Social Sciences & Humanities — Blog — Sage Perspectives Blog

Setting the Norms of Internet-based Survey Research

A survey of 750 university human Research Ethics Boards (HRECs) in the United States revealed that Internet research protocols involving online or Web surveys are the type most often reviewed (94% of respondents), indicating the growing prevalence of this methodology for academic research. … The paper concludes with considerations and suggestions towards consistent protocol review of online surveys to ensure appropriate human subjects protections in the face of emergent electronic tools and methodologies.

ResearchKimberley SimpsonSeptember 18, 2019SAGE Inspire, Social Sciences & Humanities, Social Science Space

#MeToo: Disclosure and Response to Sexual Victimization on Twitter

This study examined utilization of the Twitter hashtag #MeToo, which emerged in 2017 as a method for disclosing personal experiences of sexual victimization.

Feminist Political Economy in a Globalized World: African Women Migrants in South Africa and the US

Migration is one of the most important social phenomena of our times. In the social science literature, particularly among US-based scholars, African migrant women remain an understudied population. The experiences of African women migrants, either as immigrants or refugees, clearly demonstrate that migration is a gendered process.

Sex-typed chores and the city: What does urbanicity have to do with chores?

How does place structure the gendered division of household labor? Because people’s living spaces and lifestyles differ dramatically across urban, suburban, and rural areas, it follows that time spent on household chores may vary across places. In cities, for example, many households do not have vehicles or lawns, and housing units tend to be relatively small. Urban men’s and women’s time use therefore provides insight into how partners contribute to household chores when there is less structural demand for the types of tasks they typically do

Why do voters choose corrupt politicians?

While in public citizens express their clear rejection of corruption and their intentions not to support corrupt politicians, empirical evidence shows that voters around the world only mildly punish corrupt politicians. From a theoretical point of view it is puzzling how corrupt governments survive in democratic societies, as one of the main functions of free elections, a fundamental to every democracy, is to hold governments accountable.

The political revolt of the lower middle class against automation: a common explanation for Brexit, Trumpism or the yellow vests

Labour markets in advanced economies are increasingly marked by job polarisation, whereby job creation occurs either at the high- or low-skill levels, while mid-skill jobs are disappearing. This is mainly due to the process of automation of many routine-based tasks, as machines, computers, and robots can replace certain repetitive human tasks. What impact does this development have on politics? In our recent paper, we demonstrate that the fear of labour automation may translate into greater support for radical right parties.

Helping and Hindering Undergraduate Women’s STEM Motivation: Experiences with STEM Encouragement, STEM-Related Gender Bias, and Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment and gender bias in STEM undermine women’s STEM motivation, leading to fewer women in STEM fields. Addressing sexism in STEM in educational and work contexts is needed to promote women’s potential and gender equality in society.

Navigating big data dilemmas

Facebook is yet again dominating news headlines, this time for its #10YearChallenge encouraging users to post pictures of themselves from 10 years ago and today. While ostensibly a fun and trivial exercise, the viral challenge raised questions regarding whether the game was initiated by Facebook to gather data on its users. This led Zak Doffman to claim in Forbes, “The world of Big Data has clearly changed in the last year”.

Revisiting the Jezebel Stereotype: The Impact of Target Race on Sexual Objectification

Black women are regularly depicted in an objectifying and sexualized manner in Western media, oftentimes as Jezebels. But do Black women experience greater objectification than White women?