A Pluralistic Discourse Analysis of Media Representations of Single Mothers by Choice

The newly enabled position of a single mother by choice (SMC) sits at the margins between constructions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ mothering. SMC describes women who choose to parent without a cohabiting partner, which is increasingly often done using alternative reproductive technologies. This research examines personal narrative newspaper articles featuring SMCs from the UK. The data was selected in two tranches and offers an exploration of present constructions of the subject position, as well as a historical variability. I have chosen to look at newspaper articles as a key site where power is circulated and where dominant discourses are both reflected and constituted. This research asks how discourses have been negotiated to enable SMC to resist being constructed as ‘bad’ mothers and avoid the repercussions which this would entail. A combined approach of Foucauldian discourse analysis and discursive psychology was used to give a macro and micro perspective, focusing on power and legitimisation. Three discursive sites were identified: constructing single parenting as problematic, constructing single parenting as viable, and a modern family form. I have argued that in order to validate taking up the subject position of SMC, it was produced as an avoidance of other subject positions that could be constructed as riskier to maintain or assume. These included the ‘childfree woman’ and the ‘divorced mother’. Most significantly, the SMC construction was understood as being distinct from the common pejorative construction of the teenaged lone mother. As such, SMCs were produced as good neoliberal citizens, with a focus on planning, preparation, and responsibility. A postfeminist version of mothering was also constructed, which paradoxically encourages an intensive self-surveillance by mothers in terms of their personal status, and with an emphasis on a child-centred, selfless approach to parenting. As such, constructions of heteronormativity were seen to coexist with constructions of celibacy and sexlessness. In addition, the position of SMC was understood to have become increasingly coupled with assisted reproductive technologies as a route to conception, reinforcing the construction of SMC as sexless, and producing SMC as a consumer position. In some instances, SMC was seen to be constructed as the ideal parenting position with a focus on control, intensive mothering, and individualism. This research has interrogated how power operates to constrain mothering subject positions discursively. The constructions drew attention to a range of institutional and self-disciplinary practices, which suggested conformity to and resistance of norms. The pervasiveness of the ideologies of neoliberalism and postfeminism within the context of ideal motherhood were challenged, whereby autonomy, self-reflexiveness and individuality are privileged qualities. This thesis suggests that clinicians do the same, both in practice and as part of their commitment to social justice, in order to evaluate how circulating ideologies oppress certain mothering subject positions

Current trends in the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders

The Australian Institute of Criminology\u27s recent work on adult male offenders has found that the most serious and persistent adult offenders had been detained as a juvenile. In terms of crime reduction, interventions that focus on reducing the likelihood of juveniles escalating to adult offenders will have significant benefits for the whole of the Australian community. Research conducted in juvenile justice settings around the world consistently shows that young people who come to the attention of criminal justice agencies have multiple problems and experience high levels of need across all areas of functioning. In meeting these needs, correctional agencies have been increasingly influenced by the model of rehabilitation known as the \u27what works\u27 approach. This paper outlines a case management framework for rehabilitating juvenile offenders that includes three of the most important \u27what works\u27 principles, namely the risk principle, the needs principle and the responsivity principle. In the longer term, the implementation of the framework will need to be evaluated to determine what works and what doesn\u27t with rehabilitating juveniles.<br /

The impact of rising oil prices on the transport sector

Oil is the dominant motorized transportation fuel used in most countries, including Australia. Many other oilderived products and services are important to the functioning of the Australian economy. It makes sense, then, that this issue of Australian Planner focuses on the risks associated with scarce and/or expensive oil. This paper provides background information about oil consumption in Australia, and reviews the available information on price elasticities for the major oil end-uses. Based on this review, the impact of higher oil prices is assessed, and short- and long-run policy options are discussed. Reducing fuel used for private motoring, and preparing emergency adaptation plans to cope with sudden oil price spikes are identified as the major areas on which planners should focus. © 2010 Planning Institute Australia

Book Review: Critical Issues in International Refugee Law

Critical Issues in International Refugee Law is a must read for advocates of progressive refugee law. The book offers solutions to prevent the fragmentation and the hollowing out of traditional concepts of refugee protection in an age where, increasingly, refugee applicants are unwanted and seen as economic interlopers and security threats. The author summarizes a 2008 workshop at York University where legal experts, practitioners and adjudicators explored various states‘ practices in the interpretation of the International Convention and complementary protection processes collateral to the Convention. The book demonstrates the value of organizing a focused workshop utilizing discussions among expert participant

SCHOOL CULTURE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW

This review examines literature on aspects of school culture and students’ physical activity participation. The following questions were addressed:  (1) what aspects of school culture have been examined in relation to physical activity, (2) what is the weight of evidence concerning the relationships between school culture factors and physical activity participation, and (3) what are the areas of need in this line of research. Edgar Schein’s organizational culture model offered the framework for analysis in which pertinent articles were categorized into one of three levels of school culture: (1) artifacts, (2) espoused values, and (3) underlying member assumptions. School artifacts associated with physical activity were used more frequently by students and staff when these spaces and equipment were maintained, relevant to the school context and when daily practices allowed access to these artifacts during leisure times. A secondary theme revealed the importance of school-based, adult and student role models; when both were plentiful in schools, students and staff were more active at school on a daily basis. Another key finding indicated that students in Physical Education (PE) classes that reinforced traditional, team games (i.e., basketball, volleyball) were less active than students in PE classes that incorporated culturally relevant, lifestyle, and small-sided games

Residential operational energy use

Despite decades of debate in urban research about the effect of built form on household energy use, the empirical research on the topic is still far from conclusive. Many studies rely on small samples and fail to control for crucial variables such as household income. This article describes a detailed analysis of household energy use in Sydney that controls for major household demographic and income variables. The results demonstrate that appliance ownership, household size, dwelling size and dwelling type all affect energy consumption. Importantly, from a planning perspective, energy use in low-rise attached dwellings, after controlling for other factors, is estimated as 15-20 per cent lower than detached dwellings with the same number of bedrooms

The Status of Daily Physical Activity in Northern Ontario’s Elementary Public Schools

The importance of daily physical activity (DPA) for children and youth is highlighted in Canada’s Active Healthy Kids annual report on fitness. Since 2005, this report has revealed that elementary-aged students are spending most of their waking hours stationary, in front of screens (phones, televisions, computers). To counteract this trend, the Ministry of Education in Ontario introduced policy that ensured elementary schools deliver 20 minutes of DPA beyond Physical Education classes. However, 9 years later, students remain relatively inactive during school hours. This study examined the barriers believed by Northern Ontario elementary teachers and administrators to influence their abilities to include DPA into their daily timetables. Results showed that the depleting priority of DPA in elementary schools, the absence of student and teacher mentorship, and fewer leisure time minutes during the school day were key variables in the exclusion of school-based DPA. Interestingly, many of these challenges were overcome in schools governed by school-based practices and policies that supported DPA. In these particular schools, participants expressed that their internal resources were the best defense against detractive forces that marginalized school-based physical activity

Lament, Poetic Prayer, Petition, and Protest: Community Choirs and Environmental Activism in Australia

Many community choirs sing simply for the love of music or for fun. Others sing as an expression of identity or are driven by philosophical and political constructs. Some choirs follow the tradition of utilizing singing and song as protest. Within this latter cohort, choirs have emerged that are committed to sustaining environmental activism. This article will broadly consider the context for the alliance of community music and political activism and its expression in Australia. A comparative analysis of two community choirs that engage in environmental activism will then be provided, followed by some concluding remarks on that confluence.De nombreux choeurs communautaires chantent simplement pour l’amour de la musique ou pour le plaisir. D’autres chantent pour exprimer leur identité ou sont mus par des motifs philosophiques ou politiques. Certains choeurs suivent la tradition qui consiste à utiliser la chanson et le chant comme moyen de protester. Parmi ces derniers sont apparus certains choeurs qui se vouent à soutenir l’activisme environnemental. Cet article examine sous un angle large le contexte de l’alliance de la musique communautaire et de l’activisme politique, ainsi que son expression en Australie. Nous présentons une analyse comparée de deux choeurs communautaires qui se sont engagés dans l’activisme environnemental, analyse suivie en conclusion de quelques remarques au sujet de cette convergence

Gay’wu Group of Women. Song Spirals: Sharing Women’s Wisdom of Country through Songlines.

Review of Gay’wu Group of Women. Song Spirals: Sharing Women’s Wisdom of Country through Songlines