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Overall, the study’s objective was to study the complex mosaic of emotional expression and regulation in terms of cultures with the aim to highlight the profound impact of cultural factors on these essentials of human life. The study covered various differences in emotional expressions, including facial expressions, speech and nonspeech patterns, and other subtle cultural differences that may affect the approach to displaying emotions, employing a complete cross-cultural frame. Moreover, the study also examined the role of culture in the area of emotional regulation or the extent to which varied cultural values, expectations, and rules determine different strategies for dealing with one’s own emotion. This research is multi-faceted as it involves a wide range of participants and strategies to measure the multitude of nuances of emotional experience across cultures. These discoveries offer intriguing knowledge about how cultural influences patterns of emotional expressions and understanding of how culture regulates them. In conclusion, the paper covered methodological issues centered on the problems and limitations of cross-cultural research. The results have implications for cross-cultural psychology and provide valuable data on universal and culture-dependent characteristics of emotional processes. Moreover, this research adds to the general field of emotional regulation by providing practice and suggesting interventions that account for cultural peculiarities of emotional processes. This study provided a comprehensive understanding of how culture shapes the field of emotional expression and regulation, allowing for future research in the interplay of culture and emotions.

In the digital age, social media marketing has drastically altered social connections and customer behavior. With an emphasis on how social media marketing influences consumer attitudes, cultural norms, and mental health, this study explores the numerous ways that social media marketing impacts society. As businesses utilize Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter more and more to communicate with big audiences, understanding these consequences is critical.  The study aims to determine how social media marketing affects, among other aspects of society, social interactions, cultural perspectives, consumer behavior, and mental health. The study makes use of secondary data collection methods, including a comprehensive survey of the literature. Thematic analysis is used to find patterns and gather data. Significant research demonstrates that social media marketing significantly increases consumer involvement through customized campaigns and user-generated content, which fortifies brand loyalty and influences consumer behavior. It does, however, also reinforce cultural norms and prejudices while offering the possibility of societal transformation. Virtual communities are known to be altering social interactions, but using them excessively might lead to social isolation. Negative pressure to maintain idealized online personas and constructive criticism are both hazardous to mental health. The growing importance of influencer marketing is emphasized, but so are privacy and ethical issues around data collection and targeted advertising. With cutting-edge technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence, social media marketing is set to undergo yet another revolution. The study offers several recommendations, such as enhancing the personalization of marketing campaigns, utilizing user-generated content, balancing cultural representation, lessening the detrimental effects of social interactions, prioritizing mental health, addressing ethical and

The current article examines the representation of women in Moroccan television advertisements that are broadcasted on the Moroccan national channels on a daily basis. This investigation aims to explore how cultural norms and gender roles are reflected and perpetuated through media. As a matter of fact, media plays a huge role in not only reflecting reality, but also constructing a fake reality through which people construct their identity. By analyzing ‘La Sigogne’ and ‘Tide’ ads, this research aims to uncover stereotypes and social expectations that are imposed on women. Using content analysis, the study unveils the portrayal of women in terms of roles, appearance, and behavior. Findings reveal that the majority if not all advertisements reinforce stereotypes as they depict women as either objects or housewives. By doing so, various feminists call for a reconsideration in the representation of women in Moroccan media.

Despite the potential of the strategies put in place by successive governments in Nigeria, women's literacy and poverty reduction for sustainable development, Nigeria continue to grapple with persistent challenges in realizing the full transformative impact of educated and empowered women in the country. This paper examined the effects of women literacy and poverty alleviation on sustainable development in Nigeria. The paper relied on documentary sources of data obtained from textbooks, journal articles, official gazettes, conference papers and the internet. The paper deployed the Liberal Feminism theory to provide a theoretical guide for the study. The paper observed that the relationship between women's literacy, poverty alleviation, and sustainable development in Nigeria is complex and multifaceted and emphasized that empowering women is not only a matter of social justice but a catalyst for sustainable development. It recommends a conscious  implementation of  policies and programs that should aim to eliminate barriers to education for girls and women, including addressing financial constraints, cultural norms, and discriminatory practices as well as the development and implementation of  targeted economic empowerment initiatives, such as vocational training and entrepreneurship programs, to enhance women's skills and  make them job creators rather than job seekers, thereby  increasing their participation in the formal economy.

While the decision and ability to give birth is natural, such decision is nonetheless influenced by distinct socio-cultural barriers particularly among Hausa women in Katsina State. This study examined how access to healthcare, education levels, cultural norms, and economic opportunities shape child bearing decisions in selected households in Katsina State. A multi stage sampling techniques where cluster sampling was first used to divide Katsina State into three (3) clusters corresponding with the senatorial districts in the state and thereafter simple random sampling was used to sample 225 respondents. Data were collected quantitatively from 225 respondents using questionnaire. Quantitative techniques of data analyses were used to analyse the resultant data. Descriptive statistic was used to examine factors that influence child bearing decisions among women. Both the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Chi-square were used to establish the relationship and influence of education, income level, partners’ attitude on child bearing decisions in Katsina State. The findings reveal that most women in the study area are aware of the existence of varieties of modern contraceptives and majority of them have used some of the methods to control birth. Education, and level of income ranked among the main socio-demographic factors that influence child bearing decision while partners’ attitude is one of the main socio-cultural factors. The result of the tested hypotheses revealed a statistically significant relationship between partners’ attitudes (p-value 0.001), level of education (p-value 0.000), and women’s childbearing decisions in Katsina State. The study recommends a comprehensive approach that increases access to family planning services and reproductive health education of both women and men as well as tackling of specific cultural barriers that limit reproductive choices.

Gender bias in teaching materials may influence students’ development and contribute to social inequalities. This study investigates possible gender bias in a newly published English textbook series in Vietnam. Holding gender as a social construct, the research uses a multimodal critical approach to examine language and ideological systems. The results show despite some effort for gender equity, the making of textbooks in today's Vietnam is still affected by patriarchal Confucian values. Males inhabit bigger verbal space and have more social properties. Females are portrayed as less independent; their choices are more limited, and with less resources. Textbook author interviews show the writing was influenced by conscious and unconscious bias, but they agreed gender equality is important, although male domination beliefs still seem to be deeply ingrained in the society. The study raises questions on challenging the status quo and creating a new cultural narrative for women’s rights recognition and enactment., National Geographic Society, Grant No HJ-127EE-17, Gender bias in English textbooks in Vietnam: Textbook representations, teacher perspectives, and classroom practices

Background: Sexism is a pervasive problem that manifests differently across cultures; however, much sexism research has not applied a cultural perspective. My dissertation bridges this gap by applying a cultural framework to examine sexism development among Mexican-heritage youth living in the United States by considering (a) culturally relevant socialization sources, (b) perceptions of sexism norms in US-American and Mexican culture, and (c) dimensions of ethnic identity. Method: I surveyed 699 Mexican-heritage college students from three universities (75.5% women, 19.2% men, 4.7% nonbinary genders; M = 19.93 years old). Participants responded to close-ended measures of (a) restrictive gender messaging from older relatives, familial peers (e.g., cousins, siblings), and non-familial peers, (b) ethnic identity centrality and ethnic typicality importance, (c) hostile and benevolent sexism, and to (d) an open-ended prompt about cultural sexism perceptions between US-American and Mexican cultures. The open-ended responses were then coded to determine perceptions of either (a) Similar Cultural Sexism, (b) More US-American Cultural Sexism, or (c) More Mexican Cultural Sexism. Results: Restrictive gender messages (RGM) were most frequently attributed to older relatives than peers and least frequently attributed to familial peers. The youth primarily perceived either Similar Cultural Sexism (39%) or More Mexican Cultural Sexism (34%). Those who were further along in their college years were most likely to perceive Similar Cultural Sexism. Additional analyses revealed current sexism endorsement was: (1) positively related to familial peers’ RGM above and beyond RGM from older relatives and non-familial peers; (2) positively related to ethnic typicality importance and (3) negatively related to ethnic centrality. Non-familial peers’ RGM was only positively linked to benevolent sexism and older relatives’ RGM was not linked to either current sexism. Conclusion: My research high

Are moral standards relative to cultures and/or moral frameworks? Are there incompatible or non-comparable ways of thinking about the world that are somehow equally good? Is science getting closer to the truth? Is rationality--the notion of a good reason to believe something--relative to cultural norms? What are selves? Is there a coherent form of relativism about the self? Guided by the writings of Thomas Kuhn, Gilbert Harman, Judith Thomson, John Perry and Derek Parfit, we attempt to make these vague questions precise, and we make a start at answering them.

The present research paper is a feminist exploration of the critically acclaimed Hindi film, Bhumika (1977), set against the backdrop of Indian film industry, directed by Shyam Benegal, starring Smita Patil, Amol Palekar, Anant Nag, Naseeruddin Shah and Amrish Puri. The purpose of this study is to unveil gender stereotypes through the film narrative Bhumika from the feminist perspective. Besides, it delves mainly into the life and struggle of the female protagonist and a celebrated actress, Usha, who searches for her identity in a patriarchal realm. Hence, in the film Bhumika, Usha’s journey projects societal confinement and oppression as her image is an embodiment of her struggles against gender roles, showcasing how women were often silenced and how they were limited to their choices. Though, her narrative reflects the need for women’s empowerment in such a male chauvinistic world. With an application of feminist theories, the paper unearths how the film Bhumika is evident for both to reflect and to challenge the existing traditional gender norms in Indian Society. Apart from these, it examines Usha’s journey in terms of power and sexuality, highlighting her multifaceted role as a lens to investigate broader social causes. Thus, the findings of the study help for a better understanding of the intersection of cinema, gender, and society across the world highlighting the role of cinema as a medium for feminist discourse and social critique.

Considerable research in western, low-fertility contexts has examined minority-vs.-majority fertility differentials, typically focusing on minority groups cultural idiosyncrasies and on socioeconomic disadvantages associated with minority status. However, the formation and functioning of ethnic complexities outside the western world often diverge from the standard western model and so may their impact on fertility preferences, behavior, and outcomes. We expand on the previous research by analyzing ethnic variation in completed and desired fertility in the multiethnic transitional setting of Kyrgyzstan, where ethnic groups and their ethnolinguistic subparts are characterized by both different stages of the demographic transition and different positioning in the socioeconomic and political hierarchies. Using combined data from two rounds of a nationally representative survey, we find that ethnic-specific levels of completed fertility generally align with culturally shaped group-level normative propensities. In contrast, in desires to have a(nother) child, the ranking of the ethnic segments is more reflective of their collective societal positioning, with more disadvantaged segments having lower fertility desires, regardless of actual number of children and various other characteristics. We also find that ethnic homophily of respondents social milieu and their optimism about the future of their ethnic group are positively associated with fertility desires, even though these associations are more potently present among women, compared to men. We relate our findings to the extant scholarship and reflect on their implications for a better understanding of ethno-racial fertility dynamics and differentials in transitional contexts.

Introduction: Consistent with international promulgation on the criminalization of filicide, Ghana’s Children’s Act 1998 (560) and the Criminal Justice Act criminalizes any form of torture against children. Yet, perpetrators of filicide in Ghana may go unpunished due to the beliefs in cultural norms that justify filicide acts. The cultural narratives of filicide can impede on the application and effectiveness of the laws of filicide. Method: The study employed a vignette approach to explore the views of 19 adults, who were parents between 69 years of age and 30 years of age, in rural and urban Ghana on the laws of filicide in Ghana and filicide intervention measures. The interviewees were provided with narratives on two different vignettes (developed based on real life cases), followed by semi-structured questions to probe the narratives. The interviews were analyzed following Fraser’s narrative thematic analysis procedure. Results: The study identifies the association between cultural beliefs and the communities’ understanding of the concept of filicide. Though community members are aware of the criminalization of filicide acts, the majority of them were not informed about the laws against filicide in Ghana. Addressing filicide cases within the community was the most preferred option for the participants, as they believe that some children, termed “spirit children” (SC), deserve to be killed. Resorting to spiritual intervention from concoction men emerged as the normative pathway to obtain community approval for filicide. Police interventions were considered necessary in non-spiritual related filicides. Community members were only prepared to cooperate with the law in filicide cases if the filicide act has no connection with spirituality. Conclusion: The study adds to understanding of the concept of filicide outside western societies. The importance of intensive community campaigns against filicide acts, and norms that support filicide acts, has relevance for all c

Do cultural norms that allow individuals to choose their social relationships put them at risk for, or protect them from, loneliness? After all, more freedom to choose whom to relate to may promote that individuals can choose higher-quality relationships (which protects from loneliness), but it may also imply a higher risk of social isolation (which puts at risk for loneliness). We propose that the solution to this cultural loneliness paradox of choice is to distinguish whether more individual choice flows from cultural norms that provide more opportunities for new relationships (as implied by higher relational mobility; higher RMn), or from cultural norms that allow to leave established relationships (as implied by lower relational stability; lower RSn). Specifically, we suggest that more individual choice protects from loneliness when emerging from higher RMn (which allows to establish new higher-quality relationships), but puts at risk for loneliness when emerging from lower RSn (which increases the risk of social isolation by undermining the stability of established relationships). Findings from two cross-sectional survey studies in four European countries (Study 1: Finland, N = 237; Portugal, N = 261; Study 2: Poland, N = 242; Austria, N = 2 41) supported this line of thought: Higher RMn was consistently related to lower loneliness across all samples, and lower RSn was related to higher loneliness in two out of four samples (and either non-significantly related to higher loneliness or unrelated to it in the other two samples). We discuss the importance and implications of differentiating RMn and RSn to resolve the cultural loneliness paradox of choice.

This study investigated the relationship between different domains of cultural adaptation among international students in Japan and the moralization of culture-specific norms. Newcomers may adapt certain norms of the host culture and ascribe moral meanings to initially nonmoral activities or objects. Building on the existing model of sociocultural adaptation, we investigated how different types of sociocultural adaptation are associated with the moralization of Japanese cultural norms. For international students in Japan, there are three aspects of sociocultural adaptation: academic, daily living, and interpersonal. Our results showed that cultural adaptation in the interpersonal domain, but not in the academic and daily living domains, predicted harsher moral judgments of behaviors that violated Japanese cultural norms. These findings suggest that international students who are well adjusted in the interpersonal domain gain an understanding of what is sanctioned in the Japanese cultural context and come to see certain behaviors as morally appropriate. We discuss several implications for further investigating the moralization of certain behaviors within the context of acculturation.

Рассмотрено символическое значение медицинских масок в разные исторические периоды. Особое внимание уделяется периодам эпидемии чумы XIV–XV вв. и пандемии COVID-19. Делается вывод о том, что маска становится важным элементом культуры повседневности., The article discusses the symbolic meaning of medical masks in different historical periods. Particular attention is paid to the periods of the plague epidemic of the XIV–XV centuries and the COVID-19 pandemic. It is concluded that the mask is becoming an important element of the culture of everyday life.

Gender-based violence (GBV) be it in peace or conflict settings is a persistent problem that has gained grounds and concerns for activists, women’s organisations, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in general and international bodies like the United Nations. Social inequalities and cultural ideologies inform GBV and other forms of violence that are amplified in war times. Women in war play different roles including that of key actors in conflict prevention, peace negotiations, and peacebuilding. However, their contributions in these roles as agents of peace are often not recognised due to the dynamics of cultural ideologies that influence their positions in society and vulnerability to GBV. With the use of feminist peace and conflict theory, postcolonial theory, and the concept of intersectionality, this study explores and analyses the social forces and complexities defining armed conflicts and its often, disproportionate impact on women. Making use of qualitative methods such as document analysis, in-depth interviews and, secondary sources of data, the research focuses on the role of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF)- Cameroon and Southern Cameroon European Women (SCEW) in the fight against GBV in the Cameroon anglophone conflict. It also analyses the interventions made by these organisations in promoting nonviolent peace measures and advocating for meaningful participation of women in the Cameroon national peace dialogue and peace processes in general. The interviews were conducted through zoom and the findings indicate that GBV in war and conflict settings is informed and reinforced by social constructs and norms that define such societies and expose women to more violence and invisibilise the contributions of women to peace processes. Women’s organisations play a pivotal role in combating GBV and promoting nonviolent solution to armed conflicts by engaging in advocacy, activism, capacity building and pushing forth the Women, Peace an

Globalization has facilitated international communication and economic activities that motivate more international migration. Different cultures and values from the West and the East are interwoven in the same social context. Meanwhile, aging has become a notable phenomenon in most developed countries due to declining fertility and increased life expectancy. A digital transformation of society is taking place alongside the aging and international migration that will start to question the image of older adults and the patterns of providing elderly care. Chinese elderly care is characterized by familism providing family-based informal care to an older family member. Despite the influence of migration and modern lifestyles, filial piety is expected to continue to guide the care responsibilities and care providing among Chinese families. This thesis aims to understand the cultural provision of support and care for Chinese older adults living in Sweden and under the influence of the digital transformation of society. It starts by exploring the disparities, barriers, and facilitators for older immigrants in need of home care to utilize digital technology. After constructing knowledge about the influences of the foreign environment and continuous digitalization in home care, the thesis seeks to understand how filial piety continues to be enacted; what part of the tradition is preserved, and what is changed; how the internal and external factors influence the decision of elderly care; and the role of digitalization in this process. The thesis utilizes qualitative in-depth interviews to continue investigations among eight midlife and older Chinese immigrants living in Sweden. Thematic analysis was employed for data analysis. Berry’s acculturation framework and Yeh’s Dual Filial Piety Model provide the theoretical ground for the research. The results indicated that filial piety is in transition in terms of filial responsibilities, filial behaviors, and intergenerational rel, Globaliseringen har möjliggjort gränsöverskridande kommunikation och export samt import av varor och tjänster. Även människor rör sig över olika delar i världen och emigrerar till främmande länder. Detta i sin tur innebär att olika kulturer och värderingar från väst och öst behöver vävas samman och samsas i samma sociala kontext. Förutom globaliseringen så har åldrandet; på grund av sjunkande fertilitet och ökad livslängd, blivit en betydande företeelse i de flesta utvecklingsländer. En digital omvandling av samhället pågår parallellt med åldrandet och den internationella migrationen. I det avseendet blir äldre immigranter, deras teknikanvändning och syn på äldreomsorg allt viktigare. Kinesisk äldreomsorg kännetecknas av familjebaserad informell vård till av äldre familjemedlemmar. Trots samhällets förändring och digitalisering, förväntas barnen ha huvudansvaret för vård och omsorg av sina äldre familjemedlemmar. Fenomenet kallas ”filial piety” och beskriver barnens skyldigheter att sörja för sina föräldrar på ett respektfullt sätt. Denna licentiatexamen syftar till att öka kunskapen om äldre kinesiska immigranter som bor i Sverige och deras förväntningar på omhändertagandet och äldrelivet i Sverige relaterat till digitaliseringen. Licentiatexamen börjar med att utforska skillnaderna, hindren och möjligheter i att använda digital teknik bland äldre invandrare i behov av hemtjänst. Licentiatexamen använder kvalitativa djupintervjuer för att undersöka hur åtta medelålders och äldre kinesiska invandrare, bosatta i Sverige. Intervjuerna har analyserat med hjälp av tematisk analys. Berrys ramverk för ackulturation och Yehs ”Dual Filial Piety Model” utgör den teoretiska grunden för forskningen. Resultaten indikerade på att synen på ”filial piety” är i förändring när det gäller vårdnadsansvar, beteenden och relationer mellan generationerna. Trots skillnaderna i nivån av ackulturation saknades det auktoritära inslaget av ”filial piety” i den svenska kontexten. Intervjupe, QC 2021-11-02

This study explores Thai university students’ perceptions of their reluctance in verbal classroom participation especially in situations where English is used as the medium for instruction. It is generally perceived that non-native learners particularly from high context cultures such as Thailand have the tendency to remain silent during discussion sessions or when they are asked to participate in activities related to expressing their opinions. By investigating this phenomenon through focus group meetings with Thai university students, this study reveals reasons that cause students to be hesitant speakers in class through the eyes of students themselves. The results confirm that though students agree to the common perception of Asian students being quiet learners, they did not agree that they were passive learners; they emphasized the fact that they used ‘silence’ as a tool to quietly yet attentively participate. The study also highlights that students’ silence can be seen as a way to harmonize with the environment and situation which is the cultural norm in the Thai context., Este estudio explora las percepciones de los estudiantes universitarios tailandeses sobre su reticencia a la participación verbal en el aula, especialmente en situaciones en las que se utiliza el inglés como medio de instrucción. En general, se percibe que los estudiantes no nativos, especialmente de culturas de alto contexto como la tailandesa, tienen la tendencia a permanecer en silencio durante las sesiones de debate o cuando se les pide que participen en actividades relacionadas con la expresión de sus opiniones. Al investigar este fenómeno a través de reuniones de grupos focales con estudiantes universitarios tailandeses, este estudio revela las razones que hacen que los estudiantes sean oradores indecisos en clase. Los resultados confirman que, aunque los participantes están de acuerdo con la percepción común de que los estudiantes asiáticos son estudiantes silenciosos, no están de acuerdo en que sean estudiantes pasivos; subrayan el hecho de que utilizan el "silencio" como herramienta para participar de forma silenciosa pero atenta. El estudio también pone de relieve que el silencio de los estudiantes puede considerarse una forma de armonizar con el entorno y la situación, que es la norma cultural en el contexto tailandés.

Current research on Asian American college students articulates the impact of different aspects of life on the decision-making and development of Asian American college students. However, Asian Americans are comprised of people of many different ethnicities. Much of the research related to the Asian American population tends to highlight the experiences of East Asian Americans and often fails to disaggregate findings in a way that could accurately explain the unique life experiences of other Asian American ethnicities. The purpose of this study was to use social constructivist grounded theory to explore how contrasting cultural norms influence the decision-making and development of Asian Indian American college students. This study helps bridge a significant gap in the current body of research on the Asian Indian American. Asian Indian American college students are an understudied student population, and thus, they are poorly understood.The research questions that guided this study were: (1) What are key aspects of Asian Indian American students’ lives that influence how they think about American, Indian, and Indian American cultural norms? (2) How do these cultural norms influence the way in which Asian Indian American students make decisions related to their college experience and major life choices? Ten currently enrolled Asian Indian American college students at the University of Maryland participated in this study. Participants were interviewed twice. The first interview focused on life and family history, experiences during K-12 years, and more. The second interview focused on aspects of their understanding of Indian and American cultural identity. During the second interview, participants also presented an artifact they felt was meaningful to them, which represented an aspect of their identity they cherish. Key findings in this study highlighted the influence of family, identity salience of Indian identity, building a hybrid Indian American identity, decision

Advocates of women’s rights have faced various struggles throughout the decades in the advancement of women’s rights and emancipation in Muslim-majority countries. Much of the struggle is caused by the long-held misconception that the principal barrier to the advancement of such rights is due to the religion of Islam or, more accurately, the prevailing interpretations of Islam. In fact, historically, Islam has helped to further women’s rights. If that is so, then there must be another reason so as to why Muslim women living in Muslim-majority countries or Muslim communities in the west are often deprived of the same rights that are granted to their western counterparts. The answer lies within the culture itself.The dangers of misconstruing culture with religion is apparent. For one, mixing up religion with culture does not create an accurate depiction of Islam, which is why Muslim communities in different parts of the world practice “Islam” differently. What often occurs is different communities often mix their culture with religion, resulting in different versions of Islam being practiced from one community to the next with dire consequences for women. Second and more relevant to this discussion, if one were to perceive tension between women’s rights and religion, the advancement of women’s rights would be much more difficult to achieve. That is because opponents often hide behind arguments that religion takes precedence over all other rights.Because of the complexities caused by mistaking cultural norms as religion, this Article aims to lay to rest the misconception that women’s rights are hindered by religion. By arguing that it is culture and tradition that are the main obstacles to the advancement of women’s rights in Muslim communities, this Article hopes to defeat any potential arguments that aim to hinder the advancement of women’s rights under the false guise of religion. In doing so, this Article will look at one practice that is erroneously perc

From early in their learning experience, foreign language (FL) learners at American universities explore socio-cultural connotations that, it is argued, are signified by FL words. Textbook authors and teachers follow an implicit canon of difference, a list of iconic words that over time—and without the benefit of empirical evidence—have come to represent essential differences in outlook between their native and the FL culture (Kubota, 2004). Despite the fast progression of the theory of teaching culture in FL learning (Kramsch, 2015; Risager, 2015), large empirical gaps remain. Todate, there is little evidence that native speakers (NSs) of the FL perceive their cultural practices, including the cultural contexts in which language is used, homogenously enough to warrant their status as cultural traits. Using the example of expressions of affection, this exploratory study drew on qualitative and quantitative questionnaire data to investigate whether German NSs’ (N=52) accounts of their own and of most fellow Germans’ language behavior converged enough to derive a comprehensive and reliable cultural norm. Results indicated a lack of consensus among German NSs’ self-reported views, eluding the assumption of a pertinent community-specific norm. Implications for FL teaching and learning, as well as directions for future research, are discussed.

Three studies examine how organizational mindset-whether a company is perceived to view talent as fixed or malleable-functions as a core belief that predicts organizational culture and employees' trust and commitment. In Study 1, Fortune 500 company mission statements were coded for mindset language and paired with Glassdoor culture data. Workers perceived a more negative culture at fixed (vs. growth) mindset companies. Study 2 experimentally manipulated organizational mindset and found that people evaluated fixed (vs. growth) mindset companies as having more negative culture norms and forecasted that employees would experience less trust and commitment. Study 3 confirmed these findings from more than 500 employees of seven Fortune 1000 companies. Employees who perceived their organization to endorse a fixed (vs. growth) mindset reported that their company's culture was characterized by less collaboration, innovation, and integrity, and they reported less organizational trust and commitment. These findings suggest that organizational mindset shapes organizational culture.

This article investigates the normlessness and strain situation radicalizing impact on youth radicalization in Pashtun semi-tribal society. The major objective of the study to explore the Anomic and Strain Condition in Pashtun Society in the light of sociological theories and effects of anomic situation on youth radicalization in Pashtun society. For this study Pashtun, society was selected as a case study because Pashtun society has been passing from the transitional stage. Keeping in view the nature of the study the qualitative paradigms were adopted for data collection and analysis. Different themes were derived from the primary data. Emile Durkheim and Robert Merton theories are applied to analyse themes which focuses the anomic and strain conditions in Pashtun society. It is revealed that youth in Pashtun society faces the normlessness and strain situation. It is investigated that the rapid socio-cultural and technological change after the advent of globalization pushed youth to anomic and strain situation, which exposed youth to radicalization. It is revealed that the normlessness and strain situation indirectly set a stage for the youth radicalization in Pashtun society. For the affective counter-radicalization the sociological facts need to be investigated to curb the favourable socio-cultural environment of radicalization.

How did the 1918 influenza pandemic affect female labor force participation in India over the short run and the medium run? We use an event-study approach at the district level and four waves of decadal census data in order to answer this question. We find that districts most adversely affected by infiuenza mortality saw a temporary increase in female labor force participation in 1921, an increase that was concentrated in the service sector. By 1931, this increase had been reversed. We find suggestive evidence that distress labor supply by widows and rising wages help account for these results.

Gender plays an important role in access to the ICTs and Internet. Even when both genders have almost equal access to the ICTs and online services, or similar literacy rates, women have a lower rate in technology related education, employment, income, and in social activities than men.This thesis focuses on the existing digital gender gap by identifying its key factors and trends and studying the role of Internet and ICTs in bridging this gap. In addition, to suggest improvements to empower women in the developing countries and especially in Iran. A qualitative research method was adopted and semi-structured interview with 5 Internet users who were purposely chosen, was conducted. The data were analyzed and interpreted with the help of Lichtman's 3C method. This research study has examined the possible gender digital divide among users of ICTs and Internet in Iran and by making use of the existed secondary data. The empirical findings are discussed and compared to the reviewed literature, which resulted to an arising framework for a better understanding of digital gap among women.This research gives an overview about the digital divide, with a focus specifically on the challenges women face in accessing the ICTs and Internet in this region. Current gender disparities and discrimination in Internet use are outlined and the obstacles hindering women’s access to the technology world are described. At the later stage, the research has a look at the potential opportunities for women’s participation in a global digital society along with a consideration of the initiatives that have been developed in order to mitigate the gender inequity in Iran.

There is a substantial body of literature on behavior inappropriateness in face-to-face social settings; however, not much is known about what individuals consider inappropriate (or appropriate) on Internet-mediated social networks. Although online social networks enable the exchange of ideas between and among geographically and culturally diverse individuals, cultural differences across countries will likely affect individuals' perceived appropriateness of social network behaviors. To better understand this phenomenon, this study proposes a new construct of social network behavior inappropriateness (SNBI) and tests its relationship with a recently proposed national cultural dimension of personal-sexual attitudes, which captures country-level cultural norms.

There is a substantial body of literature on behavior inappropriateness in face-to-face social settings; however, not much is known about what individuals consider inappropriate (or appropriate) on Internet-mediated social networks. Although online social networks enable the exchange of ideas between and among geographically and culturally diverse individuals, cultural differences across countries will likely affect individuals' perceived appropriateness of social network behaviors. To better understand this phenomenon, this study proposes a new construct of social network behavior inappropriateness (SNBI) and tests its relationship with a recently proposed national cultural dimension of personal-sexual attitudes, which captures country-level cultural norms.

Cultural norms vary dramatically across social groups. Herewe use large scale data to examine the extent to which languageplays a role in shaping one such norm—the gender norm to as-sociate men with careers and women with family. We measurecross-cultural variability in this gender bias using previously-collected estimates from the Implicit Association Task (IAT; N= 663,709). We then try to predict bias variability by the waythat gender is encoded in language semantics and grammar.We quantify gender bias in semantics using word-embeddingmodels trained on different languages. Our data suggest thatthe linguistic encoding of gender predicts the degree of speak-ers’ gender bias in the IAT, pointing to a causal role for lan-guage in shaping gender norms.

The article explores the transformation of written congratulations etiquette happening in early XXst-century Russian culture. We are using an example of the etiquette of written greetings to highlight the changing aspects of this etiquette situation (spatial and temporal characteristics; actors and their status roles; communication media; communication objectives; etiquette attributes). We argue that etiquette as a normative system is developed cumulatively, while undergoing a number of communicative transformations regarding the concrete elements of written congratulation situation: a rising importance of communication channels, a transformation of communication objectives, an increased attention to a formal side of etiquette attributes, etc. At the same time, the greeting card is transformed both in its content (which today includes many new festive events and dates) and in its form, which becomes much more diverse in structure, color palette, etc.

Given that curriculum materials serve as cultural artefacts, this study addresses the need for more research on curriculum materials in different contexts. Most studies concerning curriculum materials have been conducted in US and, therefore little is known about the nature of materials in other cultural-educational contexts. The aim of this paper is to identify the underlying cultural norms of potentially constructed classrooms, by analysing recurrent activities in the most commonly used Finnish teacher guides at primary-school level. We identified three norms embedded in them: (1) creating opportunities for learning through a variety of activities and communication; (2) keeping the class gathered around a specific mathematical topic; and (3) concurrent active involvement of teachers and students. The results add to knowledge about both teacher guides and the Finnish educational context. Moreover, it adds to the growing body of methodologies, as our analytical approach is novel in the context of textual analysis.

In the introductory part, the author defines the basic terms used in the article: culture, cultural norms, language-communication skills, knowledge and its deficits, intercultural communication in Polish-Russian relations and the concept of defective communication. The purpose of this article is to describe the various causes of defective communication in Polish-Russian relations. In the following sections of the article, the author describes and exemplifies symptoms of defective communication, the over-ethnic causes of communication failures, the ethnic Polish-Russian determinants of defective interpersonal communication related to knowledge deficits, Russian language skills and stricte cultural determinants of unfortunate communication in selected spheres of life.

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This dissertation discusses some of the causes and consequences of inequality, vertical and horizontal, some theoretically and others empirically. In doing so, I try to touch upon old and new themes in the economics literature, as old as rent seeking and as new as the effect of cultural norms. The first essay reflects on the inequality of opportunity as manifest in the quality of education available to families in India. The paper explores the relative roles of the quality of schools and household attributes on a household’s choice of school in India. I find that income is the most important predictor of a household’s choice of school, with a doubling of per capita income increasing the likelihood of choosing a private school over a public school by 10 percentage points. Public schools can rarely compete with private schools even with comparable infrastructure and free school supplies. As incomes rise (India’s GDP has nearly doubled in the last 10 years), it is reasonable to expect that there will be de facto higher demand for private schooling and not public. The second essay is a theoretical examination of inequality-generating rent seeking and the feedback mechanism between the two. In this paper, I model rent seeking in an unequal endowment economy to analyze the conditions under which more inequality leads to more rent seeking. I find that, when rent-seeking costs are fixed, a more unequal economy fosters a greater proportion of rentiers. When rent-seeking costs are flexible, the proportion of rentiers shrinks with more inequality. However, both the quantity of rents per person and the resources wasted in pursuing rent-seeking activities increase. In the third essay, I link the education choices of women to gender-specific norms of marriage. Hypergamy (the practice of women "marrying up" by caste, age, education or any indicator of economic well-being) implies that too much education could lower women’s prospects of finding a suitable spouse. To understand its

This Thesis empirically examines several aspects of the Australian labour market. Chapter 1 studies the effects of ethnic discrimination on females' employment. Most ethnic minorities experience employment gaps. However, these gaps can result from either employers' discrimination or from the employees' cultural norms towards market employment. Conventional measures of discrimination are likely to reflect the effects of both. Chapter 1 offers a novel differences-in-differences methodology that separates the effects of the employees' cultural norms from the employers' discrimination. Applied to the HILDA data this methodology reveals non-trivial effects of the cultural norms. Despite employment gaps for all ethnic minorities we find evidence of employers' discrimination only against Asians. Chapter 2 also studies employment status. It uses a mixture regression approach to identify the homogeneous groups in the sample. The two identified groups qualitatively differ with respect to how the characteristics affect the employment status of the respondents. The career-oriented group is more likely to work when married and when they have children. The family-oriented group, in contrast, is less likely to work in such circumstances. Education increases employment chances for the career-oriented, but has no effect on the family-oriented group. The (negative) effects of children on employment are three to five times larger for the family-oriented group than for average females. Roughly 40% of females sampled in HILDA wave 13 are family-oriented and need much stronger incentives to return to employment after childbearing than the conventional estimates would imply. Chapter 3 examines the determinants of the earnings losses of mothers. It studies whether the partial effects of children on mother's expected earnings can be explained by her human capital. The lifetime children effects are well explained by the (under-accumulated) experience of the mothers. In contrast, the human ca

I analyze the interplay between culture and economic incentives in decision-making. To this end, I study birth timing decisions of second generation migrant women to France and the US. Only the probability to have three or more children increases with the home country fertility norm, whereas the timing of the first two births is either unaffected or negatively correlated. I propose a model that rationalizes these findings in which decisions are the result of a trade-off between an economic cost-benefit analysis and a cultural norm. The model predicts that decisions with a higher cost of deviation from the economic optimum should be less prone to cultural influence. This is consistent with substantial evidence showing that the timing of the first birth bears much larger costs for mothers in terms of labor market outcomes than that of subsequent births.

Published: 01 December 2016, This study introduces the Spanish adaptation of the General Knowledge Norms first created by Nelson and Narens (1980) and updated by Tauber et al. (2013). Following a procedure akin to that used in preceding studies and testing comparable samples obtained from Spanish-speaking college students, the current study provides the first cross-cultural normative validation of a database of general knowledge questions. In a series of analyses we demonstrate the reliability of the current dataset by showing a high degree of consistency across cultures and languages, while also highlighting the usefulness and need for cross-cultural and cross-linguistic validations of general-knowledge question sets.

Undersökningen som är en korrelationsstudie från ett sociokulturellt perspektiv vände sig till kvinnor i en normalpopulation. Deltagarna var mellan 19 och 59 år. Ett syfte var att undersöka samband mellan kroppsmissnöje, skam och känslor, attityder och beteenden kopplade till ätande. Kroppsmissnöje konceptualiserades och mättes som missnöje med kroppsform. Skam konceptualiserades och mättes som body shame (skam över den egna kroppen). Enligt feministiska objektifieringsteorier lärs flickor tidigt att se sin egen kropp från en utomstående observatörs perspektiv. En del av de flickor och unga kvinnor som i kulturen erfar sexuell objektifiering internaliserar normer som objektifierar deras kroppar. Detta förutsätts kunna leda till skamkänslor och ätproblem. Eftersom kroppsnormerna är orealistiska är de omöjliga att mot-svara och misslyckandet med detta genererar ytterligare skamkänslor. Menopausen kan för många individer innebära mindre exponering för sexuell objektifiering varför skamkänslor kan antas minska. Ett ytterligare syfte var därför att undersöka ålders samband med skam. Resultatet indikerar att såväl kroppsmissnöje som skam är riskfaktorer för utvecklandet av attityder och beteenden kopplade till ätproblem. Kroppsmissnöje korrelerade starkt positivt med skam och det förelåg ett svagt negativt samband mellan ålder och skam.

Title: Caught in the crossfire – A qualitative study of male preschool teaching Submission date: 20th of May 2016 Course: BUSN49 Degree Project in Managing People, Knowledge and Change Authors: Greta Kamberi and Rebecka Karlsson Supervisor: Jens Rennstam Purpose: To investigate how male and female preschool teachers and preschool managers make sense of the inclusion of men in diverse preschools. Research Question: How do preschool practitioners make sense of the inclusion of men? Methodology: This thesis is based upon a qualitative research using semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observations as data collection methods. It follows an abductive research approach which allowed us to work simultaneously with theory and our empirical material, making interpretations hindsight from each other. Findings: Social discourses such as men as “pedophiles” and men as “preschool teachers” which are often conflated are argued to shape the inclusion of men at preschools. Our findings shows that preschool practitioners make sense of the inclusion of men as a matter that is highly influenced by parents. In turn, parent’s behavior is based on the effect of cultural norms in terms of gender roles and media representation. Further preschool employees treat the inclusion of men as a managerial problem which calls for a balance between parents concern and equality treatment. Contributions: Our study support most of the challenges of male preschool teaching argued in literature and further contribute ‘triangular insights’ on the meanings surrounding male preschool teaching. By highlighting the significance of these insights we provide additional ways for managers to think about, when dealing with this issue. Keywords: Gender diversity management, inclusion, exclusion, male preschool teaching, social discourses, media, cultural norms

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to investigate how boys communicate previous experiences of cultural norms in physical education (PE) practice. This was done by analyzing what boys (from a school in the United Kingdom) remember about PE 2 years after they last participated. Making use of autobiographical memory theory and John Dewey’s notions of reactualization of experience and collateral learning, we discuss the results of the study in terms of re-membering. ' Method: The participants in this study were 20 boys from a secondary school in the United Kingdom. At the time of the study, 11 of the boys were aged 16 to 17 years old and 9 were aged 17 to 18 years old. These boys were interviewed using a semistructured approach to explore their autobiographical memories of PE. Results: The overarching “logic” of memories of PE was sport. Almost all of the boys’ articulated memories were of doing sports, albeit in various capacities. Beyond the main theme, the article positions the boys’ recollections against established cultural norms of PE as a social practice and explores three subthemes: (a) just doing the game in a traditional curriculum though a multiactivity sport discourse; (b) learning the games in a technical sport discourse; and (c) learning beyond the game around an educational sport discourse. Conclusions: These boys reactualized memories of learning within an educational discourse, which suggests that what they learned goes beyond the simple consequence of participating.

Can culture mitigate conflicts triggered by economic shocks? In light of the extraordinary emphasis that Confucianism places on subordination and pacifism, we examine its role in possibly attenuating peasant rebellion within the historical context of China (circa 1651-1910). Our analysis finds that, while crop failure triggers peasant rebellion, its effect is significantly smaller in counties characterized by stronger Confucian norms as proxied by Confucian temples and chaste women. This result remains robust after controlling for a long list of covariates and instrumenting Confucian norms using ancient Confucian sages (500. B.C.-A.D. 550) to address concerns of measurement error and reverse causality. 550 to instrument Confucian norms.

Modern philosophy left us with an unbridgeable divide between factual reality and the domain of values (normativity). This article first of all analyze modal norms, such as the principle of avoiding what is legally excessive. There are distinct but mutually cohering kinds of laws. The distinction between modal laws / norms and type laws / norms required an example from the domain of human society - John Locke and Adam Smith, whose ideas in practice gave birth to trade unionism and labour parties. The idea of an "invisible hand" (manifest in the "free market") operates with exact (natural) laws, such as supply and demand. When modal norms are distinguished from type norms it becomes clear that states and a business enterprises can act uneconomically by wasting their money although they ought to function in a way that is guided by economic considerations of frugality. As an example the well-known natural law of energy-conservation is explained as the embodiment of an analogical link between the physical aspect and the kinematic aspect which should rather be designated as the law of energy-constancy. Finally the problem of normativity is related to the coherence between the logical-analytical aspect and its coherence with the aspects of number and space - focused on the principle of the excluded middle and its implications for diverging schools of thought within twentieth century mathematics. The last subsection concludes with reference to the norms guiding technological developments and with an assessment of the meaning of technology.

Two studies investigated norms related to communal strength in the United States and Egypt. Communal strength reflects the extent to which individuals feel responsible for meeting the needs of relationship partners, varies between relationships, and predicts caregiving. Participants indicated the communal strength marital partners should feel towards their spouse, mother, and best friend. In the United States, women reported wives should feel the most communal strength towards their husbands and mothers, but husbands should feel more towards their wives than mothers or best friends. American men reported both spouses should feel the highest communal strength towards their spouses and mothers. In Egypt, men and women agreed that wives should have the highest communal strength for their husbands and mothers, but husbands should have higher communal strength for their mothers than their wives or best friends. These findings reflect cultural variation in the perception of ideal communal strength following marriage, and highlight the ways in which expectations related to caregiving may differ between spouses.

The increase in the number and types of military families since the advent of the All-Volunteer Force in 1973 has increased the impact of the work-family interface for the military. For dual-career couples, where both the husband and wife are in the military, both are subject to deployment for extended periods of time, high geographic mobility, probability of a foreign residence, and the risk of injury or death, and they also must manage two specialized and structured career paths. The purpose of this study is to analyze the work careers and family life course of dual-military couples and their decision making processes using a life course perspective. Using a grounded theory methodology, the author interviewed and analyzed the transcripts of 23 dual-military officer couples in the U.S. Navy. Results show that work and family decisions are influenced by organizational constraints as well as institutional and cultural norms. The rhythm of life in the Navy is shaped by the cyclic changing of job assignments and locations, rotation of sea and shore duty assignments, warfare specialty career paths designed for promotion, and the cultural fast track. These couples' experiences in trying to live together with collocated job assignments shape their long-term decision making for maintaining a career in the Navy. Their experiences show that the organization's demands and far-reaching control are infused into every aspect of their lives. Couples' discourse is focused on their human agency in an effort to maintain control of their life course while meeting the organizational demands of rigid and structured career paths, increased number of sea duty tours and deployments, and perceived low priority of collocation in the assignment process. These couples adapt by employing work-family prioritization strategies for achieving their personal and professional goals.

This paper reviews four case studies that demonstrate the variety of ways women have participated in modern armed conflict and explores whether current U.S. laws and policies excluding women from combat remain valid or need to be amended. Each case study examines three principal facets of female participation in combat -- context, motivations, and inspirations -- and the actual contributions made by these women in combat operations. Two case studies, one on World War II Soviet pilots and the other on modern Americans, follow the more traditional explanation of armed conflict and focus on women integrated into military organizations involved in wars. The other two case studies, including one on female resistance fighters in World War II Europe and another on female terrorists and insurgents, represent the asymmetric aspects female participation often provides during conflicts. The fourth case study also serves as the heart of this research paper since it focuses on the role of American women in combat. Current policies actually limit the combat roles available to women and spur some critics to argue that the combat exclusion policies do not go far enough. The fifth chapter of the paper presents this side of the debate over the role of women in combat and military service in general. This chapter presents the leading arguments against the inclusion of women in combat beginning with the physical differences between men and women, the effects of women on unit cohesion and combat readiness, and the moral debate over sending a society's mothers and daughters to war. Chapter 5 highlights the growing divergence between conservative cultural norms and the realties of current combat operations. The paper concludes with a proposal of how the U.S. military and society should move forward regarding the role of women in combat.

Few parents-to-be consider that their child may be born with ambiguous sex. Still, parents of a newborn child with ambiguous sex are expected to make a far-reaching decision for the child should the child be operated upon so that it has either female or male genitals? The aim of this article is to examine, phenomenologically, why parents decide to have their children undergo genital surgery when it is not necessary for the childs physiological functions. Drawing on phenomenological work by Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Simone de Beauvoir and Sara Ahmed, we examine parents frustration when their childs sex is ambiguous and their experiences of the practice of medical sex assignment. We also examine parental identity work when the child has been assigned a sex and the interaction between parents and medical professionals when parents make decisions regarding surgery on their child. Furthermore, we provide a critical perspective on the surgical practice.

Development literature has not accorded sufficient attention to culture as a positive aspect of development until recently. Hence, in terms of using culture as a protective mechanism against gender-based violence, not much has been investigated or reported, since most studies on gender-based violence have focused more on cultural influences as the cause or effect of violence against women. However, in the case of Papua New Guinea (PNG) culture has always been the focus in regards to genderbased violence, portrayed as the cause of violence against women. Occasionally sources state there are traditional customs or beliefs that protect women from violence, but further explanation is not provided. Hence, this research investigated the question, “How can culture address gender-based violence in contemporary, rural Papua New Guinea?” This study offers an opportunity to view PNG culture as a solution to a problem, instead of as merely a problem to be solved. To investigate how culture can be used positively as a strategy to address genderbased violence, a case study was conducted among the Sulamesi people of Mt Bosavi in the Southern highlands province of PNG. This research was conducted in a rural area because in general Papua New Guineans perceive people living in the villages as the ones living a traditional lifestyle, where established cultural norms and behaviours prevail. Using a qualitative research approach, the research investigated whether there were any traditional protective mechanisms in PNG used to address gender-based violence. This thesis concludes that through the identification of culture-driven protective mechanisms, it can be demonstrated that culture can be used as a strategy to address gender based violence. However, caution must be applied, since not all the protective mechanisms identified are desirable or constructive.

The effectiveness of BiLAT, a game-based prototype for training negotiation skills in an Iraqi cultural setting, was assessed. The prototype aims to train deliberate preparation behaviors, trust-building and relationship-building strategies, and familiarity with relevant cultural expectations and norms. Training is supported by automated coaching (during simulated negotiation meetings) and interactive post-meeting recaps. Effectiveness was measured via scores on an independent situational judgment test, completed by Soldiers both before and after training. Each time it is administered, the test yields a single score indicating the degree to which an individual's answers concur with experts' answers. The scores of Soldiers without prior negotiation experience increased significantly from pre-training to post-training. The scores of Soldiers with prior negotiation experience failed to increase; however, their initial pre-training scores were already relatively high. The results suggest that a relatively short amount of training with BiLAT (less than three hours) was sufficient to increase the knowledge level of novice negotiators. It remains to be determined whether only novices can benefit from training with BiLAT, or whether more experienced Soldiers might also gain some benefit, with greater amounts of training. In general, Soldier response to the training experience was very positive, despite the fact that more than 50% of them said they played games rarely or never. These results are significant because they provide new evidence that game-based tools such as the BiLAT can be used within certain conditions to effectively train Soldiers., See also ADM002187. Presented at the Army Science Conference (26th) held in Orlando, FL on 1-4 Dec 2008. The original document contains color images. Prepared in collaboration with MYMIC, LLC, Portsmouth, VA.

The present paper explores extreme car audio systems and the culture and practices that surround car audio competitions. I begin by examining whether, and how, car audio can be thought of as a 'music scene' and in what ways the culture and practice of car audio may fit within post-subcultural discourses. Following this, I offer a description of car audio competitions, revealing some of the practices that define this aspect of car audio scenes. In particular, I concentrate on sound pressure level (SPL) competitions and some of the interesting aspects of the SPL scene. Finally, I briefly examine how the powerful effects (and affects) of bass frequencies are an important part of the attraction of loud car audio systems and how car audio systems contribute to the territorializing of urban spaces.