scholarly journals Supporting girls and young women victims of sexual harassment in schools: “me and you and everyone we know”

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Goodman ◽  
Melania Calestani

Purpose This study aims to highlight an innovative project, across three European countries, namely, Italy, Sweden and Romania, that used pictorial designs to empower young women to demand the right to live without sexual harassment. Design/methodology/approach Abstract figures in terms of race and gender of young people were produced on cards, which allowed the imagination of the viewer to interpret and discuss these images freely. Other cards had definitions and scenarios. The cards generated discussion and comments both with the young participants and educational professionals. Findings Using the cards produced a rich set of responses from the students. Not all recognised that what was happening between young men and women was sexual harassment. There was a need to develop the concept of empathy and personal responsibility for behaviour and etiquette between the sexes. The response from professionals also varied in terms of sympathy and understanding. Research limitations/implications The three countries had different degrees of openness to addressing sexual harassment of girls in schools. The results may not be generalisable to the UK and researchers would like to use the tool developed in other countries. Practical implications The focus groups with young people in schools highlighted different attitudes towards sexual harassment in girls and young women, between the young women and young men, and the variations in the three countries. There was a need to educate professionals of the long-term impact of sexual violence and harassment. Social implications The research revealed the importance of producing a tool (the cards), which enabled young people to discuss sexual harassment in a focused way. Young women will gain in confidence to challenge sexual and oppressive behaviour. Originality/value This paper gives a voice to young people to discuss an issue, sexual harassment, that is addressed to varying degrees in the countries involved. The competition for young people to produce posters led to some amazing creative ideas.

2018 ◽  
Vol 118 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Dresler ◽  
Margaret Anderson

Purpose The risk associated with heavy episodic drinking in young people has caused concern among public health professionals. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the gender differences in the perception of risk in alcohol consumption behaviour for better targeting of messages. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative descriptive study examines the narratives of 28 young people’s experience of a “night out” framed as the Alcohol Consumption Journey to examine the ways young men and women experience context-specific risks for alcohol use. Findings The young people perceived participation in the Alcohol Consumption Journey involved risk to their personal safety. Both young men and young women described their alcohol consumption as controlled and perceived the risks as external inevitabilities linked to the public drinking establishments. However, they displayed noticeable gender-based differences in the perception and management of risk in diverse contexts of the Alcohol Consumption Journey. Young women drink in close friendship groups and have a collective view of risk and constructed group strategies to minimise it. Comparatively, the young men’s drinking group is more changeable and adopted a more individualistic approach to managing risk. Both groups exhibited prosocial tendencies to protect themselves and their friends when socialising together. Originality/value The concept of “edgework” is effective in providing an explanatory framework for understanding young people’s ritualised Alcohol Consumption Journey and to illustrate the context-specific risks associated with alcohol use.


2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 157-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mirja Määttä ◽  
Sanna Aaltonen

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to offer a critical view of participatory policies and measures by highlighting that participation is not only a right for young people, but also an obligation for many. This obligated participation is studied conceptually and empirically. Design/methodology/approach – The paper introduces a novel typology of youth participation that demonstrates the dimensions of institutional framing and a degree of choice in participation. The typology is applied in an empirical study on how the participation rights and obligations are formed and handled within an educational programme, aiming to support young people at the margins. Findings – Young people are controlled by their participation obligations, and are guided to reach maturity and claim personal responsibility for their choices. The acceptance of an obligation to participate has to be negotiated with young people in services; otherwise they may opt out of supportive measures. Research limitations/implications – More research is needed on how youth participation terminology is used in political programmes and professional practices. Social implications – It is vital to discuss the options and obligations of young people in professional support measures and consider their implications for different groups of young people. At the policy level, the challenge is to ensure that the right to participate at community and political levels is not ignored or made inaccessible to young people at the margins. Originality/value – The typology diversifies understanding of youth participation and enables the analysis of participation types. It can be applied in youth studies, policy-making and practices.


Author(s):  
Dmitriy Ivashinenko ◽  
Elena Burdelova ◽  
Lyubov Ivashinenko

This article presents the results of a study the purpose of which was research of the factors and patterns of aggression in adolescence. Its results are required to find personas, who need preventive work, and features of the system of preventive measures, depending on the structure of the target audience. In 2016 there were 721 respondents who took part in the study, and 1437 in 2019. The method used in this study is the Buss-Durkee test modified by G. V. Rezapkina (BDHI). Results of the study clearly demonstrate that amongst young people there is a high-level spread of severe irritation, especially among young women. Also, the predominance of such components of aggression as negativity and irritation was noted. According to the results, young women more often get irritated than young men, and on the scale of “negativism”, there is no significant differences. Physical aggression was discovered to be more characteristic for young men.


Author(s):  
Zanib Rasool

This chapter focuses on the identities of British Muslim young women from a writing group, and shares some of the themes that emerged during these writing sessions. Three specific themes related to identity came out of the girls' writing group: place and globalisation; religion; and language. In the UK, there is an increased focus on social cohesion and integration. Young people from minority ethnic communities experience a great deal of pressure in order to fit in with the national narrative of ‘Britishness’, and often feel that they should conform outwardly in their dress and physical appearance, and adopt British sociocultural practices. Those individuals who maintain their faith, language, and cultural identity are seen as segregating themselves and living parallel lives.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicola Brown ◽  
Jenny Burbage ◽  
Joanna Wakefield-Scurr

PurposePrevious research suggests that many active females are not engaging in sports bra use, despite the positive health benefits. The aim of this study was to establish and compare sports bra use, preferences and bra fit issues for exercising females in some of the largest and most diverse global underwear markets (the US, the UK and China).Design/methodology/approachA survey covering activity levels, sports bra use and preferences, bra issues and demographics was administered via Qualtrics and completed by 3,147 physically active females (aged ≥ 18 years) from the US (n = 1,060), UK (n = 1,050) and China (n = 1,037).FindingsIn general, participants were 25–29 years, 121 to 140 pounds, 34B bra size and pre-menopausal. “I cannot find the right sports bra” was the most frequent breast barrier to exercise (25.4%). Three-quarters of women wore a sports bra during exercise, with significantly higher use in China (83.9%), compared to the UK (67.2%). A third of all participants reported sports bra shoulder straps “digging into the skin”. Sports bra preferences were: compression sports bras with a racer back, wide straps and thick straps in the US and the UK; thin straps in China and adjustable straps and underband, no wire and maximum breast coverage in the US and the UK, including nipple concealment and with padded/moulded cups.Originality/valueInformation provided on differences in sports bra use, preferences and bra issues across three major global markets could be utilised by brands and manufacturers to optimise bra marketing and fit education initiatives and inform future sports bra design and distribution strategies.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annie Bartlett ◽  
Jared G Smith ◽  
Louise Warner ◽  
Heidi Hales

Abstract Background The system of secure care for young people in England and Wales comprises youth justice, welfare and mental health facilities. Empirical studies have failed to investigate the system as a whole. The National Adolescent Study in 2016 was the first to provide comprehensive system wide information. This paper, derived from that data set, addresses equity of service provision for young men and women in secure care who have mental health problems.MethodsThe detained census population of English young people was 1322 and detailed data were available on 93% of this population, including 983 young men and 290 young women. The descriptive census data were interrogated to identify associations between gender, other sociodemographic and clinical variables, using Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. To control for Type 1 errors, the False Discovery rate approach was used. SPSS (V25) was used for statistical analysis.Results Numerically more young men in secure care than young women in secure care warrant a psychiatric diagnosis but young women had a 9 fold increase in the odds of having a diagnosis compared with the young men. The pattern of mental health diagnoses differed significantly by gender as did the pattern of young men and women’s secure care placement. This different pattern of placement continued to differ by gender when the nature of the mental health diagnosis was taken into account.Conclusions No definitive explanation is evident for the significantly different, placement patterns of young men and young women with the same, mental health diagnoses but the anticipated consequences for some, young men and some young women are important. Proper explanation demands an examination of process variables out with the remit of this study. The lack of routine scrutiny and transparent processes across secure settings could be responsible for the development of these differential placement practices; these practices seem at odds with the duty placed on public services by the Equality Act.


2011 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashlea Kellner ◽  
Paula McDonald ◽  
Jennifer Waterhouse

AbstractLimited academic attention has been afforded to young workers relative to their adult counterparts. This study addresses a phase of the employment relationship for young people that is very infrequently examined – during or around the time when the relationship ends. It examines the relative frequency of different forms of dismissal and the circumstances preceding the dismissals via a content analysis of 1259 cases of employee enquiries to a community advocacy organisation in Australia. Results indicate that dismissal was most commonly associated with bullying, harassment, and taking personal leave. Young men, compared to young women, were disproportionately likely to report allegations of misconduct as preceding dismissal, while females experienced higher rates of sexual harassment and discrimination. The research highlights the types and circumstances of dismissal across a range of employment contexts and reveals the complexities of youth employment relationships which may differ from those of the general workforce.


Politics ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 026339572110288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Grasso ◽  
Katherine Smith

This paper contributes to the literature by examining gender inequalities in political participation and political engagement among young people from a comparative perspective. By analyzing data on young people from nine European countries collected in 2018, we examine gender inequalities in participation in various modes of conventional and unconventional activism as well as related attitudes, broader political engagement and key determinants, cross-nationally, in order to provide a detailed picture of the current state of gender inequalities in political activism among young people in Europe. Our results allow us to speak to extant theorizing about gender inequalities by showing that the extent of political inequality between young men and women is less marked than one might expect. While the gender gaps in political participation for activities such as confrontational types of protest are small or absent, we find that young women are actually more active in petitioning, buycotting, and volunteering in the community. Young men instead are more active than young women in a majority of the nine countries analysed with respect to more institutional forms of participation linked to organizations and parties, various types of online political participation, and broader political engagement measures, such as internal political efficacy and consumption of political news through various channels. However, young men also appear to be more sceptical at least of certain aspects of democratic practice relative to young women.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. e027339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hristina Petkova ◽  
Mima Simic ◽  
Dasha Nicholls ◽  
Tamsin Ford ◽  
A Matthew Prina ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThis study aimed to estimate the incidence of DSM5 anorexia nervosa in young people in contact with child and adolescent mental health services in the UK and Ireland.DesignObservational, surveillance study, using the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Surveillance System, involving monthly reporting by child and adolescent psychiatrists between 1st February 2015 and 30th September 2015.SettingThe study was based in the UK and Ireland.ParticipantsClinician-reported data on young people aged 8–17 in contact with child and adolescent mental health services for a first episode of anorexia nervosa.Main outcome measuresAnnual incidence rates (IRs) estimated as confirmed new cases per 100 000 population at risk.Results305 incident cases of anorexia nervosa were reported over the 8-month surveillance period and assessed as eligible for inclusion. The majority were young women (91%), from England (70%) and of white ethnicity (92%). Mean age was 14.6 years (±1.66) and mean percentage of median expected body mass index for age and sex was 83.23% (±10.99%). The overall IR, adjusted for missing data, was estimated to be 13.68 per 100 000 population (95% CI 12.88 to 14.52), with rates of 25.66 (95% CI 24.09 to 27.30) for young women and 2.28 (95% CI 1.84 to 2.79) for young men. Incidence increased steadily with age, peaking at 15 (57.77, 95% CI 50.41 to 65.90) for young women and 16 (5.14, 95% CI 3.20 to 7.83) for young men. Comparison with earlier estimates suggests IRs for children aged 12 and under have increased over the last 10 years.ConclusionThese results provide new estimates of the incidence of anorexia nervosa in young people. Service providers and commissioners should consider evidence to suggest an increase in incidence in younger children.Trial registration numberISRCTN12676087.


2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Trimingham Jack

Purpose Through a case study of the decision making that led to the writer becoming a teacher educator, the purpose of this paper is to contribute to historiography by exploring the complex process of surfacing and interpreting memory. Design/methodology/approach The methodology draws on the concepts of autobiographical memory and reflexivity, together with documentary and archival sources including newspapers and secondary sources. Findings The outcome reveals that the process of memory is complex. It illustrates that allowing the participant a wide scope to work with pivotal memories, which may include those referring to material objects, may lead to unexpected and compelling explanations that have the power to change thinking in regards to related aspects of educational history. In this particular case, the findings reveal the long-term impact of boarding school experience. Originality/value The paper expands the way in which educational historians may think about undertaking interviews by illustrating the need for investment of time and close attention to all memories, some of which may at first seem to be irrelevant. Additionally, while a significant amount of research had been published on the long-term impact of boarding school experience on students in the UK, a little critical historical work has been undertaken in regards to the Australian experience – this paper offers a unique contribution to the undertaking of that project.


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