Fathers,adolescent daughters and gender in a low-income South African community

Knowledge about father–adolescent daughter relationships is mostly based on research in North-American and European contexts. Furthermore, it tends to rely on either fathers' or daughters' perspectives, and not on dyadic data. Informed by a social constructionist perspective, this study investigated the fatherhood constructions of fathers and adolescent daughters in a South African low-income community. We used Charmaz' social constructionist grounded theory method. Forty-two interviews were conducted separately with fourteen fathers and their adolescent daughters. Five conceptual categories were identified: (i) Predominance of fathers' provider role; (ii) Fathers and daughters having an ‘understanding’ in which daughters apparently complied with fathers authoritarian positions; (iii) explicit expressions of affection were mostly limited to special occasions; (iv) Fathers wished a better future for their daughters and attempted to keep them on track to such a future and (v) lastly, Fathers' expected daughters to follow their instructions and not their bad examples. Our findings highlight the influential and constricting role of dominant masculine and feminine gender notions in the discourses and practices of the fathers and adolescent daughters in our study. However, some evidence of contestations were present that suggests the potential of a shift towards more equitable gender relations.     

明清州县司法审判中的“人情”因素——以“一女二嫁”、“典雇妻女”、“买休卖休”案件为中心

明清州县官员在审理有关一女二嫁、典雇妻女、买休卖休案件时,其判决结果有时与法律制度有较大的出入。判决结果与法律制度的冲突在明清州县司法审判中是较为常见的现象。这些判决体现了官员们顺人情、体风俗的观念,是中国传统司法文化的基本特点。     

"出嫁女"土地权益保护的困境与出路——从民间法角度切入

村委会以村规民约等方式限制、剥夺"出嫁女"的土地权益,而这种以村规民约等形式表现的民间法以单系继替偏重的社会继替规律以及"男婚女嫁"的习俗为其存在的社会基础。因此,要实现对"出嫁女"土地权益的有效保护,必须通过发展农村经济、贯彻国家计划生育政策、开展法治宣传、完善农村社会保障制度,动、消除这种民间法存在的基础,实现国家法在农村的有效推进。