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- Linking family trajectories and personal networksPublication . Ramos, Vasco; Česnuitytė, Vida; Aeby, Gaëlle; Gauthier, Jacques-Antoine
- The de-standardisation of the life course in Portugal. A cross-cohort analysis using entropy analysisPublication . Ramos, VascoThis article addresses the question of life course de-standardisation in Portugal, drawing on a trajectory-based holistic approach. The de-standardisation hypothesis presupposes that, over recent decades, occupational and family trajectories became gradually more variable. Our methodological strategy to test these hypotheses uses entropy measures and assesses how cohort and gender influence standardisation. We used these measures to determine the heterogeneity in co-residence and occupational trajectories between the ages of 7 and 35. In a second stage, we used regression models to estimate if cohort, gender, education and socio-economic class associate with co-residence and occupational entropy. The paper draws on data from the ‘Family Trajectories and Social Networks: The life course in an intergenerational perspective’ research project (n = 1500), which included questions on co-residence and work employment history of Portuguese individuals born in three different cohorts (1935-40; 1950-55; 1970-75). Findings show that standardisation and de-standardisation dynamics coexist, operating differently depending on the life domain and the stage of life. While early family trajectories are more standardised in younger cohorts, later stages are slightly more diverse, particularly among women. As far as occupational trajectories are concerned, formative years are much more standardised in the younger cohort, while adulthood is de-standardised in all cohorts. We discuss results in light of the life course regime and gendering hypotheses.
- From percentages to narratives: giving silence a voice in child sexual abuse within the Portuguese catholic church, 1950–2022Publication . Ramos, Vasco; Almeida, Ana Nunes deBackground: Over the last two decades, several studies have examined the extent and expression of child sexual abuse (CSA) in religious institutions. In 2021, following new Vatican guidelines and under intense public pressure, the Portuguese Episcopal Conference commissioned a study on CSA in Portugal by members of the Portuguese Catholic Church (PCC) and others associated with it (from 1950 to 2022). Objective and methods: The study draws on a web-based survey and a respondent driven sample. The questionnaire included categorical questions about victims, abusers, types of abuse, and open-ended questions. We characterized victims and abusers and developed a social cartography of abuse using Correspondence Analysis. Victims' narratives are also part of the model of analysis. Results: We validated 512 of CSA by members of the PCC. Boys were more frequently abused (57.2 % vs. 42.2 %); male abusers predominate (96.7 %); most victims were abused more than once (57 %); the average age of victims when the first abuse occurred was 11.2 years. More invasive forms of abuse predominate (80 % manipulation of sexual organs or penetration; only 20 % had no body touching). There are patterns of abuse, and space plays a pivotal role in understanding the forms that CSA takes within Catholic environments. The richness of individual narratives was an unexpected outcome that enables us to better understand the organisational and symbolical power structures in which abuse takes place. Conclusion: Given the characteristics of our sample, these cases are the tip of the iceberg, with CSA within the PCC likely involved thousands of children. Further research should strive to consider victims' narratives.
- Food consumption, social class and taste in contemporary PortugalPublication . Ramos, VascoIn this article, I investigate the logic underlying household food consumption in Portugal and how it relates to class positioning, like other expressions of culture. Therefore, the paper examines the Bourdieusian hypothesis of homology between the field of food and the configuration of social positions in Portuguese society against the hypotheses that emphasise homogenisation and individualisation of consumption patterns. I start by remapping the Portuguese social space, using an approach inspired by the analysis pioneered by Bourdieu on Distinction and recently taken up by several streams of research. Drawing on the national Household Budget Survey, I then develop a Correspondence Analysis of expenditure on a wide range of foodstuffs. The analysis is supplemented by data from the Second Large Survey on Sustainability in Portugal, seeking to examine patterns in ethical dispositions concerning food and drink in contemporary Portugal and their homology with class. Concluding on a degree of similarity between the space of food consumption and the space of social positions engendered by differences in the overall volume and composition of capital, I close with reflections on the methodological challenges of this approach and on the broader significance of these results for our understanding of consumption in Portugal.
- Contextualising Personal Networks Across Birth Cohorts and CountriesPublication . Ramos, Vasco; Česnuitytė, Vida; Aeby, Gaëlle; Wall, Karin; Joyce, Dominique
- Researching children’s food practices in contexts of deprivation: ethical and methodological challengesPublication . Ramos, Vasco; Truninger, Monica; Cardoso, Sónia; Augusto, Fábio RafaelThe paper develops a critical reflection upon the methodological and ethical challenges of researching the food practices of low-income families with children. We draw on data and fieldwork experience in Portugal, within a recently completed European research project. The study aimed to understand children’s experiences and views about the place of food in their lives, drawing on sociological approaches to childhood that conceptualize children as social agents, active participants within families and competent experts on their own social and interactional worlds. These assertions underlie the project’s mixed-method approach (in-person interviews, questionnaires and photo-elicitation). We argue that beyond well-known ethical challenges (such as gatekeeping, power asymmetries, reciprocity and active participation), food and food poverty bring forth unique dilemmas, which may affect children’s participation in research. Following the dimensions suggested by Tracy, our contribution offers a reflexive account of ethics-in-practice of how we dealt with ethical dilemmas on the field.