The decision to leave an abusive relationship: The testing of an alternative methodological approach

Most studies that consider the factors influencing the decision to leave an abusive relationship rely on retrospective, self-report data. In addition to the biased samples that are frequently obtained in such investigations, the methodological shortcomings of survey research limit its explanatory power, particularly when applied to such sensitive topics as family violence. This report introduces an alternative method for studying the decision to leave an abusive relationship. Forty-five men and 68 women were studied using an experimental computer game of an abuse-like relationship. The tendency to leave this relationship was measured under four differing conditions of severity and frequency of abuse. A logit analysis revealed that the frequency of abuse was more consequential to women's decisions to leave, while severity of abuse was more salient for men. In addition, the hypothesized model, including frequency of abuse, severity of abuse, and locus of control, fits well for women but not for men. The implications of these findings, as well as the validity and future application of experimental games, are discussed.     

What Mothers Do: Motherhood as a Resource for Negotiating Sick-Leave Legitimacy in Swedish Sickness Insurance Interactions

Sick leave in the Nordic countries is a gendered issue. Alongside other explanations, women’s higher levels of sick leave have been linked to their far-reaching family responsibilities. Meanwhile, studies have shown how such responsibilities induce questioning of the legitimacy of sick leave, indicating that normative aspects linking these categories cannot solely be approached in terms of causal explanations. The current study suggests an alternative way of studying this relationship, approaching motherhood as something being “done” in situated ways, to particular ends; a resource for interaction. By analysing naturally occurring interactions—meetings held by the Swedish Social Insurance Agency—the study renders visible the collaborative production of sick leave as a gendered matter, and motherhood as part of the negotiation of sickness insurance. The analysis shows the meaning and import of motherhood for sick leave to be a live issue for participants, drawing attention to how these categories are neither culturally predefined, nor dispositional, but flexibly assembled for certain purposes. Motherhood functions as a resource in two ways: (1) displaying restricted ability to care for children supports claims of impairment; (2) invoking motherhood works to account for slow or inactive rehabilitation. However, occasioning motherhood in the examined context is also risky: (3) displaying extensive mothering may be treated as indicating low commitment to rehabilitation, and (4) displaying limited mothering may be taken as indicating unfitness as a parent.     

国外生育保护假期制度研究

总览世界各国的假期设置,发达国家以及东欧和中亚等地区,对假期设置更全面、标准更高,具体表现在各个假期的时间更长和福利水平更高,假期类型的设置多样化等方面。与世界各国相比,中国在生育假期设置方面,法定假期长度和福利处于世界前列,但法律法规政出多门,立法目的不利于女职工保护,制度体系不完整,法律法规在不同群体中的落实状况差距较大,企业成本负担过重,政府责任缺失。国外生育保护假期制度中清晰的假期设置理念、科学的假期设置体系、较为合理的成本分担,以及利益相关方角色的准确定位,都对中国修改和完善女职工假期设置具有借鉴和启示作用。     

论铁路法和《民法通则》的冲突及解决

《铁路法》和《铁路交通事故应急救援和调查处理条例》规定,从2007年9月1日以后,火车撞死违章的行人,铁路部门不承担任何赔偿责任。这种规定既不人道,也不合理,更不合法。我国的《民法通则》和世界各国的法律均规定铁路部门无论有无过错,都要对铁路事故造成的损害承担责任。依照“上位法优于下位法”的原则,《铁路法》和《民法通则》相冲突时,人民法院应当适用《民法通则》的无过错责任原则,判决“行人违章,火车撞了不白撞”,使铁路部门承担起应负的社会责任,以加强对受害人利益的保护,促进社会稳定,从而更有利于我国铁路事业的发展。     

How to Ease China’s Holiday Travel Rush

正Dear Readers,Forum is a column that provides a space for varying perspectives on contemporary Chinese society.We invite you to submit personal viewpoints on past and current topics(in either English or Chinese).yanwei@bjreview.com Please provide your name and address along with your comments     

A Very Chinese New Year Celebration

正After living in China’s capital for close to three years,I’d like to think I’ve become fairly familiar with Beijing’s Spring Festival routine.The subways and streets become deserted as millions of out-of-towners leave for home and locals stay in to gather with friends and relatives,eat dumplings and watch the CCTV New Year’s Gala.There are hongbao envelopes and there are firecrackers.     

In Love with Africa

正IN 2013,Chinese President Xi Jinping recounted a story about a Chinese couple’s fondness for Tanzania in East Africa:"There was once a Chinese couple who,fascinated by images of Africa they had seen on the television,chose to go to Tanzania for their honeymoon.They were enchanted by local customs and extraordinary scenery of the wild Serengeti Plains and fell in love with the country.Back home,the young couple posted a record of their journeys on a blog,which received tens of thousands of hits and hundreds of comments.They said,‘We have fallen in love with Africa and our hearts shall never leave this wonderland."This was Li Ling’s story."I have     

OECD 国家和中国生育产假政策的比较

生育保护假期制度是保障育龄妇女权益的重要手段,OECD国家将产假期限、工作保护和津贴补助三者有机结合,创设的陪产假和育婴假制度极大地促进了性别平等,帮助受雇者平衡工作与家庭的冲突,提升了生育保护水平。当前中国面临着二孩政策全面放开后生育率不如预期乐观的情况,如何走出低生育率陷阱成为亟需解决的问题。通过对OECD国家和中国现有的产假制度进行比较,研究为完善我国生育产假政策提供建议。     

‘That splendid body of women’: nursing,professional registration,and suffragette militancy

ABSTRACT

In the decades before World War One, a group of women fought for their right to control their own futures, claiming that their governance was in the hands of men whose interests lay in keeping women subservient. Initially articulated by an educated, middle-class few, the women's demands were embraced by widening numbers of both women and men. They saw their hopes dashed on several occasions by political manoeuvring, and only after WWI did their demands begin to be met. This is not an account of the women’s suffrage movement, but rather of the fight for the registration of trained nurses. Both movements claimed the right of women to be actors in their public lives and both faced public condemnation for transgressing social boundaries. The two movements interacted, with nurses connecting their struggle to the wider call for women's rights, and with the suffrage movement foregrounding nurses as disenfranchised women professionals.     

“中国式”长假的法律治理路径研究——以落实带薪年休假为视角

以“堵”为特色的“中国式”长假近年来被社会持续关注.在法定假日不可能大幅度增加的背景下,能够分散游客,缓解拥堵的唯一途径只能是增加职工可自主支配的假期,也即职工带薪休假制度.虽然带薪休假早已是我国的一项法定制度,但由于具体制度的立法层次低,监督部门的柔性执法,以及违法成本较低,使得用人单位频频触碰红线.因此有必要在分析我国带薪年休假执行不力原因的基础上,探索落实该制度的具体措施,从而治理长假的拥堵之困.