Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Shifting Gears Of Safety: Women Truck Drivers Experience Added Safety Concerns Over The Road, Stephanie A. Sicard

Masters Theses

Of the over 500,000 professional truck drivers within the United States, only six percent are women. Ten in-depth interviews focus on the safety issues that women truck drivers face over1 the road. Stereotypical masculine norms are encouraged in male dominated fields, and it is when stereotypical masculinity is endorsed that sexual harassment and assault is much higher. I argue that women truck drivers are forced into a double-bind situation in which they attempt to make themselves visible as equals, while simultaneously hiding themselves for safety. I aim to not only broaden the understanding of the issues faced by professional women …

Tongues Untied Truth Revealed: Body Image, Social Media, Identity Development, And Meaning-Making In Overweight And Obese Black Gay Msm, Amari Ja-Lynn Enam

Dissertations

This phenomenological study explored the meanings attributed to internalized messages about body image within the context of identity development from the perspectives of overweight/obese men of African descent (OMAD) among a group of 6 men who have sex with men (MSM). I was interested in those messages that have been incorporated, adopted, or integrated into OMAD-MSM’s sense of self. Informants shared body image-related experiences from interactions with family, friends, dating/sex partners, and the media/social media.

Academic literature has explained identity development processes among African Americans through various lenses but research has not adequately explored the convergence of multiply oppressed social …

Title Ix And The Impact Of Athletic Leadership, Ceceilia Parnther, Jennifer Deranek, Scott Michel

The Hilltop Review

Abstract

This literature review will discuss the history of Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 and its value in higher education today through a critical feminist thought lens. It is known that despite Title IX, gender equality does not exist in intercollegiate athletics. In addition to discussing the history of Title IX, the article will highlight the challenges and triumphs of female athletic directors and senior women’s administrators and briefly discuss the role on coaches, athletic trainers and student-athletes.

Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972 provided equal opportunities for women in athletics and academics …

Breastfeeding And Subsistence Work: Connecting Theory And Experience, Olivia M. Mclaughlin

The Hilltop Review

No abstract provided.

Comprehending Male And Female Levels Of Engagement In Subsets Of The National Survey Of Student Engagement: Explicating The Dynamics Of Gender Role Conflict As A Mediating Factor For Males, Jacob Glen Arndt

Dissertations

Male enrollment and graduate rates in higher education have paled in comparison to female achievement since the early 1980’s, and explanations as to the reasons behind why males are falling behind have not been fruitful in addressing these issues. One area that has received very little attention in the literature is the role that gender role conflict may play in male student performance.

The purpose of this research is to explore male and female engagement levels, while attempting to understand if levels of male gender role conflict are a mediating factor of engagement for men. This study utilized the three …

Three Essays On Gender Differences On Risk Preferences And Credit Market Constraints, Jyoti Rai

Dissertations

The disadvantages that women face in the financial market hamper their social and economic well-being. These disadvantages may arise from their own risk preferences or from financial market. The aim of this dissertation is to examine different aspects of the disadvantages that women face in the U.S Financial Market. In that light, I present three essays that analyze gender differences in risk preferences and credit market constraints. I use the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF) data for all my empirical analysis.

In the first essay, I examine whether women exhibit greater financial risk aversion than men using attitudinal and behavioral …

Diffusion Of The Lnternet And Its Effect On Gender Attitudes: A Cross-National Approach, Robert Roznowski

Masters Theses

The rapid diffusion of the Internet worldwide generates discussion about the social implications of the Internet. To explore the effect of Internet diffusion worldwide, this study examines changes in reported gender attitudes since the introduction of the Internet. I propose that the diffusion of the Internet fosters egalitarian changes in gender attitudes. Using cross-national data from forty countries over a time span of nearly twenty years, I successfully implement an alternative analysis technique, the slope-slope model, to examine the relationship between rates of Internet diffusion and changes in gender attitudes in the economic, political, and education domains. Internet diffusion affects …

Looking For Mr. Right Or Mr. Right-Now: A Content Analysis Of Gay Men’S Personals, Matt Reid

Masters Theses

Personal advertisements have long been valued by researchers for evaluating norms relating to love and romance in any given societal context. Using thematic, directed content analysis on ads placed on a popular online dating website, this exploratory study seeks to uncover the various ways by which gay and straight men craft an image of the ideal self.

Results largely diverge from previous studies, most of which were conducted prior to the advent of online dating and at a time in a society where homosexuality was more taboo. The current study found that gay men, more often than straight men, employ …

Gender Differences In Self-Employment Of Older Workers In The United States And New Zealand, Angela L. Curl, Deanna L. Sharpe, Jack Noone

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This study examined differences in self-employment of workers age 50+ in the United States (N = 3,948) and New Zealand (N = 1,434). Separate logistic regression analyses were conducted by country and gender. For both U.S. men and women, lower income, higher wealth, and having an employed spouse increased the likelihood of self-employment. Older age, lower income, higher wealth, and household composition increased the odds of being self-employed for men in New Zealand. Women in New Zealand were more likely to be self-employed if they were in a blue-collar occupation, had higher household wealth, higher education, and did not receive …

Between Stonewall And Aids: Initial Efforts To Establish Gay And Lesbian Social Services, Michael G. Lee

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Little has been written about gay and lesbian communities' efforts to address health and human service concerns prior to the HIV/AIDS crisis. This article analyzes content from The Advocate along with organizational documents from the early 1970s to explore the health issues addressed by these fledgling providers. Major concerns identified include social adjustment to a gay or lesbian identity, chemical health, sexual health, and family supports. These findings depict a service context strained by funding instability, workplace turmoil, neighborhood hostility, and high levels of consumer needs that would later come to characterize the complex nature of AIDS service work.

Economic Autonomy Of The Miskitu Women Of The North Atlantic Autonomous Region, Nicaragua: Do Current Development Polices Apply To Matrifocal Societies?, Ariana M. Toth

Masters Theses

This thesis provides an ethnographic investigation into the economic autonomy of Miskitu women in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. The purpose of this study is to determine whether dominant development models created by patriarchal Western powers are suited to alleviating gendered poverty disparity among the matrifocal Miskitu Indians. Surveys of Miskitu women obtained during field research, with support from relevant literature, comprise the main source of information considered. It is concluded that while dominant development models are not best suited to alleviating gendered poverty in this region, it is the overarching indigenous nature of Miskitu culture and not …

"This Is Not Just My Story; It's Part Of Who I Am": A Symbolic Interactionist Perspective Of Battered Women's Identity Negotiations, Jessica Edel Harrelson

Dissertations

Over the past several decades, domestic violence has increasingly received more attention from both academic and local communities. Despite this attention, it persists as a significant social problem, suggesting that a full understanding of battering is still lacking. This dissertation examines women’s lived experiences with battering, what effect abuse has on how they come to define and interact with themselves, and subsequent negotiations of identity that occur within their relationships. To accomplish this, I conducted multiple in-depth qualitative interviews with fourteen women that were being served by a domestic violence agency in a rural part of the Midwest.

Within a …

"Where Are My Rights?" Compromised Citizenship In Mixed-Status Marriage A Research Note, April M. Schueths

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Immigration policy has shifted its focus from family reunification to strict enforcement of "illegal" immigration. It has become much more difficult for U.S. citizens to adjust their non-citizen spouses' legal status, especially spouses who are undocumented. This paper examines the vulnerabilities of female U.S. citizens married or partnered with undocumented Mexican men. Findings challenge the simplistic notion that marriage with a U.S. citizen creates automatic legalization for undocumented individuals and highlights the creation of a second class citizenry for native-born partners. This study argues that punitive immigration law and policies have profound negative implications for the lives of U.S. citizens.

The Feminization Of Social Welfare: Implications Of Cultural Tradition Vis-À-Vis Male Victims Of Domestic Violence, Ronald E. Hall

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

As pertains to feminization of social welfare, the inability to acknowledge male victims of domestic violence is attributed less to personal preference and more to cultural traditions of the Western patriarch. Yet, according to scholarly literature, men in the U.S. are equally as likely to be the victims of domestic violence by women as are women by men. Solutions to cultural tradition aimed at eliminating male victims of domestic violence must necessarily begin with acknowledgement of the characteristic warning signs and symptoms. Moving beyond the feminization of social welfare as pertains to domestic violence can be accomplished by the recognition …

Public Attitudes And Gender Policy Regimes: Coherence And Stability In Hard Times, Jing Guo, Neil Gilbert

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Drawing upon data from the European Social Survey on public attitudes and social welfare, this paper analyzes the extent to which attitudes toward gender equality in work and family life vary among 13 countries which represent different welfare regimes. The analysis also examines how these attitudes have changed with the onset of the economic recession in 2007. The findings suggest that public attitudes toward gender issues are largely consistent with welfare regimes, and most notably, reveal a clear direction of moving away from traditional views of gender, family and work issues in economic hard times.

Rape Myth Acceptance And Rape Attitudes In Campus Hook-Up Culture, Karolina Staros

Masters Theses

This study examines the norms of hooking-up and compares these norms to rape culture in order to measure rape myth acceptance or supportive attitudes towards rape as they manifest in hook-up culture on campus. By consulting what is already published in scholarship about rape culture and rape myths, this study builds on the very limited literature on hook-up culture.

This study uses mixed methods to inquire about norms of hook-up culture and measures the rape myth acceptance and rape attitudes by gender of respondents in a Midwest campus environment. By addressing the issues that students face with gender inequality and …

White Thugs & Black Bodies: A Comparison Of The Portrayal Of African-American Women In Hip-Hop Videos, Ladel Lewis

The Hilltop Review

The continued appearance of African-American women as performers in rap and/or hip-hop videos has called attention to the male gaze1 and the ways in which young African-American women negotiate their sexuality. The most popular music videos of Caucasian and African-American hip-hop artists from 2003-2005 were analyzed and compared to determine the levels of sexism between the two cultures. With these videos, this study replicated a qualitative content analysis from another study that identified three prominent characteristics: (1) the level of sexism; (2) the presence of intimate touch and/the presence of alluring attire; and (3) which race portrayed women in a …

Understanding The Dimensions Of Spirituality In Caucasian Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual College Students, Michele L. Mcgrady

Dissertations

Spiritual development is a critical task for college students, but there is a paucity of information about how college students understand the construct of spirituality. Historically, organized religion has been oppressive to the lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) community. Furthermore, little is known about the spiritual understandings and spiritual experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual college students. This quantitative investigation sought to understand the underlying dimensions of spirituality for Caucasian LGB college students through the use of multidimensional scaling. Sixty Caucasian LGB college students were recruited through purposeful and snowball sampling. Findings indicate three dimensions of spirituality for this sample: …

Systematic Sexual Violence By U.S. State Agencies: A Victimology Approach, Sarah Brightman

Dissertations

Women experience sexual violence at the hands of the United States military, police, corrections officers and border patrol agents. The study of state crime has been expanding rapidly in criminological research, however there has been little attention paid to its victims, particularly women, and especially to women's sexual victimization. The purpose of this research is to expand current research to develop a gendered analysis of state crimes in the context of sexual violence against women. This research applies Kauzlarich, Matthews and Miller's (2001) six propositions of a Victimology of State Crime to four cases of sexual victimization by U.S. agencies. …

The Interface Of Breastfeeding And Work: A Phenomenological Exploration Of The Experiences Of White Low-Income Women, Jessica A. Kerby

Dissertations

Vocational psychologists have been called to expand the traditional discourses related to work and career to address the actual work experiences of individuals, especially those of the working class. Breastfeeding rates are on the rise among employed women and mothers of low-income, but little is known about women of low income who seek to concurrently work and breastfeed. Work-family interface theories suggest employed mothers of low-income may experience conflict and/or enhancement through multiple roles. The purpose of this research was to answer the call to vocational psychologists, give voice to the narratives around breastfeeding and work among lowincome mothers, and …

A Qualitative Exploration Of African American Womanhood: Implications For Counseling And Counselor Education, Nikita Murry

Dissertations

The disciplines of counseling and counselor education have expressed a commitment to greater multicultural competence. Existing research points toward greater study of Black American females; however, for some the call for equity and change in the societal perceptions of Black women has largely gone unanswered. For others, emerging research has started to change the perception of Black American women. Current counseling literature is limited in the exploration of gender identity development from a Black woman's perspective. This study fills a gap in the literature concerning gender identity development for Black American females by exploring the phenomenon of womanhood and how …

Counseling Professionals' Attitudes Toward Transgender People And Responses To Transgender Clients, Emily A. Nisley

Dissertations

The multicultural counseling movement emphasizes the critical nature of counselor attitudes in providing culturally competent service (e.g., Sue, 2001; Sue, Arredondo, & McDavis, 1992; Sue et al, 1982; Sue & Sue, 2003). Until recently, however, the counseling professions have paid little attention toward transgender people as a cultural minority group. The purpose of this study was to conduct the first assessment of counseling professionals' attitudes toward transgender people and to examine relationships between such attitudes and responses to a transgender client.

A national convenience sample of 138 master's and doctoral level counselors and counseling psychologists, recruited via electronic mailing lists, …

Economic And Risk Factors Associated With Sexual And Reproductive Health, Julio Cesar Hernandez-Correa

Dissertations

This dissertation is intended to evaluate the effects of economic and risk factors on three aspects of sexual and reproductive health: maternal mortality, prenatal care demand, and contraceptive use. The first study of this dissertation discusses the effects of risk factors and socioeconomic determinants on maternal mortality. This research uses a unique, nationwide panel of counties to analyze maternal mortality in Madagascar. Factors like health environment and access to health services were controlled for. The results indicate that female literacy and wages decrease maternal mortality. Other factors related to health infrastructure, and diseases can represent a burden to women's health. …

Life History And Narrative Analysis: Feminist Methodologies Contextualizing Black Women's Experiences With Severe Mental Illness, Marya R. Sosulski, Nicole T. Buchanan, Chandra M. Donnell

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This paper discusses a methodological approach to research that enhances critical analysis by contextualizing qualitative research findings within participants' individual experiences. We demonstrate the combined use of life history methods and feminist narrative analysis to explore Black women's everyday experiences with mental illness, from their perspectives. These interpretive methods reach beyond pathologized conceptions of identity and adjustment that often narrowly characterize mental illness among Black women. Instead, these methods holistically describe a participant's experiences and strategies she uses to pursue goals and enhance her life. The use of the methods is illustrated with examples from the life narrative of "Maria," …

Lgb-Affirmative Therapists' Use Of Developmental Models Of Lgb-Identity In Therapy. A Phenomenological Investigation, Victoria E. Cane

Dissertations

Socially sanctioned hostility toward sexual minority persons continues to be a reality in the United States and worldwide. Therapists working with sexual minorities have responsibility to provide non-pathologizing, affirmative therapy to these clients. A central aspect of affirmative therapy is therapists' recognition and understanding of sexual orientation (SO) identity and developmental models of sexual minority identity have a played a vital role in promoting this understanding. Although such models have been central to the practice and training of affirmative therapy, therapists' applied use of the models has not been empirically investigated. For this phenomenological study, nine affirmative therapists were interviewed …

Opt Out: Women With Children Leaving Mid-Level Student Affairs Positions, Dana Hebreard

Dissertations

This phenomenological study is about the decision-making process of women with young children at the mid-level student affairs position who decide to opt out of their career for a minimum of one year, and for some, return to higher education. The study is based on interviews with 17 mid-level college administrators and mothers of young children, infant to pre-teen, who chose to opt out of their careers rather than continuing to balance family and career. Though the individuals interviewed were each unique in their socioeconomic status, education, and career path, their issues and concerns were similar. They openly revealed the …

"Like A Prison!": Homeless Women's Narratives Of Surviving Shelter, Sarah L. Deward, Angela M. Moe

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

Relying on field observation and twenty qualitative interviews with shelter residents, this article examines how the bureaucracy and institutionalization within a homeless shelter fits various tenets of Goffman's (1961) "total institution," particularly with regard to systematic deterioration of personhood and loss of autonomy. Women's experiences as shelter residents are then explored via a typology of survival strategies: submission, adaptation, and resistance. This research contributes to existing literature on gendered poverty by analyzing the nuanced ways in which institutionalization affects and complicates women's efforts to survive homelessness.

Evaluation Of The House Of Healing: An Alternative To Female Incarceration, Sara Lichtenwalter, Maria L. Garase, David B. Barker

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

The House of Healing (HOH) is a court-mandated, community based residential program for female offenders. Women reside with their children at the HOH, which serves as a base from which to receive health/mental health care and substance abuse treatment while working toward successful community reintegration. An evaluation based on the records of 94 female offenders residing at the HOH for various time periods between 1998 and 2006 revealed a significant relationship between residents' reunification with their children and successful completion of the HOH program. Furthermore, there was a significant relationship between successful program completion and female offenders' recidivism.

The Heterosexual Mother-Lesbian Daughter Relationship: Using Consensual Qualitative Research (Cqr) To Understand Perceptions Among Predominately White, Formally Educated Mothers, Julie Meredith Davis

Dissertations

Little research specifically addresses the heterosexual mother-lesbian daughter relationship. Given this, a core research team of six utilized a Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR) approach to gain insight into two broad ideas. The first broad idea was about how heterosexual mothers perceive that their relationship with their lesbian daughters unfolds after the mothers accepted their daughters' minority sexual orientation. The second broad idea was how changes in the heterosexual mothers' values, beliefs, and attitudes (from the mothers' perspectives) influenced their postacceptance relationship with their daughters. The 10 women who agreed to participate in the study were predominately white, formally well-educated, psychologically …

A Mixed Methods Analysis Of Social Capital Of Liberian Refugee Women In Ghana, Alice Boateng

The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare

This article reports on a mixed methods study of Liberian refugee women at the Buduburam refugee camp in Ghana. The study examined the role and impact of social capital on the women's well-being. Three types of social capital - bonding, bridging, and linking - were examined. The study's findings revealed that although the women had some bonding social capital, they possessed very little bridging social capital, and linking social capital was non-existent. These findings suggest that the refugee women may benefit from national and internationalp olicies andp rograms that seek to both strengthen existing and create new sources of social …