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This paper explores the career development process of women in postwar Japan who belonged to the Shufuren (the Association of Consumer Organization), the homemakers' federation, and who became experts in everyday life through studying and researching to improve their lives. It analyzes the organizational chart, hours and fundings for activities, details of activities, formation of the cooperative relationships, and career development of the leaders. The women who gathered at the Shufuren studied and researched the issues that arose in daily lives. By accumulating survey and research data and presenting scientific evidence, they made requests and proposals for improvements to the Diet, governments, and industries. Through these activities, they contributed to establish laws and systems protecting consumer rights. The women also developed partnerships with other civic groups in sharing current social issues. They expanded the circle of the movement and asserted their demands to the Diet, government agencies, industries, and the public. The members grew as experts in everyday life by steadily building their careers with passion for daily activities. Their activities were not limited to the Shufuren; some women went beyond the Shufuren to become leaders of organizations. Conventionally, homemakers are viewed as not having career development aspirations. When discussing women's career development in Japan, attention has focused on career development through work and balancing work and family life. However, the activities and steps taken by the female members of the Shufuren to improve their lives should also be considered a form of career development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay adopts a Critical Stylistic approach to uncover the linguistic mechanisms of implicit, (counter-)ideological meaning in the female-targeted periodical Good Housekeeping during the interwar period, and chiefly in its "Household Engineering" article series, where a complex discourse of modern housewifery, based on expert advice and industrial rationalisation, was shaped and negotiated through a rhetoric of scientific management and efficiency. In particular, this study investigates the discursive construction of the pervasive image of the female professional homemaker interested in the latest technological methods and innovations, by considering the role played by implicit meaning in shaping feminine roles and dominant gender ideologies. A Critical Stylistic analysis of presupposition and implicature in Good Housekeeping featured articles shows how these strategies reveal implicitly construed ideologies of womanhood, and particularly the way in which the magazine adopted linguistic devices to accommodate modern ideals of femininity without rejecting more traditional ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Homemakers are the backbones of families, but in rural India, females suffer from many musculoskeletal problems due to excessive workload in their houses. The objective of the present study is to compare body composition parameters as predictors of low back pain (LBP) in nonworking rural homemakers of North India. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted among 296 homemakers from rural areas of Lucknow district in Uttar Pradesh. Details of LBP and body composition parameters (body mass index, body fat, visceral fat) were taken. Results: The prevalence of LBP among homemakers was found to be 15.54%. BMI was found to be a better predictor of LBP than body fat and visceral fat. The risk of LBP is 7.24 times higher in BMI ≥23 than in women with BMI <23. The risk of LBP is 3.67 times more in visceral fat % ≥10% than in women with visceral fat % <10%. Conclusion: Age, type of family, socioeconomic status income was identified as risk factors in this population. Maintaining an adequate BMI is essential for the prevention of LBP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the testimony of twelve British-Pakistani women living in Oldham, drawn from a larger study about British-Pakistani women's relationship with formal and informal labour, between 1962-2002. These interviewees were either homeworkers for the garment industry or were the children of homeworkers. Homeworking is the practice of 'doing paid employment in the home... for an employer, with little control over the way the work is done'. This work was inherently exploitative, given the long hours and menial pay. Nonetheless, my interviewees revealed that they were not passive victims of economic exploitation, despite being amongst the lowest paid workers in twentieth century Britain. Their testimony highlighted how resistance took many forms, as women managed the demands of waged labour with family responsibilities. Alongside small-scale acts of resistance taking place in homes across Britain, formalised activist campaigns emerged from the mid-1970s, with the purpose of informing homeworkers about their employment rights and changing labour laws. A long-held problem for campaigners-who were often white and middle-class- was reaching migrant women. By the 1990s, sources suggest that campaigns addressed this issue by employing South Asian activists, who were often better positioned to build connections with South Asian homeworkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1909 Alice Lucy Hodson's memoir Letters from a Settlement was published. It is unique in providing an intimate first-hand account of what it meant to reside and (attempt) to settle in the women's settlement Lady Margaret Hall in Lambeth, South London. This article considers how home was experienced, imagined, and represented by Hodson, who like many late-Victorian and Edwardian women were finding more opportunities and roles open to them at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Building on the work of geographers of home and translocal studies, I argue that Hodson's fragmentary letter chapters show how her homemaking relied on several home imaginaries that included the settlement house, street, neighbourhood, her familial home, and Lady Margaret's College. This was bound up with her middle-class status and wider imperial understandings of home. Yet, home making also relied on a process of home unmaking. This article will show how her fashioning of the self was dependent on how she narrativised her experiences of translocal homemaking and home unmaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the course of the Progressive Era, revised scientific accounts of the connections between dust, germs, and disease recast debates over public health. The American School of Home Economics and other institutions affiliated with the emerging subfield of household bacteriology regarded detecting and eliminating pathogens as necessary means to achieve safer homes and communities. Although several historians have attributed the rise of early twentieth-century technocracy and the decline of grassroots health activism to germ theory, household bacteriology complicates this standard narrative. Educators like Sophronia Maria Elliott (1854–1942) rejected the command-and-control tactics of the "new" public health and instead instructed women how to culture microorganisms and to measure the risks of infection within their surrounding environments using kitchen experiments. Household bacteriologists aspired to train "sanitary citizens" with the right and the duty to test for germs with everyday equipment, to prevent disease with effective housekeeping, and to advocate for policies and infrastructure to keep society well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines representations of homemakers and mothers occurring in ads appearing during Mandate Palestine. It is based on comprehensive research of about 150 ads, from dailies, women's magazines, and manuals published in Hebrew at that time. In all ads, a feminine figure appears as the main character. The ads are analyzed, extracting the meanings inherent in them regarding the role and social status of the Hebrew homemaker, as a key to understanding the worldviews prevalent in the Yishuv. This premise perceives the ads as cultural texts, aiming for an effective communication with their audience. Decoding these ads is done according to theories taken from semiotics and cultural studies in relation to historical knowledge of Hebrew homemakers of the Yishuv. Three dominant ideologies were explored underlying the ads: Hebrew nationalism, modern domesticity, and the ideology of science. The strategies used by advertisers are also discussed, in themselves a significant tool for constructing meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Victorian period witnessed an explosion of periodicals, books, and even training programs on the subject of "domestic economy," a concept that encompassed nearly every activity a homemaker could undertake within or for the maintenance of the home, including caring for children, entertaining guests, planning meals, decorating, engaging with tradesmen and domestics, and managing the family finances. In keeping with the doctrine of the separation of spheres, this industry portrayed domestic economy as a woman's essential work, complementing her husband's labors as breadwinner. This article shows that while Dickens invoked such conventions in his fictions, his own home life represents a striking departure from the paradigm. Examining Dickens's practices of managing several houses, this article argues that Dickens should be recognized as a "domestic economist" in the Victorian sense and, moreover, that his "economizing" drove his domestic life, extending even, in the case of Urania Cottage, to a house's residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: India has diverse dietary culture where salt and spices are used extensively, but up-to-date figures on population salt consumption are very limited. Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess the perception and practices of females doing household cooking regarding extra salt consumption and to have a rural–urban comparison on a specified population. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 480 homemakers residing in a rural and urban (Madhupur, Sepahijala district and Dukli, West Tripura district, respectively) area of Tripura for a period of 6 months. A predesigned, pretested, semi-structured interview schedule divided into two parts was used to collect the required information, and scores were given for each response regarding perception and practice of the participants. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 38.48 ± 14.063 years and 37.30 ± 12.087 years, respectively, for rural and urban areas, and both the populations were comparable in their baseline characteristics. Majority of the participants believed recommended daily salt consumption per person daily was >5–10 g (62.9% of rural and 59.6% of the urban participants) which was too high, and significant difference (P value 0.002) was found in practice regarding extra salt consumption among rural and urban participants. Conclusion: This study revealed good perception and significantly better practice regarding extra salt consumption among the urban population. Social caste in the rural population and socioeconomic status in both the study groups were the factors responsible for extra salt consumption in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study entitled "Knowledge about indoor plants by homemakers in Hisar city". Air quality "refers to the condition of the air within surrounding. Air quality is one of the major environmental health concerns for India. Nowadays our lifestyle and work culture are also forcing us to be in the contact of the indoor environment for the long number of hours leading to coverage of various indoor pollutants. The study was undertaken to know the existing knowledge regarding the indoor plants adopted by homemakers in the house of Hisar city. The study was carried out in one phase, survey work. Survey work was carried out in five randomly selected locality of Hisar city. From each selected locality 30 homemakers were randomly selected from each thus making total sample 150 homemakers. The study revealed that level of knowledge regarding indoor plants was medium (68.6%). The maximum homemaker used seasonal plants (60.0%) and 94% use indoor plants for aesthetic purpose and the knowledge level of respondents about of indoor plant and it was found that two third of respondents had medium level of knowledge (68.6%) followed by high level (18.0%) and only 14.0% had low level of knowledge about the indoor plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stress is a major contributor to the physiology of hypertension (HTN) and is linked closely to mental well-being and overall quality of life (QoL). Health issues pertaining to women's health have usually focused on reproduction, while mental well-being has largely been neglected. Objectives: The objective of the study was to assess the perceived stress and QoL among homemakers with HTN. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was carried out, among 426 homemakers with HTN residing in Udupi, Karnataka. The sociodemographic and disease characteristics, Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale-10, World Health Organization QoL Brief Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), anthropometry, and vitals were measured. Results: Of the study participants, 245 (57.5%) were aged ≤60 years and 317 (74.4%) had been diagnosed with HTN in the past decade. Low and high perceived stress was seen among 306 (71.8%) and 120 (28.2%) women, respectively. Among the four domains of WHOQOL-BREF, the physical domain had the highest mean (±standard deviation) score of 67.44 (±16.50), whereas the lowest score of 54.49 (±19.75) was observed in the social domain. The odds of high stress among single women and those with a pill burden of >2/day were 1.93 (P=0.004, 95% CI=1.228, 3.054) and 1.77 (P=0.038, 95% CI CI=0.962, 3.270) respectively. The QoL was significantly better among those aged <60 years, married, and literate women. Conclusions: Mental well-being among the hypertensive homemakers was good, with low perceived stress and high mean scores of QOL domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural Hoosier homemakers have long negotiated the tensions of competing priorities and demands on their farms: clean and pure households, robust and profitable fields, and the health of their families. Agricultural experts have stressed the benefits of using pesticides to help achieve all three of these aspects of farm life, while public health advocates have warned of the potentially dire health consequences of large-scale, long-term pesticide use—particularly for children. This article analyzes gendered perceptions of risk-assessment regarding chronic exposure to pesticide residues from the turn of the twentieth century to the present day in Indiana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Normative notions of sex and gender were prevalent in discussion of European prehistoric societies until the last quarter of the 20th century. The progressive work that challenged a binary approach, published particularly in the 1990s, created an anticipation for further nuanced interpretation. This paper argues that, in contrast to this expectation, there was a surprising return to narrating a past of binary sex and gender. Societal roles have continued to be imagined as formalised through structures based on biological sex, with men seen as active mobile agents, while women were passive and static homemakers. We argue that not only is this unhelpful, the archaeological evidence renders it incorrect. We highlight the inherent conflicts in the data to show that investigating sex and gender in the past is difficult with imperfect and complex archaeological evidence. It requires careful and deliberate consideration to avoid normative explanations. In conclusion, we propose that investigating mobility is a particularly effective topic for examining past gendered societal roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Domestic contaminants have various adverse health effects from early life, some of the most important harmful effects are perinatal disorders, infant mortality, respiratory disorders, allergy, malignancies, cardiovascular disorders, increase in stress oxidative, endothelial dysfunction, mental disorders, and various other harmful effects. The aim of this study is to present the results of a survey that was conducted to evaluate the knowledge regarding domestic contaminants and its harmfulness in the society among homemakers. Materials and Methods: Hundred homemakers from various localities were contacted through social media such as WhatsApp and email and were asked to participate in the study by filling up an online survey on domestic contaminants. The questionnaire consisted of 19 questions based on domestic contaminants in the household and its knowledge. Results: Homemakers were partially aware of the basic knowledge of domestic contaminants and various household contaminants. However, their knowledge of the management of those wastes is questionable. Based on the responses from the survey, about 76% of the homemakers are aware of domestic contaminants. Conclusion: From the above study, it is evident that the knowledge regarding the management of domestic contaminants is less in homemakers. Proper education should be provided for effective management of non-biodegradable wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study aims to analyze the risk factors of osteoporosis among homemakers and to assess the knowledge of osteoporosis. Introduction: Osteoporosis is a disease where increased bone weakness increases the risk of a broken bone. Bones that commonly break include the vertebrae in the spine, the bones of the forearms, and the hip. Osteoporosis may be due to lower than normal maximum bone mass and greater than normal bone loss. Osteoporosis may also occur due to a number of diseases or treatments including alcoholism, anorexia, hyperthyroidism, kidney diseases, and surgical removal of the ovaries. Materials and Methods: An online survey with questioner of limited questions among 100 homemakers was conducted. Significantly results were taken statistically analyzed. Conclusion: People suffering from osteoporosis and people feeling tired when walking or standing for long time. Awareness may be created about the symptoms of osteoporosis, intake of proper diet rich in calcium and Vitamin D, lifestyle modifications to maintain a healthy and balanced life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines historians' approaches to work, and particularly women's housework and care work, in the preindustrial economy. It offers a critique of existing approaches adopted by historians, in which women's work is often described as 'domestic' without a clear definition being offered. The effect is to imply that much of women's work fell outside the economy. These approaches are then traced back to their roots in classical and neoclassical economic thought, and in feminist theories of social reproduction and domestic labour. The second half of the article offers a way forward. It examines feminist critiques of the UN guidelines of national accounting (used to calculate GDP), which argue that housework and care work are part of the wider economy, and shows how the relevant data can be collected. This approach is then briefly applied to the early modern English economy, to demonstrate the difference in perspective it offers. It is shown, for instance, that housework and care work were highly commercialised in this period. The conclusion offers a clearer definition of different types of work, arguing that housework and care work for the family should be defined as subsistence services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bourgeois women in nineteenth-century France were timekeepers for their families. They marked time off in their diaries and spent time with family and friends; working; directing servants and running the home. In each of these activities they showed awareness of time as a precious commodity, in keeping with the values of efficiency and economy of their social class. Yet most research on time and timekeeping assumes that time in the nineteenth century was uniform and mechanical and does so by largely ignoring women and the domestic environment. This paper looks at women’s diaries, clock and watch ownership and cookery and domestic advice manuals to argue that women operated on a range of timescales, both linear and cyclical. In arguing that women moved between public and private roles and thought about the seasons while also watching the clock, this paper seeks to widen the definition of modern temporality by arguing that women’s experience needs to be taken into account in order to understand how complex people’s experience of time continued to be in nineteenth-century France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional gendered division of household labor, where women did the bulk of all domestic labor, is eroding. The literature on housework, however, does not discuss the ways how to test for the non-traditional gender performances. Using the American Time Use Survey (2003-2016), the present study fills in this research gap and re-tests the relationship between relative earnings and the performance of housework. The analysis of women’s time spent on domestic work shows that the traditional gender display explanation still applies to women’s participation in routine tasks such as cooking and cleaning. Thus, breadwinning wives display gender neutralizing behavior and ‘do’ gender. On the other hand, American men show non-normative gender behavior in cooking and cleaning, but not in maintenance, where they still ‘do’ gender. This paper unveils a persistent traditional gender performance of women in housework and a new pattern for men’s involvement in indoor routine housework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: "Time Use" is the process of choosing activities by an individual. These activities that are performed on a daily basis form the "Time Use Patterns." These patterns are the occupational behaviors in terms of the frequency, duration and the order of doing those activities. An understanding of these behaviors is known to aid in health promotion and disease prevention. These patterns when studied among women are limited to a broad categorization of paid and unpaid activities. The available studies were found to have contradictory reports. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the time use patterns among employed women and homemakers. Study Design: Quantitative study, observational cross-sectional. Methods: Two groups of employed women and homemakers with 80 participants (age range 25-45 years) in each group were studied to find the time use patterns using a standardized questionnaire namely Modified Occupational Questionnaire. The data obtained for the activity categories were analyzed using Two-way MANOVA. Results: The time spent by employed women in inactive activities was less than the homemakers, and the difference was statistically significant (mean difference = -1.325, P < 0.001, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -1.909 - -0.741). The time spent by employed women in active activities was also less than the homemakers, and the difference was statistically significant (mean difference = -3.188, P < 0.001, 95% CI: -4.064 - -2.311). The time spent by employed women in work-like activities was more than the homemakers and the difference was statistically significant (mean difference = 5.038, P < 0.001, 95% CI: 4.099-5.976). Conclusions: It was found that employed women and homemakers differed in their time use in activities such as household activities, caring for self, caring for others, playing with children, socialization, leisure, rest, unpaid work, and work. Employed women spent more time in work-like activities. Homemakers spent more time in active and inactive activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data released from the Turkish Statistical Institute have indicated that the number of people in labor force is roughly same as the number of those not in labor force and the majority of the people not in labor force is homemakers. A great number of studies in the labor economics or macroeconomics literature have focused on the determinants of female labor force participation unlike the number of the studies dealt with the people outside the labor market which is very limited. Given this knowledge, the goal of this study is to analyze the determinants of the homemakers in Turkey in 2015. Findings obtained from the analyses covering 26 sub-regions listed under the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics-Level 2 reveal that an increase in household disposable income affects the number of homemakers positively whereas an increase in women's education level and real minimum wages affect the number of homemakers negatively. In contrast to the demographic factors determining female labor force participation, this finding shows that homemakers are largely influenced by economic factors. In addition, policy implications pertaining to the empirical results are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that according to U.S. Department of Education's Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006, educators encounter students who are disabled, foster children and displaced homemakers. Topics discussed include guidance from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) enacted in 1975, learning object which focuses on students in educational settings and need of integrating disabled students in classroom.

House construction is a life dream for an individual especially the homemaker. The study was planned to know about the view of homemakers towards kitchen and pooja room principles of Vaastu Shastra. By applying various principles how much they satisfied was be the main trust area for such kind of study.200 homemakers who have constructed and Renovated their house according to Vaastu shastra were selected purposively to find out the knowledge and application of various vastu principles. after that 100 homemakers were selected randomly to find out the level of satisfaction among various principles. Kitchen and pooja room principles were selected purposively keeping in view the major concern of Indian women. More than 50 percent of the respondents had made their kitchen in SE direction of house, same number of them have placed pitchers and utensils for drinking water in NE and N side. Vastu says fridge should not be in NE direction of kitchen was not aware by 65 percent of the respondents still 34.o0 percent had applied this concept at kitchen. Amajor number of respondents had applied the concept that pooja room in building should be in E, N, NE corner of house (85.0%). some concept of pooja room such as one should not sit exactly having the idol (90.0%), white colour or yellow colour marble work should be done in pooja room (65.0%) were applied by respondents band lamp stand in SE corner of worship room (54.0%) were applied by respondents but they are not aware about these. While finding the satisfaction level, by applying principle such as kitchen in SE more than three fourth respondents were highly satisfied in psychological and functional utility aspect. placement of pitcher in NE and N side seems to be a tedious task for some respondents hence a little percentage of respondents (11.6%) were found dissatisfied also. Same with some aspects of pooja room principle where placement of lamp on particular direction become tedious for one fifth of the respondents (17.24%)otherwise overall concepts of pooja room provide them highly satisfaction, Hence we can say that pooja room and Kitchen satisfaction is of major concern of today's homemaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If the structure is so designed that the positive forces override that the negative forces then there is beneficial release of bio energy which helps all the inmates to be healthy. If I put Vastu in simple words "it is the traditional Indian way how people should live in house or work at their workplace as yoga is for health." Every women workplace is started with her house and concludes her day in her house. The prior concern is her well-being's. Vastu is a hot topic of discussion these days on all the channels on T.V, internet etc. and other mass media approaches. Present study is planned to know about the knowledge of some aspects of Vastu Shastra principles and its extent of application in newly constructed houses of Hisar district. 200 homemakers were selected purposively, majority were found young 60.0% and working45.0%. Around 50 percent were having > 350 square feet house. Some miscellaneous aspects of vastu were choose to study and found that was found Usually people were interesting in application of certain aspects such as down ward slope of house should be in E and N side, rectangular house is good for living, Gomukhi house is not good for residence purpose, underground water tank should be in North East direction, no tall trees should be in North and East side and so on. Interestingly they have applied these principles on priority basis. Along with these aspects more than 90 percent of the respondents were found feeling highly satisfied by making water tank in North-East and trees in South and west side. By making central space open, eighty five percent respondents were found highly satisfied as it is the place where all energies can accumulate to make house pure, divine and peaceful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of how money and happiness are associated is still debated. This study tested two hypotheses that aim to explain this association: (1) money increases happiness, and (2) happy people make more money. Using data from the World Values Survey ( N = 64,923, k = 81 nations), we tested whether earning status (primary vs. non-primary earner) moderates the association between income and happiness. The two theories make different predictions regarding this moderation effect: if money increases happiness, household income should predict happiness equally, regardless of earning status. If happy people earn more money, household income should predict the well-being of primary earners more strongly. Multilevel models indicated that data were consistent with the money-increases-happiness hypothesis: income predicted happiness equally for primary earners, secondary earners, and homemakers who do not contribute to household income directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) are emitted in the combustion or volatilization of hazardous wastes and fossil fuels. Paint, varnishing agents, and cigarette smoke are also sources of BTEX in living environments. Few studies have examined indoor exposure to BTEX using biomarkers, especially in residential settings. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between residence factors and BTEX exposure using biomarkers among Korean homemakers. Method: We obtained data on 893 non-smoking homemakers older than 19 years from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2009-2011). The concentrations of urinary BTEX metabolites (t,t-muconic acid, hippuric acid, mandelic acid, phenylglyoxylic acid and total methylhippuric acid) were adjusted using the urinary creatinine. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the associations between residence parameters and urinary BTEX metabolites. Results: The geometric mean concentrations of t,t-muconic acid and methylhippuric acid were significantly higher in the group that had remodeled within the previous 6 months (p<0.05) compared with the no-remodeling group. In logistic regression analyses, the odds ratio for exceeding the median urinary concentration of t,t-muconic acid was significantly higher in the group that had remodeled compared with the no-remodeling group (OR=1. 591, 95% CI=1.063-2.382). Urinary methylhippuric acid was significantly associated with residing in a home located within 100 m of a major road (OR=1.399, 95% CI=1.071-1.826). Conclusion: Our study found some significant associations between urinary BTEX metabolites and residence parameters. To find clear associations, additional and more detailed studies are needed. Trial registration: Not applicable (this study does not include healthcare intervention on human participants). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Musculoskeletal pain (MSP) is a well-known burden of disease and disability in all age groups and both sexes. There are very few reports regarding MSP in rural homemakers of North India. Objective: To assess the magnitude of MSP among rural homemakers and to identify its modifiable risk factors. Materials and Methods: A representative sample of 296 homemakers from rural areas of Barabanki district in Uttar Pradesh was studied. Details of MSP and its location; social, demographic information, height, and weight were recorded. A general clinical examination of each subject was also done to rule out any obvious underlying organic pathology and the findings were noted. Results: Prevalence of MSP among homemakers was found to be 40.9%. More than 60% of these could not be diagnosed without specialized investigations. Modifiable risk factors were identified. Conclusions: Parity, body mass index, use of nonsmoking tobacco, and per capita income were identified as modifiable risk factors in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Present study focused on two broader and emerging groups of women, i.e., homemakers and employed women. Being women both the groups are subject to some obligation and restriction to deal with stressors of life. Present study aims to see the relationship between dimension of daily stressors and coping strategies in both the group homemakers and employed women. Study carried on 120 women, 60 subjects in each group. Daily stress inventory by Brantley and Jones (1989) and Coping Strategies Scale by Srivastava (2001) used for measuring daily stress and Coping respectively. Pearson product moment correlation used to find the correlations between variables. Results show significant correlation between stress and coping for both the group. This relationship is equally prevalent in both the group. It indicates the extensive need of understanding and addressing the stress and coping strategies of women by providing counseling, training, control over resources, and active participation to encounter the various stressors in their life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The various ways which federalism influences gender policies has recently received a surge of academic interest. This article contributes to this literature by moving beyond formally adopted policies to study the influence of federalism on social learning amongst women's organizations. Using a most-likely case study design, this exploratory work traces the policy positions held by women's organizations in Canada during a seven-year period now known as the Great Pension Debate. Focusing on four empirical indicators of issue attention, participation in policy discussions, specificity of policy proposals, and consensus for reform, the findings suggest that the plurality and temporal proximity of successive policy venues - such as royal commissions and parliamentary committees - created by various governments offered women's organizations an optimum environment to engage in ongoing exchanges leading to the development, and greater specification, of policy positions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study investigates the influence of workforce participation on women's cancer screening behaviors in Turkey. In cultures with predominantly Muslim populations like Turkey, emphasis is typically placed on a woman's traditional role as a child bearer. Although the impact of workforce participation on women's welfare has been studied in various contexts, the relationship between workforce participation and health protective behavior has received scant attention. Using quantitative data from a survey of women aged 40 and above from 33 urban cities in Turkey ( N = 483), we examine the influence of workforce participation on breast and cervical cancer screening behaviors. Homemakers were less likely than working/retired women to be up-to-date on screenings. Women with lower income and education screened less; however, workforce participation seemed to have a positive effect on screening among these women. Additionally, working/retired women and homemakers differed from each other in terms of their perceptions regarding their risk of developing cancer (perceived susceptibility). In addition, both perceived susceptibility and women's perceptions regarding their ability to get cancer screening (self-efficacy) were significant predictors of intention to engage in screening in future. In Turkey, homemakers are in a vulnerable position due to lower rates of cancer screening. Furthermore, targeting homemakers for interventions may be easier than trying to identify other low screening groups of women such as those with lower education or income. Interventions raising perceptions of susceptibility to cancer, possibly by targeting neighborhoods during working hours, could be useful in increasing screening rates at risk women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the migrant family in postwar Australia. The Commonwealth government’s two-year work contract scheme had significant effects on the initial settlement experience of displaced persons (DPs)—particularly, through the family separation that the contract enforced. Family reunification was afforded in accordance with an occasionally callous and pragmatic concern for maintaining a directable pool of labour. In this regard, the scheme and the available hostels and centres, while extensive in their bureaucracy and administrative reach, were woefully unprepared for the needs and wants of DPs, specifically the need for family unity during the initial settlement process. In drawing on archival sources, this article explores bureaucratic practices, and responses to DP resistance and dismay in the face of family separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An unusual kind of community existed between early twentieth-century women radio broadcasters in the American Mid-west – known as radio homemakers – and their listeners, one that depended on mutual trust. Radio homemakers established this trust via the concept of “visiting,” where the broadcasters used the familiar notion of informal social interaction to establish an ostensibly intimate relationship with their audience. Through playing with their listeners' understanding of visiting, radio homemakers made public the professionalization of domestic work that emerged from the Progressive Era's home economics movement. Because their shows primarily addressed domesticity, radio homemakers linked the conventions of domestic work to modernity through the technology of radio, drawing attention to women's frequently invisible household work. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Introduction: Diabetes is without any doubt is one of the most common diseases that have been affecting hundreds and thousands of people around the world. It is a disease that occurs due to high levels of blood sugar over a prolonged period. Although there are people who are aware of their diabetic conditions, there are also some who do not their health conditions and especially unaware that they are diabetic. Moreover, if untreated it could lead a lot of complications and sometimes possibly lead to death. Materials and Methods: In this survey, there were 100 participants in which all of them were female between the age between the 23 and above. It is a questionnaire based online survey. 14 questions were asked related to diabetes using survey planet. The results were recorded. Results and Discussion: In this survey, it was found that 33% of the homemakers were diabetic. This shows that they are aware of their health conditions and possibly taking precautions by following a healthy and altered lifestyle. Conclusion: Every moment is important as more and more people are affected and dying due to this uncompromised disease. Therefore, it is important to create awareness among every household to reduce and possibly prevent the occurrence of diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-war Japanese adulthood derived from a hegemonic framework in which young people formed home-owning family households featuring "salary-men" and female-homemakers. Since the 1980s, however, along with prolonged economic downturn, Japanese adult transitions have become increasingly fragmented and non-linear. A growing concern has been the social, economic and ontological individualisation of younger adults, resulting in a phenomenal decline in partnering and marriage, on the one hand, and sharp increases in young people either staying on in the natal home or living alone, on the other. This paper begins by examining the wider context of recent unravelling in marriage and family formation before going on to consider the case of Japan in more detail. While dominant understandings of contemporary transitions into adulthood focus on "delay", socioeconomic decline since the bursting of the economic bubble in the 1990s has undermined transitions into adulthood in Japan more substantially. Specifically, while many existing studies address labour market transitions among younger generations, we focus on the interaction of marriage and housing careers which play particularly important roles. Our analysis thereby contributes to both understanding of social contingencies that shape adult transitions and the role of housing and marriage markets, together, in mediating the attainment of full adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within Western Europe, France had the largest and longest postwar commitment to private social-market housing inside dense residential suburbs called grands ensembles d'habitation ( GEs). Social-Catholic activists and planners viewed the GEs as facilitating women's maternal mission within egalitarian communities, but others across the political spectrum saw them as pathological spaces, especially for women who supposedly contracted a psychological disease dubbed ' sarcellite', after France's flagship GE of Sarcelles. This article analyses how a phantasmatic gendered discourse of housing disaster, first circulated by the media, strategically influenced gendered actors' residential desires and legitimised policy shifts toward single-family housing. The discourse of sarcellite reveals how housing realities and imaginaries shaped gendered claims to housing as an evolving aspect of social citizenship. The article considers both suburban women's demands for subsidised childcare and other services and the nuances and contradictions of the evolving discourse of sarcellite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is based on a survey that we conducted among 1,130 couples with children 38 years old, in Madrid and its metropolitan area. This allowed us, in the first place to obtain an estimation of the take-up rate and duration of the different kinds of childbirth leaves that Spanish workers use when they have or adopt a child. In the second place, the participation of the father has been analyzed in comparison to the mother's in 18 specific childcare activities. A measure for father involvement in childcare (relative to the mother) that included 14 non-playful activities of childcare was built from there. Then, from a quantitative analysis with path analysis modelling with Amos program, we have obtained evidence that fathers who took more time off later tended to be more involved in the most routine childcare activities. Moreover, when considering other determinants of father's involvement in childcare, we can highlight the importance of having egalitarian gender attitudes, working in a family-friendly company, the net earnings, and the mother's working week. Most of these variables affect father's involvement in childcare directly and indirectly, through their effects on the duration of childbirth leave (which serves as a mediating variable). Finally, a specific determinant of the duration of childcare leave was the introduction of a 13-day paternity leave in Spain, in March 2007. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 'Mommy Wars' is a cultural frame asserting the existence of a battle between employed mothers and homemakers. We perform critical discourse analysis of U.S. and Canadian news articles using this term from 1989 through 2013 ( N = 402). Building upon the concept of symbolic annihilation, we highlight how the frame distorts and trivializes mothers' experiences. First, ironically, although some authors describe the Mommy Wars as not real, usage grows rapidly over time. Moreover, the meaning expands to include 'alternative wars' on a multitude of childrearing differences and on disputes outside of mothering altogether (e.g., type of water used); this serves to equate trivialities like tap versus filtered water with work-family conditions, effectively rendering them equally inconsequential battles among 'mommies.' Finally, the frame trivializes social problems through a focus on (middle-class) mothers' individual choices as a solution to Mommy Wars. Privileging maternal 'choice' with only passing mentions of fathers and the state absolves these groups of responsibilities for the next generation. The use of Mommy Wars rhetoric acts as a divisive, symbolic wedge, ultimately perpetuating a war against mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article uses a historical controversy over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's standard of identity for peanut butter as a site for investigating three topics of high importance for historians of technology, consumption, and food activism: how new industrial food-processing technologies have become regulatory problems; how government, industry, and consumer actors negotiate standards development; and how laypeople try to shape technological artifacts in spaces dominated by experts. It examines the trajectory of consumer activist Ruth Desmond, co-founder of the organization the Federation of Homemakers. By following Desmond's evolving strategies, the article shows how the broader currents of the 1960s-70s consumer movement played out in a particular case. Initially Desmond used a traditional style that heavily emphasized her gendered identity, working within a grassroots organization to promote legislative and regulatory reforms. Later, she moved to a more modern advocacy approach, using adversarial legal methods to fight for consumer protections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Food decision-making is a complex process and varies according to the setting, based on cultural and contextual factors. The study aimed to understand the process of food decision-making in households in rural Kerala, India, to inform the design of a dietary behaviour change intervention. Methods: Three focus group discussions (FGDs) and 17 individual interviews were conducted from September 2010 to January 2011 among 13 men and 40 women, between 23 and 75 years of age. An interview guide facilitated the process to understand: 1) food choices and decision-making in households, with particular reference to access; and 2) beliefs about foods, particularly fruits, vegetables, salt, sugar and oil. The interviews and FGDs were transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis. Results: The analysis revealed one main theme: 'Balancing expectations amidst limitations' with two sub-themes: 'Counting and meeting the costs'; and 'Finding the balance'. Food decisions were made at the household level, with money, time and effort costs weighed against the benefits, estimated in terms of household needs, satisfaction and expectations. The most crucial decisional point was affordability in terms of money costs, followed by food preferences of husband and children. Health and the risk of acquiring chronic diseases was not a major consideration in the decision-making process. Foods perceived as essential for children were purchased irrespective of cost, reportedly owing to the influence of food advertisements. The role of the woman as the homemaker has gendered implications, as the women disproportionately bore the burden of balancing the needs and expectations of all the household members within the available means. Conclusions: The food decision-making process occurred at household level, and within the household, by the preferences of spouse and children, and cost considerations. The socio-economic status of households was identified as limiting their ability to manoeuvre this fine balance. The study has important policy implications in terms of the need to raise public awareness of the strong link between diet and chronic non-communicable diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores some of the ambiguities regarding employment for middle-aged and older women in the Netherlands. The data are placed within a discussion about the historical, cultural and political factors that define the conditions under which Dutch women can remain active on the labour market until they retire. One of the main obstacles for the women in question is the historically embedded and culturally nourished image of the ‘ideal housewife’, that has not (yet) lost its attraction in the Netherlands. A series of interviews with middle-aged and older career women points out that they are satisfied with their working lives, but their accounts also reveal the complexity of the paths that these women have chosen and the concessions they were forced to make in order to continue with their jobs. Their approach towards life demonstrates that the next generation of working women will still need to stretch the prevailing rigid social traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dentistry is a profession where due to the phenomenal growth of Pakistani population, the ratio of dentists to population has greatly decreased and is currently 1:16,426. Another contributing phenomenon in this regard is female dropouts from the profession. Many females occupy a place initially, and leave the profession eventually, whereas a male student having studied dentistry on this seat would have practiced his profession. The Pakistani government spends 7,500 US dollars on the education of a dentist. It actually becomes a double loss of the society. The designated role of a homemaker for females in the family centred society of Pakistan affects the professional lives of these women adversely as it is a heroic task to balance both family and professional life. The overwhelming household and motherhood responsibilities consequently results in, women leaving their occupation at a rate twice that of men. Also women feel strongly that males have stronger personal and professional support systems than women. The government of Pakistan / parents spend millions of rupees on this highly technical and professional education; shall it be transformed into well – educated good house – wives? Pakistan Medical and dental Council (PMDC) does not allow part time work options in teaching institutions and government hospitals. Accepting the women and understanding their requirements to keep up with their family needs and professional demands, is one step forward and this change agent will definitely bring many improvements and reforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was designed to investigate life satisfaction and emotional stability of career women. The study was conducted on 60 subjects: 30 working women and 30 non working women. The sample was drawn by random sampling technique within the age range of 35-50 years from different spheres of career women and the homemakers of Jodhpur city, to serve as subjects in the present study. The life satisfaction scale by Singh and Joseph (1971) was used to measure life satisfaction and to assess emotional stability N.I Scale by Agarwal and Purnima (1980) was used. The results of the study revealed no difference between career women and non working women on life satisfaction and emotional stability, i.e., neuroticism. The results are discussed in the light of available literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]