Programme full

Friday 17 April 2015 15:15 - 16:45
PAPER SESSION 8
Families and Relationships
M225, GEORGE MOORE BUILDING
Sexual and Reproductive Rights, Nationalism and Biopolitics in Putin’s Russia
Stella, F., Nartova, N.
(University of Glasgow)
This paper explores the relationship between sexuality and nationalism in the Russian context, where sexual and
reproductive rights have become increasingly politicised, as evidenced by legislation restricting access to abortion
(2011) and forbidding 'gay propaganda' to minors (2013). We draw on Foucault's concept of biopower as a technology
of power concerned with the control of social and biological processes at the level of the population (Foucault
1978/1998, 1997/2004). Recent theorisations of the relationship between sexuality and nationalism has focussed on
western societies, emphasising how liberal discourses on sexual rights have posited the legal recognition of women's
and LGBT rights as a national value, and deployed them to exclude racialised 'others' (Puar, 2007; Farris, 2012). Less
attention, however, has been given to other articulations of sexuality and nationalism, which emphasise instead
'traditional' family values, gender roles and sexual norms as a marker of national identity.
The paper contributes to these debates through an empirical exploration of how the relationship between sexuality,
nationalism and family values is constructed in legislation and government-controlled media. Methodologically, the
paper is based on a discourse analysis of official documents (new laws concerning sexual and reproductive rights
introduced in 2011-2013 and accompanying official commentaries) and media sources (articles and opinion pieces
published in the Russian daily newspaper Rossiiskaia Gazeta, widely regarded as the mouthpiece of the Russian
government, Jan 2011-Dec 2013).
Does Perceived Income Adequacy Matter for Family Formation?: The Role of Subjective Economic
Uncertainty for the Transition to First and Second Births in the UK
Stone, J., Berrington, A
(University of Southampton)
Economic uncertainty can change patterns of family formation in complex and competing ways. For example, while
the costs of having children may represent a barrier to childbearing if economic resources are precarious, part-time
work and unemployment may increase the time available for childcare and provide opportunities for childbearing. This
paper presents a novel perspective on this complexity by investigating how subjective perceptions of income
adequacy (which does not necessarily reflect absolute income) can provide unique insights into the relationship
between economic uncertainty and family formation. The analyses use prospective data from waves 1-3 of
Understanding Society (2009-12), a panel study of UK households. We use discrete-time event history analysis to
model the transition to first birth (14,435 person-years of data) and second birth (6,502 person-years) for men and
women aged 16-44 years. For objective indicators of economic uncertainty (economic activity, household income) we
generally observe an age-specific effect, with uncertainty associated with increased fertility at younger ages, and viceversa
at older ages. However for women of all ages, those describing their financial situation as difficult are more likely
to become parents. For men, subjective financial status is significantly associated with entry into fatherhood, whereas
household income is not. We conclude that perceptions of financial strain may capture aspects of economic precarity
not reflected in more objective measures. This may include experiences of an insecure housing position or uncertainty
over whether welfare benefits will be restricted/withdrawn. We discuss our findings in the context of means-tested
welfare assistance in the UK.
Family Policies in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region: Women, Work and Care
Mehdizadeh, N.
(University of Glasgow)
Policies to support work-family balance exist in all the developed countries, and in many developing and transition
countries. Among these are policies to support work-family balance, such as care-related leave, childcare support and
policies to enhance the availability or quality of flexible working practices. However, although tensions between work
and family are also increasing growing in developing countries, the issue of work-family balance in these countries has
not yet been expressed to the same extent as it has been in the developed countries. In the MENA, the number of
women participating in the labour market is low, considerably lower than the education levels of women might imply.
However, it is all too simple to regard this as a situation arising solely from culture rather than one which may be
attributed to a dearth of policies that promote a satisfactory work-family balance: the vocabulary of work-family
balance and family-friendly policies is all but absent in the MENA.
BSA Annual Conference 2015 292
Glasgow Caledonian University