The New Battle of the Sexes: Understanding the Reversal of the Happiness Gender Gap

In the Paradox of Declining Female Happiness, Stevenson and Wolfers (2007) document a new “gender gap” between the sexes, in which women today generally report lower subjective well-being relative to men. Motivated by recent work on gender-specific preferences, this paper considers whether changes in contraceptive technology, and the Pill especially, may have played some role in the declining relative (self-reported) happiness of women. We examine a simple model in which men and women have different preferences over sex and children. We find that plausible differences in male-female preference structures can yield the observed reversal in relative happiness following the introduction of a single technology which may prevent conception but yields no disutility to men. We attempt to characterize the fundamental tradeoffs in a static game of complete information, and make some extensions to repeated games. We find that preference structures substantially change the way in which the Pill may affect bargaining power and outcomes. The model suggests that men may have benefited more than women from the Pill in particular, and raises the question of whether other forms of family planning might better equalize the relative positions of men and women in partnerships. These results have particular relevance for feminist critiques of the sexual revolution.simultaneous game, contraception, fertility, gender, female happiness

The Contraceptive Revolution and the Second Demographic Transition: An Economic Model of Sex, Fertility, and Marriage

We present a model of household decisions regarding sex, fertility, marriage, and consumption. Households choose marital status based on the expected utility of marriage, and then sex, children, and consumption of other goods to maximize utility subject to a budget and a fertility constraint. An increase in contraceptive efficacy generally leads to increased sexual activity but has ambiguous effects on fertility. Also, increases in contraceptive efficacy lead to lower marriage rates and higher divorce rates. The predictions correspond to the features of the Second Demographic Transition, including declining overall fertility rates, increasing non-marital fertility, and the decline in marriage.microeconomic theory, contraception, sex, marriage, divorce, cohabitation, fertility

Feet, footwork, footwear, and “being alive” in the modern school

This article considers the theoretical argument of anthropologist Tim Ingold, that the denial and subsequent encasement of bare feet in footwear was a critical characteristic of the development of modern societies, in exploring three aspects of feet, footwork, and footwear in the history of the modern school. First, the material conditions of feet and footwear are considered towards a sensory, social, cultural, and symbolic understanding of the significance of these body parts and the technological and relational forces at play in the development of modern school systems. Second, the act, experience, and pedagogical intention of walking to and from school is examined through the memories of ex-pupils recounting informal incidental learning experiences as well as through a progressive ideology of urban anarchist pedagogy. Third, the promotion of modern dance and movement in postwar primary education in England is examined with regard to the significance attached to bare feet and the sense of touch in modern school environments. Finally, the article concludes with some observations regarding the historical significance of a shift of focus to the feet of school children in twentieth-century progressive educational agendas

Tackling health inequalities through developing evidence-based policy and practice with childbearing women in prison: a consultation

A collaborative partnership between the Hallam Centre for Community Justice and the Mother and Infant Research Unit (MIRU) at the University of York was successful in securing funding to conduct this consultation project. This collaboration brought together the knowledge and expertise of researchers working in maternal and infant health and those with knowledge of the prison sector. This consultation scopes and maps the health needs and health care of childbearing women in prison, using the Yorkshire and Humberside region as a case study

Fostering Growth in the Survivorship Experience: Investigating Breast Cancer Survivors’ Lived Experiences Scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro from a Posttraumatic GrowthPerspective

The aim of this study was to use an ethnographic case study approach to explore breast cancer survivors’ experiences scaling Mt. Kilimanjaro from a posttraumatic growth perspective. Three breast cancer survivors who participated in interviews and observations during a nine-day climb on the mountain were included in this study. Findings are presented first as three individual case studies and then offered as a cross-case analysis to emphasize themes that illustrated the women’s shared experiences of growing from adversity. Participation in the climb on Mt. Kilimanjaro provided an opportunity for the women to (a) nurture priorities, (b) foster self-belief, and (c) cultivate connections. Future research should conduct investigations into the role of physical activity as a facilitator of the posttraumatic growth process