‘I have no interest in drinking’: a cross-national comparison of reasons why men and women abstain from alcohol use

ObjectivesThe aims of the study were (1) to describe trends in the prevalence of monthly alcohol use from 2003 to 2015 and (2) to analyse the associations between alcohol use and family-related and school-related factors, risk behaviours and perceived alcohol availability in Estonia compared with Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden.MethodsThe study used nationally representative data of 15–16-year-old adolescents from the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs. Data from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland and Sweden collected in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 were utilised (n=57 779). The prevalence of monthly alcohol use including light and strong alcohol use was calculated for each study year. A χ2 test for trend was used to evaluate statistically significant changes in alcohol use over the study period. A multilevel logistic regression analysis was used for assessing the association between alcohol use and explanatory factors. Marginal ORs with 95% CIs for each country were calculated.ResultsMonthly alcohol use decreased significantly among boys and girls in all countries from 2003 to 2015. In 2015, the prevalence of monthly alcohol use among boys was 36.1% in Estonia, 44.3% in Latvia, 32.4% in Lithuania, 32.3% in Finland and 22.4% in Sweden. Among girls, it was 39.1%, 45.9%, 35.6%, 31.8% and 29.1%, respectively. In all countries, higher odds of monthly alcohol use were observed among adolescents who skipped school, smoked cigarettes, used cannabis, perceived alcohol to be easy to access and had parents who did not know always/often about their child’s whereabouts on Saturday nights. Compared with Estonia, associations between alcohol use and explanatory factors were similar in Latvia and Lithuania but different in Finland and Sweden.ConclusionResults of cross-national comparison of alcohol use and explanatory factors could be effectively used to further decrease alcohol use among adolescents.

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Toward Gender Equality in the Korean Civil Service

Public Personnel Management ◽

10.1177/009102609302200305 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 22 (3) ◽

pp. 403-419 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Pan S. Kim

Keyword(s):

Women Workers ◽

Gender Equality ◽

Civil Service ◽

Public Employment ◽

Employment Practices ◽

Men And Women ◽

National Comparison ◽

General Service ◽

Over Time ◽

Cross National

This study examines public employment practices in contemporary Korea based on gender. Findings show that women are poorly represented in the Korean civil service. Although the distribution of women civil servants is increasing in the civil service as a whole, women are greatly under-represented in the higher levels. The ratio of females to males in the upper levels of civil service has not changed over time, and higher civil service positions are still overwhelmingly held by men in the General Service. Most women workers are concentrated at lower levels and segregated in traditionally women-oriented workplaces. Thus, it is necessary to recognize the need for equitable solutions to problems experienced differently by men and women in the Korean public sector. In addition, a brief review of the Japanese civil service is included for a cross-national comparison.

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