The report examines women's status in 20 developing countries, based on World Fertility Survey (WFS) data. WFS data provide insight into women's educational attainment and employment participation. The countries included in this report (12 from Asia and the Pacific and 8 from Latin America and the Caribbean) are widely distributed geographically…

Because of increases in life expectancy and early retirement, the quality of life during retirement is of concern to many people. Previous research has found that health and adequate income have consistently been related to life satisfaction during retirement. Several satisfaction measures were administered to a group of 55 retired coal miners.…

Futurism is currently divided between two bitterly struggling camps. "Cornucopians" tell of the wonderful future that technology will bring and reassure us that our problems are not serious. "Jeremiads" warn of impending doom if something is not done about the particular problem troubling the futurist. Jeremiads include environmentalists, some…

While numerous studies have identified economic, social, and environmental conditions related to stress, greater stress has been found to be related to poverty, unemployment, assembly line work, crowding, and chronic exposure to noise. These stressful situations most frequently confront people with little personal, economic, or political resources…

Dual career families were exceptions to the norm in the 1960's but have steadily increased in prevalence. Dual career professional couples (N=34) were studied to assess the determinants of marital quality and stability in their relationships. Results revealed that couples in high quality marriages reported satisfaction with all aspects of…

The nature of a healthy lifestyle and its significance to quality of life is examined. Following a discussion on what is involved in a healthy lifestyle, major health problems are described: (1) smoking; (2) alcohol and drug abuse; (3) sexually transmitted diseases; (4) diet and obesity; (5) stress; and (6) inadequate sleep. Recommendations are…

This paper provides an overview of the information currently available on the prospects of electronic work at home. The first major section examines the technological environment that makes electronic home work possible. Central and dispersed computer facilities, internal and external means of communication, work stations, software, and security…

This study investigated differences in perceived quality of life of 156 college students and 77 faculty members at the same university. It also addressed the issue of sex differences. Subjects responded to an 81-item quality-of-life survey by indicating their degree of dissatisfaction with each situation. Students differed significantly from…

Research has confirmed the prevalence of depression in women, based on theoretical explanations that encompass genetic/endocrinological factors, the learned helplessness model, the cognitive model of depression, the effects of marital and occupational roles, and/or social discrimination. Women (N=215) completed a questionnaire which examined…

Although the range of characteristics that typify the best in rural child welfare are not discussed in the literature, there is discussion of the importance of rural social work. The unique characteristics of rural communities, the limited funding for social work programs, and the differences in child welfare problems make implementation of urban…

The predicted incidence of poverty before and after government income transfers, the effectiveness of such transfers, and the distribution of children in one and two parent families are examined in this report on the trends in poverty since 1965. Included are a review of how the Reagan budget cuts will affect households with children and a…

The current, popular time-and-motion approach to faculty productivity suggests an antiquated strategy not currently in use in business and industry. Higher education needs to develop an idea of productivity that focuses on quality of product, not quantity. The institution must have a commitment to the physical, emotional, and intellectual…

Ways in which health professionals may improve the quality of life for older adults are considered. Needs must be met in the following areas: (1) safe housing; (2) convenient transportation; (3) protection against street crime; (4) improved communication systems; (5) educational programs; (6) nutrition for the elderly; and (7) physical fitness and…

The existing physical forms of housing are not always compatible with prevalent social patterns. To investigate the relationship between family system characteristics and attitudes about residential space, 64 Indiana families in 4 stages of the family life cycle (early years with no children, crowded years with at least one preschool child, peak…

Developing social indicators of basic human needs involves (1) recognizing the problems in selection, (2) identifying the criteria for making selections, (3) choosing which basic needs to cover, and (4) selecting the indicators. The social indicators are to help formulate U.S. foreign policy and will be used by the State Department's Bureau of…