Gender equality in local government: what difference does legislation make?

Freya Johnson Ross examines the influence of legislation on gender equality practice in local government since the 1980s. She draws on council documents and interviews with council workers to explain that the impact has been a positive one, but argues that the law is only part of the solution

Are We Nearly There Yet? Struggling to Understand Young People as Sexual Subjects

This paper seeks to explore how the academic concept of ‘sexual subjectivity’ appears in government Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) publications (researched between 2000 and 2010), and the understandings of key stakeholders. This follows work by Louisa Allen (and others), suggesting that there is a knowledge/practice gap within school-based SRE, which could be addressed by acknowledging young people as legitimate sexual subjects. Although much important work has been written on the concept of sexual subjectivity in wider popular and subcultural contexts, exploring the concept through an analysis of SRE curricula and stakeholders has much to contribute to the narrowing of the knowledge/practice gap. This could contribute to the training and self-reflection of practitioners, as well as assisting them in making the case for more balanced SRE guidelines. I conclude that a more confident and nuanced recognition of young people’s sexual subjectivity is also important in the context of contemporary panics over the sexualisation of young people

The Effects of Clipping On Yield, Basal Cover, and Growth of Three Pasture Types in West-Central Kansas.

A study was made to determine what effect various intensities at clipping had upon yield, basal cover, and growth at 3 pasture types near Hays, Kansas. The study was conducted for 2 growth seasons (1955 - 1956) on a bluestem dominated, a reseeded, and a shortgrass pasture. The pasture types were located on the lower slope at a large hill, with each type being similar in per cent slope, soil depth, and s0il texture

What state are we in? Activism, professional feminists and local government

This thesis examines the particular sphere of gender equality working in UK local government in relation to feminist ideas and activism. In doing so it addresses questions about the nature and legacy of the Women’s Liberation Movement (WLM), as well as how we should understand those engaged with feminist issues but organised in apparently non-traditional ways and locations. It also considers the significance of national legislation in shaping how this area of work has developed, with reference to the most recent Equality Acts. Taking as my starting point classic debates about organising for social change within the WLM, I undertook a qualitative comparative analysis of local government gender equality working. This examined three councils during the period in which they first created municipal feminist women’s initiatives, and the present day. To do this I undertook interviews with those working during both time periods, and gathered contemporary and archival texts relating to the councils’ work on gender equality. I suggest that the council gender equality initiatives, and those working within them, present an interesting way to complicate several boundaries; those usually defining the feminist movement and its organising; social movements in relation to the state; and feminist activity in relation to professionalism. I argue for the significance of the municipal feminist initiatives for present day work on gender equality, particularly in terms of their organisational position and form. I explore the utility of, and problems with, recent legislative developments in relation to gender equality, suggesting they have played an important role in standardising the work that takes place. I also examine the processes through which the concepts and practices of local government gender equality working have developed. In doing so I argue for the non-linear way this takes place and the importance of individual workers in shaping this arena. Finally, I present the idea of the ‘professional feminist’ as a way to understand the workers who identify as feminists. This challenges the terms of the early WLM but does so through drawing out and reconciling professionalism with feminist ideas

Promoting Alternative and Evidence-Supported Birthing Options in Healthcare Facilities

The project examined the standard birthing process for low-risk, natural labor, and births at healthcare facilities. All deliveries should not be treated the same with the supine-lithotomy birthing position or over-medicalized, obstetric practices, as evidence-based research advises against such practices. The goal of the project intended to deviate from standard birthing practices and implement alternative, evidence-supported birthing options at healthcare facilities. The goal of promoting alternative, evidence-supported birthing options in healthcare facilities by maternity staff, would come after thoroughly educating maternity staff and providers with intel and benefits affiliated with alternative birthing options. Evidence reveals alternative birthing options, such as upright birthing positions, shorten labor duration and facilitate the natural process of vaginal births. Properly educating maternity staff to promote alternative birthing options, supported by evidence-based research, for low-risk, natural births, will improve patient satisfaction scores as evidence suggest mothers preferred a birthing experience with minimal obstetric and medical interventions

From municipal feminism to the Equality Act – Legislation and gender equality work in UK local government 1980-2010

For decades local government has been an important site for the development of gender equality practice, and the implementation of legislation attempting to address inequality in the UK. The rise of ‘municipal feminism’ during the 1980s marked a particular instantiation of gender equality work. Yet at the time the relationship between this phenomena and legislation was not given significant attention. The Equality Acts of 2006 and 2010 have been key milestones for local government gender equality work subsequently, yet little work has considered the detail of their implementation at the ground level by council employees. This article contributes to addressing this gap by examining the influence of legislation on local government gender equality practice at this level, and how this has changed over three decades. It draws on findings from a comparative historical study of three sites within the UK