UNDERSTANDING PATTERNS OF CHILD MALTREATMENT

Some authors point to growing public awareness and financial stress on families to explain the increased number of child maltreatment reports over the past decade. This paper tests the relative importance of these two factors in explaining the increase. It compares and evaluates two conceptual models to see how well they predict the surge in child maltreatment reports over the last decade and the variability of reports across communities. A better understanding of the factors associated with child maltreatment will aid social service agencies in their attempt to mitigate further maltreatment of children.     

Leisure provision and usage in recently redeveloped areas of Belfast

The provision of leisure facilities within housing developments and redevelopments has been one of the cornerstone features of urban redevelopment in Northern Ireland. This study has shown that there is a high use of leisure facilities by the 22–30 age group but not by the senior citizens in the sample. The cost of such facilities seems to be a deciding factor rather than provision, but apathy and lack of interest appear to be parallel determinants     

The Effect of Equal Pay for Females on the Composition of Employment in Australia*

Equal pay for female workers in Australia resulted in marked increases in labour costs. These varied across industries. However. changes in the industrial structure induced by equal pay are found to contribute little by way of explanation for the relatively faster growth of female than male employment in the 1970s.     

Impact of wife's employment on service expenditures

Data from the 1986 Consumer Expenditure Survey were used to examine the relationship between wife's employment and spending on services that are expected to be sensitive to the value of time. Tobit regression analysis indicated that wife's employment status was influential in explaining expenditure on food away from home, child care and total services only. Other independent variables, such as income, education and age. were more influential in explaining expenditure than was wife's employment status.