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Built On Blood: Understanding Menstrual Attitudes In Sex Work, Athanasia Platis
Built On Blood: Understanding Menstrual Attitudes In Sex Work, Athanasia Platis
Sociology Theses
There exists a stigma at the intersection of sex work and menstruation, as well as an intersection of stigma with menstruation and other social identities. The purpose of this research is to examine these intersections of stigmas, as well as examine the possible shift in menstrual understandings and attitudes. This is an exploratory study conducts of this intersection. Based on a survey of 261 individuals, primarily white women from the Southern United States, I argue that there exists a special stigma at the intersection of sex work and menstruation because of stigma management as a result of deviant identities. I …
"It's Camp": Summer Camp Culture, The Renegotiation Of Social Norms And Regulation Of Gender And Sexuality, Penny Harvey
"It's Camp": Summer Camp Culture, The Renegotiation Of Social Norms And Regulation Of Gender And Sexuality, Penny Harvey
Sociology Theses
Summer camps are an important part of U.S culture. 11 million children attend summer camp in the U.S.A each year. Yet, little work has been done to explore the cultural phenomenon of summer camp. At summer camps, there are many implicit and explicit norms regarding sexuality and gender. These norms, in turn, have larger implications for understanding children's development of self, their gender identity, and sexuality. I study summer camp culture at Camp Delaware by interviewing former campers (often referred to as ex-campers) about their experiences. I investigate how summer camp culture both reconstructs and reifies social norms, particularly those …
Satisfaction Guaranteed In Spouse Selection: The Dynamics Of Gender And Intergenerational Relations In A Chinese Dating Reality Show, Yue Yin
Sociology Theses
This study examines a popular TV show about heterosexual dating in contemporary China, entitled Chinese Dating. This television show provides an ongoing social forum on self-articulations of gender identities and intergenerational interactions regarding dating and spouse selection expectations of the participants. Using grounded theory to guide the data analysis, the findings of the gendered differences of spouse-selection criteria in contemporary China denote deep social and cultural expectations for young men and women in a rapidly changing China. The findings of the negotiation process of the two generations indicate the continuing cultural influence of filial piety, which provides a contrasting understanding …
A Shift In Gender Representations And Narratives In Super Bowl Commercials, Ashley M. Rockwell
A Shift In Gender Representations And Narratives In Super Bowl Commercials, Ashley M. Rockwell
Sociology Theses
Despite the wide, diverse, and captive Super Bowl television audience, there are only a few studies—none longitudinal—that have examined gender representations in Super Bowl commercials. Scholars have demonstrated that advertisements influence our behaviors and attitudes and can reinforce and reflect dominant ideologies (Garst and Bodenhausen 1997; Kilbourne 1999; Smeesters and Mandel 2006). This study examines how the gender narratives and representations in 665 Super Bowl advertisements that aired between 2005 and 2016 changed over time. Based on this content analysis, gender representations and narratives of Super Bowl commercials shifted to become more egalitarian. While there was a general trajectory toward …
Hegemonic Masculinity In Men With Schizophrenia: Complicity And Strategic Performance, Christopher Vidmar
Hegemonic Masculinity In Men With Schizophrenia: Complicity And Strategic Performance, Christopher Vidmar
Sociology Theses
Using secondary analysis of in-depth interviews of men with schizophrenia (N=59), in this thesis I explore the interplay between the performance of hegemonic masculinity and the treatment career of men with serious mental illness (SMI), and in doing so begin a conversation about how mental health providers can better address issues of masculinity. My findings are that significant barriers to masculinity performance are caused by the diagnosis and treatment of SMI, leading to roll loss, subsequent stress, and strategic modification of masculinity performance to attain hegemonic complicity. I identify six emergent themes and three masculinities within the data, and offer …
Should Good Girls Like Bad Sex: Depictions Of Kink In Cosmo, Kiersten Kummerow Brown
Should Good Girls Like Bad Sex: Depictions Of Kink In Cosmo, Kiersten Kummerow Brown
Sociology Theses
Kink has become a more widely discussed sexual practice over time. Recent pop culture releases like the publication of Fifty Shades of Grey have increased this discussion. Cosmopolitan magazine (Cosmo) is one of the most well-known women’s magazines in the world and its sexual advice is one of its defining characteristics. Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, I examine Cosmo’s depictions of kink from 1996 to 2014. Cosmo was more likely to mention kink in later years than in earlier ones, and its mentions of kink in later years were more likely to be positive. These mentions …
The Role Of Education In The Assimilation Of Romani Women In The United States, Melanie Covert
The Role Of Education In The Assimilation Of Romani Women In The United States, Melanie Covert
Sociology Theses
The Romani are a largely unknown people group in the United States though their plight world-wide is highly visible. The story of Romani in the United States remains largely untold. This study explored the daily lives of 15 Romani women within the United States. The study investigated questions of historical prejudice, gender roles, educational achievement and barriers to assimilation with in the Romani community. Results of the study highlighted that many Romani women encounter significant barriers inside and outside of their communities that impact their ability to pursue higher education and to fully assimilate into mainstream society due to current …
Gender Games: A Content Analysis Of Gender Portrayals In Modern, Narrative Video Games, Jared Friedberg
Gender Games: A Content Analysis Of Gender Portrayals In Modern, Narrative Video Games, Jared Friedberg
Sociology Theses
Video games are a multi-billion dollar industry; 67% of households in the United States have at least one game player. The considerable reach of this medium makes it crucial to assess the messages that audiences are taking away concerning gender in these games. In this content analysis, I investigate the representation of binary gender in the narratives of modern video games from the perspective of cultivation theory. Ten popular games from 2007 through 2013 are selected for this investigation. The characteristics of each game’s main character are evaluated in the context of the narrative to uncover emergent trends, tropes, and …
American Apparel Advertisements, Heather Bowles
American Apparel Advertisements, Heather Bowles
Sociology Theses
American Apparel advertisements are deemed offensive and controversial and many of their ads have been banned due to its presentation of women. Despite the controversy, there has been no sociological study on how gender is presented in their ads. This thesis explores how men and women are presented in twelve of their print ads.
Boy Scouts And Girl Scouts: An Organizational And Historical Approach To Understanding Socialization And Gendered Leadership, Natalie Stewart
Boy Scouts And Girl Scouts: An Organizational And Historical Approach To Understanding Socialization And Gendered Leadership, Natalie Stewart
Sociology Theses
In this research, I examine the concept of leadership as it is constructed in the youth-based organizations of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. How boys and girls are taught to lead as children in these single-sex, youth-based organizations has clear connections to prominent “masculine” and “feminine” styles of leadership, and I argue that these organizations assist in perpetuating gender inequality in the workplace in this way. Using historical content analysis and a modified grounded theory approach, I evaluate Boy Scout and Girl Scout handbooks printed over the past 100 years. I argue that through the process of “doing” leadership, the …
Give Me That Online Religion: Religious Authority And Resistance Through Blogging, Erin V. Echols
Give Me That Online Religion: Religious Authority And Resistance Through Blogging, Erin V. Echols
Sociology Theses
This study of forty-nine Christian blogs explores how groups of bloggers in two case studies resist and/or perpetuate hegemonic gender ideologies online and where these bloggers draw authority from for these views. The findings reveal that bloggers are most likely to cite texts as sources of authority and are more likely to affirm authority (78.1%) than to challenge it (25.7%). The bloggers in my sample, who were majority male, use an array of strategies in their efforts to resist hegemonic gender norms. These included, but are not limited to, debating God’s gender, emphasizing women’s roles in the Bible, privileging equality …
Engendering Spirits: Alcoholic Self-Help And Emphasized Femininity, Abby Jackson
Engendering Spirits: Alcoholic Self-Help And Emphasized Femininity, Abby Jackson
Sociology Theses
Gender theorists have long posited that the social construction of gender encourages women to embody specific ideals of femininity. Any circumstance or situation, then, that threatens a woman’s ability or capacity to fulfill these ideals is regarded as abnormal and often receives large amount of interest. This thesis provides a critical analysis of the gendered practices used in conjunction with the ideas, messages, and advice given to women with alcohol dependence. By doing a qualitative content analysis, I explored how the concepts of emphasized femininity are presented in self-help literatureforalcohol dependent women. My findings show that gendered ideas about alcoholic …
Stand By Your Man, Redneck Woman: Towards A Historical View Of Country Music Gender Roles, Cenate Pruitt
Stand By Your Man, Redneck Woman: Towards A Historical View Of Country Music Gender Roles, Cenate Pruitt
Sociology Theses
Country music, considered a uniquely American musical genre, has been relatively under-researched compared to rock and rap music. This thesis proposes research into the topic of country music, specifically the ways which country music songs portray gender. The thesis uses Billboard chart data to determine commercially successful songs, and performs a content analysis on the lyrics of these songs. I will select songs from a fifty year period ranging from 1955 to 2005, so as to allow for a longitudinal study of potential changes in presentation. Attention will be focused on the lyrical descriptions of men and women and how …
"Excuse Me, Ma'am? That's Sir To You!" Perceptions Of Butch Privilege In Contemporary Society, Mikel L. Walters
"Excuse Me, Ma'am? That's Sir To You!" Perceptions Of Butch Privilege In Contemporary Society, Mikel L. Walters
Sociology Theses
This thesis focuses on perceptions of butch privilege in the undergraduate student body at Georgia State University. Butch privilege is similar to traditional definitions of privilege, whether male, white or heterosexual. I define it as the unearned and unacknowledged privilege experienced by a butch lesbian (perceived or self-identified) due to her occupation of masculinity. In order to investigate this topic, an exploratory quantitative analysis of how perceptions of masculinity and status are associated with butch privilege was conducted. A survey consisting of questions regarding participants’ perceptions of how differential privileges are extended to masculine and feminine looking women were presented …