Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Cabelo Crespo: A Struggle For Inclusion In Brazilian Society, Ashley Hamilton

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Present-day Brazilian society presents a disproportionate number of economic, social and political challenges for Black women. The phenomenon of this structural inequality has causes that are rooted deep in the history of Brazil, and is built upon the foundation lain by slavery, resulting in the economic prosperity of the elite that was built upon the foundation of the labor provided by people of color. The effects of colonization and the profitable slave trade that ensued continue to contribute still, to the plight of people of color in general, though the focus of this project will be on the effects these …

“All Women Talk”- A Study Of Beauty And Female Identity In Senegalese Culture, Arden Haselmann

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The idea of Beauty is defined cross culturally, and is rooted in surrounding environment and larger values presented in the community. This study explores collective and individual understandings of beauty and its relationship to female identity. My hope with this research was to explore various attitudes that existed around beauty and understanding the motivations behind why Senegalese women are willing to put so much effort in altering their physical appearance in such extreme ways.

Rough Hands: Family Conceptions Of Rural Morocco’S Agricultural Labor, A Case Study, Leah Kahler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Conceptions of success for people in any capitalist context are tangled with social hierarchies of work. The rural women of Morocco have been specifically singled out as the objects discourses about their domestic and agricultural work, agency, gender identity and role, and their use of private and public space ownership. This project will examine the justifications, conceptions, and satisfaction with rural-agricultural work in a small-scale family farm in Morocco’s Al Hoceima province. Using the case study approach, I will live with a family in Sidi Bouafif and work alongside the family for an eight-day fieldwork period. Through participant observation and …

Renforcement Des Femmes: Wopa And Sustainable Empowerment Through Vocational Training, Anna Youngmann

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The Women’s Promotion and Assistance Association (WOPA) is a Non-Governmental Organization located in the tourist town of Kribi, Cameroon. This study examined whether WOPA’s vocational training program, The Center for Education and Training for Women, responded to the needs in participants’ lives and the needs of the local economy to effectively economically empower young women. Using 21 one interviews with current and graduated students of the program, as well as local government officials, I concluded that WOPA’s training does fit the needs of participants’ lives; and that the trainings offered in sewing, culinary arts, and community health adequately fit …

Barriers To Successful Cervical Cancer Screening In Rural Kwazulu-Natal, Cato Manor, And Cape Town, Amanda Comai

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2000, the South African Department of Health produced a nationwide policy intended to combat the growing crisis of cervical cancer. Nearly fifteen years later, however, the disease remains a significant cause of death among certain female populations, especially those who are rural, poor, and HIV-positive. It is undeniable that challenges of access, awareness, resource demand, and stigmatization stand in the way of complete policy enactment.

In this study, I explore in detail the barriers that prevent successful implementation of the policy. My research combines interviews with a variety of individuals and participant observation at the Cancer Association of South …

She Shoots, And She Scores: Women And Sports In Samoa, Taylor Thorp

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In Samoa, female athletics are shaped by a variety of factors such as gender issues, health, and the interaction of sports with education and family obligations. This paper explores the experiences of Samoan female athletes in order to identify strengths and weaknesses of sports in Samoa. Surveys, interviews, and observations were used to collect data about women in sports. Cultural constructs such as fa’samoa and education expectations help and hinder athletic experiences of Samoan women. Gender inequality also proves to be an issue, preventing women from participating in sports. Despite shortcomings of athletics in Samoa, women enjoy playing sports because …

Fútbol Femenino: Empoderamiento En Una Cultura Machista, Chloe Wheeler

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este trabajo investiga el efecto de la cultura machista en el fútbol femenino, y cómo la participación en fútbol de las mujeres puede ser una fuente de empoderamiento a pesar de que existe el machismo en formas diferentes. Ha sido un trayecto difícil para las mujeres en fútbol, pero hay mucha esperanza hacia el futuro, porque los jóvenes de esta generación están progresando con sus actitudes hacia los derechos y las oportunidades de las mujeres—los roles de género no son tan fijos como hace años atrás. Resultando que, los puntos de vista de la gente más adulta están cambiando. Sin …

High-Impact Women Entrepreneurs In Argentina: A Study Analysed Through The Endeavor Model, Stephanie Soussloff

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In Latin America and the Caribbean women represent 41.6% of the population active in the economy. Among those women, 15% identify as entrepreneurs. Yet even a smaller percentage are able to become high impact entrepreneurs, whose businesses reach international levels, create jobs and stimulate the economy of their regions.

The organization Endeavor is founded around the principal idea that entrepreneurship is a catalyst for economic development. Endeavor is committed to boosting the impact of entrepreneurs in emerging markets through giving them a support network of experts in their field to help expand their business. In exchange the entrepreneurs are expected …

Coming Into Consciousness Women’S Empowerment Projects In Chinandega, Nicaragua, Brittany Wightman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nicaraguan people are gridlocked into various oppressive hierarchies. Those who find themselves at the bottom of these hierarchies face what Paolo Freire calls “dehumanization”, because they are unable to engage in the inquiry and praxis of their realities. Through my independent study project, I address the hierarchical system of patriarchy in Nicaragua, and highlight the ways in which women empowering themselves are reclaiming their humanity through increasing consciousness. I was fortunate enough to work with two organizations in Chinandega: El Movimiento de Mujeres de Chinandega, and El Grupo Crecer. In working with these organizations I became immersed in the the …

Eating Disorders: Prevalence, Perceptions, And Treatments In Jordan, Brenda Gable

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the perceptions that young women in Jordan have regarding their bodies and eating disorders, in addition to their opinion regarding media and familial pressures to fit societal norms. The study further examines eating disorders as a mental disorder and the obstacles that individuals face when seeking treatment. This study was implemented by 95 surveys distributed to women in a first aid course at Jordan University and by interviewing professionals in the nutritional, mental health, and educational field. It was found that 86% of surveyed students believed that young women in Jordan struggled with body image and 72% …

Cosaan To Tostan: The Evolution Of Wolof Women’S Verbal Art As A Means For Social Empowerment, Iana Robitaille

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

For Wolof women, verbal art has always been an important tool for negotiating power. In a public context, griottes have lent their voices to traditional ceremonies such as marriages and baptisms; in a private context, all women have used songs as accompaniment to daily tasks and as an informal way to comment on the society in which they live. This paper explores the way that certain Wolof songs, sung by and for women, simultaneously challenge and adhere to traditional Wolof culture—that is, the way their texts and performances both contradict and perpetuate traditionally mandated gender codes. In order to achieve …

El Mundo Del Tejido: Concepciones De Identidad Femenina Y Roles De Genero En Chinchero, Cusco, Perú, Jamie Wollum

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Esta investigación, usando una estrategia feminista que enfoque en facetas sociales y económicas de la sociedad Peruana, identifica y analiza las maneras en que el tejido afecta la identidad femenina y los roles de género en la comunidad del pueblo Chinchero del Cusco, Perú. 1 En adelante lo mencionaré como ISP. J.Wollum 4 Los fines del estudio tratan de establecer una manera en que podemos desafiar el estado subordinado de la mujer con un análisis de su identidad. Examina las mujeres involucradas en la producción, venta, y compra de los tejidos en este pueblo como actores elementales en la construcción …

Seven Women Speak: Perceptions Of Economic Empowerment Opportunities Among Diverse Women In Four Different Cape Town Communities Today, Shanna Cole

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The research study described in this paper examines different women’s perceptions of their economic opportunities and sense of empowerment in Cape Town today. Although post-apartheid South Africa boasts many more opportunities for women than under apartheid, there is still a large disparity in the treatment of women in the workforce compared to men – from the number of women employed to wage inequality to the levels and types of jobs to which women are constrained. This gender discrimination has reverberating effects on the poverty and development of South Africa the nation, as many argue that women’s economic empowerment is directly …

Challenges To Women In Political Leadership In Samoa, Kiki Martire

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Samoan women hold an integral and valued place within their families and communities. Despite this, Samoa continues to report some of the lowest representation of women in political office in the world. The newly instated Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing 10% of Parliamentary seats for women will bolster female political involvement in the upcoming 2016 elections. An investigation into the challenges that face women entering political leadership roles at the village and Parliamentary level will bring awareness to the struggles encountered by women and contribute to dismantling the barriers which stand against them. Fourteen female politicians and experts in the field were …

Schoolgirls’ Experience Of Menstruation Ss Expressed Through Body Mapping In A Quasi-Rural South African Village, Angela Zablotny

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The aim of this independent study project was to gain an understanding of menstruation as experienced by school aged girls in a quasi-rural village in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa. Though a fact of life for roughly half of the world’s population, menstruation continues to be a taboo topic and has implications related to both traditional Zulu beliefs as well as expectations for females in a largely patriarchal society.

The qualitative research method of body mapping was used with teenage girls in an effort to facilitate both reflection and discussion on their lived experiences with their periods. Supplemental interviews …

There Are No Fat People In The Netherlands: Embodied Identities, Hypervisibility, And The Contextual Relevancy Of Fatness, Jean Ochterski

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research is the product of a month long exploratory study on fatness in the Netherlands and how it intersects with other marginalized identities, including race, class, and queerness. The primary question it answers is the ways in which hypervisibility of fat bodies interplays with the silences surrounding size as an axis of identity. The research removes fatness from solely conversations in the public health field and re-situates it in a feminist, academic framework. Data was obtained through oral history interviews with seven self identified fat people currently living the Netherlands. The results show that childhood, dieting practices, standards of …

Fros, Weaves, And Kinks: The Social And Political Significance Of Hair For Black And Coloured Women In Cape Town, Carol Antunez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project seeks to explore and understand hair performance by black and coloured females in Cape Town and understand 1) its possible political significance and 2) its social role. This ISP will attempt to explore the construction of hair as a symbol of class and beauty by looking at its historical significance. In this paper, I will investigate how young women in Cape Town, specifically black and coloured women, choose to represent themselves through hair and explore the connotations attached to their particular hairstyle choice. Furthermore, in this paper I will try to answer the following questions 1) Do black …

Living Openly: 2 Narratives Of Black And White Lesbians Living In Cape Town, Rebecca Gant

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

After apartheid, South Africa created an amazingly progressive Constitution that was one of the first in the world to include gay rights. The passing of a law legalizing same-sex marriage, as well as the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act work to create a world of equality and acceptance of homosexuality, at least on paper. Unfortunately, a far different reality exists, as the failed implementation of these provisions has created a large dichotomy between Constitution and public opinion, with many individuals remaining unsupportive of gay rights. My project originally sought to explore the effects of this discrepancy …

Fractioned, Fissured, And Framed: Considering Public Versus Private Constructions Of Muslim Women’S Identities In Indian Partition Literature, Mccaulay Singer-Milnes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This Independent Study Project examines the depiction of Muslim women in Indian Partition literature as a means of understanding the relationship between public and private identity. It analyzes the manners in which female Muslim characters respond to and negotiate modes of categorical identification, namely religion, surrounding Partition. Furthermore, this study juxtaposes these generalized accounts present in literature with individual responses from interviews with Muslim women living in New Delhi today. The women spoke regarding their conceptions of Islam and the manner in which they incorporate faith into their overall negotiation of private identity. The project finds that Partition, one of …

Economic Empowerment And Gender-Based Violence: A Practicum Study Of Action Against Hunger In Post-Conflict Northern Uganda, Laura Simmons-Stern

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project is an exploration with Action Against Hunger (ACF) on gender-based violence and economic empowerment of women in northern Uganda. The two-decade long civil war in northern Uganda has dramatically affected the lives and livelihoods of the population, creating the situation of a basic need for livelihood enhancement. The program that is analyzed utilizes cash transfers for the most vulnerable populations in thirteen sub-counties in the region in order to address the issues of both gender-based violence and lack of reliable economic production. This project realizes the realities of the relationship between gender-based violence and livelihood enhancement and aims …

Femininity, Dependency, And Patriarchy: The Marginalization Of Women With Japanese Encephalitis And Neurological Sequelae In The Northern Terai Region Of Uttar Pradesh, Katherine Ehrenreich

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The present study seeks to determine how girls and women who have suffered from neurological sequelae after a Japanese encephalitis (JE) infection are marginalized in the Northern Terai region of Uttar Pradesh, India. Societal and familial values were studied in comparison to behaviors towards a neurologically disabled girl after a JE infection in order to determine how women infected with JE are excluded from cultural practices and norms. The 4 study was conducted in the Northern Terai region of Uttar Pradesh in the districts of Bahraich and Shrawasti under the guidance of DEHAT and Dr. Jitendra Chaturvedi. Semi-structured interviewing was …

El Peso Profundo De 9 Millones De Toneladas: Un Análisis De Los Efectos Del Modelo Sojero Paraguayo En Las Vidas De Mujeres Campesinas = The Heavy Weight Of 9 Million Tons: An Analysis Of The Effects Of The Paraguayan Soy Model On The Lives Of Rural Women, Abigayle Dolmseth

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A partir de los años 50, Paraguay ha tenido como objetivo una forma de desarrollo basada en la exportación de productos agropecuarios. Históricamente, Paraguay ha estado asociado a la imagen de un país “eminentemente agropecuario,” cuyos cultivos principales han variado con la demanda del mercado externo. En los años más recientes, la producción del monocultivo de soja ha llegado a dominar este modelo “agroexportador,” lo que ha causado y continúa causando, junto con el advenimiento de las políticas neoliberales de los años 90, gran cantidad de problemas climáticos y políticos dentro de las comunidades campesinas. Pero los problemas del modelo …

Elle Doit S’Épanouir: The Women’S Entrepreneurial Program And Women’S Empowerment In Dschang, Melanie Meisenheimer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper provides a field study of the Women’s Entrepreneurial Program (WEP) in Dschang, Cameroon. It looks at the obstacles that impede women’s involvement in Cameroon’s economic development and that keep them trapped in a cycle of poverty, especially their access to financing and socio-cultural influences. Notions of ‘women’s empowerment’ are discussed and an overview of the WEP’s functions and goals is provided. This study seeks to explore how access to micro-finance in conjunction with entrepreneurial training has impacted the economic situation of WEP participants as well as any corresponding changes in their culturally dictated roles and responsibilities. The gendering …

Effective And Sustainable Programs Of Change: A Case Study Of Gulu Women’S Economic Development And Globalization (Gwed-G), Kristen Hochreiter

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research explores the concepts of effectiveness and sustainability in the non-governmental organization (NGO) development sector by looking at two of the youth empowerment programs in the case study organization, Gulu Women’s Economic Development and Globalization (GWED-G). GWED-G is a women’s’ rights organization that works in the Amuru, Nwoya, and Gulu districts of northern Uganda and implements various different programs all with vulnerable individuals. The reason that this organization has chosen to work with empowering youth is due to the dismal conditions that these youths faced during their upbringings, which occurred during the 20-year-long conflict that affected much of the …

Bhikshunis And Breaking Barriers: The Changing Status Of Women In Monastic Life, Mckenna Leclear

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My research focuses on the recent changes in ideology and policy that have taken place in regards to the status of Tibetan Buddhist nuns and their monastic lives. I chose to focus on the nuns at Dolma Ling nunnery in Dharamsala, India who will be sitting for their geshema degree examinations in a few weeks time. These women are among the first nuns to be taking this examination because it was, until very recently, open only to Buddhist monks. This revolutionary change was accomplished in part by the efforts of the leaders of the Tibetan Nuns Project, who have also …

Mujeres Mozonteñas: Liderazgo, Tierra E Identidad En El Pueblo Indígena De Mozonte, Nueva Segovia, Karla Jiménez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

La desigualdad entre mujeres y hombres es algo contra lo que los movimientos sociales luchan a nivel mundial. En Nicaragua, el machismo es un aspecto que aparenta estar arraigado en la cultura. Sin embargo, algunas mujeres han logrado crear espacios de participación, donde sus derechos e intereses son tomados en cuenta y respetados dentro de una sociedad patriarcal. ¿Cómo se estudia la desigualdad que han tenido las mujeres, junto con la desigualdad que han tenido las personas indígenas, al trabajar con mujeres indígenas? Hay una complejidad que existe al trabajar dentro de un Pueblo Indígena, ya que tienen dos gobiernos …

Pepfar Problems: How Does The United States’ Presidential Emergency Program For Aids Relief Empower Women?, Caitlin H.

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study looks to examine how the Presidential Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) works to achieve one of its key goals, the empowerment of women, in the Western Cape. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) affects women disproportionately, around the world and in South Africa. Thus, women should be a key focus of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) relief and HIV prevention. This paper analyzes the work of PEPFAR to empower women through three lenses. Women’s empowerment in general is discussed, to see how organizations view their own methods of empowerment. PEPFAR’s work with sex workers is examined, as they are often …

The Role Of Mothers In Muslim Families In Ouakam, Dakar: Navigating Traditional Gender Roles In A Modern Context, Emily Goodhue

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

My study is on the role of women in Muslim families in Dakar, Senegal. What are they expected to do for their families? How do these women feel about their position and role in their families? What aspects of their role in the family do they enjoy and which do they wish were different? How is their role changing as more women enter the workforce? This topic interests me because many people in the United States have a negative perception of the position of women in Muslim societies. They claim that these women are oppressed and that the women suffer …

Beauty In The Indigenous Pageant The Cultural And Social Relevance Of Miss Samoa, Mariko Hamashima

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This paper investigates the Miss Samoa pageant’s historical origins, cultural relevance and preservation, the ways in which it empowers women, the public’s perspective, and future development. Secondary sources on the pageant were limited to eight pieces, so interviews with judges, contestants, winners, and participants were sources of information. Sixty surveys were also conducted to gain the public’s perspective of the pageant. The study found Miss Samoa is more popular for its entertainment value than cultural relevance. The Miss Samoa pageant has been utilized as an agent of empowerment for individual women but is not necessarily influential on a larger social …

Himali Didi: Finding The Strength In The Women Of Nepal, Emily Cheung

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The intent of this project is to bring to light the role of Nepalese women in adventure sports; a phenomenon that has existed in Nepal for the past few decades but has been widely unappreciated, if not unnoticed. In this study, women from various adventure companies in Nepal were interviewed to reveal the experiences and obstacles these women face in these occupations during their lifetimes. Some of them agreed to share their stories.

Their journeys have taken them on (quite literal) climbs that have proven their physical strength and made tremendous moves to achieve gender equality in Nepal. Through this …