Suchergebnisse

A paradox of survey research is that, while it is based on asking questions that appear to seek information, the information elicited is usually difficult to interpret because results are often influenced by how questions are worded. This influence is usually compensated for by holding questions constant & observing longitudinal or cross-sectional differences in responses. Emphasis on the content of answers to a survey disregards several problems that can arise in formulating questions. Three main strategies are used to cope with this problem: inclusion of open-ended questions in all surveys; asking a wide variety of questions on an issue; & seeking aid from representatives of both sides in formulating questions. Personal experience in conducting a survey of attitudes toward use of unclaimed dogs & cats in medical research illustrates these strategies, especially the last. W. H. Stoddard

The term 'the woman question,' long used by socialists to denote a concern for women's liberation, requires clarification & specification. In fact, it covers a wide assortment of disparate elements, only some of which have a theoretical content. Of the many notions included, three stand out as important conceptual areas: (1) the working class family as a site of reproduction of labor power; (2) the work women do, both in wage labor & within the family household; & (3) the problem of inequality & the relationship of the fight for equal rights to other struggles for social transformation. Analyzed are two different positions on the woman question that have coexisted, albeit implicitly, within the socialist tradition since the time of Marx & Engels. A hidden debate between the two positions underpins the ambiguous theory & practice of later socialist & communist movements with respect to the woman question. Recent work produced from within the socialist-feminist movement both reproduces this hidden debate & suggests a way to resolve it. AA.