Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

"I Call It Hunting": Centuries Of Violence Against Native American Women, Antonia Felix

Educational Leadership Department Publications

Native American and Pacific Islander women are missing and murdered at an alarming and relentless rate. The history of violence against this population starts with European contact in the fifteenth century and continues to this day with Native women suffering the highest rate of sexual assault per capita in the nation. This panel presentation held in observance of the International Day of Eliminating Violence Against Women concludes with a recognition of Native American resilience and actions all Americans can take to help reduce these crimes.

Benefits And Barriers: Women's Access To Mobile Tech In Iran And The Mena Region, Antonia Felix

Educational Leadership Department Publications

While the 17% gender gap in mobile internet use in the MENA region reveals that women have less access to the benefits of mobile money apps and other technology, 60% of women in the region do go online via mobile phones to make purchases, access credit, send money to family members, assist in their children’s education, receive government benefits, and engage in other activities that improve their lives. Barriers preventing women from mobile internet access, however, typically fall into three categories: lack of access, illiteracy and/or lack of digital skills, and safety concerns. The author participated in a panel presentation …

Not Just Women: Trans Representation In Print News Media Following The Overturn Of Roe V. Wade, Tl Jordan

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

2022 and 2023 have seen continually increasing attacks on both transgender rights and reproductive rights, which have escalated since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. Not only have these movements experienced recent attacks in the social and political realm, but trans rights and reproductive rights both share related, but distinct, questions of bodily autonomy. Despite their similarities, the reproductive rights movement has only recently begun to incorporate transgender people within their frameworks to varying degrees of success. With inclusion of transgender people in the reproductive rights movement being a new phenomenon, representation of trans people in media …

Análisis De La Mujer: Revista Mensual De Literatura Y Variedades, La Primera Revista Ecuatoriana Escrita Por Mujeres (1905-1906), María Alejandra González Pástor

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The first magazine written by women in Ecuador is a time machine that allows knowing firsthand the thinking of women in the early twentieth century. It is also a catalyst to promote writing and searching for female identity. La Mujer: Revista Mensual de Literatura y Variedades is an unprecedented project conceived by the first Ecuadorian journalist, Zoila Ugarte. She was a multifaceted woman with feminist ideas who encouraged a group of women to express their ideas through literature and journalism.

This research analyzes the literary texts and articles of the magazine from a gender perspective and addresses historical aspects of …

Women In The 2022 Olympic And Paralympic Games: An Analysis Of Participation, Leadership, And Media Coverage, Emily J. Houghton, Lindsay Pieper, Maureen Smith

Human Performance Department Publications

This report is the eighth in the series that follows the progress of women in the Olympic and Paralympic movement. The first three reports were published by the Women’s Sports Foundation. The fourth report was published by SHARP, the Sport, Health and Activity Research and Policy Center for Women and Girls. SHARP was a research center at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Research on Women and Gender, co-founded by the Women’s Sports Foundation. The fifth report, published in 2017 by the Women’s Sports Foundation, provided the most comprehensive examination of the participation trends among female Olympic and Paralympic athletes …

Multicultural Women's Literature, Various, Carrie Lewis Miller

All Resources

Openly licensed anthology focused on the theme of the Multicultural Women's Literature. Contains: American Indian Stories by Zikala-Sa (Gertrude Bonnin); Diaries of Court Ladies of Old Japan by Izumi Shikibu et al.; The Diwan of Zeb-un-Nissa by Zeb-un-Nissa; Hawaii’s Story by Hawaii’s Queen, Liliuokalani; Kamala: a story of Hindu life by Krupabai Satthianadhan; Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims by Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins; Life of Harriet Beecher Stowe by Harriet Beecher Stowe; Memoirs of an Arabian Princess by Emily Ruete (Salamah bint Saïd; Sayyida Salme, Princess of Zanzibar and Oman); Nightmare Tales by H.P. Blavatsky; Ratanbai: a sketch …

Gender Responsive Reentry: Supporting Mothers And Their Children, Michaela Bruder, Ally Malueg, Neve Patterson, Courtney Schallock

Master of Social Work Student Policy Advocacy Briefs

The unique needs and experiences of women with children are not reflected in Minnesota’s state reentry approach or federal reentry approach. The number of women in the correctional system has been steadily rising, which means more women, many of them mothers, are returning to their families and communities without the programming and supports needed to successfully resume their roles as parent and provider. Minnesota must invest in a gender-responsive reentry approach tailored specifically to the needs of women with children.

Women In The 2020 Olympic And Paralympic Games: An Analysis Of Participation, Leadership, And Media Coverage, Emily J. Houghton, Lindsay Pieper, Maureen Smith

Human Performance Department Publications

The published report provides the most accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date examination of the participation trends among female Olympic and Paralympic athletes and the hiring trends of Olympic and Paralympic governing bodies with respect to the number of women who hold leadership positions in these organizations. It is intended to provide governing bodies, athletes, and policymakers at the national and international level with new and accurate information with an eye toward making the Olympic and Paralympic movement equitable for all.

Here we provide an evidence-based look at what is known about women’s leadership and participation in the Toyko 2020 Olympic and …

Important Aspects To Women’S Re-Integration: Positive Influences On Women’S Reentry Experience After Being Released From Prison, Sarah A. Benson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Researchers can analyze statistics of recidivism rates and decipher that they are at an alarming rate—specifically regarding women convicts. The population of women in prison has drastically increased, and with that, so have their recidivism rates. Analyzing statistical data of incarceration and recidivism can show us the numbers, but what is the reason? Why do some women struggle to stay out of prison? I argued that one reason is because women who are released from prison are severely underprepared to reintegrate back into society and, are therefore, set up for failure. Previous studies suggest that reentry programs, education programs, relationships …

Learning About Others In Multiculturalist Social Service's Curriculum In Finland: Transnational Feminism, Anti-Racist Pedagogy, And Politics Of Othering In The Curriculum, Jenni Lampinen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Social work education aims to train competent professionals to answer the needs of changing populations and society. Education includes theoretical and practical components that offer the frames for social work at different levels of society; personal, interpersonal, institutional, and structural. Primarily, multicultural social work focuses on working with populations with diverse ethnic, cultural, and racial identities that often differ from the majority population. Multicultural social work can be seen as a bridge between minority communities and society. This research was implemented using discourse analysis to examine the social services program’s curriculum of one University of Applied Sciences in the Helsinki …

No Peace For Afghanistan: A Case-Study Of The Failure Of Peace-Building Process In Afghanistan From A Transnational Feminist Standpoint, Tahmina Sobat

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In early 2019, the United States officially started its direct negotiations with the Taliban to reach an agreement on a joint framework for a future peace deal in Afghanistan and inter-Afghan negotiations. Although debate continued over the size and duration of the US military presence in Afghanistan and the inclusion of the terrorist group the Taliban in the government of Afghanistan, what fell in and out of the headlines were the topic of women’s presence, their rights, and two decades of advocacy and achievements in these peace-building efforts. While the United Nations Security Council’s resolution 1325 on women, peace, and …

Women Dancers Of Color Decolonizing Knowledge Production Through Performance, Mio Yoshizaki

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

This thesis focuses on how women dancers of color (WDoC) decolonize the process of knowledge production through performance. Through a feminist perspective, this research analyzes the ways WDoC use dance and movement to share their voices as women of color. The American concert dance industry was established based on Western perspectives. When WDoC create performances about their own lived experiences, dance plays a role in decolonizing the process of knowledge production by portraying their unique perspectives and culture through movement. Focus group discussions with women of color who perform in a midwestern metro area were selected as a method for …

Peoples’ Experiences With Birth Doulas, Emily A. Gunderson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Birth doulas, as a non-medical resource for people going through the birthing process, have seen overall positive reception by providing a service otherwise missing from the recently medicalized birth environment (Gruber et al. 2013, Steel et al. 2015); this coincides with a time when fathers are being asked to play a more active role in their child’s birth (Coltrane 1996, Odent 2009). However, while we know a little about how mothers experience the services of a birth doula and how fathers experience birth generally, we have yet to find out how birthing people, both partnered and un-partnered, make sense of …

Women In Combat Boots: U.S. Servicewomen’S Collective Self-Esteem And Adherence To Weight Regulations, Latavia Monét Ford

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Women’s bodies are scrutinized and objectified in western societies broadly. For servicewomen however, the military is a specific site where women’s bodies receive close examination and scrutiny. Military members must adhere to height-based weight standards to remain in compliance. For servicewomen, the military is an important part of their life, and as such, it has a pivotal role in shaping their identity. The purpose of this study is to examine women’s experiences of managing and responding to the weigh-ins, particularly the ways it shapes their collective self-esteem. Data for this study consist of ten qualitative interviews conducted with servicewomen. Findings …

The Victimization Of The African Girl Child: Primary Schools As Unsafe Spaces For Girls In Cameroon, Sandra Bume Nambangi

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Violence against girls in and out of school settings is a problem that is on the rise in countries of sub-Sharan Africa. In Cameroon today, the abuse of girls has progressed into the realm of primary education affecting prepubescent girls, making schools unsafe spaces for girls and thereby, hindering them from accessing and furthering their education, basic rights and agency. A study on the victimization of primary school girls in Malawi funded by the United Nations found that girls are subject to several forms of violence as a result of their gender and that this disrupts their access to basic …

The Monster At The End Of This: A Feminist Media Analysis Of Coverage Of Representative Ilhan Omar, Emma L. Schlei

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

With the impending 2020 election and the upcoming centennial anniversary of the 19th amendment, the topic of women in politics is more relevant than ever. Ilhan Omar is a Representative elected to the 2018 United States House of Representatives and is one member of the “squad,” a group of four women of color under the age of 50 who identify as part of the left wing of the Democratic Party. Ilhan Omar has been the focus of many liberal and conservative media outlets. In this research I focus on the tropes of Islamophobia that Omar faces to examine how political …

Sexual Consent In Middle School Sex Health Education: An Analysis Of Health Education Standards In Minnesota, Ashley Parent

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Comprehensive sex education is designed to teach sexual health, reproductive health, human sexual anatomy, safe sex, birth control and sexual abstinence. Consent education focuses on sexually transmitted infection (STI), pregnancy prevention, sexual identity, and the risks of sexual violence (Willis, 2019). This qualitative content analysis and survey will explore consent education in middle schools adopted in Minnesota from the past ten years. The research questions for this study are: is consent a part of sex education? How has consent been taught in 8-10 grades in Minnesota over the past 10 years? What frameworks are being used to teach consent to …

Disabled Women In A Dictatorial Regime: Sexual Assault And Disability In Zimbabwe, Paidamoyo Chikate

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In 2013, the Zimbabwean government promulgated a final draft of legislation meant to serve and improve the lives of people living with disabilities in the country. The move was made in the name of “solidarity” as the government purportedly turned a corner from dictatorship to power sharing as a result of what was referred to as the Government of National Unity. Disability activists made various demands of the government from formulating a definition that covers all forms of disability, accessible government buildings, the mainstreaming of disability and representation at the local and parliamentary levels of legislation. Chief among these demands …

Compilation Of Four Different Papers On Different Gender Issues, Minara Nazmin

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

I wrote four separate academic articles that placed in my Alternative Plan Paper in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts (M.A.) in Gender and Women Studies. My four papers spokes on different fundamental perspectives of issues of gender and women studies. The first paper unveiled inequalities in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) market, such as In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) and how it is reinforcing reproductive responsibility for women. This paper found unequal access to IVF based on color, class, and sexual orientation. The second paper explores gender from a feminist theoretical standpoint. Mainly, this examines how …

Women In The 2018 Olympic And Paralympic Winter Games: An Analysis Of Participation, Leadership, And Media Coverage, Emily J. Houghton, Lindsay Pieper, Maureen Smith

Human Performance Department Publications

The published report provides the most accurate, comprehensive, and up-to-date examination of the participation trends among female Olympic and Paralympic athletes and the hiring trends of Olympic and Paralympic governing bodies with respect to the number of women who hold leadership positions in these organizations. It is intended to provide governing bodies, athletes, and policymakers at the national and international level with new and accurate information with an eye toward making the Olympic and Paralympic movement equitable for all.

The World Of Women: Resources, Kellian Clink

Library Services Publications

Women are absent from most standard encyclopedias in academic libraries such as the Europa World Year Book or the States’ Man Yearbook. To provide excellent service to our Gender and Women’s Studies scholars, librarians need to provide alternative sources of country information. Below are directories, country studies, and a listing of some significant websites with authoritative, timely, and substantial information about women around the world.

Some of the resources scoured to find these included the LibGuide: https://guides.library.oregonstate.edu/wgss280, the University of Wisconsin’s Women’s Knowledge Digital Library. In addition, intentional searching for websites and 30 years’ experience helping GWS scholars contributed to …

The Sex/Gender Distinction In Contemporary Gender And Women's Studies Introductory Textbooks, Kyle Lighty

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Understanding the sex/gender distinction and the social constructions of sex and gender are important learning outcomes in contemporary gender and women's studies introductory courses. These theories challenge hegemonic binary ideas about the relationships between sex and gender and between male and female identity formations. Little academic attention has been paid to how teaching materials, specifically textbooks, explore these topics, despite the potential for them to influence students and instructors. This study address this gap in the literature by using critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine the methods being used to explore the sex/gender distinction and social constructions of sex and …

Women In The 2016 Olympic And Paralympic Games: An Analysis Of Participation, Leadership, And Media Coverage, Emily J. Houghton, Lindsay Pieper, Maureen Smith

Human Performance Department Publications

The report analyzes the representation and participation of women in the international and U.S. Olympic and Paralympic organizations. Specifically, it examines the types and extent of opportunities that are provided for women in administrative and leadership roles within these structures as well as the chances women have to compete in the Games themselves. This report also assesses the extent that the IOC, IPC and United States Olympic Committee (USOC) are fulfilling their stated missions with respect to fairness to fairness and gender equity and whether or not legal statutes are being upheld.

Blurred Intersections: The Anti-Black, Islamophobic Dimensions Of Cve Surveillance, Zeinab A. Dahir

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Modern mechanisms of state surveillance reinforce gendered, raced, classed and sexed power hierarchies. Forms of control and regulation of "problem bodies" are framed as neutral or benign forms of bureaucratic bookkeeping (Dubrofsky and Magnet, 2015). This thesis explores the possible Islamophobic and Anti-Black dimensions of Counter Violent Extremism (CVE) program, a counterterrorism community outreach program initiated by the federal government in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, which targets the Somali community. I will be evaluating whether CVE programs, initiated by state agencies, transform into a site of surveillance. This thesis will examine declassified state documents from sources such as Homeland Security …

A Labor Of Love: Women's Perspectives On Gender And Identity In Informal Caregiving, Kirby O'Hara Hurd

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The elderly population (adults 65 and over) is larger than at any time in history, thanks to improved access to healthcare, advances in medical technology, and health services focused on addressing the needs of aging adults. However, support for this growing population remains insufficient; the costs of in-home and residential care are high, and consequently, family members often become providers of informal, unpaid care. Presently, there is inadequate literature regarding the academic study of family members providing informal caregiving, especially from a perspective that emphasizes sociological principles and theories. Existing studies of the family caregiver phenomenon show that middle-aged adult …

Drag Performance And Femininity: Redefining Drag Culture Through Identity Performance Of Transgender Women Drag Queens, Cristy Dougherty

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Viewing gender as a performance reveals how gender identity is shaped and formed. There is currently tensions associated with drag queen performance as an act of subversion and transgression from the heteronormative definition of gender and drag as a perpetuation of heteronormative definitions of gender. There is also a tension between the affirmation of femininity and transgression from gender binaries of womanhood. In order to address these tensions, this thesis project examined the reasoning behind how transgender women and gay men drag queen performers navigate the world of femininity. Specifically, this study explored the varied reasons behind performing femininity through …

More Than Skin Deep: An Analysis Of Black Women's Experiences With Race, Skin Tone, And Cosmetics, Anne Yung Van

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In June 2016, the cosmetic company, ColourPop, released a new line of contour-intended sculpting sticks with insensitive names, such as “Yikes,” “Typo,” and “Dume,” for their three darkest shades. ColourPop’s lack of regard to their African American consumers serves as a reminder that the cosmetic industry often fails to include and fully embrace Black women. It is important to explore the relationship between the cosmetic industry and Black women because reoccurring negative experiences may be indicative of systemic oppression – illustrating that Black women’s personal experiences reach a political sphere. Furthermore, the parallels between history and contemporary experiences provide proof …

“Reality” Tv: Portrayals Of Labor And Birth In A Mainstream Reality Series One Born Every Minute, Nicole Soley, Lauren Sobotta, Kyrsten Harper, Rebecca Rand

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Today, the birthing process is predominantly medicalized in the United States. Compounding this phenomenon is the media, which has a strong influence on people’s perceptions, attitudes, and behavior, and can serve to reinforce cultural norms—specifically, mainstream media disproportionately promotes medicalized birth. The media often portrays labor and birth as a dangerous affair, and as a result, may contribute to the culture of fear around labor and birth. In this feminist, qualitative media analysis, we examined women’s experiences giving birth on a popular reality television series called One Born Every Minute. We analyzed how women’s births are portrayed in four …

Are They Listening?: Revisiting Male Privilege And Defensive Learning In A Feminist Classroom, Cameron A. Tyrrell

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Privileged students, particularly male-identified students, in women’s studies classrooms have been a population of study previously. Many feminist educators have encountered resistance from a male-identified student in their classroom. Scholarship has been done that analyzes the discourses around how male privilege is invoked by men in women’s studies classrooms. This study defined defensive learning with specific acts of disengagement that hinder privileged students, particularly male-identified students in Gender and Women’s Studies, from taking classes that are considered “feminist,” and from learning about systems of privilege. A series of semi-structured interviews with six male-identified students who were enrolled in women’s studies …

Sexing While A Survivor: Black Queer Desire, Je-Shawna C. Wholley

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The vast sexual exploitation of Black queer women is under addressed by therapeutic and family counseling experts alike. Scholarship on the subject shows that a history of sexual trauma can have direct negative implications on women’s sexuality and ability to access sexual pleasure. However, therapeutic and family counseling interventions lack an intersectional analysis that directly address the unique experiences of Black women – and even further, Black queer women, who are survivors. In this research study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with Black queer, lesbian, bisexual and same-gender-loving survivors of sexual assault to assess how they located agency, empowerment, and pleasure …