No abstract

Hypotheses predicting why widowhood should be more difficult psychologically for men than women are tested on a sample of 746 older persons. Widowhood does have a stronger effect on depression for men, partly because of the intervening effects of health and time since widowhood. However, much of the gender difference remains unexplained. Possible causes, including the fact that widowhood is a more usual component of the life cycle for women, are discussed.

A longitudinal analysis is conducted on the union quality of long-term cohabiting and legally married couples using data from both waves of the National Survey of Families and Households. An analysis of racially homogamous (Anglo-American and African American) couples indicates that the cohabitors and marrieds do not differ significantly with regard to their frequency of conflict, perceptions of equity, and relationship satisfaction, although age, educational attainment, and educational homogamy affect differentially the cohabitors' and marrieds' perceptions of equity with time, and the cohabitors' satisfaction in particular is negatively affected by the number of children biologically related to both partners. Cohabiting couples initially spend more time alone together than do married couples but with time come to resemble the marrieds. The union quality of cohabiting and married couples is affected in the same way by union duration and prior residential union experience.

Purpose This paper aims to explore the ways in which a social enterprise provides opportunities to its homeless employees to increase their number and types of affiliations. Design/methodology/approach Affiliation theory is used to explore whether employment at a social enterprise may ameliorate homelessness by increasing the affiliations employees acquire. Seven semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with participants at one social enterprise. Findings Results indicate that enterprise leadership staff facilitate opportunities to employees to increase and maintain their affiliations. Leadership staff provide a supportive environment, allowing employees to gain social skills and feelings of utility that result in their building and maintaining affiliations. However, leadership staff confront high turn-over, addiction and mental illness among employees, which result in disaffiliation. Employees contend with a lack of housing and limited educational and job training opportunities; obtaining these resources in the future may necessitate additional affiliations. Originality/value This paper contributes to the current state of knowledge concerning affiliation theory and the employment of homeless individuals through a social enterprise by demonstrating the importance of both strong and weak ties between employees and employers, social service agencies, other employees and members of the community outside of work, and how the strength of ties may change over time.

Policies in California are examined to inform analysts of the process by which legal recognition of same‐sex relationships may be achieved. Content analysis was conducted of relevant legislation, court cases, and voter initiatives, along with interviews with state legislators to gain an eyewitness understanding of the social climate surrounding the implementation of these policies. Legal recognition of same‐sex unions occurs on an incremental basis and is embedded within a larger sociocultural context that includes shifts in public opinion concerning homosexuality and legal recognition of same‐sex unions, issues of civil/human rights versus social control over morality, and the influence of legal developments occurring elsewhere. The most likely outcome of the debate over legal recognition of same‐sex unions is a national domestic partnership or civil unions policy.