You’ve been married before. Your mate hasn’t. According to a University of Michigan study, this kind of mixed marriage is becoming more common even though potential partners in the modern mating game continue to gravitate to others with similar marital histories. “Marital history is something that’s every bit as important in choosing a mate as age, education, religion, and race,” said Hiromi Ono, a sociologist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR), the world’s largest academic survey and re
The ways in which European countries respond to the ‘new social risks’ which result from changes in patterns of work and family life vary considerably. Britain’s response has placed the country firmly at the forefront of current directions in EU welfare policy, according to research to be presented by Professor Peter Taylor-Gooby of University of Kent at the University of Oxford on 9 September. This is despite traditionally low expenditure on welfare and a strong commitment to the market.
New research from the University of Warwick is set to reveal some striking similarities between the actions of groups of people who travel on flagship airlines, seemingly at random, between the major cities of the world. An ongoing research project into airlines and international tourism shows in many cases it is only motivation that distinguishes the terrorist from the tourist, and may be the cause of big headaches for the world’s national carriers.
What’s more failure to appreciat
The United Nations’ strategies to increase gender equality in the field of human rights have increased our knowledge of the situation of women, but in the meantime the variety of violations has become invisible. This is one of the findings of a doctoral dissertation in international law written by Sari Kouvo of the School of Economics and Commercial Law at Göteborg University , Sweden.
Since its inception in 1945 the UN has been one of the foremost international players for human ri
The Olympiad kick off marks the return of the Games to their ancient birthplace. In Ancient Greece the land’s best athletes would test their skills in events like wrestling, and running. However, one constant of the Olympics is the significance of sporting superstars. Philosopher Dr Angie Hobbs from the University of Warwick contends that some top athletes fulfil a vital social function, as they can provide happiness, hope, inspiration, release from care and a sense of national identity.
The trend for young people to continue in education and postpone independence is creating problems for them and parents, according to new research sponsored by the ESRC.
A study led by Professor Gill Jones, at Keele University, found that with the age of independence now effectively 24, there are difficulties both for parents with limited financial resources and other responsibilities, and for young adults who want to be able to make and act on their own decisions. By offering o
Family businesses can be dynamic engines of local economic growth in rich economies, but if a few wealthy families control many of the large businesses in the country where you live, chances are the economy is in the dumps.
Using statistical measures, a University of Alberta business professor and his colleague have shown a correlation between extensive family control of the large business sector and struggling economies in the countries where they are based. Their research has b
Senior citizens living alone and independently in apartments should interact often with others—both friends and family members—if they want to maintain their ability to communicate, a new University of Michigan study showed.
A lifestyle with organized activities seems to provide the best social opportunities for the elderly, said Deborah Keller-Cohen, a U-M professor of women’s studies and linguistics.
Much is known about the association between declines in cognitive f
How do men and women in the UK work and live together in the 21st Century? How do they compare as children and how do parents shape their upbringing? What choices do we make academically, what are male and female attitudes towards family and relationships? How do men and women share childcare, and what career paths do they choose, or have forced upon them? And how do the two genders compare in retirement?
The Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) has just awarded some of the co
Why did human ancestors evolve such large brains? While humans have an unusual array of characteristics that distinguish us from other species, it is our cognitive abilities and open-ended thinking that are most remarkable. University of Missouri-Columbia researchers found that the ability to excel at social problem solving led human brains to surpass other species in size, developing ecological dominance 1.5 to 2 million years ago.
Mark Flinn and Carol Ward, associate professors of anthrop
How can we build communities that encourage a more active lifestyle? Researchers at Saint Louis University School of Public Health have received a $99,000 grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to answer that question as they study how the features of our physical environment affect our activity levels.
The researchers, led by Ross Brownson, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology and director of the Prevention Research Center at Saint Louis University School of Public Health, will
Today, adulthood no longer begins when adolescence ends. In the bridge to adulthood, also referred to as early adulthood, many more young people are caught between the demands of employment (e.g., the need to learn advanced job skills) and economic dependence on their family to support them during this transition.
While most young adults are physically mature and possess the intellectual, social, and physiological skills needed for adulthood, many lack the economic independence to be
Many couples who move in together don’t do it with marriage in mind, a small study of New York City residents suggests.
Nearly all of the people interviewed who lived with a boyfriend or girlfriend said the major impetus was finances, convenience or housing needs. “The common wisdom seems to be that people live together because they’re testing the water before marriage. But we didn’t have a single person in this study who said that was the reason they moved in together,” said S
A new study suggests household residents don’t always agree on the extent of smoking restrictions in their home, and disagreement is more likely to happen if at least one of the residents is a smoker.
Residents provided conflicting accounts of strict home smoking bans in 12 percent of the households surveyed, according to Elizabeth Mumford, Ph.D., and colleagues at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation.
The report in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive
As ministers prepare to decamp for their holidays, Professor Fiona Williams of the University of Leeds has just published the perfect summer reading. It’s only 96 pages long, it’s jargon-free, and it could change our lives – and theirs – immeasurably.
Rethinking Families is the crystallation of a £1.3 million research project by the ESRC-funded team on Care, Values and the Future of Welfare (CAVA). Over the course of five years, some 400 people gave 500 hours of interviews about their family live
University of Ulster research probes pals’ influences on Northern Ireland prejudice levels.
Just having a friend who has a friend from the ‘other side’ can reduce levels of sectarian prejudice among individuals in Northern Ireland, according to new psychological research from the University of Ulster.
This research was carried out in the context of inter-community relations in Northern Ireland. In two surveys, one with over 300 university students and the other with over 70
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