BOOK REVIEW FORUM

William Julius Wilson , 1987. The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy     

Leaving Careers in IT: Gender Differences in Retention

The low prevalence of women in the information technology (IT) workforce has received considerable attention in recent years. The focus of much of this discussion concerns how women can be recruited into careers in IT by making careers more attractive and accessible to women. The size of the IT workforce depends on retention as well as recruitment. The focus of this study is on retention, examining factors related to retention and how retention varies by gender. Data for the study come from the Scientists and Engineers Statistical Data System (SESTAT) compiled by Science Resources Statistics (SRS), National Science Foundation (NSF). We find that retention varies by gender and that a sizeable proportion of IT-trained women who are not working in IT jobs leave the labor force rather than take positions in other occupations. We also find that marriage and family play different roles for women and men in affecting retention.JEL Classification: J1, J4, J6, J7, O39     

Contextualizing depression and physical functioning in battered women: adding vulnerability and resources to the analysis

This investigation examined the relationships between physical, psychological, and sexual abuse along with vulnerability appraisals, positive and negative social relations, and socioeconomic resources on battered women's depression symptomatology and physical functioning. Women were recruited following an incident of partner violence that resulted in a police-report or the filing of a protection order. Participants were surveyed using a standardized questionnaire. Bivariate correlations and multiple regressions were used to examine the relationships between predictors as well as the cumulative and unique contributions of each variable set in explaining depression and physical functioning. Findings indicate that vulnerability appraisals, social relations, and socioeconomic resources significantly explain women's depression and physical functioning over and above the unique effect of specific types of partner violence. Given that women's physical and mental health are important aspects of assisting women with safety planning and violence cessation strategies, implications for assessment and interventions for battered women are discussed.     

The incidence of bulimic behavior in a secondary and University school population

A survey questionnaire was instructor administered to high school and university students (n=1500) to assess the incidence of bulimic behavior. The questionnaire was tested and found to be a reliable and valid index for bulimic symptomatology. Respondents included 59% high school and 41% university level students. Data was evaluated by school, grade, sex, race, and interest area. Bulimic behavior was demonstrated at an incidence of 4.30% for the total sample. There was a nonsignificant higher incidence found in university (5.31%) compared to high school (3.98%) respondents. A significantly greater percentage of females responded with bulimic behavior than did males; however, there were no significant differences found between university and high school females. Bulimic behavior appeared to peak at Grades 11 and 13. Significantly more whites reported bulimic behavior than did blacks. Several academic interest areas not previously indicated in the literature may be more vulnerable to bulimic behavior.Received her Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, M.P.H. from School of Public Health, University of North Carolina. Major interest is eating disorders.Received his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University. His major interest is statistical design and evaluation of Experiment Station projects.     

Administrative decentralization of municipal services: Assessing the New York City experience

Policy Sciences - New York City's Office of Neighborhood Government was created in 1971 to coordinate renewed attempts at decentralizing municipal operations. The decentralization was primarily...