Men on the home front: spatialities of domesticity and masculinity. This project promotes 'good health and well being for all Australians'. Case studies 1 and 2 investigate the factors underpinning self-reliance and family support in a time of changing household structures. They seek to understand how the domestic lives of men both living alone, and in families, can better contribute to social well-being and wider community interaction and cohesion. Case study 3 focuses on a group of men margina ....Men on the home front: spatialities of domesticity and masculinity. This project promotes 'good health and well being for all Australians'. Case studies 1 and 2 investigate the factors underpinning self-reliance and family support in a time of changing household structures. They seek to understand how the domestic lives of men both living alone, and in families, can better contribute to social well-being and wider community interaction and cohesion. Case study 3 focuses on a group of men marginalised from wider society and the care networks servicing the aged community, thus providing knowledge that will improve the mental and physical capacities of older gay men.Read moreRead less
The time of our lives: Time equity and the balancing of market and non-market production in the modern Australian population. This project will yield new information relevant to the national social inclusion agenda and the research priority goal of understanding and strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric to help families and individuals live healthy, productive, fulfilling lives. Through a multilayered analysis of gender, class, life course stage, time allocation and the connection ....The time of our lives: Time equity and the balancing of market and non-market production in the modern Australian population. This project will yield new information relevant to the national social inclusion agenda and the research priority goal of understanding and strengthening Australia's social and economic fabric to help families and individuals live healthy, productive, fulfilling lives. Through a multilayered analysis of gender, class, life course stage, time allocation and the connections between them, it will demonstrate links between various forms of social and economic participation and identify how they could be distributed more evenly. This knowledge is important to inform policy to better enable young people to become independent, families to both earn a living and care well for their children, and older people to be productive and socially engaged.Read moreRead less
Sexual Technologies and Reproductive Powers. The project is to investigate the impact of the new reproductive technologies on the concepts of the sexual relation. The derivation of concepts of sexual equality, and their relation and dependence on technology will be examined. Using the theoretical perspectives of European philosophy, in conjunction with contemporary feminist philosophy, the direction of change in concepts will be investigated.
If men did more housework, would women have more babies? Cross-national fertility rates and the gender division of labour. This project could contribute to the future well being of Australian society and its citizens by addressing the increasingly pressing social issue of fertility decline, and its consequence, population aging. The Treasury Intergenerational Report 2002-3 has identified structural aging of the population as a major social challenge because it threatens labour supply, social sta ....If men did more housework, would women have more babies? Cross-national fertility rates and the gender division of labour. This project could contribute to the future well being of Australian society and its citizens by addressing the increasingly pressing social issue of fertility decline, and its consequence, population aging. The Treasury Intergenerational Report 2002-3 has identified structural aging of the population as a major social challenge because it threatens labour supply, social stability and economic growth. The taxes of a shrinking work force may have to support a mounting number of dependent elderly. The proposed research could identify practical social interventions to facilitate higher birth rates, which would slow population aging by increasing the ratio of young people to elderly. Read moreRead less
Marital separation and divorce: social correlates, gender differences and initiation. For most couples, although not all, separation and divorce eventually lead to more positive life experiences and outcomes, even so for all couples marriage breakdown has significant social, emotional and financial consequences (at least in the short term). Billions of dollars in direct (i.e. social security, family court system) and indirect costs (i.e. ill health, absenteeism) are incurred by the Australian c ....Marital separation and divorce: social correlates, gender differences and initiation. For most couples, although not all, separation and divorce eventually lead to more positive life experiences and outcomes, even so for all couples marriage breakdown has significant social, emotional and financial consequences (at least in the short term). Billions of dollars in direct (i.e. social security, family court system) and indirect costs (i.e. ill health, absenteeism) are incurred by the Australian community each year due to marriage breakdown. This research will help us to understand why some marriages breakdown while others remain intact, and in doing so, will add to the evidence base that informs policies concerning marriage and divorce.Read moreRead less
Gender, family conflict, and suicide in rural China. The principal outcome of this anthropological study is an understanding of the social and cultural causes of suicide in rural China, achieved through close collaboration with Chinese researchers. This will enhance cross-cultural awareness and build cooperative institutional ties with China, both of which are crucial to Australia's development and security in the region. The project will make a major contribution to a global re-conceptualisatio ....Gender, family conflict, and suicide in rural China. The principal outcome of this anthropological study is an understanding of the social and cultural causes of suicide in rural China, achieved through close collaboration with Chinese researchers. This will enhance cross-cultural awareness and build cooperative institutional ties with China, both of which are crucial to Australia's development and security in the region. The project will make a major contribution to a global re-conceptualisation of suicide as a social, as well as a mental health problem, and will raise the profile of Australian institutions in suicide studies, gender studies, anthropology, and Asian studies. Through postgraduate training, the project will also help build much-needed research capacity.Read moreRead less
Mapping Matrons: Women's Cultural Patronage Networks in Seventeenth Century Northern Italy: from Maria Cristina of Savoy to Vittoria della Rovere. This project adds an important historical dimension to contemporary debates concerning social capital and female leadership. It retrieves women's significant public engagement and community building in the realm of public taste. Historical precedents show how female networks and agency contribute to the community and public sector. Women's networks of ....Mapping Matrons: Women's Cultural Patronage Networks in Seventeenth Century Northern Italy: from Maria Cristina of Savoy to Vittoria della Rovere. This project adds an important historical dimension to contemporary debates concerning social capital and female leadership. It retrieves women's significant public engagement and community building in the realm of public taste. Historical precedents show how female networks and agency contribute to the community and public sector. Women's networks of taste shaped human creativity then...and now. This study will illuminate how our culture (and democracy) emerged in gendered networks of cultural exchange. The project also contributes to Australia's international reputation for high-quality scholarship on early modern Europe, and adds another dimension to cultural and gender studies in this country. Read moreRead less
The limited promise of 'equality biographies': Young Australians negotiate modern gendered identities, family and citizenship engagements in a divided society. Apart from its contribution to the international sociological debate concerning the individualization thesis, the project will contribute to pressing policy issues, ie. declining fertility, accessibility of abortion, appropriate childcare, humane immigration policies in a world with millions of refugees and reconciliation. Based on an em ....The limited promise of 'equality biographies': Young Australians negotiate modern gendered identities, family and citizenship engagements in a divided society. Apart from its contribution to the international sociological debate concerning the individualization thesis, the project will contribute to pressing policy issues, ie. declining fertility, accessibility of abortion, appropriate childcare, humane immigration policies in a world with millions of refugees and reconciliation. Based on an empirically grounded analysis in a rich qualitative data set revealing how young Australians see themselves negotiating family, work and citizenship, the project will construct the vocabularies by which young people locate themselves in the community. The results will make contributions to policy debates by suggesting changes that are responsive to the needs and aspirations of the citizens of the future.Read moreRead less
WHY CONTACT ORDERS FAIL: ASSUMPTIONS AND REALITY. This project addresses the growing problem of Family Court litigation to enforce orders for parent-child contact after separation. Recent policy responses to this significant problem have been based on assumptions and anecdotal evidence about why parents fail to comply with contact orders. As the first empirical study of the issue, the project's central aim is to analyse data collected from Family Court files to obtain a clear understanding of th ....WHY CONTACT ORDERS FAIL: ASSUMPTIONS AND REALITY. This project addresses the growing problem of Family Court litigation to enforce orders for parent-child contact after separation. Recent policy responses to this significant problem have been based on assumptions and anecdotal evidence about why parents fail to comply with contact orders. As the first empirical study of the issue, the project's central aim is to analyse data collected from Family Court files to obtain a clear understanding of the causes and effectiveness of enforcement proceedings. The research findings will provide a sound basis for assessing the current approach to contraventions of contact orders, and for designing any necessary reforms.Read moreRead less
Modelling the labour market and the impact of the tax-benefit system on employment and GDP. The key national benefit from the proposed project will be development of a more informed and rigorous basis for analysing and making decisions on an important set of policy issues. The project will develop a more empirically relevant modelling framework than currently available for analysing changes in the labour market and in tax and welfare policies. The results will assist policy analysts in identifyi ....Modelling the labour market and the impact of the tax-benefit system on employment and GDP. The key national benefit from the proposed project will be development of a more informed and rigorous basis for analysing and making decisions on an important set of policy issues. The project will develop a more empirically relevant modelling framework than currently available for analysing changes in the labour market and in tax and welfare policies. The results will assist policy analysts in identifying directions for reform that can raise living standards and achieve a more egalitarian society. The project will also identify reforms required to avert an ageing crisis, and those that inhibit GDP growth due to their negative effects on female employment, household saving and fertility. Read moreRead less