Month: September 2019

[External] NSF Sociology Program:Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards

Posted on September 27, 2019 by - Funding Opportunities, Funding Opportunities - External

Deadline: Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Synopsis of Program:
The Sociology Program supports basic research on all forms of human social organization — societies, institutions, groups and demography — and processes of individual and institutional change. The Program encourages theoretically focused empirical investigations aimed at improving the explanation of fundamental social processes. Included is research on organizations and organizational behavior, population dynamics, social movements, social groups, labor force participation, stratification and mobility, family, social networks, socialization, gender, race and the sociology of science and technology. The Program supports both the collection of original data and secondary data analysis and is open to the full range of quantitative and qualitative methodological tools. Theoretically grounded projects that offer methodological innovations and improvements for data collection and analysis are also welcomed.

In assessing the intellectual merit of proposed research, four components are key to securing support from the Sociology Program: (1) the issues investigated must be theoretically grounded; (2) the research should be based on empirical observation or be subject to empirical validation or  illustration; (3) the research design must be appropriate to the questions asked; and (4) the proposed research must advance understanding of social processes, structures and methods.

For additional information: https://pivot.proquest.com/funding_opps/155072 and
https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=505118&org=NSF&sel_org=NSF&from=fund

[Other] Lynn Chancer – Revisiting and Fulfilling the Feminist Promise of Universal Day Care

Posted on September 20, 2019 by - Others, Recent Publications

American, second-wave feminism immediately brings to mind fights over abortion, violence against women, and sexual objectification (notably, the protests at the 1968 Miss America pageant in Atlantic City).  Much less frequently remembered is that early liberal and radical feminists — many of whom were involved in starting the National Organization of Women (NOW) — saw the provision of affordable and high-quality universal daycare as a major sine qua non of “women’s liberation.” Why?  And what happened to strip this vital issue out of politicians’ platforms and feminist cultural discourse (let alone feminist activism en masse)? 

Replying to the “why” question is fairly simple:  Given that women are still often primarily responsible for home and childcare obligations, full participation in the public spheres of work, education, and politics has long hinged on solid social support and assistance in the relatively “private” realms of households and families.

For those who have children, daycare access (or lack thereof) poses ongoing and significant burdens.  Relatives may or may not be available to take care of children when they are too young to go to school.  Daycare may be unaffordable; it may corral an unjustifiable portion of a parent’s income than can be justified when weighed against possible work earnings or the attainment of educational degrees.  Parents may not know how to find a good provider for their children (a problem easily rectifiable if quality public options were available and publicized).

Read more here

 

Source: Revisiting and Fulfilling the Feminist Promise of Universal Day Care – Gender Policy Report