Sociology Commons^™

Harvesting The Truth About Salt Mining: An Assessment Of The Factors And Demographics That Influence Women To Become Salt Miners, Katwe Uganda, Amelia Simmonds

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Traditional and rudimentary methods of salt mining have been used to harvest salt from Lake Katwe in Uganda for over 400 years. Even though these methods are effective in extracting salt, they are proven to be hazardous to the miners. Though not often acknowledged, the role of women in salt mining operations is significant as they make up half of the workforce in East Africa. Regardless of the health risks associated with the mining sector, the number of women involved in small-scale salt mining increases by the year. The main objective of this study was to gain a better understanding …

Draagmoederschap: Surrogacy In The Netherlands, Olivia Murray

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this paper, I investigated surrogacy in the Netherlands by interviewing four surrogates and one intended parent about their experiences. I found that the participants shared several common experiences and opinions, especially related to why they chose to be surrogates, how surrogates and intended parents negotiate their relationship during and after pregnancy, the tensions of passing on parenthood and merging families, the (non-binding) contracts that surrogates and parents create, Dutch law, and commercial surrogacy. I argue that much of the discourse around surrogacy relitigates many of the arguments made in favor and against sex work, in that it sets surrogacy …

Burning In Purgatory: The Suffocation Of Bisexuality And How The Match Was Lit, Tricia Menzel

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The present study examines the way in which bisexuality is experienced and conceptualized in the city of Amsterdam, and how this influences bisexuality’s existence as a sexual identity. Data was collected through conducting one-on-one open-ended interviews with six queer women living in Amsterdam, five of whom are attracted to all genders. Interviews included themes of binegativity, conforming to lesbianism for safety in queer spaces, the additional mental load bisexual women carry, the perception that bisexual women are delusional to their real selves. These themes are then analyzed in order to give reason to the dissolving of the bisexual identity. This …

An Analysis Of The Role Of Gender In Political News Media Coverage, Clare Atkinson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Although there has been a decrease in specific exclusionary rules in governments around the world, most nations are very far from a governing body which represents the diversity that exists within their borders. There are many issues which may dissuade previously marginalized populations from political participation. One of these problems when it comes to female participation, is differential political news coverage. This study looked at how media sources set the political agenda and frame news stories in terms of the gender of a politician, and how this can create an additional challenge for women in government. The investigation found that …

Los Efectos Psicosociales Que Produce El Embarazo En Las Vidas De Madres Adolescentes En Quito, Ecuador, Kaylee Howell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Research Question: What are the psychological and social effects of teen pregnancy facing teen mothers in 2021 and how do they impact their lives? Objective: The general objective is to describe the psychosocial implications produced by teen pregnancy. Background: Teen pregnancy rates of Latin America and the Caribbean are second in the world, second only to the region of Subsaharan-Africa. Within Latin America, Ecuador has the highest rates of adolescent pregnancy, surpassed only by Venezuela. Recently, the taboo surrounding reproductive health has been challenged, with the matter of abortion being brought to the supreme court. In conjunction with the matter …

Understandings Of Sexual Consent Among Male And Female Zulu South Africans In Masxha, Kwazulu-Natal, Larkin Levine

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Though South Africa has an astonishingly high rate of rape and sexual violence, little research has been conducted on understandings of sexual consent outside of the context of rape and sexual violence in different South African communities. Instead, research has focused on understandings and perceptions of rape and sexual violence alone, ignoring the importance of understanding how individuals approach consent in healthy sexual relationships.

Through conducting semi-structured interviews with sixteen Zulu males and females of different ages, all of whom are residents of Masxha, I hoped to learn how these individuals understand sexual consent and how consent is requested, given, …

¿“La Familia Diversa”?: Una Investigación En Constructos De Familias En Ecuador En El Siglo Xxi, Julia Cornick

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En este ensayo, exploro la constitución ecuatoriana de 2008, específicamente el artículo 67 que reconoce y protege “la familia diversa”. Este artículo supuestamente reconoce “la familia en sus diversos tipos”. Pero, otras partes de la constitución y las acciones del gobierno niegan el artículo en muchas maneras. A pesar de las promesas rotas y palabrerías de la constitución, individuos y grupos en comunidades LGBTI en Ecuador existen afuera de la constitución cuando construyen “familias alternativas”. A través de formas de familias alternativas, los ecuatorianos pueden hacer familias alternativas y significado afuera de la constitución, y voy a investigar las implicaciones …

“Gender And Sexual Minorities Identity Terms” Academic Discourse In Nepal Over Time, Carolyn Kelly

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The last 20 years in Nepal has seen drastic changes in the rights and recognition of Gender and Sexual Minorites. Little research has been done on GSM in Nepal and the majority of this research focuses solely on discrimination faced by GSM using western identity terms and categories. These identity terms conflict with a Nepal specific understand of self. Even fewer research has been done on academic discourse on GSM in Nepal. There is a need to understand how academics talk about Nepal’s GSM and how this has changed over time. Terms and their respective constructed identities say a lot …

Encuentros Intergeneracionales: Continuidades Y Reformulaciones En Las Prácticas Militantes De Las Jóvenes Integrantes De Espacios De Acompañamiento De Aborto En La Amba / Intergenerational Encounters: Continuities And Reformulations In The Activist Practices Of The Young Members Of Abortion Accompaniment Spaces In The Amba, Hannah Robinson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Debido al acceso restrictivo de los abortos legales, en los últimos diez años los espacios de acompañamiento de personas que quieren interrumpir la gestación se han convertido en un sitio importante de la militancia feminista en Argentina. Estos espacios o colectivos brindan información sobre el uso del medicamento misoprostol para abortar, conectan las personas gestantes con profesionales de salud “amigables” que garantizan el acceso al Interrupción Legal del Embarazo, y proveen apoyo durante el proceso de interrupción. Al mismo tiempo, en los últimos cinco años una marea de jóvenes ha entrado masivamente a la militancia feminista.

A través de la …

“El Fútbol No Tiene Género”: Confrontar, Desafiar Y Cambiar La Narrativa Sexista Del Fútbol Femenino En Argentina / “Soccer Has No Gender”: Confronting, Challenging, And Changing The Sexist Narrative Of Women’S Soccer In Argentina, Adia Klein

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este proyecto explora cómo el sexismo se manifiesta en el fútbol femenino en Argentina de maneras culturales, económicas e institucionales y examina, como resultado, las acciones tomadas por las jugadoras, las promotoras y las federaciones nacionales e internacionales para abordar y eliminar estas desigualdades estructurales. Esta lucha ha promovido muchos cambios pero todavía queda más por hacer para igualar el campo de juego entre los varones y las mujeres. Las cuestiones planteadas en este trabajo demuestran los vínculos entre la identidad nacional, los movimientos feministas, las políticas de derechos humanos y el fútbol femenino. Las estrategias metodológicas incluyeron leer y …

El Cuerpo En La Poesía De Mujeres Ecuatorianas, Chloe Hood

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este proyecto examina la presencia del cuerpo humano en la poesía de tres mujeres ecuatorianas: Aleyda Quevedo Rojas, Aurora Estrada y Ayala, y Sophia Yánez. Enfoco en como las imágenes del cuerpo en su poesía están relatados con algunos temas del poder y el genero. Específicamente, exploro los temas del patriarcado, el colonialismo, y la creación. En relación con el patriarcado, encontré que la poesía de Aleyda Quevedo Rojas aborda mucho con la expectativa social para la perfección del cuerpo femenino. Ella rechaza esta expectativa y abraza las imperfecciones de su cuerpo, incluyendo la fracasa del cuerpo a través de …

Ngos As Learning Organizations: Evaluating Female Sports Development In Jordan Through The Lens Of Women’S Soccer, Saede Eifrig

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This Independent Study Project (ISP) explores how NGO programs measure the success of their impact on female sports development in Jordan and the impact thereof on improving women’s opportunities in sport. This research relies on several theories, including Sport for Development theory (Lyras and Welty Peachey, 2011), organizational learning and learning organizations (Roper and Pettit, 2002), and monitoring and evaluation (Peters, 2016) to discover the effect of NGO programs on women's sport development in Jordan. It centers on the intersection of gender, social expectations, and non-governmental work for development. This paper aims to answer the following questions: Roper and Pettit …

Examining “Empowerment”: Insights Into The Murshidat Program In Morocco, Hannah Mckenzie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Following the 2003 terror attacks in Casablanca, the Moroccan government issued a series of reforms, including the introduction of the new program in Rabat that would train murshidat, women religious guides who would then go on to work in mosques and other public spaces all across the country. The intention of this program, the state claimed, was to 1) promote a moderate Islam and 2) empower women. In this research, I have consulted existing literature and conducted interviews with scholars and activists in the realm of women’s rights to explore various sides of this question: How does the work of …

From The Ulama To The Legislature: Hermeneutics & Morocco’S Family Code, Rachel Olick-Gibson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines the role that Islamic law has played thus far in reforming the Moroccan Family Code, also known as the Moudawana. When King Mohammed VI reformed this law in 2004, Morocco received immediate international praise for its liberal strides towards gender equality. Through this study I investigated the hermeneutical tools and methods of ijtihad employed both by the drafters of the Moudawana and by activists leading up to the 2004 reforms. I then investigate impediments to the implementation of this Code in providing substantive legal rights to Moroccan women and the role that interpretation of Islamic law plays …

Queer Otherwise: Embodying A Queer Identity In Cape Town, Teak Emanuel Hodge

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This research responds to the following question: how do LGBTQ South Africans in Cape Town come to understand and embody their queerness? Drawing on ideas of the body as a sense making agent (Meyburgh 2006) and site of socio-political contestation (Foucault 1975) this research adapts body-mapping methodologies (de Jager, Tewson, Ludlow, Boydell 2016) to excavate the ways in which LGBT South Africans negotiate their queerness. Through centering the experiences of three LGBTQ identified South African’s in conversation with the experiences of the researcher, this paper delves into how queer people make sense of and understand themselves in relation to their …

Sex And Senesce: A Exploration Of Aging Women’S Sexual Selves, Cordray Mccann

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The sexual lives of women over the age of 50 are often forgotten from just about every medium. This research hopes to uncover how aging women interpret their current sexual selves, sexual histories, and changing bodies. In thinking about this, four women were interviewed about their life stories surrounded love, passion, and sex. Each of these women told brave accounts of their lives and through their narratives, we were able to draw theoretical conclusions about bodily shame, age performativity, and prescribed stereotypical roles. These four stories, told individually as to support each woman's personal narrative are vastly different yet intersect …

Fictions Of Sexuality, Emelyn Schaeffer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

I conducted a Creative Independent Study Project and wrote two short stories that include themes of women’s sexual desire/pleasure, sexual debuts, masturbation, discoveries, and understandings of one’s sexuality. Because women receive so many messages about keeping their chastity and so few about pursuing the pleasures sex can provide, the opportunities to promote the exploration of women’s sexual desire cannot be missed. To write my stories and answer my research question, I read and watched a variety of both academic and creative materials. I wanted to do this work because these are the stories I needed in high school when I …

Queer Spaces, Future Places: Conversations With 3 Black Capetonian Femmes On Embodying Liberation, Ivana Onubogu

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Black femme bodies face multi-axial oppressive forces resting on their racialization, gendering, sexuality and possible other factors like socioeconomic status and ability. I interviewed 3 queer-identified Black femmes between the ages of 18 and 35 that are based in or work out of the Cape Town area. Femmes is defined as trans womxn, nonbinary femmes, femme lesbians and femme bisexuals, effeminate mxn, or any other femme-identified queer person. The purpose of this project is to investigate the possibility of a liberated Black queer future as an embodied practice within the context of the Black Capetonian queer community. Participants were selected …

The Future Is Non-Binary: Investigating The Genesis Of The Non-Binary Movement In Amsterdam And Beyond, Sky Karp

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project examines butch and crossdresser communities in Northern Europe in the late 20th century, and their transformation into the non-binary movement of the last ten years. This research investigates the recent trajectory of gender-diverse communities and evaluates the role of the non-binary moment in the history of gender-diverse people in the Western world. Findings come from interviews with Dutch individuals who identify as non-binary, genderqueer, or otherwise outside of the gender binary, as well as periodicals and other materials related to crossdresser and butch identities from the IHLIA LGBT Heritage Archives and the Atria Institute. This study demonstrates that …

The Influence Of Gender On Female Business Owners In Ho Chi Minh City, Abby Busis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ho Chi Minh City is commonly referred to as a developing business hub, largely due to the rapidly increasing number of private enterprises. Since the implementation of the Doi Moi in 1986, Vietnam’s private business sphere has grown tremendously, and women have played a large role in this development. Today, women own just under a quarter of formal enterprises in Vietnam, but this impressive statistic does not consider the many challenges these women have faced.

Through in-depth interviews with female business owners themselves, along with an online survey, this study determines how gender influences these business owners’ professional experiences. Gender …

Checking A Box Or Creating Change? Examining The Overall State Of Gender Mainstreaming In Humanitarian Action, Jenna Thoretz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Humanitarian organizations provide aid and assistance to millions of individuals impacted by natural disasters and armed conflict every day. However, not all individuals are equally impacted by humanitarian crises. Since the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women introduced the term ‘gender mainstreaming’, humanitarian organizations have recognized and taken steps to address gender specific needs in crisis situations.

While there is an abundance of research concerning these gender specific needs, there is little research on the overall state of gender mainstreaming in humanitarian policy. This paper seeks to fill this gap by examining gender mainstreaming in the humanitarian community through some of …

“Un Sistema Abandonado”: Una Investigación Sobre El Acceso A Servicios De Salud Sexual Integral Para Mujeres Privadas De La Libertad En Argentina. / “An Abandoned System”: An Investigation Into The Access Of Comprehensive Sexual Health Services For Incarcerated Women In Argentina., Erica Harp

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En esta investigación, exploramos algunas percepciones del acceso a servicios de salud sexual integral para mujeres privadas de su libertad en Argentina. Las mujeres tienen necesidades de salud muy específicas, y aunque cada una tiene el derecho humano a una atención de salud adecuada, esto no se cumple en muchos casos. Con respecto a la salud en contextos de encierro, Argentina sigue las reglas de Bangkok, leyes federales y provinciales, que requieren atención médica adecuada para mujeres. Investigaciones anteriores han mostrado que hay una gran falta de atención médica en los sistemas penitenciarios del país, específicamente de servicios complementarios como …

The Transformative Potential Of High-Level Gender Equality: The Relationship Between Gendered Laws And Perceptions In Rwanda, Elena Ortiz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

As part of its reconstruction process following the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, Rwanda introduced several laws and policies protecting gender equality, which stood it stark contrast to traditional patriarchal norms and structures. This study focuses on the relationship between institutional gender reform and local perceptions. Specifically, it seeks to explore the extent to which perceptions around gender have caught up to legal changes and identify where the greatest gaps exist across political, social, and economic dimensions. Data collection occurred in two parts: quantitatively, a multiple-choice survey was distributed to 76 Rwandan adults investigating their perceptions of gender in political, …

Which Factors Influence The Usage And Perceptions Of Medicinal Plants In Kizanda Village (Lushoto District) And Ushongo Village (Tanga District)?, Callie Smith

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The objective of this study was to compare and examine which factors impact usage and perceptions of traditional medicine in Ushongo Mtoni and Kizanda villages. More specifically, this study aimed to gain an understanding of the usages, with a specific focus on gendered usages of medicinal plants in Kizanda village and Ushongo Mtoni village and to try to examine the differences in perceptions towards traditional medicine usage in Kizanda and Ushongo. Additionally, this study aimed to determine if there are any major themes that are constant with medicinal plants in both Ushongo and Kizanda. In order to conduct this study …

Khookha Mcqueer: Advocacy For Non-Binary Queerness And Lgbtqi+ Representation In Tunisia, Jake Gomez

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In 2018, the Tunisian government arrested 127 Tunisians on the basis of suspicions regarding non-heterosexual and non-cisgendered acts. Tunisian civil society centralizes its core missions around advocating for the rights of LGBT individuals through attempts to target the measures that allow for such unlawful imprisonment: Articles 230 and 226 of the Tunisian Constitution. But within the undiscussed gaps between laws, cultures of homo and transphobia, and civil society lies alternative measures for non-linear forms of queer advocacy. This research engages with the work of Khookha McQueer -- a Tunisian LGBTQI+ rights activist -- and documents conversations had with Khookha regarding …

Subversión Del Binario De Género: Descubriendo Las Violencias Ejercidas Sobre Las Personas Trans En Valparaíso, Marie Mendoza

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The key purpose of this investigative work is to identify the types of transphobic violences that are inflicted on Trans people in the specific case of Valparaiso, Chile. In an attempt to understand these violences, this project follows the experiences and understandings of these violence of two trans individuals who live in this city. Following a theoretical framework of gender performativity, and the way in which gender is constructed and repeatedly performed, outlined by Judith Butler, this investigation also analyzes how these violences are derived from the subversion of trans bodies to the gender binary and the cisnormativity of society. …

Socio-Cultural Norms And Perceptions Of Menstruation: An Intergenerational Analysis Of Rural Jamkhed, Maharashtra, Addison Scales

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study analyzes the socio-cultural norms and perceptions of menstruation between two generations of women in rural Jamkhed, Maharashtra. Interview questions were prepared for women between the ages of 18-26 and 35 or older to determine the level of dilution of the menstrual taboo and stigmas between age groups. All women resided in two villages in the rural area surrounding Jamkhed, Maharashtra. A variety of socio-cultural perceptions and practices were explored to determine their correlation with external influences on the shifting menstruation narrative. The socio-cultural factors of focus are family structure, media exposure, choice of material use, disposal and sustainability, …

Not-So-Decriminalized: Consequences Of Intersectional Identity For Migrant Sex Workers In Switzerland, Teagan Langseth-Depaolis

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Sex work in Switzerland, which was decriminalized long ago, has been regarded as one of the most liberal systems of sex work in the world. However, this reputation is contested when factoring in the interaction between immigration and sex work policies. Migrant sex workers in Switzerland are put at a precarious intersection of decriminalized sex industry and restrictive migration policy and attitudes, and are not addressed or protected from violations of the law or violations of their human rights. Using databases containing Swiss legislation, I will critically examine the intersectional effects of migration policy and the treatment of migrants on …

Finding A Common Ground Between Theology And Women’S Reproductive Rights: Assessing The Societal Levels Of Influence Of Religion On The Sexual And Reproductive Health Of Women, Natalie Montufar

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The principle aim of this study is to explicate and elucidate the intersection between religious beliefs and practices and Sexual and Reproductive Health throughout distinct levels of society in the developing world. A literature review identified relevant peer-reviewed and grey literature on religious beliefs held on sexuality and procreation, the landscape of influence of religion on laws and policies at a national and international level, the effects of religion on individual sexual behavior, and modern interventions aiming to be culturally and religiously sensitive. The intricacies and nuances of three Abrahamic faiths were assessed to highlight the dogma of sacred texts …

Health And Education: Perspectives On The Role Of Schools In Health Promotion, Miranda Powell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of this study was to understand learners’ perceptions of the role schools play in health promotion. Health promotion encompasses health education and can be highly effective in the school setting. Given the high rates of HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, early sexual debut, and abuse, health education is highly important in South African schools. All learners are required to take Life Orientation classes, which cover many topics including health education. Comparing the views of what learners expect, experience, and the curriculum, my study addressed the gaps in Life Orientation classes with regards to health promotion education.

For this study I …