Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Breastfeeding Social aspects Philippines'

The purpose of this qualitative study, guided by Rubin's Model was to describe women's perceptions of successful breastfeeding during the early stages of being a mother. The transition to motherhood marks a time of great developmental change in a woman's life. Infant feeding is an important aspect of this adaptation to the maternal role. The physiological benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby are well documented, but there is limited research on the psychological advantages of breastfeeding for the mother. This Masters research was a discrete part of a larger research project entitled the Perth Metropolitan Breastfeeding Study. This project comprised two parts: 1) The Breastfeeding Duration Study (conducted by Dr. P. Percival and Mrs. E. Duffy), which investigated the effects of an antenatal group teaching session for 395 breastfeeding mothers on nipple pain, nipple trauma and breastfeeding duration and 2) The Successful Breastfeeding Study, which investigated 20 women's perceptions of successful breastfeeding during the early stages of being a mother. The latter study, which is the focus of this Masters research, recruited a convenience sample of 20 successfully breastfeeding participants from the experimental group of the Breastfeeding Duration Study. Interviews were conducted at four weeks postpartum. Data were generated from audiotaped, open-ended interviews and analysed using the method of content analysis described by Burnard. This method involved describing, interpreting and extrapolating themes and meanings from the data. Validity and reliability were confirmed throughout data collection and analysis. Six main themes emerged from the data: The Ideal Mother Breastfeeds, Achievements, Accommodating a Breastfeeding Baby, Concerns, Breastfeeding is a Learnt Skill and Approaches to Breastfeeding. The findings provide an increased understanding and knowledge of women's experience of successful breastfeeding during the early stages of being a mother. They have significance for health administrators, prenatal educators, midwives and community nurses in the provision of resources, education, care and support to assist women to meet their desired breastfeeding goals.

The national health promotion goals for increasing breastfeeding initiation rates to at least 75% of all mothers and six month breastfeeding continuation rates of at least 50% by the year 2000 do not seem to be obtainable. These goals require new insight into what motivates a new mother to continue to breastfeed. This study identified perceived social support and interpersonal dependency as potential factors associated to lactation duration, based upon the previous breastfeeding experience of the mother. Inexperienced breastfeeding mothers perceived more total support, task support and informational support than mothers with previous breastfeeding experience. This study did not correlate the amount of perceived support to lactation duration. An ancillary finding was that women providing a combination of breast milk and artificial baby milk feeds had a significantly higher lack of social self-confidence than mothers providing breastmilk exclusively.
Department of Family and Consumer Sciences

This study focuses on communities in conservation in central Philippines, with reference to marine protected areas. It analyzes communities as intersections of multiple actors with stratified interests and power, involving complex processes of place-making, ecological knowledge, tenure, governance, markets, and negotiation with domestic and international non-governmental organisations (NGOs). As rights to places are fundamentally at issue with protected areas, matters of tenure are central for the study. And because marine protected areas (MPAs) are community-based, questions of local empowerment have equal centrality.
The ownership of rights to marine resources by village members is a necessary if not sufficient condition for the political empowerment of communities in conservation. The issue of property rights in the Philippines is irrevocably linked to issues of equity, as social actors confront prevailing unequal relations of power. The development of community commitment to the reconfigured arrangements of marine protected area establishment depends on substantial economic gains for marginalized villagers, an equitable distribution of those gain, the ecologically sound management of resources over which rights are negotiated and gains generated, and a socially meaningful realignment of relations of power among nested sources of authority.
My analysis points to the advantages of a reinforced community property regime that would call for measures by the national government to enhance villagers' tenure over their settlements and community waters (katubigang barangay). Such a regime is no panacea for the manifold social and environmental challenges faced by communities, but it would enable them to engage more confidently and constructively with state, NGO and other interests in conservation, and to address the real or perceived threats of dislocation by externally proposed schemes.
Two villages with MPAs in the province of Bohol in central Philippines serve as case study sites to explore intertwined social, economic and political variables that influence issues of conservation, equity and empowerment.

The dissertation deals with the infant mortality decline in Iceland during the 19th and early 20th Century. It shows that despite its low degree of urbanization, pre-transitional Iceland displayed higher infant mortality rates than most other European countries. Levels are only comparable with a few areas in Europe, all of whom were known for a tradition of artificial feeding of newborns. In the Icelandic case, infants were either not breastfed at all or were weaned at a very young age. Another characteristic of infant mortality in Iceland were huge fluctuations during epidemics. Because of the isolation of the country, several diseases that had become endemie in other societies, such as measles, became dangerous epidemics in Iceland and affected all age groups. After 1850 the effects of epidemics declined and 20 years later there was a steep decline in infant mortality. By the beginning of the 20th Century infant mortality in Iceland was lower than in most other societies. Although epidemics often had important temporary consequences upon infant mortality level in pretransitional Iceland, being breastfed or not was without doubt the most important determinant of infant survival. There were huge differences in infant mortality levels between areas where breastfeeding was common and those where newborns were artificially fed. Towards the turn of the 20th Century significant changes occurred. Even though there were still differences in infant mortality between those babies who were breastfed and those who were not, infant survival had improved greatly and survival chances of Icelandic newborns that were fed artificially became in an international perspective relatively good. Midwives played a central role in the infant mortality decline in Iceland. Growing secularization during the second part of the 19th Century improved educational opportunities for women and also changed the content of education. Improved educational opportunities were reflected in changes in the education of midwives. At the same time there was growth in the publication of books that directly dealt with the issue of infant health. The increase in the number of educated midwives was a factor of central importance. The interaction between midwives and a literate population was most likely the key to infant survival in the Nordic countries. This study shows that that the custom to breastfeed spread earlier in areas with higher literacy. Not only is it plausible that the interest in changing prevailing traditions was directly related to literaey levels of individuai mothers, it is also shown that midwives had the best education in areas where literacy rates were high. On the other hand, the remarkable improvements in infant survival obtained towards the end of the 19th Century were scarcely linked to changes in the economic structure. Those factors only started to play an important role in the 20th Century. In its initial stages, changes in infant feeding and improvements in personal hygiene were more important
digitalisering@umu

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Alberta, 1997.
Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, Department of Sociology. Also available online.

Environmental migration is an idea that has attracted significant attention from policy-makers, activists, the media and academic researchers since the 1970s. Since its inception, however, questions have remained over how best to explore environment-mobility dynamics. Much progress has been made in this area, particularly in unpacking the political ecological context in which mobility patterns emerge, yet researchers are still faced with limited conceptual frameworks from which to develop context-specific explanations of the influence of environmental change on mobility patterns. Existing conceptualizations tend to be biased towards structural explanations. This thesis seeks to improve conceptual clarity by applying new theoretical approaches to understanding the influence of environmental change on mobility. The study draws on debates within general migration theory as a springboard for exploring the theoretical challenges associated with explaining mobility. These theoretical discussions form the basis for identifying the influence of environmental changes on existing mobility patterns. The methodological approach in this study employs social practices theory to examine how chains of action are the result of both individual actors and the effect of social structures organized around shared practical understandings. The study used a case study design and employed qualitative methods such as interviews, group discussions, participant observation and document analysis to analyse the linkages between multi-scale contexts of action. The fieldwork was conducted in three rural villages in Albay province, the Philippines. Albay was selected because it experiences a range of different environmental shocks and stressors and is a province with net out-migration, characterized by seasonal and circular mobility patterns. While mobility could certainly be conceptualised as a 'rational' response, for research participants, working for periods of time in urban areas also represented a familiar practice-part of the rhythm of daily life. Mobility for Albayanos was viewed as an opportunity to transform oneself and improve livelihood security, despite the often disappointing experiences of working elsewhere. Decisions associated with mobility were suffused with a range of emotions. The decision to move was not so much a process of quantifying what was better or worse (to stay or go), but rather what fitted with the values, emotions and ideas of self in particulars moment and over the experience of mobility. These findings challenge the dominant framing of environmental migrants as rational actors responding to particular push and pull factors. The study concludes that practice-based approaches are a valuable way to explore the numerous dimensions of the mobility experience. It draws on this approach to bridge the structure-agency divide evident in many contemporary conceptualizations of environmental migration. One of the distinguishing features of a practice theory approach is the consideration not only of reflexivity and conscious thought for understanding agency, but also shared and routinized dimensions. This approach shifts the focus away from how individuals rationalize their migration decision, to how various practices solidify and routinize practices relating to mobility. The natural environment forms part of this context, but its influence cannot be understood without explicit and critical consideration of interconnected practices involved in mobility patterns.

Bibliography: leaves 250-267.
xx, 267, [90] leaves : ill., map ; 30 cm.
Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library.
Aims to develop a model to improve breastfeeding in a low socio-economic area through the development of health promotion strategies to create a supportive environment for breastfeeding.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Public Health, 2000?

Bibliography: leaves 250-267.
xx, 267, [90] leaves : ill., map ; 30 cm.
Aims to develop a model to improve breastfeeding in a low socio-economic area through the development of health promotion strategies to create a supportive environment for breastfeeding.
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Public Health, 2000?

Background: The health benefits and economic gains of exclusive breastfeeding for the mothers and the new-born are well-documented in the literature as discussed in the background and the rationale for this study. The effectiveness of the social cognitive based interventions in promoting breastfeeding among women in general is also documented. However, there is lack of evidence regarding social-cognitive strategies that could be used to promote exclusive breastfeeding practices among primiparous mothers in Ethiopia means that current exclusive breastfeeding promotion interventions or strategies may not produce the expected outcomes. This assumption seems to be supported by low rate of early initiation of breastfeeding in country (52.1% instead of at least 75% as recommended by WHO) and shorter period of breastfeeding (one month) among mothers in Addis Ababa (CSA and ICF 2012) despite various strategies and interventions that have been implemented. Aims: The study was conducted with the aim of determining the social-cognitive predictors of exclusive breastfeeding among primiparous mothers during the first six months post-delivery with the view of developing social-cognitive strategies to promote exclusive breastfeeding practices among primiparous mothers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Research design and method: The study was carried out within the quantitative positivist paradigm. The study was divided into two phases. The researcher used quantitative longitudinal, descriptive, exploratory and correlational designs to determine the social cognitive predictors of exclusive breastfeeding among primiparous mothers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia within the first six months post-delivery. The results of the first phase assisted the researcher to design social-cognitive strategies to promote exclusive breastfeeding among primiparous mothers using a Delphi survey. A Delphi survey design was used to assist the researcher to develop the social-cognitive strategies to promote exclusive breastfeeding among primiparous mothers. It consisted of three rounds of mailed self-completion questionnaires. The Delphi was supported with critical review and synthesis of literature throughout the strategies’ development process. Descriptive summary statistics were used to analyse the prenatal breastfeeding behaviour of 141 primiparous mothers followed from the last antenatal care visits up to six months after delivery. Bivariate correlational and multiple logistic regression analyses were used to identify the social cognitive determinants and predictors of exclusive breastfeeding within the first hour post-delivery and six months thereafter. Findings: Positive breastfeeding outcome expectancy and high breastfeeding self-efficacy were identified as the independent social cognitive predictors of exclusive breastfeeding among primiparous mothers in Ethiopia. These predictors were used to develop social cognitive strategies to promote exclusive breastfeeding, which comprise six main components: (1) scientific evidence for the strategies, (2) the rationale for the strategies, (3) the aim of the strategies, (4) the scope of the strategies, (5) the guiding principles, and (6) the key results areas. These strategies were developed and validated with the inputs from 37 experts on breastfeeding and social cognitive theory. Two key results areas (build individual capacity for exclusive breastfeeding and create an enabling environment) and five strategic objectives were formulated and validated. Conclusions: The successful implementation of the social cognitive strategies to promote exclusive breastfeeding among primiparous mothers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as described above will require among others (1) in-service training on social cognitive skills for healthcare providers with focus on how to build self-efficacy and outcome expectancy, (2) the development of self-efficacy and outcome expectance assessments tools relevant to the Ethiopian context, and (3) additional support and resources from the healthcare managers. Recommendations: To the researcher recommend that programs aimed at promoting exclusive breastfeeding practices among primiparous mothers should be based on the combined attributes of positive social cognitive outcome expectance and high breastfeeding self-efficacy. Further research is needed to develop assessment tools for breastfeeding self-efficacy and outcome expectancy before the implementation of the proposed strategies.
Health Studies
D. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)

This thesis is an ethnography of small-scale fishers on Cebu Island in the Philippines based on 16 months fieldwork. The fishers are situated in a rapidly changing environment characterised simultaneously by resource depletion and efforts at conservation. The thesis critically examines the impact of a community-based coastal resource management project on the fishers. Depletion of coastal marine resources is a world-wide problem. Over the last few decades this has led the Philippine government to introduce a range of regulatory legislation in an attempt to place fishing on a more sustainable basis. Impoverished small-scale fishers face two major threats to their livelihood: the local government's attempt to increase the number of marine protected areas that ban any access to resources in the declared areas, and the impact of poorly controlled commercial fishing. This thesis illustrates how the small-scale fishers are the ones bearing the brunt of these measure in a situation leading to their marginalisation. The thesis questions the conventional image of the 'fishing community' in costal resource management projects, which usually assume the community to be largely homogenous in resource use practices and socioeconomic standing, with uniform interest in the sea space and its marine resources. By describing the social complexity and the day to day reality of this Cebu fishing community, the importance of a better understanding of the 'fishing community', for improved resource management is demonstrated. This research describes how the small-scale fishers perceive and act from a socio-political, socio-economic, and cultural perspective in relation to conservation as realised in a municipality - and NGO-run resource management and livelihood security project. Despite a sense of powerlessness and resignation about their inability to change the situation in order to have their livelihood needs recognised, the research highlights how the small-scale fishers creatively manoeuvre through these obstacles to secure their living. Being powerless in the local political sphere, these small-scale fishers have no option but to act opportunistically to secure a viable livelihood by collaborating with illegal commercial enterprises and undermining MPA implementation. It is argued, however, that their often' opportunistic responses, while ensuring their short-term survival, generally do so at the cost of long-term security. The thesis begins with a discussion of the importance of understanding both the use and the management of marine resources at the local level as well as issues regarding the social complexity of the fishing community. A general overview of the history, natural environment and social organization of the village is provided. This is expanded by an analysis of fishing activities and the significance of fishing in the household economy of the villagers based on a survey of 180 coastal households and 12 months of daily fish-catch records for 20 fishers. Subsequently, the thesis focuses on the fishers' interactions with the MPAs and illegal commercial fishers in order to examine their responses to these livelihood threats. First, the history of the establishment of the MPAs is outlined and then the powerlessness of small-scale fishers in the policy-making process is highlighted. This is followed by discussion of the actual implementation of the MPAs as characterised by constant compromise by both the fishers as well as by those implementing the MPAs. The relationship of the fishers with the large illegal commercial fishers is examined and the way in which the small-scale fishers' antagonism became contained through the commercial fishers' social network and economic activities is explored. The development of this seemingly contradictory alliance with the commercial fishers is examined. The thesis concludes by discussing the important points for improved coastal resource management from the perspective of both conservation and social justice.

Text in English
This study aimed at exploring Barriers to compliance with exclusive breastfeeding and timely introduction of complementary feeding practices in Ofla District, Tigray Region in Ethiopia. A quantitative exploratory descriptive study was conducted to explore and describe the barriers that restrict mothers /caregivers to comply with exclusive breast feeding practice until six months and with introduction of solid, semi-solid and soft foods at six months in Ofla District. Data were collected using structured questionnaire, from a total of 112 samples of which 75 mothers and care givers with children aged 0-5 months and 38 children aged 6-8 months participated. The data were entered into a computer and analysed though the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. The findings revealed that there are barriers related Doer mothers and Non-Doer mothers perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived self-efficacy, cues for actions, perceived social acceptability and positive and negative attitudes towards exclusive breastfeeding and initiation of complementary feeding. On the other hand, the participant’s perception of both groups with regard to perception of Divine (God’s) Will on two child feeding practices was insignificantly the same. Both groups perceived that children could get sometimes malnourished because of spiritual or supernatural causes.
Health Studies
M.A. (Public Health)

Ghana subscribed to the global target of reaching at least 50% of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months of birth by the year 2030. Policies and programmes to promote exclusive breastfeeding have been formulated and implemented in the country. In spite of these efforts, existing evidence showed that the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the first six months post-delivery has been declining over the past decade. It was therefore important to understand behavioural factors that influence exclusive breastfeeding among teenage-mothers and propose a behavioural conceptual model based on the understanding of exclusive breastfeeding from the perspective of the teenage-mothers and their social environments. The study was conducted in three phases using multistrand mixed methods within the pragmatism philosophical framework. The Theory of Planned Behaviour and the six steps framework for developing models to address public health issues were used as frameworks in the study. In the first phase, the researcher used qualitative exploratory descriptive design to gain an understanding of the behavioural determinants of exclusive breastfeeding from the perspective of teenagers aged between 13 - 19 years attending antenatal care services at public facilities. Data were generated through focus group discussions and analysed using Group-level thematic and content analysis. In the second phase, longitudinal descriptive correlational designs were used to establish the relationships between the exclusive breastfeeding intentions during the prenatal period and actual breastfeeding practices at six months post-delivery. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data during the last visit of antenatal care visits and six months post-delivery. Data generated were analysed through descriptive inferential statistics. In the last phase, the researcher used meta-inferences to identify the key concepts of conceptual model from the integrated qualitative and quantitative results. Theoretical triangulations were used to define and establish relationships between the concepts and to structure the conceptual model. The integrated results of the two phases of the study showed that exclusive breastfeeding practices among teenage-mothers within the social context of Ghana are determined by certain personal and social related behavioural factors. The approval of the exclusive breastfeeding practice by the teenagers’ mothers and nurses/midwives’ capabilities to provide effective breastfeeding education were the strongest determinants of exclusive breastfeeding up to six months among teenage-mothers in Ghana. From these results, the researcher proposed an integrated behavioural conceptual model that provides an understanding of exclusive breastfeeding practice and the process of promoting exclusive breastfeeding among teenage-mothers in the social context of Ghana. The findings of this study have implications for public health policy-makers, health services managers, health sciences education and further research.
Health Studies
D. Lit. et Phil. (Health Studies)

Abstract: Introduction: Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant's life is recommended worldwide. In 1998 the South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS) showed that only 10% of mothers exclusively breastfeed at three months. As the HIV virus is transmissible via breast milk, UNAIDS (2002) recommends that women in developing countries should be given a choice of feeding method after being counselled on the risks and benefits of breast feeding versus formula feeding. As a result, the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme was launched in KwaZulu-Natal with the aim of providing interventions to prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of the HIV virus. However, research has shown that infant feeding practices are influenced by numerous factors. Ultimately mothers will feed their infants in a manner they feel comfortable with, even if it is not always the most appropriate choice. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine and compare current infant feeding practices and some of the factors that influenced these practices among Zulu mothers with 0 - 6 month old infants attending PMTCT and non-PMTCT clinics in Central Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Methodology: A cross-sectional, descriptive survey was conducted amongst 150 mothers sampled from three non-PMTCT clinics and 150 mothers sampled from three PMTCT clinics. Systematic random sampling of mothers attending the two types of clinics was used to ensure an equal number of mothers· with infants aged 0 - < 6 weeks, 6 - < 14 weeks and 14 weeks to 6 months. The number of mothers interviewed per clinic was determined proportionate to clinic size. Interviews were conducted in Zulu by trained fieldworkers according to a structured interview schedule consisting of 87 open- and closed-ended questions. Summary of most important findings and conclusion: Overall, one quarter of the mothers attending non-PMTCT and one third of mothers at PMTCT clinics were practising exclusive breastfeeding at the time of the survey. The general trend was that mothers attending PMTCT clinics were more inclined than those attending non-PMTCT clinics to breastfeed their infants exclusively (34% versus 24% respectively) or to formula feed (16,7% versus 12,7% respectively). Furthermore, there was a significant decline in exclusive breastfeeding and predominant breastfeeding with increasing infant age in both clinic groups. The opposite held true for mixed feeding and formula feeding in that infants were more inclined to mixed feeding or formula feeding with increasing infant age. In both clinic groups, exclusive breastfeeding was the method of choice in the 0 - < 6 week age category, while a preference for mixed feeding was shown in the 6 - < 14 week category. This trend persisted in the 14 week - < 6 month age category, especially in the non-PMTCT clinics, while there was a small but pronounced increase in formula feeding amongst PMTCT mothers. Although these findings can be explained as a result of implementing the PMTCT programme, the positive trends observed in non-PMTCT clinics serve as an indicator that the Integrated Nutrition Programme (INP) and Baby Friendly Hospital initiative have also had an impact on the feeding choices mothers make. Despite the limited duration of the PMTCT programme at the time of the study, indicators of the impact of the intervention include that a lower percentage of PMTCT mothers introduced foods and/or liquids in addition to breast milk to their infants before six months of age compared to non-PMTCT mothers. Furthermore, more mothers attending PMTCT clinics were shown how to breastfeed and were more likely to have received information about formula feeding. Despite these indicators of a positive impact of the PMTCT programme, the mean age for introducing liquids and/or solids in addition to breast milk was about six weeks and the incidence of this practice was very high for both groups. The similar incidence of formula feeding observed between the two clinic groups suggests the presence of constraints to safe infant feeding choices among mothers attending PMTCT clinics. As observed, infant feeding practices were still not ideal in either of the two clinic groups. However, the high level of antenatal clinic attendance documented for both groups serves as evidence that, if opportunities for providing mothers with appropriate infant feeding advice are utilized optimally, the antenatal clinic could serve as an ideal medium through which infant feeding education can take place, especially as the clinic-based nursing staff were cited as the most important source of infant feeding information by both groups of mothers in the antenatal and postnatal phases. The documented infant feeding practices should be interpreted against the backdrop of factors such as socio-demographic characteristics of the mothers, availability of resources such as social support from peers and significant others and reigning infant feeding beliefs that could influence infant feeding decisions. Predictors of exclusive breastfeeding in PMTCT and non-PMTCT clinics were determined by means of multivariate logistic regression analysis. Significant values were obtained for both clinic groups in terms of the infant not having received liquids in addition to breast milk. No additional predictors were found amongst mothers attending non-PMTCT clinics, however predictors amongst mothers attending PMTCT clinics included whether the mother had not visited the clinic since the infant's birth, whether she practiced demand feeding and whether she was experiencing stress at the time of the study. The limited number of predictors of exclusive breastfeeding documented in this study, especially among non-PMTCT mothers may be explained by the fact that infant feeding behaviour is multifactorial by nature and the interaction between factors that influence feeding choice is strong.
Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2005.

This thesis examines a rural Kalinga, northern Luzon, people's contemporary religious assertions and practices. In particular it explores the cosmological principles that shape much of Kalinga quotidian domestic activity. Kalinga society is configured relative to an ethicized cosmology in which persistent sickness and serious injury are commonly taken as retribution from a transcendent Other (either indigenous spirits or God) for an individual's moral transgressions. The understanding that im/morality is linked to misfortune is so tightly woven into the fabric of social life that people define this axiom as a 'commandment', linking it to biblical scripture, as well as to their own identity as Christians (Catholics and Anglicans). The plurality of religious activity at the village level encompasses trans-local Christianity, a vernacularization of Christianity in the form of an indigenous Sunday mass, and manifold local traditions including domestic animal sacrifice as reparation for moral trespass, and the expiation and propitiation of malevolent spirits. The analysis focuses on the social, moral and cosmological incongruities, tensions and gaps that can arise when people construe particular events and circumstances in their lives according to distinct and sometimes contradictory elements of an otherwise encompassing religious framework - itself informed by both long-established Kalinga as well as more recently introduced (1930s) Christian cosmology and doctrine. I ask how these historically, doctrinally and cosmologically distinct liturgical orders, Kalinga and Christian, cohere to the extent that locals participate in them more or less equally. Pursuing this question I draw on Rappaport's (1999) model of contingent sanctification, and of the interrelatedness among assertions concerning an apical divinity, cosmological axioms, and the ritual activity that affirms all of these. I build on Rappaport's work by bringing this model to bear on not just a single-religious context but the multi-religious environment of highland Kalinga. In doing so I argue that such distinct and co-occurring religious traditions are locally made to cohere, not by people's claims that the same God is their ultimate referent, but by being mutually framed by the Kalinga axiom that links morality to misfortune to other-worldly retribution. I further argue that the advantage of an approach which focuses on such axiomatic principles, separate from an analysis of ritual enactments and the apical divinities these affirm, is that it allows for a more in-depth account of the articulation between disparate forms of religious activity, local and trans-local.

CIDA, the leading Canadian agency in the area of international assistance, is responsible for approximately 78% of the country's aid budget. The Agency's mandate to "support sustainable development in developing countries, in order to reduce poverty and contribute to a more secure, equitable, and prosperous world" indicates that the Agency is concerned with social and cultural factors. However, CIDA does not have any specific mechanisms or tools such as SIA to help achieve its social and cultural sustainability goals. The objectives of this thesis were: a) to develop an analytical framework for undertaking and analysing SIA, and b) to compare CIDA's SIA-related strategies, procedures and mechanisms as they stand now to what is stated in the literature, so as to indicate how and when the Agency uses them, and also to assess their quality and effectiveness. The overarching question that constituted the pillar of this thesis was a two-pronged question: Do CIDA's strategies, procedures and mechanisms equal SIA without being SIA? And are those strategies, procedures and mechanisms adequate to cover issues that are normally dealt with through traditional SIA? This question was answered through 1) the application of the analytical framework on two proposals submitted to CIDA, and 2) an analysis of CIDA's SIA-related procedures based on the framework, key informant interviews, and a review of the literature on the Agency's policies, guidelines, and practices. Based on the literature review, the application of the analytical framework, and on the comments of the informants, the need for an SIA-type procedure for assessing social and cultural effects and impacts for CIDA funding is suggested. Such a practice might very well clarify the Agency's requirements in relation to the consideration of social and cultural factors in the development of projects. Also, it is important to stress that the process should not be reduced to a bureaucratic procedure blindly applied. CIDA could go without formulating a distinct protocol for SIA, as it already has several project planning tools and procedures that could lend themselves very well to the purpose of SIA. Indeed, the Agency's results-based management (RBM) framework could be altered so as to make it more holistic in that it would take into consideration both intended and unintended effects and impacts, and would better take into account social and cultural factors. The application of the logical framework analysis (LFA) can also be expanded to achieve similar goals. Further, the Agency could focus on developing a more integrated and comprehensive type of impact assessment that would touch on all the required types of assessments.

Text in English, isiZulu and Afrikaans
The topic of work-life balance has gained much attention in recent years. A focal point remains the effects of maternal employment on the well-being of women and children, despite shifts in society towards gender equality. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of mothers who either had chosen to stay at home after having children or to continue with full-time employment; and how their decision impacted their lives. This qualitative study, based on the Social Constructionist paradigm, and Second Order Cybernetics and Feminist Theories, included interviews with four full-time employed and four stay-at-home South African mothers. The data were analysed using hermeneutic analysis. The findings suggest that the participants’ tensions regarding motherhood and employment were strongly influenced by structural obstacles at work and at home, interpersonal relationships with other mothers, as well as intrapersonal experiences. Breastfeeding was identified as a prominent topic within the various themes.
Eminyakeni yamuva nje ukulinganisela phakathi komsebenzi nokuphila kwasekhaya kube undabamlonyeni. Indaba eseqhulwini kuseyiwo umthelela wokusebenza komama enhlalakahleni yabesimane nezingane, yize sekube nezinguquko emphakathini endabeni yokulingana kobulili. Inhloso yalolu cwaningo kwakuwukuhlola lokho okwehlele omama abakhethe ukuhlala ekhaya ngemva kokuzalwa kwezingane noma abaqhubeka besebenza isikhathi esigcwele; nokuthi isinqumo sabo sibe namuphi umthelela ekuphileni kwabo. Lolu cwaningo olwalubheka umnyombo, olusekelwe embonweni weNhlanganyelo Yomphakathi, kanye ne-Cybernetics Yohlelo Lwesibili Nemibono Yabalweli Besifazane, lwalubandakanya izingxoxombuzo nomama abane baseNingizimu Afrika abasebenza isikhathi esigcwele kanye nabanye abane abahlala ekhaya. Ulwazi lwahlaziywa kusetshenziswa uhlaziyo lokucubungula okulotshiwe. Okwatholakala kubonisa ukuthi izinto ezaziyingqinamba kubabambiqhaza ngokuphathelene nokuba umama nokusebenza zazilawulwa kakhulu yizithiyo zesikhundla emsebenzini nasekhaya, ubudlelwano nabanye omama, kanye nalokho ababhekana nakho uma bezihlola ekujuleni. Ukuncelisa ibele kwakubhekwa njengesihloko esiqavile phakathi kwalezo zihloko ezinhlobonhlobo.
Die kwessie van ‘n werk-lewe balans geniet die afgelope paar jaar baie aandag. 'n Brandpunt in die literatuur is steeds die gevolge van ma’s se indiensneming op die welstand van vroue en kinders, ondanks verskuiwings in die samelewing ten opsigte van geslagsgelykheid. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die ervarings van vroue te ondersoek wat óf kies om tuis te bly, óf om voltyds te bly werk wanneer hulle kinders kry; en hoe die besluit hul lewens beïnvloed. Die kwalitatiewe studie, gebaseer op ‘n sosiaal-konstruksionistiese uitgangspunt, en ekosistemiese en feministiese teorieë, het onderhoude met vier voltydse werknemers en vier tuisbly ma’s in Suid-Afrika ingesluit. Die data is ondersoek met behulp van hermeneutiese analise. Die bevindinge dui daarop dat die deelnemers se spanning rakende.
Psychology
M.A. (Psychology)

This study explores and critically analyses the lived experiences of female inmates in six selected prisons in Cameroon. The study contributes to the available knowledge regarding prison conditions from the perspectives of female inmates– a subject which has been under researched globally and has received little attention from researchers in Cameroon. The Cameroon Penitentiary Regulation (CPR) professes to be gender neutral and, therefore, it ignores the special needs of female inmates. The central research question is: How do the national policies and laws on prison conditions in Cameroon relate to the lived and narrated experiences of female inmates? The study is informed by two major frameworks, namely, Foucault’s analytical framework from his seminal work Discipline and Punish (1977) and a feminist analytical framework, standpoint feminism, which fills the gap in Foucault’s thesis that is largely devoid of gender analysis. The study is qualitative, using in-depth interviews and observations. It involved a sample of 38 research participants, comprising 18 female inmates, 18 prison staff members and two NGO representatives. The findings reveal that both international and national ratified policies are merely “paperwork”, lacking effective implementation in the prisons selected for this study. There is a general lack of infrastructural facilities in prisons and this prevents classification as suggested by the CPR 1992 and ratified international instruments. In general, there was a lack of educational and other training facilities in all the prisons visited. The few educational facilities available were those supported by NGOs and FBOs, suggesting that, without their presence in prisons, prison conditions would have been even more appalling than the findings revealed. Torture and corporal punishment were meted out to female inmates, regardless of the regular visits by human rights organisations to prisons. There are no provisions made for conjugal visits in the prisons. Same-sex relationships exist in Cameroonian prisons, either because of sexual preference or as a substitute for heterosexual relationships. The reform of the dated CPR 1992 and the Cameroon Penal Code 1967 is essential. Such reform should take into consideration both the specific needs of female inmates and current debates on the imprisonment of women.
Sociology
D. Litt. et Phil. (Sociology)