http://hdl.handle.net/10230/16076 2013-05-22T00:55:51Z http://hdl.handle.net/10230/16338 Economic crisis and recovery: changes in second birth rates within occupational classes and educational groups Billingsley, Sunnee This study assesses the decline in second birth rates for men and women across different skill levels in transitional Russia. Changes within educational groups and occupational classes are observed over three distinct time periods: the Soviet era, economic crisis, and economic recovery. The most remarkable finding is the similarity in the extent second birth rates declined within educational groups and occupational classes during the economic crisis. Although further decline occurred in the recovery period, more variation emerged across groups. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10230/16215 Gender inequality in health among elderly people in a combined framework of socioeconomic position, family characteristics and social support Rueda Pozo, Silvia; Artazcoz Lazcano, Lucía This study analyses gender inequalities in health among elderly people in Catalonia (Spain) by adopting a conceptual framework that globally considers three dimensions of health determinants : socio-economic position, family characteristics and social support. Data came from the 2006 Catalonian Health Survey. For the purposes of this study a sub-sample of people aged 65–85 years with no paid job was selected (1,113 men and 1,484 women). The health outcomes analysed were self-perceived health status, poor mental health status and long-standing limiting illness. Multiple logistic regression models separated by sex were fitted and a hierarchical model was fitted in three steps. Health status among elderly women was poorer than among the men for the three outcomes analysed. Whereas living with disabled people was positively related to the three health outcomes and confidant social support was negatively associated with all of them in both sexes, there were gender differences in other social determinants of health. Our results emphasise the importance of using an integrated approach for the analysis of health inequalities among elderly people, simultaneously considering socio-economic position, family characteristics and social support, as well as different health indicators, in order fully to understand the social determinants of the health status of older men and women. 2009-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10230/16214 Health inequalities among the elderly in western Europe Rueda Pozo, Silvia; Artazcoz Lazcano, Lucía; Navarro, Vicenç Background: This paper analyses gender inequalities in health status and in social determinants of health among the elderly in Western Europe. Methods: Data came from the first wave of the “Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe” (SHARE, 2004). For the purposes of this study a subsample of community-residing people aged 65-85 years with no paid work was selected (4218 men and 5007 women). Multiple logistic regression models separated by sex and adjusted for age and country were fitted. Results: Women were more likely to report poor health status, limitations in mobility and poor mental health. Whereas in both sexes educational attainment was associated with the three health indicators, household income was only related to poor self-rated health among women. The relationship between living arrangements and health differed by gender and was primarily associated with poor mental health. In both sexes, not living with the partner but living with other people and being the household head was related to poor mental health status (aOR=2.14; 95% CI=1.11-4.14 for men and aOR=1.75; 95% CI=1.12-2.72 for women). Additionally, women living with their partner and other(s) and those living alone were more likely to report poor mental health status (aOR=1.67; 95% CI=1.17-2.41 and aOR=1.58; 95% CI=1.26-1.97, respectively). Conclusions: Health inequalities persist among the elderly. Women have poorer health status than men and in both sexes the risk of poor health status increases among those with low educational attainment. Living arrangements are primarily associated with poor mental health status with patterns that differ by gender. 2008-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10230/16210 Exploring the conditions for a mortality crisis: bringing context back into the debate Billingsley, Sunnee This study engages with the debate over the mortality crises in the former Soviet Union and Central and Eastern Europe by 1) considering at length and as complementary to each other the two most prominent explanations for the post-communist mortality crisis, stress and alcohol consumption; 2) emphasizing the importance of context by exploiting systematic similarities and differences across the region. Differential mortality trajectories reveal three country groups that cluster both spatially and in terms of economic transition experiences. The first group are the countries furthest west in which mortality rates increased minimally after the transition began. The second group experienced a severe increase in mortality rates in the early 1990s, but recovered previous levels within a few years. These countries are located peripherally to Russia and its nearest neighbours. The final group consists of countries that experienced two mortality increases or in which mortality levels had not recovered to pre-transition levels well into the 21st century. Cross-sectional time-series data analyses of men’s and women’s age and cause-specific death rates reveal that the clustering of these countries and their mortality trajectories can be partially explained by the economic context, which is argued to be linked to stress and alcohol consumption. Above and beyond many basic differences in the country groups that are held constant—including geographically and historically shared cultural, lifestyle and social characteristics—poor economic conditions account for a remarkably consistent share of excess age-specific and cause-specific deaths. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10230/16209 The post-communist fertility puzzle Billingsley, Sunnee Fertility has unanimously declined across the entire post-communist region. This study explores the variation in fertility trends over time among these countries and assesses to what degree three explanations are applicable: second demographic transition (SDT), postponement transition (PPT) or reaction to the economic crisis. Moreover, on the basis of SDT and PPT theoretical tenets, as well as descriptive evidence, the economic context is hypothesized to be linked to two processes of fertility decline conversely. The results show that no one theoretical explanation is sufficient to explain the complex fertility declines across the entire post-communist region from 1990 to 2003. In some countries, a great part of the decline in fertility occurred before significant postponement of childbearing began, which indicates that the dramatic decline was due to stopping behavior or postponement of higher order births. Postponement of first births, either through PPT or SDT processes, greatly contributed to fertility decline in a small number of countries. Pooled cross-sectional time-series analyses of age-specific birthrates confirm that these two distinct processes are present and show that the economic crisis explanation has explanatory power for declining birth rates. In contrast, logistic regressions show that the likelihood of postponing childbirth increases with improved economic conditions. These results confirm the importance of taking the economic context into account when discussing explanations for fertility decline. More specifically, the results indicate that the severity and duration of economic crisis, or absence thereof, influenced the extent and manner in which fertility declined. 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10230/16082 Dynamics of diversity within the Mossos d’Esquadra Van Ewijk, Anne R. This chapter offers a case-study of diversity and diversity policies within the Mossos d’Esquadra, the police force of the Catalan autonomous community in Spain. The case is described in a comprehensive way (including policies in all relevant policy areas: recruitment, retention, and promotion) and at the same time analyzed with a new analytical framework (including the definition of diversity, the motivation for diversity within the organisation, and the facilitation of diversity within the organisation with policies). The goal of the chapter is twofold. First, offer a deeper understanding of the dynamics of diversity within this police force. Second, demonstrate the academic potential of this new analytical framework. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10230/16081 Between pluralism and majoritarianism: the European Court of Human Rights on religious symbols and education Ungureanu, Camil How is it possible to square the development of a consistent European approach to religious diversity with the recognition of the sometimes-conflictive plurality of state-religion models? The Court´s support of the liberal principles of separation and neutrality have either been deplored by Christian conservatives as the result of European Christophobia, or celebrated by secularists as contributing to the formation of a Europe free of religion. In contrast, the present chapter argues for a differentiated approach to European jurisprudence, outlining how the Court has been oscillating between an appealing liberal-pluralist perspective or framework, and a questionable majoritarian one. Both perspectives are illustrated by focusing on representative decisions in the area of religious education and symbols. 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10230/16080 Education as a mirror of Spanish society: challenges and policies towards multiple diversity Zapata Barrero, Ricard The ways in which the dominant cultural majority frames the educational system determine perceptions of its own identity and understandings of the ‘other.’ In this article I take a political approach, by examining the management of cultural diversity within Spanish education policies, treating “education as the mirror of society”. This article analyzes Spanish challenges and policies approaches towards the management of immigration related diversity in education. The main finding is that there is not one approach, but several, due to both the decentralized character of the education system and the multiplicity of diversity that is at stake (i.e. language, religion, culture etc.) 2011-01-01T00:00:00Z