Open Journal Systems Trinity College Dublin
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Converting Advocacy to Action: #WakingTheFeminists Legacy
Get PDFThis piece explores the catalytic effect of the voluntary #WakingtheFeminists movement, sparked in late 2015 by the announcement of the Abbey Theatre’s ‘Waking the Nation’ 2016 commemorative centenary programme.
In late 2015, gender inequality in Irish theatre came centre-stage, following the public announcement of the Abbey Theatre’s ‘Waking the Nation’ 2016 commemorative centenary programme. As the Irish state’s national theatre, this announcement was intended as a commemoration of one hundred years since the founding through uprising of the Irish state and thus symbolic of the state of contemporary Irish theatre. Featuring just one play written by a female playwright (and few other female creatives), its announcement triggered an online debate on social media. This moment catalysed a far wider debate. Here, Olwen Dawe reflects on a moment that gave rise to a movement, and how a voluntary group of artists and practitioners mobilised and strategised, garnering substantial engagement from the theatre community, policymakers and media, and developing a nationwide (and international) following in the process. In addition, she tracks the impact of #WakingTheFeminist’s advocacy campaign for gender equality in theatre, almost five years since the inception of the movement and as the deadline approaches of its target: 50:50 by November 2020
Private Health Insurance in Ireland: Trends and Determinants
Get PDFThis study examines the determinants of demand for private health insurance in Ireland. Survey data commissioned by the Health Insurance Authority from 2009 to 2017 are used to estimate multivariate models of health insurance demand. The results show that older and sicker individuals are more likely to have private health insurance, suggesting that adverse selection may be an issue in the Irish market. Irish-born are found to be more likely to have private health insurance. Preferences for health insurance also play an important role in predicting the purchase of health insurance. After controlling for the role of socio-economic factors and individual preferences, annual variations in the economy are not found to affect private health insurance coverage
How Gender and Prior Disadvantage Predict Performance in College
Get PDFMuch research has shown that having a better class of degree has significant payoff in the labour market. Using administrative data from Ireland, we explore the performance in college of different types of students. We find that post-primary school achievement is an important predictor: its relationship with college performance is concave for college completion, approximately linear for the probability of obtaining at least second class honours, upper division, and convex for the probability of obtaining a first class honours degree. We find that females do better in college than males, even after we account for their greater prior achievement, and this is true in both non-STEM and STEM fields. Disabled students, students from disadvantaged schools, and students who qualify for means-tested financial aid are less likely to complete and less likely to obtain first class honours or a second class honours, upper division degree. However, once we control for post-primary school achievement, these students actually perform better in college than others. We also find that, conditional on prior achievement, students from private exam-oriented “grind” schools and from Irish-medium schools are less likely to finish a degree and less likely to perform well in college, possibly because their school exam results are high relative to their abilities. Our results suggest that current college policies that lower entry requirements for disabled students and students from disadvantaged backgrounds may be justified on efficiency as well as equity grounds. They also suggest that college performance might be improved by increasing entry requirements for students who come from school types that convey advantages in the post-primaryexams that determine college entry
Compensation for Wrongful Injury in Ireland: Principles, Practice and Cost to the State
Get PDFCompensation for future loss due to wrongful injury in Ireland is currently determined at discount rates that do not take account of current market conditions and on a historic mortality basis. We quantify the impact of assessing damages using a more appropriate discount rate, mortality basis, and method of capitalising the loss. This results in the quantum of damages increasing significantly, and figures are given quantifying the increase by the term of the loss. Total outstanding liabilities of the State Claims Agency now exceed €3 billion, about half of which is in respect of catastrophic birth injuries caused by negligence in the delivery of maternity services. The change in the basis by which compensation is calculated outlined in this paper would increase the estimate of outstanding liabilities by over €1 billion and perhaps closer to €2 billion. We argue the current under-compensation of plaintiffs incentivises the State to settle by way of lump sum and is therefore an obstacle to the required legislation for appropriately indexed periodic payment orders
Has the Gender Revolution Stalled?
Get PDFWe examine change in multiple indicators of gender inequality for the period of 1970 to 2018 for the United States, and post-1990 data on some of those indicators for the Republic of Ireland. We consider gender inequality and its trend over time in educational attainment, employment, fields of study in higher education, occupations, and earnings. We conclude that there has been dramatic progress in movement toward gender equality, but, in recent decades, change has slowed, and, on some indicators, stalled entirely. The slowdown on some indicators and stall on others suggests that further movement toward gender equality will only occur if there is substantial institutional and cultural change, such as an increase in men’s participation in household and care work, governmental provision of childcare, and adoption by employers of policies that reduce gender discrimination and help both men and women combine jobs with family care responsibilities
Early Satiety in Cancer: A Clinical Review of Definition and Therapeutic Management
Get PDFEarly satiety is defined as the desire to eat with the inability to eat appropriate amounts due to premature fullness. Although a common symptom of cancer, it is rarely recognised in medical practice and poorly elucidated in the literature. This review highlights the importance of early satiety in cancer, and outlines appropriate treatment. A literature search was conducted using EMBASE, CINAHL and SCOPUS. The search was limited to articles available in English and peer-reviewed journals. Articles were screened in four stages by two independent reviewers and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) was used. 486 articles were identified, of which, five full-text articles were included in the study. The literature outlined that targeting central and peripheral mechanisms are key to symptom management. Peripherally-acting prokinetics such as metoclopramide are considered first line therapy. Agents that target gastric accommodation such as clonidine, sumatriptan and sildenafil may also be useful. Centrally acting pharmacological agents associated with digestion may be effective. Centrally acting agents include: progesterone receptor agonists, cannabinoids and ghrelin agonists. Overall, early satiety is an under-recognised, but important symptom in cancer. Due to the limited studies available, the efficacy of treatments are not well established. High quality studies outlining appropriate therapeutic management are necessary to establish standardised treatment protocols
Should There be a Limit to Reproductive Rights? Swan Medal Essay Prize
No full text“Imagine a being who is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. What does such a being lack? The answer? Limitation” (Peterson, 2018). This old Jewish moral teaches an interesting concept: that limitations aren’t flawed or restricting, rather beneficial and necessary. Does that hold true for issues on reproductive rights
Obstetrics and Gynaecology - a Surgical or Medical Specialty? Obstetrics and Gynaecology Essay Prize
No full textThe distinction between medical and surgical approaches to disease has been a cornerstone to medical practice since its conception, the long-standing divide between the medical and surgical specialties well established, each accompanied by their own set of strengths, stereotypes and clichés. Few medical professions are boastful of combining both qualities; ENT, ophthalmology, and obstetrics and Gynaecology are the main culprits to spring to mind. However, obstetrics and gynaecology is particularly of interest, although historically bringing together medically inclined obstetricians and surgically keen gynaecologists (Smith, 1996), the rift was still evident. In modern days, increasing complexity, advancing technology, and demographic and financial changes, have altered the balance between the two, involving increasing medical expertise in gynaecology and surgical intervention in obstetrics, with a new balance to be struck and a new art to be perfected