Seeking elsewhere: a systematic review of literature surrounding attrition and retention of female architects in the profession post-registration

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to provide a global snapshot of the current state of knowledge regarding attrition rates of women architects. The intended audience includes all the stakeholders of the profession, as well as those interested in professional attrition studies, with the aim to contribute to a social debate, which places increasing value on diversity, equal representation and retention in this field.Design/methodology/approachThis paper has utilized the structured analytical technique of a systematic review of the scholarship involving scholarship published over two decades between the years 2000 and 2020. Having selected research on this topic following a series of exclusionary and inclusionary criteria for relevancy and accuracy, this select research has been categorically and thoroughly analyzed using this technique.FindingsThis literature review identifies four main recurring themes among the literature, which address this research question, including: (1). cross-national differences and similarities; (2) demotivating factors leading to attrition; (3) graduate/architect terminology, which blurs the distinction between participants in architecture; and (4) implications of female architects as represented in professional publications and the “reward system.” Consequently, this literature review finds that to date no singular cause can be pinpointed as the sole cause of women's attrition, but rather a series of complex and intertwining factors, some of them specific to the profession.Originality/valueThis paper suggests areas for further study into the reduction of attrition rates of registered women in this discipline, with an emphasis that further research may expand to focus rather on positive aspects of the profession resulting in areas of retention, which has been of little focus in current research. Additionally, these findings make suggestions toward a series of recommendations that may assist in framing the industry toward more positive and equitable career and industry trajectories.

Inclusive Education for Health: Analysis of the Mandatory Nature of Vaccination and Its Regulation by Administrations, and Implications and Considerations for Vaccination against COVID

In the process of vaccination against COVID-19, the problem of parents who do not want to vaccinate their school-age children has been evident. A conflict arises between two fundamental rights: the right to ideological freedom, privacy, and physical integrity of parents and minors who do not opt for vaccination; and the right to health of the rest of the children who attend the same school, provoking a social debate on the need to introduce regulatory changes that favor the mandatory imposition of vaccination in certain cases. This research offers an observational study through a cross-sectional design of a quantitative nature, in which one thousand people belonging to the education, health, and economy sectors from seventy-six countries of five continents have participated. The instrument used was a previously validated questionnaire: VACUNASEDUCA. It was considered essential to know the awareness of vaccination processes of professionals from essential social sectors. Therefore, the objectives were: to reflect on the measures of mandatory vaccination, to know the importance of teachers being able to demand a regulated vaccination card from students, to study the need for regulation by administrations of compliance with vaccines, and to analyze the importance of health education. It has been shown that women and those under thirty years of age are the least in favor of compulsory vaccination, with the health sector being the most defending of their demand, and with Europe with the lowest means. It is concluded that mandatory vaccination could be an acceptable tactical option to prevent high-risk situations.

Parenting Fears and Concerns during Pregnancy: A Qualitative Survey

Previous research on the fears and anxieties of expectant mothers has focused mostly on their fears about giving birth rather than parenting. This study aims to describe mothers’ fears and concerns about parenthood during pregnancy and to examine the similarities and differences in the perspectives of primiparous and multiparous mothers. The qualitative research for this study was conducted in three postpartum units in Finland and focused on the responses to an open-ended question about parenting fears and concerns that was part of a questionnaire given to 250 mothers after they had given birth. The responses from the 128 mothers who answered this question were subject to inductive content analysis. Fears and concerns on parenthood included worries about coping with the future and everyday life with their new baby, the psychological burden of parenthood, their maternal resources and self-efficacy, meeting their baby’s needs, their baby’s health, concerns about their relationship with their partner and financial issues. Primiparous and multiparous mothers shared many of the same concerns, but some differences emerged. The findings contribute an interesting perspective to the social debate about declining birth rates and their psychosocial causes. Further studies are needed to examine the fears and concerns of younger adults, and even teens, about parenthood.

Strategies for climate change communication through social media: Objectives, approach, and interaction

Social media are prominent channels to foster the social debate about climate change. This research explores the strategies that institutions supporting scientific consensus on climate change undertake in order to communicate through social media. We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with community managers and communication directors of organizations of different characteristics in several countries. From the responses we have identified strategies that are based on communicators’ perceptions and experience. We identified strategies that: (a) orientate the communication objectives, (b) help to approach citizens in an effective way, and (c) create interaction with the users. This provides a repertoire of well-grounded strategies that can work as a guide that may help organizations to design their actions to communicate climate change through social media. We conclude that including higher levels of interaction in social media strategies remains a challenge that could lead to a more effective social debate on climate change.

COVID-19 in persons aged 70+ in an early affected German district: Risk factors, mortality and post-COVID care needs—A retrospective observational study of hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients

Background Cohorts of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have been studied in several countries since the beginning of the pandemic. So far, there is no complete survey of older patients in a German district that includes both outpatients and inpatients. In this retrospective observational cohort study, we aimed to investigate risk factors, mortality, and functional outcomes of all patients with COVID-19 aged 70 and older living in the district of Tübingen in the southwest of Germany. Methods We retrospectively analysed all 256 patients who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in one of the earliest affected German districts during the first wave of the disease from February to April 2020. To ensure inclusion of all infected patients, we analysed reported data from the public health department as well as the results of a comprehensive screening intervention in all nursing homes of the district (n = 1169). Furthermore, we examined clinical data of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19 (n = 109). Results The all-cause mortality was 18%. Screening in nursing homes showed a point-prevalence of 4.6%. 39% of residents showed no COVID-specific symptoms according to the official definition at that time. The most important predictors of mortality were the need for inpatient treatment (odds ratio (OR): 3.95 [95%-confidence interval (CI): 2.00–7.86], p<0.001) and care needs before infection (non-hospitalized patients: OR: 3.79 [95%-CI: 1.01–14.27], p = 0.037, hospitalized patients: OR: 2.89 [95%-CI 1.21–6.92], p = 0.015). Newly emerged care needs were a relevant complication of COVID-19: 27% of previously self-sufficient patients who survived the disease were not able to return to their home environment after discharge from the hospital. Conclusion Our findings demonstrate the importance of a differentiated view of risk groups and long-term effects within the older population. These findings should be included in the political and social debate during the ongoing pandemic to evaluate the true effect of COVID-19 on healthcare systems and individual functional status.

Essentials public health functions and public health genomics in Ecuador

Aim: This paper aims to analyze the EPHF in MG in Ecuador as a framework for integrating it into clinical practice. It also aims to contribute to the scientific and social debate on the MG role, considering it the most advanced science field today. Context: the Essentials Public Health Functions (EPHF) are actions for specific purposes necessary to achieve the central objective of Public Health (PH), which is to improve, promote, protect, and restore the population's health through collective action. Medical Genetics (MG) and Genomics are still in construction between public policies, especially in developing countries, and deserve an in-depth approach in this context. Discussion: We understand collective health as an inter-institutional and interdisciplinary social practice, which involves both the State and civil society, aims at protecting and improving people's health. It implies population or community interventions; it includes the responsibility to ensure access and health care quality. Within this practice are the EPHF, defined as actions carried out for specific purposes necessary to achieve the PH Practice's central objective. Each function's operation depends on a sufficient definition of contents, objectives, and activities and on the specific assignment of who is responsible for their execution. Conclusion: The EPHF guides public health policies in Latin America and Ecuador. From this perspective, medical genetics and genomics must be included as a priority in the country's public policy. In this review, we propose the activities to be implemented in this context. This challenge requires political and scientific leadership.

The mediated discourse and voice of euthanasia: the Israeli media as a case study

Euthanasia is an important social and quality of life issue. However, it is highly controversial and thus continuously debated especially given its legitimacy and legality differ between countries. Little is known about the role media plays concerning this topic. To fill this gap, this study applies a mixed methods approach to a case study of Israeli media, including a quantitative content analysis of news articles (to measure the discourse of ‘civil participation’), a thematic analysis of news articles (to examine the ‘voice’) and a quantitative content analysis of Facebook comments (to measure ‘being heard’). Results indicate that while the media highly enables the media capability of ‘voice’ (both ‘voicing’ and ‘being heard’), it limits the media capability of ‘civil participation’ to a narrow array of discourse, hindering the social debate. These results reveal the role the media plays regarding euthanasia, integral to individuals’ quality of life through the realisation of their media capabilities, and in relation to the act of euthanasia itself.

For or against genetically modified foods: Different discursive strategies in Chinese social media

This study investigates the discourse of a long-lasting social debate over the safety of genetically modified food in China. Based on data from the social media platform WeChat, it adopts the perspective of critical discourse analysis to analyze what strategies are used in discourses of Chinese genetically modified foods to construct identities of the two opposing sides in genetically modified debates. The two sides use different rhetorical devices, argumentative strategies, and intertextual historical elements. Specifically, opponents of genetically modified food are inclined to use metaphors, moralization, intertextual proverbs, and revolutionary inflection to legitimize their position, while supporters often use irony, authorization, and historical allusions to legitimate as well as enhance their hegemony. I suggest that exploring how each side strategically constructs a discourse may facilitate better understanding and mitigate conflict between the two polarized viewpoints represented in social media.

Twitter, Social Services and Covid-19: Analysis of Interactions between Political Parties and Citizens

The state of alarm caused by Covid-19 has mobilised the population’s digital social participation in social networks. Likewise, the relevance acquired by Social Services as a support for the social and health crisis has generated an unprecedented social debate on Twitter about the reality of these services in Spain. The analysis of this phenomenon is the focus of the present article, in which the tweets on Social Services and Covid-19 published during the confinement have been analysed using the qualitative analysis software Atlas.Ti. The results show the precariousness of social services and that a change in the management and financing model of these services is required to guarantee benefits and satisfy fundamental social rights.

Communities of Darkness? Users and Uses of Anti-System Alternative Media between Audience and Community

The hopes regarding the positive impact of the Internet and digital participation in civic society have faded in recent years. The digital realm is now increasingly discussed regarding its role in putting democracy in jeopardy and polarizing public debate by propagating extremist views and falsehoods. Likewise, the perception of so-called alternative media as beneficial carriers of counter-public spheres and as important complements to mainstream positions in social debate has flipped. Alternative media are now often associated with the “Wicked web” of disinformation, political populism, or even radicalization. Following Quandt’s (2018) notion of ‘dark participation’ and Phillips and Milner’s (2017) description of the Internet as ambivalent, this article asks, whether the same holds true for the users of alternative media: a segment of the audience traditionally discussed in terms of community, engagement, participation, and strong ideological identification with progressive political causes. Do users of ‘dark’ alternative media bond with their media in similar ways to constitute communities of darkness? Based on interviews with 35 users of alternative media from a left-leaning, right-wing, Russian-tied and/or conspiracy spectrum users, uses of alternative media are pictured as grey rather than black or white. The findings illuminate the ambivalences within alternative media users as audiences and communities. Ambivalences are found regarding the use of alternative sources as audience or community members, regarding a shared attitude of criticality and anti-systemness, which connects trans-medially and trans-ideologically, as well as the experienced comfort of community, which can become a main motivation for use.