An Exploration Of Queer Women's Relationship With The Body And Physical Activity, Jade A. Bailey

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Traditional physical activity contexts are male-dominated, cis-heteronormative, and perpetuate Western beauty standards. Research has identified that queer women experience the lowest rates of physical activity participation, compared to other LGBTQ+ groups. The present study investigated the relationship between queer women’s (N = 70) body image, physical activity behaviour, and experiences. Participants completed one virtual focus group and four themes were identified: The Queer Women’s Body is Political; (in)Visibility of Sexual and Gender Identity in Physical Activity; Hypervigilance to Maintain Safety and Reduce Perpetuating Gender-Based Violence; and Desire for Spaces that Foster Safety, Belonging, and Connection. Findings revealed that queer …

Appearance- Versus Function-Based Verbal Cues During Exercise In Young Non-Exercising Women, Maclean Press

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This experimental study assessed the acute effects of appearance- versus function-based verbal cues during exercise on indices of self-objectification and exercise engagement among young women non-exercisers. Participants were randomized into one of three exercise conditions (appearance, neutral, function), where an instructor delivered verbal cues during a 20-minute treadmill exercise task. Participants completed a baseline assessment of trait self-objectification, and a post-manipulation survey examining psychological states (self-objectification, body shame, social physique anxiety, flow, and interoceptive awareness) and exercise engagement (intent to exercise, exercise enjoyment, exercise motivation). The total sample included 102 women (M_age = 20.2 years, SD_age = …

Exploring The Underrepresentation Of Women Coaches In Canadian University Sport, Hayley Finn

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Currently, there are disproportionally few women who hold coaching positions within Canadian university sport. To investigate the gender gap, this dissertation explores the institutional practices that inform women coaches’ working realities. Applying Smith’s (1987) institutional ethnography as a mode of inquiry directed the exploration towards the everyday practices and processes that inform experience, to better understand current barriers and supports in place. In this study, particular attention is given to social relations, which Smith (2005) calls the relations of ruling that coordinate activities and experiences of individuals within organizations. Institutional ethnography aims to explicate these relations of ruling by exploring …

Examining The Effects Of A Weight Stigma Induction On Psychological Stress And Exercise Outcomes, Isabella J. Randall

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Weight stigma is highly prevalent as a motivational tool in exercise contexts. However, weight stigma experienced in this domain may contribute to lowered exercise engagement, particularly among higher-weight women. This thesis examined the effects of a weight stigma induction on psychological stress, intentions to exercise (ITE), and exercise behaviours. Higher-weight women (N = 170, M_age = 57.2) were randomly assigned to read a fictional news article (weight-stigmatizing vs neutral condition), and completed acute measures of psychological stress, ITE, and exercise behaviours 7-days later. Participants who were exposed to the stigmatizing content reported a significant increase in stress and …

Impacts Of Covid-19 Related Changes In Income On Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence At Home, Cara Davidson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Introduction: Intimate partner violence (IPV) has increased in Canada due to COVID-19 and associated public health measures. Economic status may be responsible, but this must be validated during COVID-19.

Methods: An online survey was administered to 23 Canadian women to measure their income pre and during COVID-19 and their experiences of IPV in the past 12 months. Factorial ANOVAs and MANOVAs were used to explore the relationship between income and IPV.

Results: Of women responding to both timepoints, 56.5% (n=13) indicated an increase in IPV. Analyses did not suggest that income was significantly related to IPV, apart from the effect …

‘Instead Of Life In Prison, It Was Life In My Own Skin’: Scope And Limitations Of A Week-Long Daily Online Self-Compassionate Writing Intervention For Young Women’S Body Image, Katarina Huellemann

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Self-compassion involves reappraising negative events, accepting uncomfortable emotions, and practicing self-kindness. This thesis examined the effect of cultivating self-compassion via daily self-compassionate writing completed online for one week on stigmatizing and affirming self-perceptions in young undergraduate women. Undergraduate women (N = 254) were randomly assigned to one of the three conditions (i.e., self-compassionate writing, attentional-control, wait-list control) and completed measures of trait self-compassion, fear of self-compassion, affirming self-perceptions (i.e., body appreciation and broad conceptualization of beauty), and stigmatizing self-perceptions (i.e., self-objectification and phenomenological body shame) at baseline, post-test, and one-month follow-up. Hypotheses were tested using MANCOVA and a latent …

Canadian Women's Experiences In Mixed-Sex Sport: Wheelchair Rugby, Bronwyn Corrigan

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Wheelchair rugby exploded in popularity after the documentary Murderball was released in 2005. The sport was developed in Canada in the 1970s and named an official Paralympic sport in 2000 (Litchke et al., 2012). Wheelchair rugby is one of the few Paralympic or Olympic sports that includes mixed-sex participation. Where historically women with disabilities have had limited access to elite sporting competition (DePauw, 1997), wheelchair rugby provides the opportunity for women to represent themselves as competitive and physical beings, capable of the physicality and aggressive nature of the sport alongside men (Pavlidis & Fullagar, 2013). Yet there is a paucity …

ʿAbdulḥalīm Abū Shuqqa’S The Liberation Of Women In The Age Of Revelation: A Translation And Critical Commentary, Ibtehal Noorwali

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

One of Muslim scholars’ modern endeavors is to identify Islam’s egalitarian and liberating views on women as espoused by its earliest sources— the Qur’an and hadith. ʿAbdulḥalīm Abū Shuqqa makes such an attempt in his six-volume, Arabic book titled “The Liberation of Women in the Age of Revelation” (Taḥrīr al-Mar’a fī ‘Aṣr al-Risāla) published in 1995. He shows evidence from the Qur’an and authentic hadith reports for women’s autonomy, involvement in communal worship, public life, politics, battlefields, and professional work, among other activities. In an attempt to analyze and bring what was considered a ‘breakthrough’ in the Islamic …

No Coward Plays Hockey, Rachael Bishop

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis examined the landscape of women’s hockey in Canada, and focused on the national women’s hockey team, and how the treatment of female hockey players in the Canadian media, and in the eyes of the Canadian public, differs from the treatment of male hockey players. This thesis drew on three different research methods: an ethical/philosophical analysis, a media analysis and a narrative analysis.

The ethical analysis took a philosophical approach and discussed the different rules in men’s and women’s hockey. The ethical analysis also discussed other issues in hockey such as paternalism versus free will, and gender segregation in …

“All Men Would Be Tyrants If They Could”: Three New England Women’S Perspectives On Political And Domestic Tyranny During The Revolutionary Era, Austen K. Smith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis examines female perspectives of tyranny within the political and domestic realms. Combining a close reading of their written works with biographical studies of their lives, this thesis looks specifically at three elite, highly literate New England women: Abigail Adams, Mercy Otis Warren, and Judith Sargent Murray. These women were unable to formally participate in the political sphere, yet through their writing they responded to and offered commentary on the Revolution. Utilizing the same language and arguments they and other male patriots used in the Revolution, these three women innovated, following arguments about tyranny through to their natural conclusion, …

Social Determinants Of Health And Substance Use Among Women Living With Hiv In Canada: Inequalities And Impacts, Mostafa Shokoohi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The objective of this doctoral research was two-fold: 1) to estimate inequalities in social determinants of health (SDoH), health-related quality of life, and substance use among women living with HIV (WLWH) compared to the general population of women; and 2) to assess the impact of the SDoH clusters on illicit drug use and heavy alcohol drinking among WLWH. For the first objective, estimates were obtained from 1,422 WLWH aged 16+ in the 2013-2015 Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study (CHIWOS, time-point 1), and then compared with their counterparts estimated in 46,831 general population women in the 2013-2014 …

Perceptions Of Settlement Workers On The Needs And Challenges Of Female Syrian Refugees, Sheffy Bhayee

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Syrians account for a large proportion of recent refugee migrants to Canada. Settlement workers are the main point of contact for refugees; they remain with these individuals from the day of arrival until they have successfully settled. They are not only providers of information and assistance to meet basic needs but carry the responsibility of ensuring cultural integration. For this, it is crucial to understand the intersectional identities of the incoming migrant; coupled with traumatic experiences of fleeing from war, carrying cultured gender roles, and dealing with the anxiety and stress of relocation. The current study describes the settlement experiences …

Social Inclusion For Women Experiencing Homelessness, Jenna Richards

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: People experiencing homelessness have been described as one of the most socially excluded groups in society due to their inequitable access to basic necessities (Everett 2009; Labonte, 2004). Particular consideration regarding social inclusion should be given to the unique vulnerabilities of sub-populations of those experiencing homelessness, such as women (Wesely & Wright, 2005) due to their increased rates of ‘hidden homelessness’ (Walsh et al., 2009) and experiences of violence and discrimination (Roschelle, 2017; Weiser et al., 2009). Community participation, particularly sports activities, have been cited as one method towards increasing social inclusion among people experiencing homelessness. However, differential access …

Syrian Refugee Women’S Perspectives About Their University Experiences: A Case Study At A University In Ontario, Huda Ghadban

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In 2015, the Canadian government announced a plan to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees (Government of Canada, 2017b). With involvement from community agencies, private sponsors and government support, the initiative resulted in the resettlement of 40,000 Syrian refugees (Government of Canada, 2017b). In this context, many Canadian universities became involved in initiating programs to support the education, sponsorship and settlement of Syrian refugees (WUSC, 2017), with the premise that education plays a role in the settlement of refugees and their economic and social integration (Adamuti-Trache & Sweet, 2010; Brouwer, 2002; Ferede, 2010). What remains unknown are the experiences of these refugees …

A Gendered Perspective On Migrant Women Farmers’ Lived Experiences In The Brong-Ahafo Region Of Ghana, Jemima Nomunume Baada

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis examined the lived experiences of migrant women in rural areas of the Brong-Ahafo Region (BAR) of Ghana. Notwithstanding the depth of research on internal migrations in Ghana, little is known about women who have migrated from the Upper West Region to rural settlements in BAR to farm. Using 30 in-depth interviews, 5 focus group discussions and 10 key informant interviews, the study investigated migrant women’s productive and reproductive challenges, how they navigate these limitations, and the current state of livelihood improvement interventions. The findings revealed that migrant women’s livelihoods may not have improved as they had expected pre-migration, …

Women’S Experience Of Incivility In Professional Occupations: The Roles Of Gender Representation And Occupational Commitment, Christina Politis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The aim of the current study was to examine the role of gender representation and occupational commitment in shaping women’s experiences of workplace incivility, which was compared to men. Participants included 550 professional employees (45% female) who provided demographic information about their work units and completed a series of questionnaires including ones measuring workplace incivility, affective occupational commitment (AOC) and burnout. The analyses revealed that gender representation in the work unit predicted perceived overt incivility but not covert incivility or overall incivility for the females in the sample, but not for males. The predicted indirect effect of gender representation on …

Achieving Equality For Women In Labour And Employment – A Comparative Study Of Colombia And Canada, Lina M. Hernandez

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The primary focus of this thesis is to analyze and compare the legal systems enacted to protect working women in Colombia and Canada. This thesis focuses on: the protection of maternity and parental rights; the principle of equal pay for work of equal value; and discrimination in employment (including harassment). This research argues that the legislative and judicial changes made in each country to protect working women have not led to substantive equality for working women. This thesis also argues that there is a gap between international and national standards, thus a law reform is appropriate and needed in both …

Accessing Resources: The Narratives Of Women Working With A Hearing Loss, Ashley Martindale

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This narrative study describes the stories of women who are experiencing a hearing loss while working. It seeks to understand why these women may or may not be accessing resources. A narrative approach was used in order to gain in-depth description of the experiences of the participants. Two one-on-one interviews were completed with each of the eight participants.

After analysis of the interviews, five themes emerged. These themes included degree of hearing loss and communication demands, childhood experiences, financial factors, knowledge and awareness of others, and workplace environments. Insights of this “invisible” disability as well as ways in which women …

Improving The Education Of Leaders: An Exploratory Case Study In An Undergraduate Business Leadership Course Focused On Gender, Kanina Blanchard

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This exploratory case study is conducted in an undergraduate leadership course at a business school in Ontario. The research develops an understanding of how former students value and are influenced by leadership education that teaches a breadth of knowledges (instrumental, hermeneutic and emancipatory) and focuses on participants’ perspectives of how gender and inequality continue to impact the practice of leadership in Canada. By using document analysis and semi-structured interviews, findings emerge which provide insights into how changes in curricula and pedagogy may better prepare students of leadership to navigate the ethical and social complexities in today’s workplace.

Establishing Female Resistance As Tradition In Country Music: Towards A More Refined Discourse, Catherine Keron

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This thesis analyzes facets of resistance in the lyrics of female country music performers and explores how their articulations of female resistance draw on and rework Appalachian folk traditions within country music. Beginning with the musical practices of Appalachian women, who used music to lament their lives restricted by domestic responsibilities, this thesis examines expressions of female resistance through lyrical analysis, with a concentration on female country performers from 1995 to the present. Despite evolving into a performance tradition, female resistance in country music continues to address the lived experiences of its female audience. As such, the female resistance tradition …

Girls, Rock Your Boys: Female Tribute Acts And The Reclamation Of Rock, Sandra J. Canosa

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Female musicians who perform in tribute acts to male rock artists are an increasingly popular form of live musical entertainment, from Lez Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin) to Hervana (Nirvana). The purpose of this thesis is to explore the motivations for or rewards derived through tributing for women. Original interviews with artists and participant observation at performances are used for analysis alongside published interviews, videos, and website information. Discussions reveal how female tribute acts subvert the patriarchal dominance of rock music’s history by re-imagining canonical figures as women, as well as how archetypal signifiers of masculinity can be separated from male bodies …

"Support For Sisters Please": Comparing The Online Roles Of Al-Qaeda Women And Their Islamic State Counterparts, Hillary Peladeau

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This study evaluates female roles in pro-jihadist terrorism by examining online content. Data was collected from 36 Twitter accounts of women associated with al-Qaeda (AQ) affiliated groups for a period of six months. The purpose for collecting this data was to: 1) compare how traditional female roles, as constructed within a jihadi-Salafist ideology, are reproduced and challenged on social media; 2) and determine the extent that AQ-affiliated women conform to roles outlined in Huey’s classification of females in pro-Islamic State (IS) Twitter networks. The results of this study reveal that women’s traditional roles in pro-jihadist activities are reproduced on Twitter. …

A Study Of The Relationships Between Empowerment, Decision-Making Style And Job Satisfaction In Female Middle Managers Within Ontario's University Registrarial Units, Lee Ann C. Mckivor

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An emerging body of literature has sought to explore the role of variables such as decision-making styles and structural empowerment in predicting job satisfaction in various populations and contexts. This study aimed to advance this knowledge by questioning the predictive ability of structural empowerment and decision-making styles in female registrarial middle managers in Ontario universities. It was hypothesized that when female registrarial middle managers feel empowered, dependent on their decision-making style, they experience high job satisfaction.

An online survey tool comprised of the Conditions for Workplace Effectiveness Questionnaire (CWEQ-I), the General Decision-Making Scale (GDMS), and the Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), …

Femininity And Higher Education: Women At Ontario Universities, 1890 To 1920, Marilla Mccargar

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

This dissertation examines the experiences of women studying at six institutions of higher education from 1890 to 1920. The universities include Queen’s University in Kingston, The University of Western Ontario in London, the University of Toronto and its affiliates Victoria University, University College, and Trinity College in Toronto. While pioneering women who attended universities in the 1880s were opposed by people who believed a belief that women’s intellects were inferior to men’s, women in this study faced the belief that by engaging in the “masculine” pursuit of higher education they risked their future as wives and mothers and thus jeopardized …

Uprootedness And Health Of Women Temporary Agricultural Workers: A Critical Ethnography, Kathryn Ann Edmunds

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In recent years, increased global mobility for work, gendered approaches to migration, and the vulnerabilities of women in temporary and precarious work have received increased attention. However, there is limited evidence regarding the health of women temporary foreign workers in Canadian agriculture. The purposes of this critical ethnography using feminist and intersectional perspectives were to: 1) explore and describe women temporary agricultural workers’ experiences and meanings of health in the context of prolonged and repeated uprootedness from their homes and families, 2) to critically examine how the intersections of current gendered, global, political and economic conditions shaped their everyday lives …

Muslim Leaders’ Understandings Of Mental Health, Mental Illness, And Depression In Immigrant Women And Those Found In Consumer Health Materials: A Discourse Analysis, Selma Tobah

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this research project was to investigate the information landscape with respect to mental health, mental illness, and depression as it might be encountered by female Muslim immigrants in London Ontario. In the study, commonalities and differences were explored in the constructions of mental health and depression as they relate to the lives of Muslim immigrants from the perspectives of local Muslim religious leaders and in publications intended for the lay public that are produced by Canadian mental health organizations. Pamphlets concerning mental health and depression, intended for the lay public, were collected from several health and social …

Settlement Experiences Of Professional Immigrant Women In Canada, Usa, Uk And Australia, Naila Meraj

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Highly skilled professionals are often forced to accept jobs below their educational levels after they immigrate and may experience a downward shift both in their career and in their quality of life. This has particular implications for highly skilled immigrant women who strive to maintain their professional identities and balance the demands of family and work. Using a scoping review methodology, this thesis explored the settlement experiences of professional immigrant women in Canada, USA, UK and Australia and how these influence their health and well being. Close readings of the peer-reviewed literature revealed seven themes that relate to the experience …

An Examination Of Psychological Variables Influencing Perceptions Of The Self Among A Sample Of Female Exercise Initiates, Lisa Cooke

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The general purpose of this dissertation was to explore the relationship among and within cognitive variables associated with exercise initiation and maintenance in a sample of female exercise initiates.

Manuscript 1 was structured to explore the changes to exercise identity among a population of female exercise initiates (N = 78) grouped into an imagery or control condition. Previous research has found that a strong exercise identity is associated with more frequent exercise (Strachan et al., 2009) and increases over time as a person continues to exercise (Cardinal & Cardinal, 1997). Participants were assessed multiple times (weeks 0, 5, 9, …

Motivational Interviewing Via Co-Active Life Coaching Intervention For Women Seeking A More Physically Active Lifestyle, Andrea M. Goddard

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The purpose of this 12-week pre-post design pilot study was to assess the impact of Motivational Interviewing via Co-Active Life Coaching (MI-via-CALC) on exercise-specific self-efficacy, barrier-specific self-efficacy, self-esteem, and 12-week study duration engagement in physical activity (PA) for 25 women between the ages of 30 and 55 years. Participants were assessed quantitatively using the previously validated McAuley Exercise-Specific Self-Efficacy Scale (EXSE), McAuley Barrier-Specific Self-Efficacy Scale (BARSE), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) at pre-, mid-, and post-intervention. Four one-way repeated measures ANOVAs were completed for each scale, and statistically significant differences in barrier-specific self-efficacy were detected …

Older Woman Workers: Met And Unmet Needs For Health And Wellbeing In The Workplace, Gillian Gorfine

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Older women workers report experiencing occupational injustices however the literature focuses on barriers faced rather than understanding the needs-based strategies empowering women as they age at work. This study engaged women aged 55 and older in a participatory action research project defining and examining strategies for older women workers’ health and wellbeing. In Phase 1, a key informant advisory group (N = 4) defined the problem and guided the design of an open answer survey conducted with 72 older women in work. Three categories emerged informing the fundamental, instrumental, and contextual needs of older women workers. Meeting fundamental needs may …