European legislators’ attitudes toward childhood sexuality from the perspective of age of consent legislation

2021 ◽  
pp. 147737082110461
Author(s):  
Guangxing Zhu

Childhood sexuality is a culturally constructed notion, which has constantly been subjected to change. Various constructions of childhood sexuality represent different attitudes toward children's engagement in sex. As a substantial factor in regulating children's sexuality, a country's age of consent legislation is an important indicator of the national legislator's attitudes toward childhood sexuality. This study summarizes four main discourses around child sexuality, ranging from traditional constructions that solely focus on protecting the child's “innocence” to modern notions that provide more leeway for children to explore their sexuality. By juxtaposing these discourses against the current age of consent laws in 57 European jurisdictions, it appears that national law makers in Europe are still mainly influenced by the traditional construction of childhood sexuality, which results in various negative consequences. To avoid the disconnect between academic discussions about childhood sexuality and legislatos' rationales for their actions, it is recommended that legislators take the latest findings in academia into account and reflect on the rationales behind their legislation.

2000 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Waites

This article addresses the relationship between the New Right and the politics of homosexuality in the United Kingdom. It begins by outlining recent political conflicts surrounding attempts to equalise the ‘gay age of consent’ and to repeal Section 28 of the Local Government Act (1988). The article then examines the New Right's relationship to homosexuality in the 1980s, and the history of socio-political analyses of this relationship. It is argued that pro-gay left theorists have tended to homogenize the New Right of the 1980s, with negative consequences for the analysis of more recent right-wing transformations. The article suggests that contemporary right-wing campaigns against equalisation of the age of consent and abolition of Section 28 need to be understood as the product of a complex right-wing alliance between old-style Conservatism and new right-wing generations. The sexual values of William Hague and Michael Portillo are very different from those of Margaret Thatcher or Norman Tebbit. More mediated forms of homophobia have surfaced in recent campaigns, particularly in the defence of Section 28. New analytical tools are needed to map ‘new delineations of homophobia’ emerging in the political language of the right, operating within a new terrain of sexual politics. The conclusion suggests ways in which such a perspective could inform future sociological and political research agendas.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 117-125
Author(s):  
Oksana Samborska

The transition to market relations and the corresponding structural changes in economy influenced the formation of incomes, their use and distribution system. The largest share in the structure of monetary income of the population is wages; it has increased in recent years. At the same time, there occurred the decline in production in the process of market transformation economy and, as a consequence, forced underemployment and unemployment of a large part of the working population, lack legislative levers of influence on the regulation of the property process stratification of the population led to a decline in living standards, deepening its stratification by the level of cash income and distribution of property, the inability of the majority of the population to do savings, spreading the shadow of monetary income of citizens, hiding them from taxation. This led to a reduction in the effective demand of the population, narrowing the volume of domestic market, reducing opportunities for domestic investment resources and restraint of economic growth of the state. The country’s economic growth is observed from year to year, it directly depends on the welfare of the population and their income. Socio-economic development of the country is impossible without the participation of the population and accumulation of human capital, investment in it. Structural changes in Ukraine’s economy – human capital index, average income, migration processes, declining total population – have negative consequences for economic growth in the country as a whole. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study this issue, taking into account all possible prospects. The peculiarities of these indicators specify the development of any country, where one of the main macroeconomic goals is due to the need to outpace the growth of national income in comparison with the growth of the index of human capital and income of citizens. The economic development of the country concerns money and the increase of the general welfare of the population. The way to improve the better life and economic development of the country is possible taking into account the transformation processes, but achieving this involves solving a set of goals and objectives facing governments at all levels. Economic and social development of the oblasts of Ukraine seeks to be better today. The delimitation of oblasts is caused by the level of the average wage, as well as the total per capita income. The study of indicators of socio-economic development requires clear and precise actions on the part of the state and local self-government. The creation of development strategies for a certain period helps to improve the situation in the oblasts of Ukraine, but it is a temporary phenomenon that is not a managed system in some cases. Currently, there is a problem of economic development, social protection of low-income groups and health care, retirement-age people and so on. All human and civil rights are equal and interrelated, and therefore they must be equally protected by the state: human’s life and health, honour and dignity, inviolability and security are the highest social values (Article 3); free development of personality (Article 23) is determined by the Constitution of Ukraine. The study outlines the relationship and interdependence of local budget revenues from subsidies and subventions of the state budget, economic activity of the population, as well as the unemployment rate is an important indicator of the general state of the economy.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 45-62
Author(s):  
Łukasz Tanaś ◽  
Olga Stępień

Attachment Style, Empathy and Moral Foundations as Predictors of Attitudes Towards Sexual Behavior during Childhood The study explores the structure of adult (N = 170, Mage = 30) beliefs regarding the sexu­ality of preschool children (Ratkowska-Pasikowska, Pasikowski, 2013). Furthermore it evaluates the probable predictors of these beliefs: avoidance and anxiety dimensions of attachment, moral foundations and the levels of cognitive and affective empathy. Results show a two-factor differen­tiation of beliefs regarding children’s sexuality. Adults make a distinction between intrusive behav­iors, related to verbal aggression or potential violation of other people’s intimacy, and behaviors combining sexuality with curiosity and role-playing. The former category is generally less accepted than the latter. At the same time, higher level of cognitive empathy and a lower level of endorse­ment in the sphere of purity/sanctity as a foundation of moral evaluation, is a general predictor of higher acceptance of sexual behaviors in both categories. Higher level of attachment anxiety pre­dicts a higher acceptance of intrusive sexual behaviors, and a higher level of attachment avoidance predicts a lower acceptance of such behaviors. These results are discussed within the context of their importance for the future studies on childhood sexuality with parents as the potential inform­ants on behavior of their children.


2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 660-672
Author(s):  
Suzanne H. Kimball ◽  
Toby Hamilton ◽  
Erin Benear ◽  
Jonathan Baldwin

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the emotional tone and verbal behavior of social media users who self-identified as having tinnitus and/or hyperacusis that caused self-described negative consequences on daily life or health. Research Design and Method An explanatory mixed-methods design was utilized. Two hundred “initial” and 200 “reply” Facebook posts were collected from members of a tinnitus group and a hyperacusis group. Data were analyzed via the LIWC 2015 software program and compared to typical bloggers. As this was an explanatory mixed-methods study, we used qualitative thematic analyses to explain, interpret, and illustrate the quantitative results. Results Overall, quantitative results indicated lower overall emotional tone for all categories (tinnitus and hyperacusis, initial and reply), which was mostly influenced by higher negative emotion. Higher levels of authenticity or truth were found in the hyperacusis sample but not in the tinnitus sample. Lower levels of clout (social standing) were indicated in all groups, and a lower level of analytical thinking style (concepts and complex categories rather than narratives) was found in the hyperacusis sample. Additional analysis of the language indicated higher levels of sadness and anxiety in all groups and lower levels of anger, particularly for initial replies. These data support prior findings indicating higher levels of anxiety and depression in this patient population based on the actual words in blog posts and not from self-report questionnaires. Qualitative results identified 3 major themes from both the tinnitus and hyperacusis texts: suffering, negative emotional tone, and coping strategies. Conclusions Results from this study suggest support for the predominant clinical view that patients with tinnitus and hyperacusis have higher levels of anxiety and depression than the general population. The extent of the suffering described and patterns of coping strategies suggest clinical practice patterns and the need for research in implementing improved practice plans.


2009 ◽  
Vol 79 (56) ◽  
pp. 297-307 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laila Hussein ◽  
Sahar Abdel Aziz ◽  
Salwa Tapouzada ◽  
Boehles

Objective:Cobalamin (B12) deficiency has been reported in infants born to mothers with low cobalamin intake. Early diagnosis of vitamin B12 deficiency in infants is critical for the prevention of neurobehavioral disorders. We investigated the relationship between serum vitamin B12 level in newborns and in their healthy mothers who consumed an omnivorous diet. Anthropometry was studied longitudinally to assess the growth velocity of the infants. Urinary methylmalonic acid (MMA) excretion of 6-month old infants was compared retrospectively as the biomarker correlated with the initial serum vitamin B12 concentrations. Methods: Serum cobalamin and blood hemoglobin were determined in 84 pairs of newborns and their mothers. Urinary MMA excretion was measured in the same subjects during the first 6 months of the post partum period. Results: At birth, median serum cobalamin levels were 152.0 pmol/L in the mothers and 296.6 pmol/L in the newborns. Maternal and neonatal serum cobalamin levels had no effect on growth velocity during the first six months of postnatal life. Serum maternal and neonatal cobalamin levels were inversely associated with urinary MMA excretion. Conclusion: Early diagnosis of vitamin B12 status in neonates and infants is crucial, particularly in nutritionally deprived areas. Biochemical measurement of plasma cobalamin or its metabolic marker MMA is highly recommended. Urinary MMA measurement in cobalamin diagnostics provides an advantage in that blood sampling is not required. A vitamin B12 taskforce should be created to alleviate vitamin deficiency and its negative consequences.


2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayatri Kotbagi ◽  
Laurence Kern ◽  
Lucia Romo ◽  
Ramesh Pathare

Abstract. Physical exercise when done excessively may have negative consequences on physical and psychological wellbeing. There exist many scales to measure this phenomenon. The purpose of this article is to create a scale measuring the problematic practice of physical exercise (PPPE Scale) by combining two assessment tools already existing in the field of exercise dependency but anchored in different approaches (EDS-R and EDQ). This research consists of three studies carried out on three independent sample populations. The first study (N = 341) tested the construct validity (exploratory factor analysis); the second study (N = 195) tested the structural validity (confirmatory factor analysis) and the third study (N = 104) tested the convergent validity (correlations) of the preliminary version of the PPPE scale. Exploratory factor analysis identified six distinct dimensions associated with exercise dependency. Furthermore, confirmatory factor analysis validated a second order model consisting of 25 items with six dimensions and four sub-dimensions. The convergent validity of this scale with other constructs (GLTEQ, EAT26, and The Big Five Inventory [BFI]) is satisfactory. The preliminary version of the PPPE must be administered to a large population to refine its psychometric properties and develop scoring norms.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 143-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoming Zheng ◽  
Jun Yang ◽  
Hang-Yue Ngo ◽  
Xiao-Yu Liu ◽  
Wengjuan Jiao

Abstract. Workplace ostracism, conceived as to being ignored or excluded by others, has attracted the attention of researchers in recent years. One essential topic in this area is how to reduce or even eliminate the negative consequences of workplace ostracism. Based on conservation of resources (COR) theory, the current study assesses the relationship between workplace ostracism and its negative outcomes, as well as the moderating role played by psychological capital, using data collected from 256 employees in three companies in the northern part of China. The study yields two important findings: (1) workplace ostracism is positively related to intention to leave and (2) psychological capital moderates the effect of workplace ostracism on affective commitment and intention to leave. This paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for organizations and employees, along with recommendations for future research.


Author(s):  
Virgil Zeigler-Hill ◽  
Avi Besser ◽  
Yuval Besser

Abstract. The purpose of the present study was to extend previous research concerning the negative perceptions of stuttering by considering the perceived leadership ability of targets who stuttered compared with targets who did not stutter. We were also interested in the possibility that negative perceptions of the targets (i.e., low levels of self-esteem, intelligence, dominance-based status motivation, and prestige-based status motivation) would mediate the association between stuttering and a lack of perceived leadership ability as well as the possibility that manipulating the ostensible self-esteem level of the target would further moderate these associations. The results for 838 Israeli community members revealed a negative association between stuttering and perceived leadership ability that was mediated by the perceived self-esteem level and dominance-based status motivation of the target. Further, the associations between stuttering and perceptions of leadership ability were moderated by the ostensible self-esteem level of the target. Discussion focuses on the implications of these results for understanding the negative halo that surrounds stuttering.


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