Aspects of Cultural and Racial Differences Annotated Bibliography

Aspects of Cultural and Racial Differences - Annotated Bibliography Example The paper "Aspects of Cultural and Racial Differences" talks about the realism as a unique approach in addressing the characters in Jean Rhy’s wide Sargasso Sea. The aspects of cultural and racial differences as displayed in the main book are discussed in this paper. â€Å"Empty spaces† is a term used to show the themes of racial prejudice.Winterhalter is credited for having intelligent views on many topics that touch on gender aspects in the society. In this article, she provides an analysis of the stylistic devices that Jean Rhy uses in her novel. Unlike many of the articles that concentrate on themes and characters in their analysis, she presents her thought from a third-party point of view. This creates an alternative view of the book and readers can develop an independent analysis of the books in question. Her technique of narration and explanation of major themes as viewed by independent thinkers is admirable. Among her articles that discuss these themes, this is the best explained and objective according to many pundits.By choosing this article as a reference point of Wide Sargasso Sea essay, one can borrow a lot of aspects from the writer's view. It is qualified because it demonstrates the essence of discussing various social issues such as racism and gender prejudice. She succeeds in narrating various strong points which form the basis of the novel. The article too can be criticized because of its strong views which at some point, discredit and portrays the weakness of the novel.

Hamlet Essay Example for Free

Hamlet Essay â€Å"Hamlet† is one of the masterpieces of Shakespeare, in which he cleverly weaves a plot high in drama and reflecting positive and negative human emotions through his wonderful and intriguing characters. A chance encounter with the Captain of the Norwegian army sets about a thought process in the mind of Hamlet. The sixth and final soliloquy in Act 4, Scene 4 of the play is a high point in the play and it throws light on Hamlet’s emotional conflicts and his opinions on human sensibilities. When the captain of the Norwegian army tells Hamlet that Fortinbras is leading an army to fight over a â€Å"little patch of land†, Hamlet gets into a reflective mood and ponders on human emotions. He is surprised that people could go to war over such trivial matters while he had a much serious issue to fight for. He convinces himself that he stands more to gain by taking revenge on Claudius. He blames himself for the delay in avenging the death of his father and ponders if his â€Å"dull revenge† was probably the reason for the procrastination. He also regrets the fact that even though he had â€Å"all occasions† in the past to execute his plans, he had failed to do so. The soliloquy also reflects upon the resentment that Hamlet harbors towards his mother, Gertrude. He despises her and wants to punish her but is unable to do so, since it is against his nature to hurt his own mother. But he decides to punish her through his words and not through his actions. â€Å"speak daggers to her, but use none†(1328)  The soliloquy serves as an important turning point in the plot because Hamlet embarks on an action plan to avenge his father’s death. After the encounter with Fortinbras, he is more determined than ever to execute his plans. He vows to be more aggressive and shrewd. He tells himself, â€Å"O, from this time forth, my thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth† (1342). Thus, this soliloquy reflects the sensitive nature of Prince Hamlet and his change of mind.

Investment Report on Qantas Airlines

Investment Report on Qantas Airlines Introduction Qantas main international hubs are at Sydney and Melbourne airport, as well as operates a significant number of international flights. Qantas owns Jetstar Airways and when it became privatised in 1993, became one of the most profitable airlines in the world. Qantas has a total of 299 aircrafts and 29,350 employees as of 2015, and its closest competitor is Singapore Airlines (SIA). Qantas goal is to be the worlds best airline, providing travel experiences and putting safety first at all times. Since 2006, Qantas has saved over 2.5 million tonnes of carbon emission through its Qantas Future Planet Program. This is Qantass program for their sustainability, environmental and social initiatives. In 2008, Qantas ordered 20 A380s, and using Required Navigation Performance and air traffic management, helped to save thousands of kilograms of carbon emission. In 2012, Qantas won an award for setting the standard for large organisations and has won another 3 awards till date. Financial/Economic Performance Table 1.0 General Information on Qantas Financial Information and Analysis of Qantas This portion of the report aims to provide relevant financial information, analysis and the profitability of Qantas. This report also compares between Qantas and SIA to provide a more in depth evaluation on the profitability of Qantas. Profitability Analysis of Qantas As seen in Table 1.0, Qantas had a negative return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE), as well as profit margin. According to Max Mason (2014), the statutory loss does not represent a cash loss to the company, rather it is a paper loss in the value of its assets. However, in 2015, Qantas made a comeback and made an increase of 26%. Moreover, Qantas made an 83% increase in return on equity (ROE) and their profit margin increased by 31%. This shows that Qantass negative ratios were most probably caused by lack of customers wanting to travel. ROA measures the return earned by management through operations as well as reflects the result of the entitys ability to convert sales revenue into profit. ROE measures the rate of return on the capital invested by shareholders. A sustained high ROE attracts new competitors to the industry and eventually erodes excess ROE. Profit margin is a measure of profitability. It is used to calculate the net profit as a percentage of the revenue. Liquidity Analysis Table 1.1 Liquidity Analysis of Qantas When calculating current ratio, it is best if the ratio is 1 or more than 1. Most people regard a current ratio that is less than 1, as a company that is facing insolvency. While Qantas in this case has a ratio of less than 1, it is still comforting to know that their assets still contain enough cash and receivables, and one of the non-current liabilities contains revenue received in advance. Although it is unearned, when the amount received is earned, it will be credited accordingly. 2.3 Profitability Ratios Between Qantas and SIA Table 1.3 Profitability Ratios between Qantas and SIA Table 1.4 Qantas and SIA Financial Statement 2015 2.3.1 ROA Comparison Between Qantas and SIA Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT) shows the earnings generated by the company, ignoring tax and debt. A high EBIT would mean that the company is either earning a high revenue or have low expenses. As seen in Table 1.4, although the revenue earned is about the same, SIAs expenditure is higher, thus resulting in a lower EBIT. Adding on to that, SIAs asset is higher than Qantas, thus resulting in a lower ROA. The ROA shows that Qantas is able to convert sales revenue into profit better than SIA as well as better at generating income from its asset investments. Moreover, this translates into efficiency in using its resources so as to generate a good return for investors. 2.3.2 ROE Comparison Between Qantas and SIA As seen from Table 1.4, Qantas NPAT is higher than SIA, which translates into Qantas being better at earning a return on the equity provided to them. That can be seen from the amount of equity both companies have. For SIA, this is what we call a capital funded company. A capital funded company relies on investment from shareholders to operate and for SIA, it is shown that they are not making full use of their investments to enable a good return to their investors. 2.3.3 Profit Margin Comparison Between Qantas and SIA Profit margin is a ratio used to calculate a companys financial performance. Commonly, a low profit margin would indicate lower sales than other companies in the industry. As seen from Table 1.3 and 1.4, Qantas has almost the same revenue, but a higher profit margin than SIA, which could indicate that they are cost conscious, therefore have less expenditure. Social Performance of Qantas Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), is a form of self-regulation that companies engage in, to provide some social good, beyond the interests of the firm, regulators and environmental protection groups. By undertaking CSR, companies are able to reach out to consumers trust through positive public relations and encourage the company to make an impact on the environment and stakeholders. Qantas partners with organisations such as Make-A-Wish, e-motion21, Mardi Gras and UNICEF to promote a positive change. 3.1 Make-A-Wish Australia Qantas is the official airline of Make-A-Wish Australia, an organisation that grants wishes to children with life threatening illnesses. Since 1985, over 8000 wishes had been granted and since 2008, the Qantas Foundation has donated over $5.7 million for charitable causes in Australia. Qantas also helped fulfil the wish of a boy, with stage 4 Wilms tumour, who wanted to be a pilot by bringing him to a plane simulator as well as showed him around the workings of a plane. 3.2 E.motion21 E.motion21 is a non-profit organisation that aims to improve the lives of people with down syndrome through dance, fitness and performance. As a corporate partner, Qantas supported the organisation by sending 18 dancers and their families to South Africa for the World Down Syndrome Congress and even gave Lauren Potter a surprise serenade when she touched down in Australia. 3.3 Mardi Gras Also known as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras in Australia, its a parade to celebrate Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) pride. As a major partner of the parade, Qantas celebrates the spirit of diversity by having their own Gay 380 float. Qantas is also a Gay-Friendly airline, with non-stop flights to Australia and New Zealand, countries with a thriving LGBT community. 3.4 UNICEF Providing humanitarian assistance to children and mothers in developing countries, UNICEF is a non-profit organisation that relies on government and private funding. UNICEF partnered with Qantas to create the Change for Good program, where Qantas passengers unwanted spare change were collected and donated to UNICEF for the purpose of providing textbooks for education or protecting children from diseases. This concept has helped raise at least $28 million over the past 23 years. Environmental Performance of Qantas Qantas takes initiative in protecting the environment on both land and air, and has partnerships that promote sustainability and conservation. The most important initiative would be in the air, where planes are frequently releasing emissions that slowly harms the ozone layer. Since 2007, Qantas has been reducing harmful emissions, making them one of the industry leaders in environmental protection. As of 2014, Qantas managed to reduce electricity consumption by 9%, water consumption by 11% and landfill by 20%. To reach their 2020 target, Qantas has been using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), investing in fuel efficiency, flying carbon neutral, and recycling. On the ground, Qantas protects the environment indirectly by using natural gas for their headquarters as well as a reduction in utilities used. 4.1 In the Air 4.1.1 Sustainable Aviation Fuel SAF is now in its second generation and currently, 2% of global emissions come from aviation and is expected to rise to 3% by 2050. Although solar, electric and hydrogen aircrafts are being researched on now, it is still more feasible to use SAF due to aviations need for high power-to-weight ratio. In 2012, Qantas was the first Australian airline to use SAF to operate a commercial flight and have partnered with Shell Australia and the government to explore the production of SAF in Australia. In a study conducted with industry partners, findings have shown that SAF can result in the creation of 12,000 clean energy jobs, a 17% reduction in emissions and a $2 billion reduction in the reliance of oil imports. 4.1.2 Fuel Efficiency Program In recent years, Qantas has phased out old airplanes and purchased newer ones that are equipped with the latest technology and engines. Some of the airplanes include the Airbus A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Airbus A320 neo. Other methods of fuel efficiency would include weight reduction by investing in lighter equipment or adjusting the amount of portable water the plane carries based on passenger needs and sector length. 4.1.3 Flying Carbon Neutral Since the launch of the Fly Carbon Neutral program in 2007, Qantas has managed to offset over 1.8 million tonnes of carbon. Carbon offsetting in business terms, is the purchasing of carbon credits to enable businesses to compensate for their carbon emissions. For Qantas, not only do they offset their employees carbon footprint, but each time a customer flies on Qantas, they can choose to offset their share of carbon emissions. In other words, you contribute a sum of money equivalent to your carbon footprint and Qantas will use that contribution to fund carbon offset projects that provides genuine, lasting environmental and social benefits. Qantas does not earn from the contribution and Fly Carbon Neutral is the largest airline offset program in the world. Qantass carbon offset projects include, protecting the Tasmanias wilderness, empowering rainforest communities, improving Cambodian air quality and protectingallow the Peruvian amazon. 4.1.4 Recycling Qantas was the first Australian airline to introduce inflight recycling and has since recycled 390 tonnes of paper and 200 tonnes of bottle per year. Qantas takes recycling very seriously and pushes their suppliers to produce more sustainable products and less packaging. For example, currently, all the paper cups provided on board are made from 35% recycled paper. Qantas also tries to get their customers to join in to save the environment by assisting the cabin crew to separate the recyclable items for collection. 4.2 On the Ground 4.2.1 Tri Generation Projects and Campus Redevelopment Qantas reconstructed their headquarters by building Australias largest tri-generation project in Sydney. The system allows cooling, heating and electricity by using natural gas as the fuel so as to produce more efficient, lower carbon energy for the headquarters, catering centre, jet base and domestic terminal. The end result would be a reduction of 23,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year, an equivalent of taking 7,000 cars off the road. It will also raise the energy efficiency rating from a NABERS 1.5 star to NABERS 5 star. 4.2.2 Utilities Reduction In order to achieve their water and electricity targets, Qantas purchased LED lights to improve lighting efficiency as well as procuring energy efficient appliances. Rectification of water leaks and installing water efficient fixtures was done as well. Conclusion Although low current ratio was seen, I would recommend anyone to invest in Qantas as the profitability ratios show a more than significant improvement between 2014 and 2015. This is much more evident when compared to SIA, another top leading airline in the world. Moreover, Qantas engages in various environmental and social aspects to make sure they are a well-recognised company. Reference list

The Perils of Bullying Essay -- social issues, bullying

â€Å"Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.† These words have been repeated countless times, but they are not accurate. In truth, words can kill. Bullying has become a highlighted problem within our society, and bullying in the school systems is even more prominent. According to the news, there are countless cases of bullying, many of which do not have happy endings. The rates of suicide due to bullying are currently higher than they have ever been before. Suicide is the third top causes of death in young people within the United States, averaging at 4,400 deaths a year, with over 50% of these deaths as a result of some sort of bullying. Studies also show that there are 100 suicide attempts for every one successful suicide performed (â€Å"Bullying and Suicide†). These numbers are disturbingly high. Bullying is affecting more kids in ways that some adults may never understand. The fact that words and actions can lead to cutting and suicides is still a distant concept to some and needs to be brought to immediate attention. Laws are now being put into place to prevent these tragedies, but what is really being done to prevent them within the schools or even within the students’ homes? There is a lot of finger pointing when it comes to this topic. But we all want to know what the cause is behind this nationwide crisis and who is responsible for it. A bully can be defined in several ways and this term is sometimes exaggerated. However, according to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary, a bully is defined as â€Å"one habitually cruel to others who are weaker† and bullying is defined as â€Å"to cause (someone) to do something by making threats or insults or by using force†. These are the formal definitions of the term, but the def... ... Retrieved from http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-statistics.html Johnston, J. (2011, April 19). Demi lovato interview: teen star opens up on bulimia, cutting issues. ABC news. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/demi-lovato-interview-teen-star-opens-bulimia-cutting/story?id=13405090 Hamilton, J. (2008). Bullying and hazing. Farmington Hills: Gale and Greenhaven Press. DOI: gale.cengage.com Bullying and suicide. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-and-suicide.html The roles kids play. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/roles-kids-play/index.html Bullying definition. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/definition/index.html Risk factors. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/factors/index.html

Leadership †Chrysalids Essay

A leader is someone who guides, helps, or directs others. In the novel The Chrysalids by John Wyndhyam, leadership is what helps the telepathic group escape successfully and survive outside the community of Waknuk. David, Gordon and Michael’s leadership skills help all of the group members in various ways. These three characters are good leaders because they guide and direct their group to reach their goals. Firstly, when David takes on the role of being a leader, he gives precise orders, which helps their plan be successful. For example, when Michael informs David that they need to escape out of Waknuk at that very moment, David tells Petra, â€Å"Get dressed as fast as you can. Overalls. And be very quiet† (123). David is making sure Petra knows exactly what needs to be done in order for them to get out of Waknuk safely and quickly. Another example is when Michael tells David what to tell the Norms in case of an examination. David passes on the information to Petra by saying, â€Å"Do you understand that Petra? You tell them you can just make think-pictures to Rosalind and me. Nothing about Michael, or Sealand people† (155). David is reassuring that Petra understands what to say and what not to tell them because if she tells them something she’s not supposed to, their plan will be unsuccessful. Finally, when David is teaching Petra about thought shapes, he tells her, â€Å"Do it slowly and gently, as if you were making it out of cobwebs† (113). As David educates Petra, he specifically tells her how and what the thought shapes should be like, which helps Petra learn everything faster. David always has an objective in mind and it’s always reached when he tries his best to guide others. Secondly, Gordon leads his group by making sure his men are strong enough to know that they need to go to any extent until their purpose is complete. For example, when Gordon is telling his men what to do with David, he says, â€Å"Chuck him out. And if he doesn’t seem to understand that that means stay out, shoot him† (164). Gordon’s men know that they will need to go to any extent like killing David if any problems arise. Also, when all the Fringes people are getting ready to ambush the Norms, David thinks to himself, â€Å"He seemed [seems] to be dividing his men up into parties and instructing them by drawing diagrams in the bare earth† (184). Gordon tries to explain to his men carefully and completely what needs to happen, by drawing the diagrams in the bare earth. That helps them give a visual view. In addition, when everyone is getting ready to attack, David thinks, â€Å"For one thing there were standing orders from the spider-man to shoot me† (185). He knows that if he does anything foolish, Gordon’s men won’t think twice before shooting David. This shows that Gordon is a strong leader because all his men will not dare to go against his word and will make sure they go to any limit to fulfill orders given. Gordon conducts his group and makes sure anything and everything is done so the victory is his. Also Michael does everything in his power to ensure the safety of his group. Whenever Michael advises the group, he makes sure every detail is covered so there is no chance of error. Firstly, when all of the group members are trying to put together the details of what the Sealand woman says, Michael tries to figure it out by saying, â€Å"But what she seemed to me to be putting across was that she was particularly surprised to find it among†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (140-141). Michael discusses what is heard with the group. Secondly, when David, Petra and Rosalind are on the run, Michael keeps filling them in and tells them, â€Å"They’ll start to follow your tracks as soon as it’s light. Better get moving soon. I don’t know how it is in front of you, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (142-143). Michael helps his group by telling them all the information he knows. The information Michael finds out and passes onto the rest of the group, is helpful for their goal of getting out of Waknuk without getting caught. Lastly, when David, Petra and Rosalind are on the run, while Petra and Rosalind are sleeping, Michael tells David, â€Å"You mustn’t let them get hold of Rosalind or Petra – far better to kill them yourself than let that happen to them† (143). Michael ensures that David knows that it is better for them to not live than to go through the torture the norms would put them through if they were to be caught. He tells David what the best thing to do is if they are in that situation. The group reaches their goals faster when Michael keeps filling them in on what’s going on everywhere else and when he helps them with what needs to be done. In conclusion, in order for goals to be reached, a group needs strong leaders for guidance and direction. David gives precise orders as a leader, which helps everything to be done quicker and there are more chances of the plan being successful. There are times when Gordon gives strong orders, causing people following the orders to go out of their way to fulfill them. Michael is a good leader who will do everything possible to keep his group away from any danger. Good leaders possess strong leadership qualities such as guidance and direction that help to succeed in what needs to be accomplished.

Rationale – I have decided to study the gender-oriented issue of conjugal roles in the family

I have decided to study the gender-oriented issue of conjugal roles in the family. This area of sociological interest came about when we looked at family life and the symmetrical family. Another reason for my interest in this is it is still an issue despite all the changes such as sex discrimination, and even though feminists have raised the issue it seems that there is still not equality in the allocation of domestic tasks between husband and wife. The Lancaster Regionalism Group found an increase in men's participation but not in the unpopular chores, while Alan Warde suggests that the nature of household tasks varied between couples. From this evidence I derived my hypothesis â€Å"Men do help around the home but do not make an equal contribution†. Primary research will be used and will take the form of a diary. For my variables my sample size will be ten married / cohabiting couples. Both male and female will be in full time employment aged between 30 to 40, as I have access to these respondents. They will be chosen using a snowballing method. A quantitative method will be used to measure the time spent on tasks around the home, and the nature of tasks performed. CONTEXT. The issue of the domestic division of labour was raised by feminists like Ann Oakley in her study â€Å"The sociology of Housework† in which she argued that housework should be taken seriously as a type of â€Å"work†. Other feminists have developed this theme and looked at ways in which women experience inequality in the home. My first source is drawn from the Lancaster Regionalism Group's investigation into the household division of labour in Northwest England in 1988. This concept â€Å"domestic division of labour† is crucial because it relates to my aim. The â€Å"domestic division of labour† describes the way in which household tasks are allocated in the home. These researchers found that husbands tend to do a very much larger proportion of tasks concerned with the home such as car maintenance etc. However the women do the vast amount of domestic chores. The Lancaster researchers examined the popularity of different household chores. They wanted to test whether the male or female partner was likely to get the unpopular job. From their list of 20 tasks ironing, washing clothes and dishes were chosen as the most disliked chores. Although men had last washed the dishes in 23% of households, only 5% had done the ironing and 3% had last cleaned the dishes. The least pleasant of all tasks cleaning the toilet was last done in 81% of households by women. The Lancaster Regionalism Group concluded that there was some evidence that attitudes had changed but the actual pattern of behaviour remains much the same as it was in the earlier generation. The Lancaster Regionalism Groups work links in with my own hypothesis because the study found an increase in men's participation but not in the unpopular chores. Secondly there is the feminist approach to the domestic division of labour. The feminist Ann Oakley argued that the social scientists who claimed it was natural for women to take a caring role in the family e.g. perform household tasks had been tricked by their own prejudices into assuming what it meant to be a woman. Some contemporary sociologists have taken Stoller's argument and suggest that women take on more domestic responsibilities in any given household because it is seen as culturally appropriate feminine behaviour. Therefore it is difficult to discover whether the sharing (or not) of domestic tasks can be seen as a true measure of â€Å"equality†. My third source is drawn from Gershunys study on domestic division of labour. He measured changes in the domestic division of labour by looking at the use of time in the household. He investigated the dual burden hypothesis, which states that even when women take up professional work, they continue to carry on the domestic work. Gershuny found that over the period of 1974-5 to 1987 the husbands of working women continued to do less than half the total paid and unpaid work done by their spouses. However in some types of household's men did contribute equally and husbands share of work had risen. This source is relevant to my hypothesis because the source concludes there is evidence to show that men were taking on more mundane tasks as done by women, but such tasks continued to be the female's responsibility. My next source is the article † Domestic divisions of labour† by Alan Warde.The source concerns the aspect of women's two roles, their conventional responsibility for housework and paid work. According to the study where wives are involved in paid employment they spend fewer hours, on housework where men seem to be doing more. Nevertheless, women still do a greater share of domestic work. There is a strong gender division of tasks, with women doing routine household jobs. The article concludes that the traditional patterns remain very much in evidence and the rate at which men are learning to do female tasks may be slower than that at which women are learning to do male tasks like plastering etc. This source is relevant to my study because selected tasks between husband and wife remain much the same, women doing more housework and men doing painting etc. My final source is once again on the domestic division of labour by Madeleine Leonard. The article suggests that housework remains women's work. Research shows that there is a clear gender division of labour in housework tasks just like the Lancashire Regionalism group found in their study. This source is relevant to my study because it suggests that even though men are making a contribution when it comes to chores they are still not doing an equal share. These studies suggest that, despite much greater equality for women there is still an imbalance of responsibility when it comes to household chores. However my own research may suggest otherwise. Methodology Three main areas need to be covered for this research. Firstly, there needs to be a way of measuring the amount of domestic labour performed by females and males in the present day family groups. I have decided to measure who does what around the home. Secondly I will be measuring the tasks done with others and the time spent on chores. The principal research method I will use will be a diary, as I believe this is a more original method for this research. Not only will this method give me a greater validity but also an insight into the issue. I also hope it will identify trends within my sample group about the amount of housework performed. Using the diary method will also enable me to replicate Wilmott and Youngs approach, as they too used a diary method in their study of the â€Å"symmetrical family† where they asked respondents to keep a diary detailing the hours spent on paid and unpaid work. My sample will consist of 10 couple's aged between 30 to 40 who are all employed. They will be chosen using the snowballing method. Using this method offers a wide range of advantages for example it will enable me to obtain a relevant sample without having a sampling frame. The diary method will involve asking my respondents to keep a strict diary recording and detailing the amount of domestic labour they performed throughout the day, as well tasks done alone and the time spent on chores. When using these method respondents would need to keep this diary for up to a week. The diary will offer the opportunity to let the respondents record their account of the domestic labour performed without causing any bias, and so it will be a more reliable source. An example of sociological research that has used a diary method is Wilmott and Young's study of the symmetrical family where they asked respondents to keep a diary detailing the hours spent on paid and unpaid work. Another study example where a diary method has been used is Ann Oakley's study on the sociology of housework. Oakley asked respondents to keep a housework diary, revealing for the feminist debate the hard work and long hours housework demands. The advantage of using the diary method is qualitative data can discover peoples meaning and interpretations and can often also be examined systematically to identify patterns by using content analysis. This approach is favoured because it is free of values and scientific. Another advantage of using the diary method is it is a more reliable source when it comes to ethical issues, as respondents will not be influenced when recording the amount of work performed & will not reveal aspects of their lives they wish to remain hidden. One of the other reasons why I decided to use the diary method is it does not limit the resource-based area of time and money. The diary method will enable me to collect informative, relevant and original data whilst remaining within practical constraints. The diary method reflects two major methodological disadvantages selectivity and it is typical. The selectivity issue is a problem because the respondent will decide what is included not me the researcher. This could lead to irrelevance and inaccuracy & a difficulty in comparing data from different respondents. However to over come this disadvantage I will divide the diary into three categories to specify what sort of things to include. However this solution may too be a disadvantage as I am using a qualitative method this may lead to bias because I am imposing a framework on the respondent. The second disadvantage is typical because I do not know the amount of confidence I can have in the usualness of the day recorded. Most people's lives follow regular patterns but if my diary period of ten days is untypical then my picture as the researcher will be distorted. EVIDENCE. Despite the progress made by women in the twentieth century, which has brought about a substantial amount of change and has put an end to inequality and discrimination between sexes in many areas, women have still not won the battle of equality between men when it comes to domestic work in the home. When talking about work, it can be assumed that this refers to paid employment. However there is one job which is performed full time by women more than men, which is housework or domestic labour. My research concludes that domestic work done by women is hardly ever recognised. For instance respondent A had done more hours of domestic work in a week compared to her husband respondent k (refer to appendix). From my diary I can estimate women spend an average of fifty hours a week on housework which is far more than most people spend in paid employment. Men seemed to be doing less than this amount of domestic work compared to their wives, in some days doing less than half what they consider to be housework or related tasks. I have found from my diaries that housework is still seen as the main responsibility of women even though both partners are working in full time paid employment. It is still women who take on the main responsibility for housework from all the ten couples who took part in my experiment. My findings show that women still have an unequal role with men in the homestead. Much of this inequality arises because the central role of women is still seen by a male dominated society as that of housewife and mother. For instance a similarity I found in my study was that nearly all the female respondents who took part carried out similar tasks over one week such as cleaning the toilet, cooking and hovering etc. Whereas the male respondents tasks where also similar for instance gardening and painting etc. This may suggest that many jobs are still seen as men's job and women's job. This compares with the Lancaster Regionalism Group's study. This study showed that 80%of women were responsible for general domestic duties such as cleaning the toilet and only 31% of men took full responsibility for work to be done in the homestead. This tells me about my aims that many full time working women have two jobs in comparison to the men's one job. My own findings reveal that although a wide range of jobs and opportunities are available to women the main role of a woman's life is expected to be that of housewife. Although out of the 10 couples who took part in my experiment only 2% shared the responsibility of housework equally. This compares with Gershuney's study because he found that in some types of households men did contribute equally. The only difference, which was clear in my study, was that attitudes to domestic chores are changing. Respondents k and L(refer to appendix) were doing tasks such as cooking, making the tea etc all tasks done by women out of the other couples who took part in my experiment. This for instance compares to Gershuney's study because he found men were taking on more mundane tasks as done by women. The process of conducting my research went well although I would make a number of changes if I were to carry the experiment out again. For instance I decided that half an hour would be suitable and a long enough space of time for respondents to record the tasks done. I now think that this time period was not suitable, as this was too short. People may spend longer than half an hour on certain tasks such as hovering and so this may not have been recorded in the diary. I believe that forty-five minutes would have been a longer space of time. However if I had decided to choose to go with more than forty five minutes than respondents may not choose to record tasks that take them less than five minutes for example putting the rubbish out. After carrying out the experiment the ten couples who took part said they found it difficult recording what they thought was a task. Questions raised from the respondents included would walking the dog and taking the kids to school be considered a task?. To overcome this problem I could list about twenty tasks such as hovering, and other possible variations on a cover sheet and attach it to the diary and instruct respondents to record only the tasks on the cover sheet. I found that some respondents were recording gardening, and painting etc the problem with this is some people may choose to do gardening or painting as a hobby so these can not be recorded as chores. Again using a cover sheet could solve this problem. From my diaries I found that men were spending only half an hour on tasks when doing it on there own. However when they recorded tasks done with others they were spending more time on tasks of up to an hour. This shows that women obviously take more time on domestic chores whereas even though men are doing there bit the time taken is much shorter. By comparing all the diaries from males I could see that the tasks done by men were very similar such as changing a light bulb or fuse. This was also the case with women all the tasks done by them over the week was also very similar such as cooking, changing the linen etc. This shows me that there is a gender division when it comes to household tasks. The main role of a women's life is still to be that of a housewife, having dinner ready on the table, cleaning the house etc although men are doing there part in the domestic sphere but just not enough compared to men. This compares to the study of † Back to the future† by Madeline Leonard. She found that housework by large remains women's work, and this more than any other factor accounts for women's continued exploitation in the home. In her study she found that women are responsible for cooking, cleaning, washing and ironing, while men do jobs such as gardening and home maintenance. The key findings of all my primary research include that although it is true that women have made a huge progress, total equality in the home is still a myth. The battle of the sexes when it comes to domestic tasks has still not met its equilibrium although evidence from my research suggests that attitudes are changing slowly. EVALUATION & FINAL CONCLUSIONS. The sampling problems apparent in my research were that there were problems finding an equal number of working class and middle class couples. Consequently my sample was mainly working class. This problem simply reflected the facts of the type of domestic work that I the researcher was looking for. There may have been a need to adjust my hypothesis or the sample characteristics because it was too broad. My sample was reduced to ten couples because when I went round to respondent's homes they were not in. To overcome this problem I the researcher could have made the diary worth while for the respondents in order to motivate them to take part. I now believe that the sample I chose to use was not representative. This is because only ten couples took part. The couples in the survey were mainly working women and men and so may not be representative of professional men and women. There is no indication in the data that a range of different types of couples, e.g. working class, members of ethnic minorities, etc was sampled. The strengths of my research are that I focused on the comparative approach by using the snowballing method for example the way the couples were randomly sampled. The representatives of the sample, especially the equal sexes ratio. All diaries were handed out to respondents in their home because of the anonymity of the diaries. The weaknesses of my research were that the respondents might have thought the research was official and feel threatened by it, and so refuse to co-operate with it etc. Therefore the responses may not therefore reflect the truth, despite anonymity. The respondents were not supervised when they were filling in the diary and in reaction, some respondents may not have co-operated fully, experience of self reports tell us that people have a tendency to exaggerate, lie, not take surveys seriously. I did explore the issue in sufficient depth because my secondary data was appropriate to draw a suitable hypothesis. My secondary data was derived from a range of sources: social studies review, the Lancaster Regionalism Group etc. These all gave me an official picture of the domestic division of labour situation. The sources of data that I have collected are the most effective in relation to my aims. However other methods of data collection might have been possible for instance a large-scale survey of the population could be conducted of the workload shared between husband and wife in general. I could include questions on women's role as housewife which operationalise in various ways positive and negative attitudes towards them. Interviews could be conducted with husbands, which would measure their attitudes and their perception of social attitudes towards housewives. A content analysis could be carried out on newspaper coverage of the role of women in the home. My choice of method did affect my results for example by using the diary method I was able to control variables via using a snowballing sample. It is seen to have high reliability because it is easily repeated. Other sociologists can verify the data obtained by using the same standardised diary and similar samples. It is also seen as objective because the sample population is randomly rather than deliberately selected. During the diary schedule I did attempt to operationalise the concept domestic division of labour etc in such a way that it was not judgmental of the couples. I used my personal theoretical perspective and related this to my choice of method for instance the couples could have been interviewed together, although a more interesting variation that I chose was to use a diary method. This method was chosen so that they could record the amount of domestic tasks done separately. I was then able to compare data to get a gender version of the amount of tasks done. My experience of carrying out the research compares to the interpretivists. Firstly, the task of the researcher is to investigate how those taking part in the study interpret the world around them. In order to do this, the sociologist has to get inside their heads and see the world through their eyes. This is called â€Å"verstehen† and is an attempt to empathise with those being studied. Second, interpretivists emphasise validity seeing the world as it really is. Validity played a great importance in my chosen method because I was trying to find out how domestic tasks were shared so seeing the world as it really is. Third, cause and effect relationships are impossible to construct because people socially construct social situations and the interpretations people give to certain situations often vary. I found this to be the case in my research between couples. I do think my results are presented in the most effective way. As my chosen method was qualitative I was not able to produce any statistical data however my diaries were in columns with appropriate headings. To study this research further people could develop the idea of helping around the home by using Wilmot and young's assertion that the family is still symmetrical. Also people could research whether women actually want to be helped when it comes to household tasks even though feminists argue that the family is still an exploitative arrangement for women. CONCLUSION My hypothesis read†¦ † Men do help around the home but do not make an equal contribution† I can conclude that my hypothesis was correct because I found from my diaries that women are still doing more than there fair share of domestic work compared to men. This is the case because the extensions of traditional domestic roles of housewives and mothers are still in which women continue to be socialised these include serving and waiting on people, catering for them and cleaning and clearing up after others. These are all jobs women traditionally did and still do in the home. Such jobs include primary school teaching, low-grade catering work, working as shop assistants, supermarket shop fillers, secretaries' etc. For example secretaries often serve their (usually male bosses), organise the office in the workplace to make things easier for them, making tea and coffee and clearing up after their meetings. Primary school involves childminding, catering involves cooking etc. Women have limited career opportunities than males for a number of different reasons. There is the gender stereotyping at school and the wider gender role socialisation process in the home and in the work place. This is similar to the article † Back to the future† by Madeleine Leonard who found that this gender role socialisation process in the home made women continue to see housework as an important part of being a â€Å"good wife and mother† and are satisfied with the unequal domestic division of labour.