IN BRIEF


Love at heart of civil partnerships


NEW TECHNOLOGIES Networks are clearly important to developing new technologies. Researchers aim to fill an existing evidence gap by mapping how networks develop, align and, in some cases, misalign. This study will ask how the development of technology communities can be co-ordinated and managed effectively, and influenced by public policy. ESRC grant number RES-360-25-0076 - Open Research Area in Europe (ORA) Programme


ACHIEVING CHANGES The changing ways in which Indonesian and Vietnamese individuals of divergent backgrounds and experience have understood the idea of ‘achievement’ over the course of their lives is the focus of a new two-year project. Researchers based in Hanoi and Indonesia’s borderland province of Kepri will focus on four groups: policymakers, teachers and pupils, export workers and religious professionals. ESRC grant number RES-000-22-4632


MARITIME MIGRATION To what extent did immigrants in pre-industrial Europe contribute to economic performance? Researchers will investigate how labour mobility and human capital (or skill) levels of workers influenced economic performance in the European maritime sector between 1650 and 1815. The project aims to contribute to current debate on the impact of skills and migration on the economy. ESRC grant number RES-062-23-3339


6 SOCIETY NOW SPRING 2012 SUMMER 2011


THE PRIMARY REASON for same-sex couples to enter into civil partnerships is to express to each other, their families and friends the loving nature of their relationship and their long-term commitment, says a new three-year study. Based on interviews with 100 partners (50 couples), researchers from the University of Manchester conclude that, for the majority, legal ‘rights’ and protections are a secondary consideration. The study shows that younger (up to age 35) couples in civil partnerships largely


view and present themselves as ‘ordinary married’ couples and subscribe to broader cultural beliefs about good marriages based on love, enduring commitment, mutual care and support, sexual exclusivity, equality and respect, communication and stability. n


i Contact Professor Brian Heaphy,


University of Manchester Email brian.heaphy@manchester.ac.uk Telephone 0161 275 0266 ESRC Grant Number RES-062-23-1308


A matter of convenience


AN INCREASE IN the provision of toilets designed to deter criminal behaviour could result in a shortage of publicly accessible toilets that meet the needs of older people and people with disabilities, warns a new study. For example, guidelines for toilets


designed to reduce crime suggest that turnstiles be installed to prevent anti-social behaviour through payment for facilities. Yet turnstiles are not recommended for inclusive design as they present a barrier to access for older people and people with mobility concerns, especially in facilities that are not attended and where alternative barrier-free entry cannot be given. The Robust Accessible Toilets


(RATs) project set out to produce a design guide which focused on user-acceptable, publicly accessible toilet design that provided access but also sought to discourage anti-social behaviour. Findings suggest that fully automated and self-cleaning facilities (‘superloos’) do not meet the needs of an ageing population as older users


frequently fear using them. In contrast, researchers found successful examples of communities taking charge of public toilet provision and offering facilities that a wide range of users found accessible and welcoming. The study suggests that although


not a direct consequence of ageing, the need to use the lavatory more frequently, and reach the facilities faster, does increase with age. In view of the UK’s ageing population, it is essential that those making key decisions about toilet design and provision understand that publicly accessible toilets can be found and used when needed, and that people feel comfortable, safe and secure when using them. n


i Contact Ms Jo-Anne Bichard,


Royal College of Art Email jo-anne.bichard@rca.ac.uk Telephone 020 7590 4242 ESRC Grant Number RES-193-25-0006 - Connected Communities Cross-Council Programme


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