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The current exploratory review examines the upstream factors influencing health disparities in the current healthcare landscape, particularly in the context of the immigrant population in Los Angeles. Specifically, the Latino/Hispanic immigrant population serves as a key case study, offering insights into immigrant experiences and contributing to a nuanced understanding of the broader immigrant population. Upon extensive research, the paper identifies three primary root factors: first, the underutilization of healthcare services due to anxieties related to immigrant status; second, a lack of substantial education and resources hindering accessible healthcare; and third, discriminatory practices in healthcare facilities targeted at immigrants. Characterizing such health disparity as a broader social inequality issue rather than mere isolated individual concerns, the paper asserts a need for effective interventions aimed at addressing the fundamental barriers to immigrant access to healthcare beyond immediate problem-solving. Drawing upon best practices from existing literature, it further proposes a potential intervention, incorporating strategies aimed to instigate positive social change within immigrants’ access to healthcare.

Mexico faces deep inequalities: the richest 10% concentrate 57.4% of the country's income and 78.7% of its wealth, while the poorest 50% have access to barely 9.2% of the income and lack significant wealth. Social inequality and poverty are closely linked. While inequality is not the only cause of poverty, it plays a significant role in perpetuating it. Addressing social inequality is essential to effectively combat poverty and build more equitable and fair societies. The infant mortality rate (IMR) is a key indicator, strongly influenced by structural factors such as poverty, which reflects avoidable, unnecessary and premature deaths, which can be prevented through individual and collective actions. The relationship between poverty and child health is well recognized, as poverty is associated with the worst outcomes in child health, particularly in infant mortality. In 2020, the distribution of infant mortality among the Mexican states was remarkably heterogeneous, with rates ranging from 6.1 to 20.5 deaths per 1,000 births. The Pearson correlation coefficient between the IMR and the percentage of people living in extreme poverty (r = 0.550), educational gap (r = 0.530), lack of access to health services (r = 0.547); and people with 3 or more social deficiencies (r = 0.520) was high and statistically significant; but the IMR is also moderately associated with poverty (r = 0.494) and lack of social security (r = 0.494). The nine entities with high or very high rates of infant mortality and extreme poverty were Chiapas, Guerrero, Mexico, Michoacán, Puebla, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Tlaxcala, and Yucatán. Although Mexico has managed to reduce its infant mortality rate, it is still much higher than the average for Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. To further reducing this rate, it is necessary to address poverty reduction, expand access to essential health services, improve prenatal and postnatal care, and strengthen preventive services, such as vaccination. A special program involving all health institutions and with adequate resources is required. It is crucial to prioritize actions in the nine most affected Mexican states. It is unacceptable that, in 2020, infant mortality in Oaxaca was more than three times higher than Nayarit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the heart of the neoliberal university, affective energies linked to roles, responsibilities, expectations, policies, and bodies impact the atmosphere of university life. Associate professors report the highest levels of dissatisfaction among all ranks, as they find themselves entangled in affective knots. To understand these knots in associate professor lifeworlds, we solicit their accounts and reveal affective pain points in the neoliberal university. In this paper, we illuminate the affective knots of melancholy, stasis, and death, giving voice, feeling, and texture to associate professors' dissatisfaction within the neoliberal institution. However invisible, these affective knots threaten the university's teaching, learning, scholarship, and social transformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of EURE is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background and Hypothesis Recent findings suggest the incidence of first-episode psychotic disorders (FEP) varies according to setting-level deprivation and cannabis use, but these factors have not been investigated together. We hypothesized deprivation would be more strongly associated with variation in FEP incidence than the prevalence of daily or high-potency cannabis use between settings. Study Design We used incidence data in people aged 18–64 years from 14 settings of the EU-GEI study. We estimated the prevalence of daily and high-potency cannabis use in controls as a proxy for usage in the population at-risk; multiple imputations by chained equations and poststratification weighting handled missing data and control representativeness, respectively. We modeled FEP incidence in random intercepts negative binomial regression models to investigate associations with the prevalence of cannabis use in controls, unemployment, and owner-occupancy in each setting, controlling for population density, age, sex, and migrant/ethnic group. Study Results Lower owner-occupancy was independently associated with increased FEP (adjusted incidence rate ratio [aIRR]: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.61–0.95) and non-affective psychosis incidence (aIRR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.55–0.83), after multivariable adjustment. Prevalence of daily cannabis use in controls was associated with the incidence of affective psychoses (aIRR: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.02–2.31). We found no association between FEP incidence and unemployment or high-potency cannabis use prevalence. Sensitivity analyses supported these findings. Conclusions Lower setting-level owner-occupancy and increased prevalence of daily cannabis use in controls independently contributed to setting-level variance in the incidence of different psychotic disorders. Public health interventions that reduce exposure to these harmful environmental factors could lower the population-level burden of psychotic disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In educational sociology, it is of greatest interest to explain why some students are more successful than others and obtain higher educational qualifications or receive better grades, which can have long-lasting consequences. The present study compares the influence of early academic performance, which can be regarded as a proxy of overall intelligence, to the socio-economic status (SES) of the family, which measures how much a family can invest in the education of their offspring. Using large-scale German NEPS panel data (N = 5,208), the analyses test statistically how much variance of two outcome variables (acquisition of higher education eligibility and final grade) are explained by academic performance and SES; both measured approximately 9 years earlier at the beginning of secondary education. Dominance analyses reveal that performance has a larger influence (ca. 14% for both outcomes) than SES (ca. 8% for eligibility and ca. 4% for grades). Regression analyses show that high performance can better compensate for low SES than vice versa. These results indicate that performance is probably more relevant for academic success than the SES of one's own family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adolescent mental health problems impose a significant burden. Exploring evolving social environments could enhance comprehension of their impact on mental health. We aimed to depict the trajectories of the neighborhood social exposome from middle to late adolescence and assess the intricate relationship between them and late adolescent mental health. Participants (n = 3965) from the FinnTwin12 cohort with completed questionnaires at age 17 were used. Nine mental health measures were assessed. The social exposome comprised 28 neighborhood social indicators. Trajectories of these indicators from ages 12 to 17 were summarized via latent growth curve modeling into growth factors, including baseline intercept. Mixture effects of all growth factors were assessed through quantile-based g-computation. Repeated generalized linear regressions identified significant growth factors. Sex stratification was performed. The linear-quadratic model was the most optimal trajectory model. No mixture effect was detected. Regression models showed some growth factors saliently linked to the p-factor, internalizing problems, anxiety, hyperactivity, and aggression. The majority of them were baseline intercepts. Quadratic growth factors about mother tongues correlated with anxiety among sex-combined participants and males. The linear growth factor in the proportion of households of couples without children was associated with internalizing problems in females. We were limited to including only neighborhood-level social exposures, and the multilevel contextual exposome situation interfered with our assessment. Trajectories of the social neighborhood exposome modestly influenced late adolescent mental health. Tackling root causes of social inequalities through targeted programs for living conditions could improve adolescent mental health. • Trajectories of the neighborhood social exposome were depicted in adolescence. • No mixture effect of trajectories on adolescent mental health was found. • Most of the growth factors selected by regression models were baseline intercepts. • Changes in neighborhood language and household structures linked with mental health. • Results may be affected by the multilevel contextual exposome situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews friendship research to offer a conceptual framework that helps us better understand the co‐constructive nature of gender, sexuality, and friendship in the United States. Scholarship across psychology and sociology considers friendship experiences, friendship processes, friendship patterns, friendship schemas, and the social implications of friendship. Psychological research identifies that friendship experiences and friendships processes differ by gender and explores the social implications for individuals. While sociology has dedicated less attention to friendship, this perspective offers insights on the social construction and structural basis of friendship. Sociological perspectives reveal how friendship schemas—based in amatonormativity, heteronormativity, and gender essentialism—shape friendship experiences, friendship processes, and friendship patterns in gendered ways. In addition, sociological research examines the social implications of friendship at both individual and institutional levels, documenting friendship's roles in systems of inequality. Thus, I argue that a sociological perspective is necessary to fully grasp how societies in general and cultural understandings of gender and sexuality in particular, shape and are shaped by friendships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Limited lung function represents a serious health impairment. However, studies investigating social inequalities in limited lung function are rare. Thus, the current study investigates which socioeconomic groups are the most affected by overall limited lung function and severely limited lung function. Methods: Data from the population-based German Aging Survey were used (N = 4472), with participants being 40 + years old. Lung function was assessed by the peak flow test. Education, income, and occupational prestige were used as socioeconomic indicators. Results: We found that overall limited lung function was highly prevalent across the whole sample, with about 33% (Women: 35%; Men: 30%) having overall limited lung function and 8% (Women: 7%; Men: 8%) having severely limited lung function. Socioeconomic differences in limited lung function emerged for all three indicators, education, income, and occupational prestige, in both men and women in single effect analyses. These differences persisted for occupational prestige and income when controlling for all indicators simultaneously. Conclusions: Thus, overall and severely limited lung function are highly prevalent health conditions. Men and women with a low occupational position and those with low income are the most affected. Socioeconomic indicators cannot be used interchangeably when studying health inequalities in lung functioning. Occupational hazards and physical working conditions are likely to constitute major risks of health inequalities in limited lung functioning and should be investigated as such by future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the face of the current crisis of democracy affecting multiple Western societies, largely stemming from social discontent rooted in the inequality characterizing these so-called neoliberal market and consumer societies, this essay explores the hypothesis that such social resentment and the referenced institutional crisis stem from two mechanisms implemented by the elites. These mechanisms are not only designed to ensure and perpetuate their privileges but, more importantly, to exercise control and discipline over society through: the breaking of communal bonds through extreme individualism and consumerism (1), and the internalization of failure and the justification of inequality through meritocracy (2). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite citizens' precarization and policymakers' enthusiasm for a universal basic income (UBI), this alternative to targeted welfare has, curiously, received limited popular support. We theorize that this is due to people overestimating society's meritocratic nature. Accordingly, we field a randomized survey experiment with a representative sample of the Dutch population (n = 1,630) to investigate the impact of information provision about the non-meritocratic nature of wealth and ethnic inequality on support for a UBI. Informed by extant research indicating that citizens respond differently to the same information because of material circumstances or different worldviews, we further estimate conditional average treatment effects to explore moderation by (1) income, (2) economic egalitarianism, (3) welfare chauvinism and (4) institutional trust. We find that support for a UBI is higher among individuals with lower incomes and those who are more egalitarian and less welfare chauvinistic. Nonetheless, while exposure to our factual treatment makes participants more concerned about inequality and supportive of economic redistribution in general, it neither directly nor conditionally affects their support for a UBI. Our findings suggest that a UBI may be deemed too radical an approach to addressing inequality. We discuss theoretical and policy implications and provide suggestions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a context of universalization of Higher Education (HE) and fragmentation of educational trajectories, consolidating a process of educational and social mobility implies, for many students with non-traditional backgrounds, important identity conflicts. Based on 40 qualitative interviews with non-traditional working-class students enrolled in an HE institution in Barcelona (Spain), three major patterns of what we have called 'habitus transformations' have been identified: adaptation, substitution and dislocation or rupture. The results of this study suggest that the universalization of access to HE does not mechanically imply greater opportunities for educational success for non-traditional students. The contribution also introduces the subjective experience of being a non-traditional HE student and the emotional impacts and contradictions involved in the processes of social mobility through HE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous studies show social inequality in tooth loss, but the underlying pathways are not well understood. The aim was to investigate the mediated proportion of sugary beverages (SBs) and diabetes and the association between educational level and tooth loss, and to investigate whether the indirect effect of SBs and diabetes varied between educational groups in relation to tooth loss. Methods: Data from 47,109 Danish men and women aged 50 years or older included in the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Study was combined with data from Danish registers. Using natural effect models, SBs and diabetes were considered as mediators, and tooth loss was defined as having <15 teeth present. Results: In total, 10,648 participants had tooth loss. The analyses showed that 3% (95% confidence interval 2–4%) of the social inequality in tooth loss was mediated through SBs and diabetes. The mediated proportion was mainly due to differential exposure to SBs and diabetes among lower educational groups. Conclusions: The findings show that SBs and diabetes to a minor degree contribute to tooth-loss inequalities. The explanation indicates that individuals in lower educational groups have higher consumption of SBs and more often suffer from diabetes than higher educational groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines historical trends in health inequalities over the 20th and 21st centuries. Drawing on studies from the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Western Europe, it concludes that there is evidence of a u-shaped curve in (relative) health inequalities. These trends in health inequalities broadly parallel those identified by economists with regards to the u-shaped curve of income and wealth inequalities across the 20th and 21st centuries. The article argues that—as with income inequalities—health inequalities generally decreased across the twentieth century through to the early 1980s. They then started to increase and accelerated further from 2010, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. The article sets out four distinct policy periods that shaped the evolution of trends in health inequalities: the Interbellum Era, 1920–1950; the Trente Glorieuse, 1950–1980; Neoliberalism, 1980–2010; and the Crisis Age, 2010–present. The u-shaped curve of health inequalities over this period suggests that social policies, health care access, and political incorporation have driven changes over time. Taking this long view of changes in health inequalities emphasizes the importance of politics and policy for future health improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ecocritical analysis of Omar El Akkad's novel "American War" examines how literature can raise awareness of climate change and its consequences. The study demonstrates how the novel's dystopian future of environmental catastrophe can spark critical environmental debate. Literature's power to transform society is key to addressing the global threats posed by climate change, which impacts ecosystems, health, and the economy. The qualitative study analyzes the novel's themes, characters, and story structures, revealing how it vividly depicts a future America devastated by climate change, rising sea levels, and ecological collapse. Dystopian stories like "American War" underscore the urgency of climate change and promote environmental consciousness in schools and society. Interdisciplinary methods combining literary and environmental science can further expand thinking and engage people in combating climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examined social inequality and the resulting conflicts in the movie "Fantastic Mr. Fox." The objectives were to identify and analyze the portrayal of social inequality within the film using Max Weber’s theory of social stratification. Using descriptive qualitative method, the study involved detailed analysis of the movie script to uncover these themes. The findings revealed that the farmers, representing the upper class, oppress the animal community, which symbolizes the lower class. This dynamic led to various conflicts, highlighting the struggles and resistance of the underprivileged against the powerful. Film analysis demonstrated how animated films can reflect real-world social hierarchies. In conclusion, the research provided a deeper understanding of the use of popular media to comment on societal issues and emphasizes the importance of empathy and collective action to address inequality. This study contributes to the field by showcasing the potential of animated films as tools for social commentary and education. This study highlights the capacity of animated films to serve as effective mediums for social critique, urging viewers to recognize and challenge societal inequalities. The findings underscore the necessity for empathy and collective action in addressing systemic oppression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China implemented the stringent and controversial zero-COVID policies nationally for almost three years during the pandemic, yet little is known why Chinese citizens tolerated and supported the policies. Adopting the explanatory frameworks of direct experience and political socialization, we explored, with data from a representative survey in a coastal area in China, how adolescents in the area formulated their behavioural compliance with and attitudinal trust in the policies. We found that after socio-demographic differences were controlled, negative direct experiences during the pandemic were associated with deviation and distrust while positive direct experiences correlated with compliance and trust. In addition, parental socialization at home and school socialization also affected adolescents in their policy support. Those who enjoyed good communications with parents tended to develop both behavioural compliance and attitudinal trust. Adolescents with college-educated parents were more likely to show trust in the zero-COVID policies, and those who attended elite schools were more likely to comply with them. Attention needs to be paid to the agencies of adolescents embedded in their life environment in developing attitudinal and behavioural policy support, as well as the increasing inequality in China during the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Limited lung function represents a serious health impairment. However, studies investigating social inequalities in limited lung function are rare. Thus, the current study investigates which socioeconomic groups are the most affected by overall limited lung function and severely limited lung function. Methods Data from the population-based German Aging Survey were used (N = 4472), with participants being 40 + years old. Lung function was assessed by the peak flow test. Education, income, and occupational prestige were used as socioeconomic indicators. Results We found that overall limited lung function was highly prevalent across the whole sample, with about 33% (Women: 35%; Men: 30%) having overall limited lung function and 8% (Women: 7%; Men: 8%) having severely limited lung function. Socioeconomic differences in limited lung function emerged for all three indicators, education, income, and occupational prestige, in both men and women in single effect analyses. These differences persisted for occupational prestige and income when controlling for all indicators simultaneously. Conclusions Thus, overall and severely limited lung function are highly prevalent health conditions. Men and women with a low occupational position and those with low income are the most affected. Socioeconomic indicators cannot be used interchangeably when studying health inequalities in lung functioning. Occupational hazards and physical working conditions are likely to constitute major risks of health inequalities in limited lung functioning and should be investigated as such by future studies.

All over Europe, the question of sustainable care for the older people gains attention. Although the number of older migrants is increasing significantly, to date only little empirical research deals with migrant family care. In this paper, we thus give an overview of theoretical models on care and wellbeing and adjust them to (different groups of) migrants across Europe. We then present (rare) empirical studies on (in-) formal care and wellbeing, asking: do migrants give/use care more likely than natives and if so, why? Are migrant caregivers more or less burdened compared to non-migrant caregivers? How did the pandemic affect migrant caregivers? Based on our assessments of the state of quantitative research we highlight limitations and propose paths for future research on care in migrant families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study provides a longitudinal analysis of the strong decline in trust in the government in the Netherlands during the corona pandemic in 2020/2021. At the start of the pandemic, 69 per cent of the Dutch population had (much) trust in the government. One and a half year later this was declined to only 29 per cent. Using multilevel regression we studied individual level differences in both the level of trust and the degree of decline during the corona pandemic. We found various differences in the level of trust, particularly a strong effect of education: higher and intermediate educated people have more trust than lower educated respondents. All time varying variables also correlated with trust: the more people have troubles with making ends meet, have health problems and the higher their discontent with corona policies, the lower their trust in the government. Perceived threat by COVID increases trust in the government. Surprisingly, we found no individual differences in the decline of trust. Irrespective of their education, migration background or other characteristics, the decline in trust during the corona pandemic is more or less the same for all respondents. However, we found that the average development of trust is related with several time varying variables. There is a clear relation between the steep decline in trust and the growing discontent with corona policies. The decline in trust is also related to the perceived threat of the virus. Particularly in the later phase of the pandemic, both the perceived threat and the level of trust dropped. The average development of trust seemed not related to economic security and health problems during the pandemic. Although the perceived health remained rather constant during the pandemic and respondents experienced less problems with making ends meet, partly because the extensive economic support of the Dutch government, the level of trust in the government nevertheless fell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates three potential mechanisms of educational differentials in formal childcare uptake in Belgium, a country characterised by high availability, but also pronounced gradients in childcare uptake. We investigate whether and to what extent educational differentials can be accounted for by (i) differences in employment opportunities of mothers with different educational backgrounds, (ii) variation in local childcare availability which may entail different access, or (iii) differential availability of grandparents as an alternative source of affordable and flexible care. We use data from the 2011 Belgian census, which provides us with information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the entire population legally residing in Belgium. The census was linked to tax register data which gives insight into the uptake of formal childcare as childcare expenses are tax-deductible, as well as municipality-level data on childcare availability. Using logistic regression analysis, we investigate the uptake of formal childcare among two-parent families with one child younger than 2.5 years old. Results indicate that educational gradients are mainly due to differences in employment opportunities rather than differential availability of formal childcare at the local level or informal childcare availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Race-and-class-subjugated communities continue to experience disproportionate police violence despite increased attention to this longstanding problem. This study examines how residents make sense of the legal issues that arise from these encounters and turn to civil law for assistance. I do so by unifying scholarship on police encounters, legal consciousness, and access to justice to consider the obstacles everyday people encounter when they consider filing a civil legal claim in the aftermath of police violence. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork and interviews with 24 residents and two attorneys specializing in police brutality, I find that all residents, but especially those who sought civil legal justice, experienced what this study calls a legal mirage—which occurs when a knowable legal process exists to pursue one's rights, but a variety of barriers (e.g., structural, human, financial) make that process unreachable. Three obstacles reinforced this mirage: difficulties obtaining competent representation, unresponsiveness when securing evidence, and frustration navigating municipal indemnification. I conclude by outlining the practical implications of this research for advocates looking to increase access to civil legal services and reduce police violence. Without these interventions, civil legal justice may remain elusive and beyond the reach of everyday people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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OBJECTIVES: This study aims to investigate the extent to which low job control and heavy physical workload in middle age explain educational differences in all-cause and ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality while accounting for important confounding factors. METHODS: The study is based on a register-linked cohort of men who were conscripted into the Swedish military at around the age of 18 in 1969/1970 and were alive and registered in Sweden in 2005 (N=46 565). Cox proportional hazards regression models were built to estimate educational differences in all-cause and IHD mortality and the extent to which this was explained by physical workload and job control around age 55 by calculating the reduction in hazard ratio (HR) after adjustments. Indicators of health, health behavior, and other factors measured during conscription were accounted for. RESULTS: We found a clear educational gradient for all-cause and IHD mortality (HR 2.07 and 2.47, respectively, for the lowest compared to the highest education level). A substantial part was explained by the differential distribution of the confounding factors. However, work-related factors, especially high physical workload, also played important explanatory roles. CONCLUSION: Even after accounting for earlier life factors, low job control and especially high physical workload seem to be important mechanistic factors in explaining educational inequalities in all-cause and IHD mortality. It is therefore important to find ways to reduce physical workload and increase job control in order to decrease inequalities in mortality.

This article analyzes an Embera myth from northwest Colombia that sheds light on the origin of racial disparities and the poverty experienced by indigenous communities in comparison to “whites.” Methodologically, the myth was collected using ethnographic techniques in the Jaikerazabi community, located in the municipality of Mutatá, Antioquia. The interpretation involves identifying the myth’s structure and analyzing the historical and social context that perpetuates inequalities between the Embera and other groups. According to the myth, the subordinate status of indigenous peoples stemmed from their perceived weakness and the decree of the god Karagabí, who supposedly favored the abilities of whites and mestizos. The article concludes that this myth offers insights into racial hierarchies and socio-spatial, economic, and political dynamics resulting from colonization and the country’s development model. The myth legitimizes the historical domination over the Embera people by presenting modern rationality as canonical, diminishing the value of traditionally inhabited spaces and condemning indigenous people to poverty for not conforming to the Western model. However, it also serves as an attempt to comprehend and potentially transform these inequalities. The originality of the article lies in providing insight into Embera culture through the lens of myth to provide a perspective on how indigenous people perceive the inequality they experience. This approach also recognizes myths as evolving narratives that adapt to historical changes experienced by these societies.

This paper explores the role of family trajectories during childhood in explaining inequalities by maternal education in children's math and reading skills using harmonized, longitudinal, and nationally representative surveys, which follow children over the course of primary and lower secondary school in four high‐income countries (England, France, Germany, and the United States). As single parenthood and family transitions are more likely among less educated parents and are associated with fewer resources for children, we explore whether growing up outside a stable two‐parent family mediates educational inequalities in math and reading scores. Results show a strong educational gradient in family trajectories in the four countries, but this varies by child age and by country. Children who experience a family transition record lower test scores, although the magnitude differs by the type of postseparation arrangements. Overall, family trajectories are strongly associated with children's math and reading scores but, because of the importance of selectivity in family trajectories, they play only a modest role in explaining the skills gaps by maternal education, considerably less than determinants such as income. The penalties associated with not living within a stable two‐parent family are always larger in the United States and England than in France and Germany. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though risk-taking is a common and widespread social experience sociological theorizing on the concept is scarce. This contribution aims to systematize and advance understanding of risk-taking and its different forms and how these connect to social inequalities and the social machinery. It considers risk-taking in the context of the debate about Bourdieu's theory of practice and Archer's theory of morphogenesis before suggesting a conceptual framework that outlines different rationales, dimensions, and the role of agency for understanding risk-taking as an individual and as a collective activity. The concept highlights the ambivalent character of risk-taking as an expression and mode of reproducing inequalities and a crucial resource to overcome disadvantage and foster social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of community-based tourism (CBT) on residents' quality of life (QOL) has been realized in many aspects, concerning attitude, physical, environmental, and relationships in society. However, several positive and negative factors influence QOL, and few studies have explored these factors. Focusing on measuring the significant CBT factors that have not been previously explored and examined, this study explored factors that influence QOL in CBT using factor analysis. The results show that CBT factors measuring residents' QOL, such as economic, public administration, technology, external actors, and social inequalities in several community-based attributes, can measure the effect on residents' QOL. This study emphasizes that CBT factors are suitably performed and managed can dynamically reduce and alleviate the impacts on residents' QOL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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With the popularisation of intelligent personal assistants (IPAs) like Amazon's Alexa and the Google Assistant, natural language-based interaction with machines is increasingly becoming a part of everyday life. The conceptualisation of these tools as agentive assistants who help with a variety of tasks in both the household and at work is guided by their marketing: When Apple introduced the Siri-technology at their keynote event in 2011, the system responded to the question 'Siri, who are you?' with 'I am a humble personal assistant'. This claim to a speaking subject position while at the same time locating this subject firmly in a servile social role has become a defining feature of the social place of IPAs: Designed to postulate agency, they do so not in equality with humans but as their servants. This paper offers an interdisciplinary analysis of video advertisements for IPAs, combining sociological and linguistic approaches. We treat agency and actors not as something given but as something that becomes visible through communicative acts, suggesting an understanding of these advertisements as socio-technical visions in which the negotiation of agency in human–machine interaction serves two functions: Firstly, the asymmetrical relationship between the human and the machine promises a symmetrisation of human–human relationships. In an imagined diversified world of equal human rights and relationships, social inequality is reconfigured in the relationship between human and non-human entities. Secondly, the negotiation of agency between humans and machines deflects from questions regarding the increasing agency and power of the companies behind these IPAs and their growing access to and influence on people's private lives. Our paper will thus provide insights into how agency is ascribed in human–human and human–machine interaction considering social practices of symmetrisation and hierarchisation as well as a critical investigation into the triangular relationships between humans', machines', and companies' agency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of city lockdowns in response to the COVID-19 pandemic exposed some social inequalities in Mexico. The paper evaluates the effects of the closure of the Alameda Central, a public park in the Historic Centre of Mexico City. It examines how its closure affected some vulnerable populations, including homeless people, beggars, street vendors, buskers, and male sex workers, to the extent that they resisted leaving or found ways to return to public space. The research shows how Mexican COVID-19 policies tended to overlook the diversity of populations making use of public space, and their various necessities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Standort: Zeitschrift für Angewandte Geographie is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper investigates employment changes during the COVID-19 pandemic for women and men in a country characterized by notoriously low female employment: Italy. The paper explores to what extent previously existing inequalities in employment were further exacerbated during the pandemic. Using data from the Italian Labor Force Surveys from 2018 to 2020, we find evidence of a limited decline in employment, but a steep increase in the number of individuals working zero hours during the lockdown periods. This result holds for both men and women. The pandemic highlighted how gender inequalities in employment intersect with other socioeconomic disadvantages: single mothers and lower-educated women were more affected than their male counterparts, while single men without children and foreign men were hit stronger than women with the same characteristics in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic. The pandemic thus came with differentiated consequences, generally affecting those already in less advantaged situations harder. At the same time, the results support the idea that women’s employment was crucial to counteract job loss in the family, and some became the only breadwinner for their families. This also exposed them to risks by working during the pandemic. Overall, the pandemic greatly accentuated preexisting social inequalities in the Italian labor market, yet with an apparently transitory effect at least regarding employment participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is now present in nearly every aspect of our daily lives. Furthermore, while this AI augmentation is generally beneficial, or at worst, nonproblematic, some instances warrant attention. In this study, we argue that AI bias resulting from training data sets in the labor market can significantly amplify minor inequalities, which later in life manifest as permanently lost opportunities and social status and wealth segregation. The Matthew effect is responsible for this phenomenon, except that the focus is not on the rich getting richer, but on the poor becoming even poorer. We demonstrate how frequently changing expectations for skills, competencies, and knowledge lead to AI failing to make impartial hiring decisions. Specifically, the bias in the training data sets used by AI affects the results, causing the disadvantaged to be overlooked while the privileged are frequently chosen. This simple AI bias contributes to growing social inequalities by reinforcing the Matthew effect, and it does so at much faster rates than previously. We assess these threats by studying data from various labor fields, including justice, security, healthcare, human resource management, and education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early childhood education and care (ECEC) has been found to be beneficial for the development of children below three years. However, many children do not attend ECEC facilities. Frequently, structural family characteristics (SFC), such as migration background, educational attainment and income, are used to explain differing probabilities of attendance, while parental attitudes are mostly not considered. Thus, assuming that SFC influence attitudes, this paper investigates whether the attitudes and views of parents towards ECEC explain why one- and two-year-old children from disadvantaged families attend day care less often, although they would strongly benefit from high-quality ECEC. The underlying data are from the German DJI Child Care Study (KiBS). The results show that parental attitudes substantially contribute to explaining diverging attendance probabilities. The more positive parents evaluate day care, the higher the probability of their child attending. However, SFC maintain most of their explanatory power. Besides, SFC and parental attitudes interact. The probability of ECEC attendance increases differently depending on the (varying degree of positivity of) attitudes by SFC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]