Individual consequences of having work and family roles simultaneously in Iranian married women

Work Values of Working Women in Israel: A Comparison of Haredi Women with Those from the Secular and Traditional Segments

The Haredi (or Ultra-Orthodox) sector is the fastest growing population in Israel, but the ability to study their working world is limited, and as far as we know, the work values of Haredi women (who are usually the main breadwinners) have not been studied to date. This unique study compares their work values with those of secular and traditional Jewish-Israeli women. The Meaning of Work (MOW) questionnaire was administered to 467 employed Jewish-Israeli women (309 Secular, 138 Traditional, and 120 Haredi), addressing values, attitudes, and aspirations at the workplace. The findings indicate that, while secular women ascribe more importance to individualistic values related to interesting work and variety than do traditionalist and Haredi women, no significant differences exist among the three groups concerning the interest in good pay, autonomy, interpersonal relations, or job security. In addition, a higher level of religiosity was associated with the importance of convenient hours and inversely associated with the importance of learning new things. Further, Haredi women attribute more importance to promotion and congruence between their personal abilities and experience and the job requirements than did women from the other two groups. Overall, the background demographic variables had little impact on work values. The findings can be explained by the different cultural values (collectivism versus individualism) and the obstacles Haredi women experience in the labor market.

The Actor-Partner Effects of Parenting Stress on Quality of Life Among Parents of Children with ASD: The Mediating Role of Mental Quality of Life

The present study investigated the actor-partner effects of parenting stress (PS) on quality of life (QoL) among parents (96 couples) of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Data were collected using the QoL Scale and the PS Index. Structural equation modeling was also utilized to test the hypothesis. The results revealed the effects of PS in each parent on mental QoL of that parent. Maternal PS further shaped physical QoL in mothers. However, PS in one parent did not influence QoL of his or her partner. Accordingly, mental QoL had a mediating role between PS and physical QoL. It was ultimately suggested to take account of QoL among parents in addition to the treatment of children with ASD.

Sexual satisfaction among involuntarily childless women: A cross-cultural study in Italy and Brazil

Infertility has been negatively associated with sexual satisfaction. This study aimed to estimate the relation of infertility to sexual satisfaction from a cross-cultural perspective, comparing Italian and Brazilian women. Between June 2012 and January 2013, 528 women seeking assisted reproduction technology (ART) treatment in Italy (39%) or Brazil (61%) completed self-reports of sexual satisfaction (ISS) and infertility-related stress in the marital domain (IRS). IRS was the same across countries. ISS differed, with 34.31% of the Italians and 43.52% of the Brazilians being sexually dissatisfied at a clinical level (ISS score >30). Multiple logistic regression models showed that being sexually dissatisfied at a clinical level was associated with lower education and higher IRS among Italian women, regardless of having a diagnosed cause of infertility. It was instead associated with higher IRS only among the Brazilian women who had a diagnosed cause of infertility. These findings suggest that, regardless of nationality, sexual satisfaction and infertility-related stress need to be addressed in the treatment of infertile women turning to ART. However, as factors associated with these dimensions vary across countries, interventions to promote sexual satisfaction among infertile women should be adapted to their specific socio-cultural context.