Women and Divorce in the Victorian Era Essay -- Victorian Era

Women and Divorce in the Victorian Era â€Å"There's a sanctity in this relation of life," said Mr. Bounderby, "and - and - it must be kept up." --Hard Times, 73 Once married, only one in ten women divorced. --â€Å"Life for Women† For Victorians, divorce was not only extremely expensive, it was very hard to do. Women and men stayed in unhappy marriages for numerous reasons. Many stayed away from divorce because of the stigma attached to divorced women. It was also considered a societal taboo. â€Å"Prior to 1857 England was the only Protestant country in Europe that did not have provisions for civil divorce. Divorce could only be obtained through private Acts of Parliament† (â€Å"Divorce†). Divorces were very hard to attain because there was no civil divorce. Private Acts were inconvenient and extremely costly. The poor had no way to attempt divorce under these circumstances. Just 322 divorces were approved prior to the passing of the 1857 Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act. Subsequent to this Act passing, divorce rates rose to about 369 in 1890, and 560 in 1900. (â€Å"Divorce†). Divorce laws highlighted the unequal status of women to men through the unequal circumstances which divorce was granted. A man could divorce a woman merely on the grounds of adultery. Yet a woman had to prove her husband guilty of adultery â€Å"†¦combined with cruelty, bigamy, incest, or bestiality† (â€Å"Marriage†). The unequal status of women to men was also evident through how the courts classified married and single females. When a Victorian man and woman married, the rights of the woman were legally given over to her spouse. â€Å"This suspension of the married woman’s legal personality was known as â€Å"coverture†. An unmarried woman was known in the law as a feme sole (... ...n before and during her marriage. * 1883: Custody Acts: allowed for women to be awarded custody of children up to the age of 16 (Moore par.4-5). Works Cited Dickens, Charles. Hard Times. Pearson Education. 2004. â€Å"Divorce.† The 1890’s, An Encyclopedia of British Literature, Art, and Culture. New York. Garland Publishing, INC. 1993. â€Å"Interesting Facts.† 5 November 2004. . â€Å"Life for Women.† 2004. 7 November 2004. . â€Å"Marriage and Divorce.† Victorian Britain, An Encyclopedia. New York. Garland Publishing, INC. 1988. Moore, Melissa. â€Å"Women’s Issues Now & Then, A Feminist Overview of the Past 2 Centuries.† 2004. 6 November 2004. .

Ethics in Nursing Essay

Nurses are to provide compassionate, competent, and ethical care, and follow the moral principles and guidelines set out by the College of Nurses and the Canadian Nurse’s Association’s code of ethics. The nursing profession is a self-sacrificing one, and nurses take on the Nightingale Pledge, to elevate the standard of their practice and dedicate themselves to those committed in their care (Keatings & Smith, 2010, p. 64) However unfavourable working conditions, inadequate patient to nurse ratios, and intensive job-related stress can lead to poor performance of daily routines, and adversely patient safety (Ozata et al., 2013). In the situation regarding Mr. Gurt who suffers from Parkinson’s disease, it is vital for the nurse to weigh him at the beginning of each month. This is her obligation under her employing institution’s standards of care, as well under the autonomy of her practise in which any deviation from this could result in exposure to liability ( Austin 2006, p. 62). In order for the nurse to properly care for Mr. Gurt, assessing his accurate weight is essential in providing a care plan that will focus on his overall wellness and healing. Because Mr. Gurt is frail, and has stage one pressure ulcers on both heels and his coccyx, it is imperative that he has every opportunity to build up his skin integrity and prevent future disruption of his skin surface. Complications that may arise because of the nurse’s neglect in failing to weigh him, may contribute to other underlying problems. General health concerns Mr. Gurt would be facing on top of his current co- morbidities would include a decline his general appearance, gastrointestinal, neurologic, integumentary, and musculoskeletal systems (Holloway, 2004, p. 80). By recording a weight of 70kg with a height of 170cm, the nurse calculated Mr. Gurt’s Body Mass Index (BMI) at 24.2 which is borderline overweight, when in fact it was 14.5, with 18.5 being the baseline for being underweight ( http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/ obesity/ BMI/bmicalc.htm., n.d.). According to this value, it would be likely that Mr. Gurt would suffer from imbalanced nutrition, less than his body requirements leading to other complications and failing to thrive. Nanda defines failure to thrive as the progressive functional deterioration of a physical and cognitive nature. The individual’s ability to live with multisystem diseases, cope with  ensuing problems, and manage his care are remarkably diminished (Ackley & Ladwig, 2011, p. 350). To add on to potential problems, drug doses are given based on factors such as age, gender, and the weight of a patient (Raman-Wilms, 2013). Since Mr. Gurt is elderly and suffering from the effects of Parkinson’s with an imbalance of neurotransmitter activity between dopamine and acetylcholine, there may be fewer receptors and a decrease in neurotransmitters to take up his drugs (Raman-Wilms, 2013). Levadopa a dopaminergic medication which treats the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease should be reviewed with body weight changes (Raman-Wilms, 2013). A study looking into the factors of weight loss in Parkinson’s looked at the effects of dopaminergic treatment which suggested that the drug had a lipolytic effect and body mass fat was decreased with the advancement of Parkinson’s symptoms (Lorefalt, 2004, p.186). The potential magnitude and likelihood of harm occurring in this case is significant as drug tolerances, adverse effects, and toxic effects are high, making the liver and kidneys susceptible to disease (Urquhart, 2014), as Mr. Gurt’s body mass index indicates he is underweight and a higher risk for drug overdoses. Effectiveness of this drug will diminish over time in which the adverse effects may become severe and may include palpitations, abdominal movement, dizziness, and confusion (Raman-Wilms, 2013, p. 331). Incorrect doses of his medication could lead to physical and psychological issues based on the nurses documented weight and his actual weight. Failing to weigh Mr. Gurt will have a great impact on his nutritional needs, but will also affect his ability to heal his pressure ulcers on his heels and coccyx. Mr. Gurt is emaciated which may be in part to dysphasia, tremors, still muscles, and slow movements among other symptoms of Parkinson’s (Wilk & Newmaster, 2013, p. 288). As well, Mr. Gurt’s weight is evidence that he is not receiving the nutritional intake his body’s immune system requires to create the proteins and blood cells (macrophages the body’s first line of defence), needed to attack and repair his wounds, and prevent the risk for infection (Raman-Wilms, 2013). The nurse’s blatant disregard to weigh Mr. Gurt puts him at greater risk for infection and is a form of negligence. Negligence in nursing can be unintentional, however it is important to understand the effects this has on health professionals practicing in Ontario. A registered nurse is responsible to follow the standard of care when performing nursing  acts under autonomy within their scope of practise (College of Nurses, 2004) (CNO, 2004). Standard of Care is the legal benchmark against which a person’s conduct is measured to determine whether a person has been negligent and whether the person’s conduct or actions in a given situation have met those expected of a competent health care professional (Keatings & Smith, 2010). The College of Nurses is the governing body for registered nurses that protect the public through regulating the nursing profession (CNO, 2014). A practising nurse is obliged to follow the standards of care and ethical guidelines set out by this governing body (CNO, 2014). The College of Nurses lists seven ethical values which are all important, but recognizes that client well-being is a primary value (CNO, 2014). The College of Nurses connotation of client well-being is to promote the patients health, while preventing or removing harm (CNO, 2014). In the case regarding Mr. Gurt, where the nurse is required to weigh him monthly and record the data, she is morally responsible for the patient’s well-being and for any adverse outcomes regarding his health for failing to provide safe care. The nurse’s complacency in failing to weigh Mr. Gurt, a simple act, would be of concern in investigating her moral responsibility in providing ethical care in her work environment. The nurse’s ethical duty is to advocate for her patients and provide safe, effective, and ethical care (CNO, 2014). Possible outcomes that could arise for the nurse in failing to provide ethical care include: her co-worker filing a complaint to the College of Nurses, a discipline hearing with the College of nurses, and possibly a lawsuit (CNO, 2014). Potter & Perry note the criteria nurses can be found liable for negligence as summarized; the nurse owed the duty to the patient; to whom that duty was not carried out; and the patient was injured for failing to carry out that duty (Potter & Perry 2013, p. 96). A common negligent act is failing to monitor a patient’s condition adequately (Potter et al., 2013, p. 97). For a nurse to be sued, and in the case with Mr. Gurt, the nurse had carelessly not performed a duty which was vital to his ongoing care. While the ability to predict harm is evaluated is this case, the nurse had committed a wrong doing to Mr. Gurt and could be tried as an unintentional tort. (Potter et al., 2013, p. 97-98). According to the Criminal Code, 1985, if Mr. Gurt was to pass away as a result of improper care or toxic levels of medication being given due  to the nurse failing to weigh him, the nurse could also face criminal liability if the nurse was proven to have a reckless disregard for her patient (Potter et al., 2013, p. 99-100). The best way for nurses to avoid being negligent is to follow the standards of care; be self aware and to reflect on their nursing practise; to follow the ethical framework established by the College of Nurses; and to continuall y educate themselves on best practices, assessments, and evaluations within their nursing abilities (Potter et al., 2013, p.98). With that in mind, one final thing I would suggest is to have professional liability and legal assistance protection insurance coverage. References BIBLIOGRAPHY l 4105 Ackley, J. A., Ladwig, G. B. (2011). Nursing Diagnosis Handbook (9th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby/Elsevier Canada. Austin, S. (2006). Ladies & gentlemen of the jury, I present†¦ the nursing documentation. Nursing, 56-64 Calculate Your Body Mass Index. (n.d.).Calculate Your BMI. Retrieved June 4, 2014, from http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/obesity/BMI/bmicalc.htm.(n.d.). College of Nurses of Ontario/Ordre des Infirmià ¨res et Infirmiers de l’Ontario. (2014). College of Nurses of Ontario. Retrieved June 15, 2014, from http://www.cno.org/ Holloway, N. (1999). Medical-Surgical Care Planning. Orinda: Springhouse Corporation. Keatings, M. (2010). Ethical & Legal Issues in Canadian Nursing (3rd ed.). Toronto:Mosby/Elsevier Canada. Lorefalt, B., Ganowiak, W., Palhagen, S., Toss, G., Unosson, M., Granerus, A.K,.(2004). Factors of Importance for Weight Loss in Elderly Patients with Parkinson’s disease. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, 180-187. Ozata, O., Oztu rk, Y.E., Cihangiroglu, N., Altunkan, H. (2013). The Development of a Scale of Malpractice Trend in Nursing and Validity and Reliabilty Analysis. International Journal of Academic Research, 57-65. Potter, P. A., Perry, A. G., Kerr, J. C., & Wood, M. J. (2009). Canadian Fundamentals of Nursing (4th ed.). Toronto: Mosby/Elsevier Canada. Raman-Wilms, L. (2013). Guide to Drugs in Canada (4th ed.). Toronto: Dorling Kindersley. Urquhart, B. (2014). Exploring how kidney failure impact’s the body’s systems. Western News. Wilk, M. J., Newmaster, R. (2013). Canadian Textbook for the Support Worker.Toronto: Mosby/ Elsevier Canada.

Whakatane Work Income Office - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1230 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/06/24 Category Culture Essay Level High school Tags: Ethnographic Essay Did you like this example? ETHNOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION (What did you observe? What struck you as particularly interesting? What elements are you going to focus on?): This ethnographic description is an observation of Whakatane Work and Income office environment, I went about my research through a 50minute observation at the Work and Income office situated in Whakatane on Tuesday 27th November 2018 at 11am to 11.50am. The elements I am going to focus on is human behaviour between the client and the officer. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Whakatane Work Income Office" essay for you Create order The Work Income office is situated in the main township of Whakatane and is close neighbours to The Police Station and The Court House. It is a new looking building, it is placed on an empty lot with much of the space taken up with car spaces and small easy to maintain gardens. Approaching the front entrance there are 2 security guards who greet you and open the doors for you. You immediately step into the buildings main waiting area with a lot of big windows and a very high ceiling, big grey and white tiles covers the floor. The waiting area consists of bench type seating small play area for the children and a floor to ceiling double opening doors which leads into the Work and Income reception area. To the left of the Work and Income double doors is a staircase leading to upstairs organizations such as Youth Justice, CYFs, Anamata (adult education) Oranga Tamariki. I seated myself in the main waiting area in such a way so I could observe directly into Work and Income office, the front main door, and the staircase. lots of natural light in the room, I could see twelve curvy shaped modern looking desks, scattered around the room each with a computer and 1 seat for the officer and the opposite side of the desk are two seats for the client and I assumed a support person or partner. There are four computer stations for clients to use to access job opportunities, one main reception desk and 1 security guard standing directly behind the receptionist, playing on his phone. I approached the front receptionist and asked receptionist if I could use the computer to look for work, she said that anyone from the public have access to the computers, I spent the remainder of my observation at the computer station. I noticed that everyone that entered the work and income area were dressed in the same manner, sandals or tennis shoes, trackpants or jeans, t shirt or hoodie. What are the people you are observing doing in general or attempting to accomplish: The types of people were all different individual members of society, I became curious when I spotted a young lady approximately 17 – 18 years-old waiting for her Work and Income case manager to return. She sits awkwardly with a little baby boy (I assume is her son) asleep in the pram beside her, I noticed the way the young lady was admiring the sleeping baby. The case manager returns and is attempting to engage her by firing questions at the young lady, but it was plain to see that the young lady was comprehensive about this as I am sure that the young lady was in an unfamiliar environment. The young lady became teary and raised her voice I need help for food, the officer replied â€Å"sorry† you will have to wait till your benefit is approved, maybe you can ask your parents for help, the young lady replied they disowned me because I decided to keep my baby. The security guard headed towards the young lady, but she was already in the motion of quickly wiping the tears from her face, took hold of her pram and walked out of the office, head down and holding back the tears. I observed four people declined for food grants, as the computer station is situated next to the receptionist. I was confused why the staff didn’t refer them to food bank, but it was a straight out (you’ve used your entitlement to food voucher) we can’t help you. People walked out just the same as the young lady, head down with a (what am I going to do now) look on their face. The behaviour from the clients were consistent, they were at the work and income office for help wit her it be financial (payments being stopped, failure to hand in forms) or in the form of food grants. The staff are as consistent as the clients (No we can’t help you) or very minimum help which is why the clients are there in the first place. The approach of the staff is quite abrupt and lacks empathy regarding the client’s situation. I felt that everyone is treated and looked upon as a beneficiary or here for something, once entering the work and income office. The whole time I was there the security guard was focused on his phone, I asked him what he was playing, he smiled and said (Candy Crush) PROPOSED ANALYSIS (what anthropological concepts are you going to use to make sense of the above? What kind of explanation are you going to offer?): I have used the following concepts to help me make sense of my observation at Whakatane Work Income Office, utilising Rawls two principles of justice (Liberty Equality) Rawls states â€Å"Together, they dictate that society should be structured so that the greatest possible amount of liberty is given to its members, Secondly, inequalities either social or economic are only to be allowed if the worst off will be better off than they might be under an equal distribution† I also chose Ethnicity based on the society in which one lives. Culture as it deals with human culture especially with respect to social structure belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society. A society because I am dealing with group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Poverty is often a vicious circle, people in poverty (whether they are on low wages or on benefits) have fewer opportunities and resources, which in turn translates into less education, fewer job skills and an increased chance of needing benefits as adults. I have always believed that the best solution for poverty is to initially create decent paying jobs. It is clearly important that people break their dependency on welfare by gaining employment and therefore gaining access to stable incomes which allows them to risk manage their own lives. Creating opportunities for steady employment at reasonable wages is the best way to take people out of poverty. I totally agree with John Rawls who commented in A Theory of Justice that a just society will ensure â€Å"full employment in the sense that anyone who wants to work will be able to do so.† His commitment to full employment never wavered, and he noted in Political Liberalism that lack of the opportunity for meaningful work and occupation is destructive of citizens’ self-respect.† I would examine a practical ethical framework which Work Income could implement into their current framework concentrating on Employment or Self Employment for clients. I would also research Australia Centrelink and compare frameworks as Australia Centrelink have great systems in place at there offices which focus on employment.