Lesbians face oppression in their daily lives and in the health care system due to both their gender and sexual orientation. Nurses, as front line workers, have a vital role to ensure appropriate, high quality care as well as health promotion. This research responds to the lack of culturally sensitive care for lesbians and more specifically lesbian couples. The purpose of this study is to explore the meaning that the lesbian couple relationship has for the lesbian couple and how this relationship contributes to their mutual and individual sense of health. A phenomenological feminist approach captured a rich description of the lived experiences of lesbian couples, all of whom were middle class, Caucasian and well educated. Purposive sampling garnered seven lesbian couples. Two flexible, minimally structured interviews were conducted with each couple. Increased knowledge of lesbian couple relationships as a resource for the women's sense of health, will help care professionals use health support systems for lesbians and ease the burden of oppression. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The interaction between coaches and their athletes has been investigated by researchers in sport pedagogy over the last 20 years (Pieron, 1994). The majority of these studies have used systematic observation techniques to gain insight into the behavior of coaches during games and/or practices. Although studies on coaches' behaviors have provided a portrait of how coaches intervene (e.g., Trudel & Cote, 1994), information on the subject matter being taught by coaches is relatively new. The importance of including the subject matter in the study of teaching was underlined by Shulman (1986). The purpose of the present study was to investigate the content of coaches' instruction provided to female ice hockey players (12-15 yrs.) during games. More specifically, the questions to be answered were: (a) What was the content of instruction? (b) When was the instruction given? and (c) How was the instruction communicated to the player(s)? A unique coding system was developed in order to answer these questions. Although the results revealed differences between cases, and even variability between games within the same case, many similarities emerged between coaches. The coaches in the present study referred to emphasize team tactics, over individual tactics, individual techniques, and rules. Many of the interventions by the coaches were short duration prompts, communicated while the play was in progress. The relatively low percentage of specific information given to players during games indicates that the coaches did not fully utilise opportunities arising in games to instruct players.

The purpose of this research was to conduct a feminist analysis of campus foot patrol/walk home services. The recent proliferation of this type of program has prompted some concern from the feminist community regarding the implications of this type of response to women's fear. Feminist scholars contend that these programs maintain and foster fear of the outdoors as well as reinforce women's dependency on others for protection. In reality women have substantially greater risks of being assaulted within their homes or other safe places by someone known to them. Feminist scholars state that an effective response to properly dealing with women's fear lies in education and awareness efforts focused on the perpetrators of violence against women/men. Fear is fostered in women throughout their lives through experiences of both public and private abuse at the hands of men. This reality, contextualised within the realm of our patriarchal society, has led feminists to conclude that long-term social change can only be effectuated through measures directed at men in society. Representatives of campus foot patrol/walk home services from four universities in the Ottawa-Montreal region were interviewed regarding their respective programs. The results showed that while foot patrol/walk home services may indeed be victim-control oriented and reproduce women's dependency on others for protection, they serve to fulfil a present, compelling need for many women: to be able to be out after dark without fearing for their safety. Evidence of the possible potential for long-term social change exists in all the programs, as each has educational and awareness components compulsory for all their volunteers. These components differ greatly in content and length however, and thus further research would be needed to determine the actual impact on volunteers. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Le but l'etude etait d'identifier les facteurs qui nuisent et ceux qui contribuent a la presence des femmes comme entrai neures de soccer recreatif ou competitif, mais a un niveau moindre que le niveau elite. La methode de recherche, l'entrevue de groupe semi-dirigee, a permis d'investiguer le vecu, les sentiments, les perceptions et les attitudes des participantes en ce qui concerne l'occupation d'entrai neure. L'echantillon de l'etude etait compose: d'entrai neures potentielles, soit d'athletes impliquees en soccer recreatif ou competitif ou bien d'athletes ayant joue a ce niveau mais ayant depuis arrete (n = 14); d'entrai neures actuelles d'equipes de soccer recreatif ou competitif (n = 18); et d'anciennes entrai neures d'equipes de soccer recreatif ou competitif (n = 20). L'echantillon total comprenait 52 femmes francophones des regions montrealaise, outaouaise et des Cantons de l'est. Les resultats de l'etude indiquent que se sont les facteurs de type organisationnel, plutot que de type personnel ou social qui nuisent le plus a la presence des femmes entrai neures au soccer et ce sont egalement ces facteurs qui aideraient le plus a la presence de femmes entrai neures en soccer. Tous types confondus, les principaux facteurs qui nuisent a la presence des femmes comme entrai neures sont relies a la critique et l'absence de reconnaissance, la lourdeur des exigences administratives et logistiques, le manque de confiance en soi et de preparation et la discrimination et la devalorisation et l'attitude negative des joueuses. Les resultats de l'etude indiquent egalement que tous types confondus, les principaux facteurs qui contribuent a la presence des femmes comme entrai neures sont relies a: l'atteinte d'objectifs d'equipe, l'amour du role d'entrai neure, la presence de situations facilitatrices, le desir d'implication sportive secondaire et l'appui logistique et technique.

Access to health care is considered a basic right in Canadian society. However, health services are frequently inappropriate, unacceptable and thus inaccessible to immigrant and refugee women. The everyday concerns of immigrant and refugee women are germane to establishing appropriate, acceptable and accessible health care services. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine the everyday life experiences of Somali, exploring how these experiences affect their. Grounded theory, a qualitative research method, in which data collection and analysis occur in tandem, was utilized, and enhanced by the perspective of feminism, in this study. This feminist perspective facilitated a non-oppressive, non-hierarchical, interactive and reflexive research process. 'Rebuilding' in Canada was identified as a central process. Two main categories were discovered in the process of rebuilding; (1) adjusting to the refugee reality & (2) finding a new safety in Canada. Running from flames reflects on the initial experiences of Somali women in Canada. Despite the fact that they are safe in Canada, coming to terms with their reality as refugees is not easy. Safe in Canada Somali women begin the day-to-day trials of dealing with intercultural communication in an unfamiliar Canadian system. The study finding encourage nurses and other health care providers to consider the context and history of clients ultimately broadening their conception, as health care providers, of health and the multiple factors that determine it. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Statistics indicate that women in management remain concentrated in junior levels while underrepresented in senior positions (Employment and Immigration Canada, 1992). Researchers have pointed to the effects of sex discrimination as responsible for women's slow progress into upper-management (Morrison & Von Glinow, 1990). Given this disadvantageous situation, the question remains: What activities do women managers initiative to improve their conditions in the organization? The purpose of the present study is to examine this issue while considering a significant situational factor: women's proportional representation. Moreover, the concept of relative deprivation was used to account for women's motivation to take an active role in the promotion of their personal and collective situation. Reactions from a total of 253 women managers were solicited. Univariate and multivariate analyses of variance uncovered four noteworthy findings: (1) greater personal deprivation was expressed among women managers who either perceived themselves as underrepresented or perceived the entrance of no new female recruits in their work group; (2) greater collective relative deprivation was reported among women who held high, rather than low personal relative deprivation scores; (3) the preferred group enhancement activity for women who expressed high, rather than low levels of collective deprivation was endorsement of employment equity programmes and (4) priority was given to the individual strategy, intention to leave, for women who expressed high, rather than low personal deprivation. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.

Dans notre these de mai trise (Les Strategies prospectives d'action de Nairobi pour la promotion de la femme: Quel role pour l'Etat?), nous soumettons a l'examen un point de vue couramment accredite par la science politique, selon lequel la centralite de l'Etat dans les relations internationales se trouveraient actuellement remise en cause - compromise meme. Il semble en effet qu'une certaine litterature recente sur le role de l'Etat, de meme qu'un examen attentif de l'actualite internationale, autorisent ce point de vue. Or il nous apparai t aussi que la majorite des Strategies prospectives d'action de Nairobi accordent a l'Etat un role important. Apres avoir verifie empiriquement cette propostion, nous nous demandons dans quelle mesure ces Strategies peuvent s'averer efficaces. Car elles se fondent sur le concept de la centralite de l'Etat au moment meme ou celui-ci se voit remis en question. Les Strategies prospectives d'action de Nairobi risquent-elles l'anachronisme? Dans l'espoir de contribuer a remedier a ce probleme, notre these de mai trise examine s'il est possible de relire les Strategies de Nairobi en y accordant un role plus important a des instances non-etatiques.

La presente recherche avait pour but d'explorer la relation entre les preferences typologiques des individus et les fonctions vocationnelles et psychosociales du mentor et ce, pour le groupe de repondantes en general puis pour la categorie de femmes cadres d'une part, d'autre part pour celle des stagiaires en gestion, enfin pour le groupe anglophone et le groupe francophone. De cette recherche se degagent deux elements probants: d'une part que le lien significatif qui emerge s'effectue le plus souvent a partir de la fonction dominante du profil de personnalite du groupe des repondantes, et d'autre part que ce lien significatif vise chez le mentor des fonctions complementaires a la fonction dominante de la protegee. Dans ce cas-ci, il s'agit de la fonction typologique dominante Pensee (T) chez la protegee, selon l'Indicateur typologique Myers-Briggs, et de fonctions psychosociales du mentor. On observe egalement que le lien significatif complementaire entre la fonction dominante du profil de personnalite et les fonctions privilegiees chez le mentor differe pour les deux groupes de femmes, femmes cadres et stagiaires en gestion. Cette difference correspond a des etapes vocationnelles differentes pour chacun des deux groupes. De plus, cette recherche confirme des similarites entre les deux groupes linguistiques de repondantes, c'est-a-dire un lien significatif complementaire entre la fonction rationnelle typologique dominante du groupe et certaines fonctions psychosociales du mentor. Enfin, les commentaires recueillis aupres des repondantes confirment en leurs propres mots l'importance et la valeur que ces femmes accordent a la relation de mentorat en milieu de travail.

Because of the high prevalence of childhood incest in therapy-seeking populations of women, it is important to determine the treatment approaches that are most effective in resolving the negative consequences of this traumatic event. Although there is a general consensus in the clinical literature that a group treatment approach offers unique therapeutic benefits for this population that are not available in individual therapy, there is little empirical evidence to support this contention. The purpose of the present study was to empirically assess the effectiveness of a group treatment program on intrapersonal symptomatology and interpersonal difficulties in a clinical population of women with a history of incest. Subjects for the study were drawn from participants in a group treatment program conducted by a community-based, mental health agency and developed specifically for women with a history of incest. Thirty-two women who participated in the 20-week group treatment program were compared to thirty-one women who were wait-listed for the program for a similar period of time on measures of intrapersonal symptomatology and interpersonal difficulties. In addition, the effects of the group treatment program across time were examined by assessing intrapersonal symptomatology and interpersonal difficulties in group participants six months following completion of the group treatment program. Results indicate that a time-limited group which focuses on the original trauma is effective in reducing intrapersonal symptomatology for women with a history of incest and that this improvement is stable over time. Although the women who received group treatment felt more support from friends following their experience in the group and appeared to see themselves in a more positive light in their relations with other women over time, interpersonal difficulties, in general, did not show as much improvement as intrapersonal symptomatology. Clinical implications of these findings as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.

La socialisation, principale cause de l'universel phenomene qu'est la sous-representation des femmes dans les domaines scientifiques-technologiques, se fait a travers la famille, l'ecole et les medias. Cependant, malgre la soumission des enfants aux exigences des parents, imposee par la culture camerounaise, seulement deux recherches empiriques (Cooksey, 1982; Ndongko & Woodhouse, 1993) evoquent l'impact de ces premiers agents de socialisation sur l'orientation professionnelle des filles. Il en decoule que la classe socio-economique des parents, le lieu de residence et les supports des membres de la famille peuvent l'influencer. A partir d'une analyse de l'influence de la cellule familiale, la presente recherche vise a etablir un profil incitateur de l'orientatian des etudiantes camerounaises vers les carrieres scientifiques traditionnellement reservees aux hommes. Cinq sous-questions de recherche ont ete verifiees aupres des sujets inscrits en derniere annee du secondaire. Pour chacun des quatre lycees contactes, les echantillons retenus etaient composes de: cinq etudiants des techniques industrielles; cinq etudiantes des techniques administratives; toutes les etudiantes des techniques industrielles; et les parents ou tuteurs de ces dernieres. Une fiche de donnees personnelles pour chaque etudiant-e et deux entrevues semi-structurees, respectivement avec les filles des domaines non traditionnels et leurs parents ou tuteurs, ont ete adoptees comme instruments de mesure. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)