Search results

This article reflects on the significance of family centres in the UK as a mirror of new possibilities for child welfare in the years following the Children Act 1989. The Act empowered local authorities in England and Wales to provide family centres as part of ‘family support practice’. The article reveals a rich vein of family‐centred, centre‐based activity internationally and shows practice combining intervention from the sophisticated to the very informal. The authors focus on so‐called ‘integrated centres’ as complex systems of care with wide implications for practice and outcome evaluation in an ‘evidence‐based’ context.

The purpose of this paper is to undertake an analysis of the visual portrayal of women published in a professional journal within the built environment and to establish whether or not there is gender stereotyping through these published images.

A prominent property professional industry journal was selected for the research analysis. This journal was selected because of the national coverage within Australia and high prominence within the property industry. The analysis focused on a total of 166 pictures in the 2015 issues. The coding identified the publication year, issue number and page number of each photograph analysed and total number of pictures on each page. After this information was tabulated, each photograph was analysed using a thematic analysis approach.

The research identified that given the opportunity to be photographed ad hoc, women tend to take the dominant stance and yet when the pictures were posed, the women showed a tendency to adopt a submissive stance. Male images were 13.39 per cent in the dominance category indicating a higher score in comparison to females at 3.45 per cent.

Whilst it is generally accepted that there are more males in the built environment, the reality leans towards the notion that with less woman on property boards and management roles, it will be difficult to portray women in positions of authority and to balance the gender portrayal. In summary, the marginalisation of women is evident, and marketing media can be highly influential and unintentionally promote gender inequity with image portrayal.

This research provides a valuable insight on how women are portrayed in the property profession. The property industry and the professional bodies can provide an influential role to promote gender equality.

This chapter evaluates research from the past 10 years suggesting that surfing can help develop ecological sensibilities and, in turn, lead to more environmentally sustainable lifestyles and practices.

The first part of the chapter reviews some of the key themes in the movement toward more sustainable surfing, including surfers' lifestyle practices. The second part of the chapter offers more in-depth case studies of (1) the production and consumption of surfboards and (2) the emergence of wave pools. Through these two case studies the chapter explores more promising practices that are driving more desirable human–surfing–environment relationships.

The chapter highlights the key tensions in debates over the so-called sustainable surfing movement. While surfers continue to see themselves as environmentally connected and having special relationships to the environment and sustainability, there are many contradictions and inconsistencies in this relationship. The negative environmental impact of the surfing industry remains notable, including in tourism, board manufacturing, and surfing events. The chapter highlights the limitations of relying on market-based, technologically dependent approaches to sustainable development.

The chapter shows the potential and promise of technological innovation for more environmentally sustainable practices, while recognizing the ongoing challenges in changing attitudes in the surf industry, and among many participants/consumers. It echoes broader literatures showing that attitudes and behaviors around environmental issues are complex and paradoxical.