Introduction: what’s new about gender inequalities in the 21st century?

Both women and men strive to achieve a work and family balance, but does this imply more or less equality? Does the persistence of gender and class inequalities refute the notion that lives are becoming more individualised? This book documents how gender inequalities are changing and how many inequalities of earlier eras are being eradicated

Sharing the load? : partners' relative earnings and the division of domestic labour

One of the most pressing issues contributing to the persistence of gender inequality is the gendered division of domestic labour. Despite their entry into paid employment, women still carry out more domestic work than men, limiting their ability to act on an equal footing within the workplace. This qualitative research adds to the ongoing debate concerning the reasons for the persistence of the gendered nature of domestic work, by comparing working women who earn more, those who earn around the same and those who earn less than their male partners, as well as examining women’s absolute incomes. On average, men whose partners earn more than they do carry out more housework than other men, although women in these partnerships still do more. However, these women actively contest their male partner’s lack of input, simultaneously ‘doing’ and ‘undoing’ gender. The article also identifies class differences in the ‘sharing’ of domestic work

The Relationship Between Apraxia of Speech and Oral Apraxia: Association or Dissociation?

Acquired apraxia of speech (AOS) is a motor speech disorder that affects the implementation of articulatory gestures and the fluency and intelligibility of speech. Oral apraxia (OA) is an impairment of nonspeech volitional movement. Although many speakers with AOS also display difficulties with volitional nonspeech oral movements, the relationship between the 2 conditions is unclear. This study explored the relationship between speech and volitional nonspeech oral movement impairment in a sample of 50 participants with AOS. We examined levels of association and dissociation between speech and OA using a battery of nonspeech oromotor, speech, and auditory/aphasia tasks. There was evidence of a moderate positive association between the 2 impairments across participants. However, individual profiles revealed patterns of dissociation between the 2 in a few cases, with evidence of double dissociation of speech and oral apraxic impairment. We discuss the implications of these relationships for models of oral motor and speech control

Feminist Reflections on the Scope of Labour Law: Domestic Work, Social Reproduction and Jurisdiction

Drawing on feminist labour law and political economy literature, I argue that it is crucial to interrogate the personal and territorial scope of labour. After discussing the “commodification” of care, global care chains, and body work, I claim that the territorial scope of labour law must be expanded beyond that nation state to include transnational processes. I use the idea of social reproduction both to illustrate and to examine some of the recurring regulatory dilemmas that plague labour markets. I argue that unpaid care and domestic work performed in the household, typically by women, troubles the personal scope of labour law. I use the example of this specific type of personal service relation to illustrate my claim that the jurisdiction of labour law is historical and contingent, rather than conceptual and universal. I conclude by identifying some of the implications of redrawing the territorial and personal scope of labour law in light of feminist understandings of social reproduction

Early Exposure of Infants to GI Nematodes Induces Th2 Dominant Immune Responses Which Are Unaffected by Periodic Anthelminthic Treatment

We have previously shown a reduction in anaemia and wasting malnutrition in infants <3 years old in Pemba Island, Zanzibar, following repeated anthelminthic treatment for the endemic gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes Ascaris lumbricoides, hookworm and Trichuris trichiura. In view of the low intensity of worm infections in this age group, this was unexpected, and it was proposed that immune responses to the worms rather than their direct effects may play a significant role in morbidity in infants and that anthelminthic treatment may alleviate such effects. Therefore, the primary aims of this study were to characterise the immune response to initial/early GI nematode infections in infants and the effects of anthelminthic treatment on such immune responses. The frequency and levels of Th1/Th2 cytokines (IL-5, IL-13, IFN-γ and IL-10) induced by the worms were evaluated in 666 infants aged 6–24 months using the Whole Blood Assay. Ascaris and hookworm antigens induced predominantly Th2 cytokine responses, and levels of IL-5 and IL-13 were significantly correlated. The frequencies and levels of responses were higher for both Ascaris positive and hookworm positive infants compared with worm negative individuals, but very few infants made Trichuris-specific cytokine responses. Infants treated every 3 months with mebendazole showed a significantly lower prevalence of infection compared with placebo-treated controls at one year following baseline. At follow-up, cytokine responses to Ascaris and hookworm antigens, which remained Th2 biased, were increased compared with baseline but were not significantly affected by treatment. However, blood eosinophil levels, which were elevated in worm-infected children, were significantly lower in treated children. Thus the effect of deworming in this age group on anaemia and wasting malnutrition, which were replicated in this study, could not be explained by modification of cytokine responses but may be related to eosinophil function

Type I Interferons Induce T Regulatory 1 Responses and Restrict Humoral Immunity during Experimental Malaria

We thank Christopher Hunter and Bob Axtell for critical feedback, and the Flow Cytometry Laboratory at OUHSC for technical assistance.Author Summary Humoral immunity is essential for host resistance to pathogens that trigger highly inflammatory immune responses, including Plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria. Long-lived, secreted antibody responses depend on a specialized subset of CD4 T cells called T follicular helper (Tfh) cells. However, anti-Plasmodium humoral immunity is often short-lived, non-sterilizing, and immunity rapidly wanes, leaving individuals susceptible to repeated bouts of malaria. Here we explored the relationship between inflammatory type I interferons, the regulation of pathogen-specific CD4 T cell responses, and humoral immunity using models of experimental malaria and systemic virus infection. We identified that type I interferons promote the formation and accumulation of pathogen-specific CD4 T regulatory 1 cells that co-express interferon-gamma and interleukin-10. Moreover, we show that the combined activity of interferon-gamma and interleukin-10 limits the magnitude of infection-induced Tfh responses, the secretion of parasite-specific secreted antibody, and parasite control. Our study provides new insight into the regulation of T regulatory 1 responses and humoral immunity during inflammatory immune reactions against systemic infections.Yeshttp://www.plospathogens.org/static/editorial#pee