Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Associations Between Body Dissatisfaction And Relationship Functioning Among Same-Sex Female Couples: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model, Cassidy M. Sandoval, Kelly A. Romano, Kristin E. Heron, Charlotte A. Dawson, Tiphanie G. Sutton, Barbara A. Winstead, Robin J. Lewis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Nearly all past research about body dissatisfaction and romantic relationship factors is among heterosexual couples; little is known about these associations in sexual minority couples. The present study aimed to fill gaps in the current literature by using actor-partner interdependence models (APIMs) to examine dyadic patterns of association between body dissatisfaction and different aspects of relationship functioning among same-sex female couples. Participants were 163 same-sex female romantic dyads (326 women) between the ages of 18-35 years who completed measures of body dissatisfaction and relationship factors. Results from significance testing of actor and partner effects indicated higher levels of women's own …

Body Dissatisfaction And Disordered Eating Among College Women’S Social Networks: An Investigation Of Perceived Changes Following A Dissonance-Based Body Image Intervention, Rachel I. Macintyre

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Body dissatisfaction is associated with numerous health consequences and is pervasive among college women. Effective interventions exist that reduce body dissatisfaction in college women by helping them resist sociocultural pressures to conform to the appearance ideal, such as the Body Project. Yet research is limited on whether social and behavioral processes help participants reduce their engagement in sociocultural appearance-ideal messages and contribute to the intervention’s effectiveness. The primary purpose of the present study was to examine these social and behavioral processes, including the changes in college women’s social networks associated with their participation in the Body Project. Undergraduate and graduate …

An Examination Of The Relationship Among Social Services Support, Race, Ethnicity And Recidivism In Justice Involved Mothers, Ne’Shaun Janay Borden

Counseling & Human Services Theses & Dissertations

Historically, women have been ignored and minimized in criminology research and theory, leading to gaps in the literature on justice involved women. In recent years, there has been more focus on women as their rates of involvement in the justice system have increased. Previous studies have found that pathways to justice involvement are different for women and men, with women experiencing higher rates of victimization, sexual abuse and mental health concerns. Further, justice involved women are unique in that over 80% are mothers or primary caregivers for minors. General Strain Theory is used to assert that receiving support should reduce …

Sexual Coercion, Drinking To Cope Motives, And Alcohol-Related Consequences Among Self-Identified Bisexual Women, Michelle L. Kelly, Sarah J. Ehlke, Robin J. Lewis, Abby L. Braitman, Wendy Bostwick, Kristin E. Heron, Cathy Lau-Barraco

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Given higher sexual victimization and greater alcohol use among bisexual women, a critical public health challenge is to understand within-group variation that may heighten or explain these associations in bisexual women. Objectives: The present study tested a moderated-mediation model in which sexual coercion was hypothesized to be associated with alcohol-related consequences via drinking to cope motives in self-identified bisexual women who reported at least occasional binge drinking. Negative affect was hypothesized to moderate the sexual coercion-drinking to cope motives association. Methods: Participants were a community sample of 107 self-identified bisexual women (age M = 20.97, SD = 2.11) who …

Reconceptualizing Women's Stem Experiences: Building A Theory Of Positive Marginality, Valerie N. Streets

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Since the 1980s, disciplines such as psychology and sociology have discussed the construct of positive marginality. Positive marginality describes the perception that belonging to a non-dominant cultural or demographic group can be advantageous rather than oppressing. To date, research on positive marginality has explored the construct in a qualitative manner across a number of demographic groups (e.g., Jewish women in social sciences, African American women in predominantly Caucasian workplaces). Because women are largely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, the current research examined positive marginality in a STEM context. This research advances the existing understanding of positive …

Gender Awareness Training: A Comparison Of U.S. Military Units To Nato/Pfp Military Units, Elizabeth Owens Lape

Educational Foundations & Leadership Theses & Dissertations

United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (UN, 2000), initially adopted on 31 October 2000 and updated with a resolution in 2009 (UN, 2009), proclaimed all peacekeeping personnel – military, police and civilian, will receive training on the protection of women. The purpose of this research was to review and compare how the U.S. military and forces of NATO/Partnership for Peace countries educate and train their military on the overall use of gender as a planning factor in support of this resolution. The researcher conducted a phenomenological qualitative study that consisted of interviewing 12 personnel regarding their country’s National Action …

Career Experiences Of Women With Major Financial Barriers, Madeline E. Clark, Jaime D. Bower

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

The career experiences of women facing major financial barriers are unique and varied. To better understand and assist such women, the authors interviewed 10 women twice to explore their lived career experiences, using photographs in one interview as stimuli to increase participants' voice and triangulate data. Participants' responses were grouped into 20 themes across 4 domains: career as privilege, reasons for engaging in work, supports, and barriers. Women with major financial barriers appear to understand career as a privilege while experiencing significant obstacles to successfully obtaining work. Participants expressed resiliency and self-motivation to transcend and mitigate these obstacles. This study …

Gender Stereotypes In Leadership: How Threatening Are They?, Valerie N. Streets

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Women's persistent underrepresentation in management has prompted a considerable body of research to better understand how gender stereotyping contributes to this disparity. One possible explanation for the impact of stereotyping on women in management is stereotype threat (i.e., the risk of confirming negative stereotypes as true). Experimental research concerning stereotype threat as it affects women within the domain of leadership has been limited, with no published study specifically manipulating stereotype threat and testing effects on subsequent leadership performance. This thesis expands upon the current literature by replicating classic stereotype threat experimental designs and applying such a design to a leadership …

Promoting Gender And Building Peace: Evolving Norms And International Practices, Renata Avelar Giannini

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

The United Nations (UN) has incorporated a strong gender perspective into its peacekeeping operations (PKO) based on a renewed focus on women's rights and participation in peace processes. These efforts are part of a complex organizational learning process in which women's central role in peace processes and the increasing efforts to respond to conflict-related sexual violence have become a central component of the organization' s strategy to build a lasting peace. The underlying logic is that it is only after an equitable society is founded and when the other half of the population's voice has been included in the political …

Looking Beyond The Medical Model Of Sexuality: Social Factors In Women's Sexual Satisfaction, Cristalle Rae Pronier

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Since the explosive profit of Viagra in 1998, the pharmaceutical giants have been scrambling to develop a similar drug to treat Sexual Dysfunction in women. Female Sexual Dysfunction became an official disorder in 1999 shortly after the release of Viagra. This relatively new disorder has emerged as a prominent example of the medicalization of female sexuality whereby problems are defined, conceptualized, and solved in medical terms.

The inherent problem in medicalization is the denial of social, cultural, and psychological factors in women's sexual issues and concerns. To address this disconnect between the medical and social models of sexuality this study …

Media Exposure And Women's Fear Of Crime, Pamela C. Hooper

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between the media portrayal of women and crime on television and fear of crime among female viewers. Data from the National Opinion Survey of Crime and Justice was used. A weak relationship between media exposure and fear of crime was found. Consistent with previous research, a statistically significant gender difference was revealed. Women reported higher levels of fear overall. When television dramas were examined, women who watched these shows had a lower reported fear of crime. An unexpected inverse relationship emerged between women's age and fear of crime. This finding contradicts a majority of the …

The Line In The Sand: Understanding Customer Sexual Harassment Through A Psychological Contract Framework, Valerie J. Morganson

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Research has demonstrated that customer sexual harassment (CSH) is a frequently occurring phenomenon and an apparent barrier to the career development of women (Gettman & Gelfand, 2007; Morganson & Major, 2008). The current study applies psychological contract theory toward understanding how CSH leads to adverse outcomes, which affect individuals and organizations. A sample of 420 working women including both students and full-time non-student workers from various organizations were recruited to participate in this online study. CSH and perceptions of employer obligation did not interact to predict psychological contract breach. As hypothesized, psychological contract breach and CSH interacted to predict affective …

Liberated Jokes: Sexual Humor In All-Female Groups, Janet Bing

English Faculty Publications

Females have formerly been under-represented in jokes. Many scholars have claimed that joke making is primarily a male activity, particularly in the domain of sexual jokes. In this paper, I discuss sexual jokes that women share with each other both in all-female groups and by e-mail. After reviewing some widely held assumptions about women and jokes, I explore liberated women's jokes, including their structure, use of stereotypes, and subversive ideas. Finally, I discuss why humor theory is incomplete without the inclusion of a female perspective and suggest that women should tell more jokes.

Only Friendship, Farideh Dayanim Goldin

English Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) My Jewish daughter befriended a Muslim woman in her Islam class last Fall. She asked me where she could buy rosewater, saffron, and cardamom to make halwa. My kosher daughter was celebrating the end of Ramadan, Eide-fetr, with her first Iranian, her first Muslim friend.

A Study Of The Factors That Impact Female Military Beneficiaries Obtaining Preventive Health Services, Cynthia Andrea Chargois

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine what factors predict whether female military retirees or the female beneficiary of a military retiree, ages 40 to 64, will obtain preventive health services, specifically, Pap smears, mammograms, and clinical breast examinations. Based on the findings of the study, it is suggested that it may be important for the Department of Defense to broaden their scope of interest to include those areas that are most prominent in affecting female military retirees or the female beneficiary of a military retiree, particularly those 40 to 64, in obtaining preventive health services.

The study comprised …

Political Culture And Women's Political Activity In Post Communist Ukraine A Case Study Of The 1994 Elections, Tonja M. Wilt

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This research identifies and examines two distinct political cultures in post-communist Ukraine, characterized by the presence of Soviet and non-Soviet influences. Soviet political culture is associated with East Ukrainian regions where Soviet policies of Russification, collectivization and urbanization were deeply entrenched. The non-Soviet political culture is present in Western Ukraine where said policies were least successful and the Ukrainian culture is more established.

The question posed in this thesis is: To what extent, if any, do regional political cultures influence women's political activity in Ukraine? This study focuses on the Soviet practice of appointing hundreds of women to the Supreme …

An Analysis Of Two Forms Of Self-Defense Training And Their Impact On Women's Sense Of Personal Safety Self-Efficacy, Darcy Shannon Cox

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

It is estimated that a quarter to a third of women will be sexually assaulted in some way over the course of their lifetimes. Ozer and Bandura (1990) sought to study the ability of a mastery model self defense program for women to increase women's self efficacy about their ability to prevent assault. They found significant changes for all dependent variables used in their study at posttest and at a six month follow-up. The current study sought to compare their findings to those found using a mastery model self defense program for both genders and a vicarious model self defense …

Retracing Gender Bias And The Validity Of Believed Differences Between Male And Female Coaches Of Women's Basketball, Melissa Baile

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Leaders in higher education and athletics are concerned with the decline in the number of female coaches. The lack of role models for young women athletes and the inability for young women to be hired into, and remain in, coaching is problematic to the development of women in society.

The results of Acosta's 1985 study indicated that athletic directors held two stereotypical beliefs regarding the decline in the number of female coaches: a lack of qualification and time constraints due to family responsibilities. The purpose of the current research is to address two questions: (1) are male athletic administrators correct …

The Effects Of Aerobic Exercise On State And Trait Body Image And Physical Fitness Among College Women, Sherri L. Hensley

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Cumulative evidence shows body dissatisfaction is a salient problem among women, and is linked to various psychological disorders and disturbances. While numerous perspectives regarding the negative body-image phenomenon exist, one area of scientific inquiry is the relationship between physical exercise and body image. With the current sociocultural emphasis on physical fitness and attractiveness, the effects of exercise on body image warrants serious consideration. The present investigation compared 57 women who participated in a 13-week aerobic exercise program to 29 sedentary control women on the following variables: state and trait body image, cardiorespiratory fitness, and body composition. The exercising women were …

Developmental Changes In Predictors Of Job Satisfaction For Female Elementary School Teachers, Donna Owens Collier

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to examine predictors of job satisfaction for female elementary school teachers. Specifically, how do personal variables and career variables affect job satisfaction at various age levels?

The subjects in this study were 386 females who teach kindergarten through sixth grade in an urban public school system. A survey was used to collect information about age, personal variables, career variables, and current level of job satisfaction. Personal variables included marital status, number of children and educational level. Career variables included number of years in the teaching profession, number of positions held during the teaching career …