBI’s show promise in terms of effectiveness and accessibility as psychological approaches for older people. Directions for future research are discussed. Chapter II describes an empirical investigation into the relationships between self-compassion, and depression and anxiety in older people, comparing clinical and community samples. Levels of self-compassion were found to be lower in the clinical sample and associated with higher levels of depression and anxiety. The component aspects of self-compassion were also considered separately and the research is discussed in the context of the growing evidence-base. Implications for mental health service provision and future research are considered. Chapter III presents the author’s reflections on her own and participants’ reactions to the concept of self-compassion. This includes consideration of the influence of cultural and cohort factors.

The research reported in this thesis is an investigation of identities of primary school leavers (10-13 years old) residing on the Caribbean territory, St. Kitts. Through two main phases and a pilot of an ethnography conducted intermittently between 2008 and 2011, I explored volunteer-participants' individual and collective identities. In particular, I explored their aspirations for the future and everyday living, the influences they perceive, and conceptualizations of and aspirations for the Caribbean. The aim was to gain insights into their understanding of Caribbean, thus, illuminating Caribbean-identity; two terms fuelling debates in the Social Science literature alleging a Caribbean-identity crisis. One of the main innovations of the design was my partnership with a group of primary school leavers who were trained to help as co-researchers to collaboratively generate and partially analyse data. The findings suggest participants have very positive perceptions of themselves as individuals; however, their identities seem more localized. They generally aspire to migrate, especially to America, to achieve success, and their conceptions of Caribbean vary greatly and seem uncertain while their overarching-aspiration for their island and region is for them to become "better" places socially, economically, politically, culturally, and environmentally. In part, this main finding conflicts with the idea of an identity-crisis on an individual-level, but supports ideas of a lack of a resolute sense of self on a regional-collective level for participants. Equally important, participants report many positive impacts resulting from their involvement. For some, the process contributed clarity about self and aspirations, and for others, it helped with not only a clearer-perspective, but also the development of life-skills.

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