Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Women's History Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

10,731 Full-Text Articles 3,355 Authors 5,266,403 Downloads 243 Institutions

Popular Articles

Based on downloads in October 2026

Fuitina: Love, Sex, And Rape In Modern Italy, 1945–Present, Antonella Vitale CUNY Graduate Center

Fuitina: Love, Sex, And Rape In Modern Italy, 1945–Present, Antonella Vitale

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

The term fuitina in Sicilian dialect is a word used to describe a form of abduction, and is a variation of the more formal Italian term fuga, meaning a flight or escape. Fuitina, was essentially a sanctioned bride theft. Often, after the abduction of a woman, the abductor would seek a reparatory or rehabilitating marriage that would restore the woman’s “honor” and absolve the man of bride theft. Until 1981, the Italian legal system supported the practice of fuitina and rarely prosecuted men who kidnapped and raped women under the guise of this tradition. The practice of fuitina and …

Go to article

Fashion As Freedom - The Bustle And Women Of The Late Victorian Era, Sydney A. Everett Kennesaw State University

Fashion As Freedom - The Bustle And Women Of The Late Victorian Era, Sydney A. Everett

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

In contrast to the general bias of Americans, the First- and Second-Bustle periods allowed the women of the time to find freedom through changes in the Victorian fashion. The women of the 19th century were able to achieve freedom through the bustle periods between 1867 and 1889 by gaining freedom of movement more so than through any of the other fashions, first by gaining social and economic benefit through smuggling items in their bustles and finally, through being able to remove the bustle for athletic wear. This research uses primary research sources and contemporary scholarly essays to analyze how these …

Go to article

St. Mary Magdalene (N.D.), St. Norbert College

St. Mary Magdalene (N.D.)

Ancient Mothers of Christianity, Mary of Magdala

Description

Artist: Br. Robert Lentz, OFM (American)

Subject: Mary of Magdala

Art Type & Medium: Iconography

Credit Line: © St. Mary Magdalene, Br. Robert Lentz; Courtesy of Trinity Stores, www.trinitystores.com, (800.699.4482)

Artist Exhibition Label: According to the ancient tradition of the East, Mary Magdalene was a wealthy woman from whom Christ expelled seven "demons." During the three years of Jesus’ ministry, she helped support Him and His other disciples with her money. When almost everyone else fled, she stayed with Him at the cross. On Easter morning she was the first to bear witness to His resurrection. She is …

Go to article

Women Of The Incan Empire: Before And After The Conquest Of Peru, Sarah A. Hunt Southern Adventist University

Women Of The Incan Empire: Before And After The Conquest Of Peru, Sarah A. Hunt

Student Research

This paper contrasts the life of Incan women before and after the Spanish conquest of Peru by Pizarro. Spanish colonization of Peru had a significant, negative impact on Incan women, across social, economic, and religious sectors. Before the conquest, women held fairly complimentary, rather than subordinate roles to men in society. Spanish rule introduced a strict patriarchy, which reduced Incan women to second-class citizens. The Spanish exploited women within the economy, and destroyed the once revered female religious institutions. Examining women in conquest history provides an intimate look at gender and power relations, socio-economics, and the shifting familial and cultural …

Go to article

Come As You Are: The Rise And Fall Of The Grunge Movement And Its Implications On The Identity Of Seattle, Colin J. Wood Liberty University

Come As You Are: The Rise And Fall Of The Grunge Movement And Its Implications On The Identity Of Seattle, Colin J. Wood

Montview Journal of Research & Scholarship

This paper evaluates the rise of the Grunge movement through Nirvana’s Nevermind album as a unique burst of culture through the city of Seattle. Culturally, in the late 20th century, Seattle found its identity in the area around it, though other American cities overshadowed its significance. Through music, figures such as Jack Endino and the iconic Kurt Cobain gave Seattle an unfathomable uplift within global culture. This paper argues that grunge culture emerged as a distinct facet of Seattleite identity, with elements like flannel clothing and thrifting playing pivotal roles in shaping the city's recognizable and esteemed cultural landscape. It …

Go to article

Tradwives: The Housewifization Of The Girl Boss, Gagan Kaur CUNY Graduate Center

Tradwives: The Housewifization Of The Girl Boss, Gagan Kaur

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This thesis examines the reemergence of a particular performance of domesticity in the post-pandemic era, focusing on the rise of the "tradwife" (traditional wife) movement alongside the normalization and spread of Alt-Right ideology through popular social media platforms. It argues that the tradwife is not a return to tradition, but a commodified performance of domesticity built on the erasure of social reproductive labor. Tracing the lineage of the “housewife” from the enclosure of the commons to imperial domesticity and from the “girl boss” to tradwife influencer culture, this project situates the tradwife within a longer history of "housewifization"—wherein women's labor …

Go to article

Beyond The Battlefield: The Social And Legal Status Of Women In Sparta, Kiera Clark University of Victoria

Beyond The Battlefield: The Social And Legal Status Of Women In Sparta, Kiera Clark

Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History

The social and legal status of women in Sparta differed from other ancient societies, as they were afforded more social mobility and rights to ownership of property than their counterparts in places such as Athens. While other ancient Greek societies secluded women in the home, women in Sparta were educated publicly and able to move freely in public. However, it is important to note that there is limited material and textual evidence from Sparta, which leaves much up to interpretation and requires scholars to make assumptions based on the practices of other Greek societies. Further, the majority of sources regarding …

Go to article

These Are My People: An Ethnography Of Quiltcon, Kristin Barrus University of Nebraska-Lincoln

These Are My People: An Ethnography Of Quiltcon, Kristin Barrus

Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Fashion Design: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis presents the first ethnography of QuiltCon, the annual fan and artist convention for quiltmakers who identify with and participate in a social phenomenon called the Modern Quilt Movement (MQM) within the 21st century quilt world. QuiltCon (QC) is one product of this movement. This study considers the following questions: What kinds of people attend QC, and what types of experiences and encounters do they expect at the convention? What needs are met at QC for this subset of quiltmakers who attend and for the greater community of Modern quiltmakers? What role does QC play in cementing the identity …

Go to article

Eugenics No Matter What?: An Investigation Of The Eugenic Origin Of Planned Parenthood And Its Effect On Contemporary Society, Sarah McCrea The College of Wooster

Eugenics No Matter What?: An Investigation Of The Eugenic Origin Of Planned Parenthood And Its Effect On Contemporary Society, Sarah Mccrea

Black & Gold

According to Students for Life of America, the reproductive health non-profit known as Planned Parenthood was founded upon the principles of the Eugenics movement. They also argue that Planned Parenthood is still working toward the goals of that movement today. While Planned Parenthood’s ties to the Eugenics movement are clear, it is not necessarily true that the organization’s workers, volunteers, and officers are toiling to achieve century-old eugenic goals in contemporary society. In fact, this hypothesis ignores a piece of the puzzle that is integral to our understanding of why Planned Parenthood facilities are located where they are: the link …

Go to article

Silenced Voices: Sexual Violence During And After World War Ii, Cassidy L. Chiasson University of Southern Mississippi

Silenced Voices: Sexual Violence During And After World War Ii, Cassidy L. Chiasson

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the different types of sexual violence present during and immediately after World War II and focuses specifically on the European Theater of the war. Memoirs, journals and diaries were used as primary sources. This research focuses on the overlapping themes of sexual violence in the form of forcible rape and sexual violence as a means of protection and survival. The goal of this research is to provide a comprehensive view of the complexity surrounding many situations in which sexual violence occurred. It also aims to partially fill the gap in historical literature on this topic, and bring …

Go to article

All Articles in Women's History

Faceted Search

10,731 full-text articles. Page 1 of 151.

A Journey To The Midwest For Migrant Farmwork: Women's Testimonies Examining Their Lived Experiences Using Autoethnography And Plática Research Methodologies, Yesenia G. Alcalá 2026 University of the Incarnate Word

A Journey To The Midwest For Migrant Farmwork: Women's Testimonies Examining Their Lived Experiences Using Autoethnography And Plática Research Methodologies, Yesenia G. Alcalá

Theses & Dissertations

A JOURNEY TO THE MIDWEST FOR MIGRANT FARMWORK: WOMEN’S TESTIMONIES EXAMINING THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES USING AUTOETHNOGRAPHY AND PLÁTICA

RESEARCH METHODOLOGIES

Yesenia Garza Alcalá, Master of Business Administration

University of the Incarnate Word 2026

The purpose of my research was to share the stories of five women who experienced a yearly migratory routine from Del Rio, Texas, to work in farms and factories in the Midwest, and how that annual journey shaped and educated us. The women are four of my older sisters and me, all of whom traveled and worked in the Princeville, Illinois, migrant camp, where we experienced the …

Go to article

Silk And Authority: The Political Meaning Of Elite Women's Fashion In Europe, Kaylee S. Rupasinghe 2026 Liberty University

Silk And Authority: The Political Meaning Of Elite Women's Fashion In Europe, Kaylee S. Rupasinghe

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

Fashion for women has not always been about personal style and fashion trends, but women's fashion among the elite has served in ways to express a woman's identity, authority, and wealth to the public. By analyzing Elizabeth I, Marie Antoinette, and Victoria, noticeable differences and outcomes occur based on what they wore, how they wore their clothing, and the self-portraits they released to the public. This analysis suggests that elite women in European history went beyond fashion trends with their clothing choices and shaped a society with the clothing they wore.

Go to article

The Declaration Of Sentiments: A Womanist Perspective, Emmalee Layton 2026 Liberty University

The Declaration Of Sentiments: A Womanist Perspective, Emmalee Layton

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

This paper examines the Declaration of Sentiments, an influential document in the creation of the early feminist movement, through a womanist lens. This paper aims to address whether the formulation of the Declaration of Sentiments had Black women’s liberation in mind, and how feminist movements must approach misogyny and racialization as co-constitutive in order to create liberatory strategies for Black women. This paper examines specific grievances that are outlined within the Declaration of Sentiments which are then put into historical context to signal whether the Declaration of Sentiments addresses the nuances of misogynoir and effectively strategizes for Black women’s liberation …

Go to article

All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Consuelo Vanderbilt And Transatlantic Marriages In The Gilded Age, Katie M. Cassady 2026 Liberty University

All That Glitters Is Not Gold: Consuelo Vanderbilt And Transatlantic Marriages In The Gilded Age, Katie M. Cassady

Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History

Between 1865 and the onset of World War I, wealthy American women increasingly married titled European men. These marriages played a critical role for both parties: the newly moneyed elite asserted its claim to social status, and depleted European nobility regained the funds so essential to their longevity. By 1915, 454 American heiresses had married into the European aristocracy. In one famous example, Consuelo Vanderbilt was forcibly wed to the ninth Duke of Marlborough. As the Vanderbilt family labored to assimilate themselves into old-money New York society, the opportunity to tie their family name to English nobility could catapult the …

Go to article

"A Pioneer Lady Who Saved Her Home", William Lindsey McDonald 2026 University of North Alabama

"A Pioneer Lady Who Saved Her Home", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

In Spring of 1811, Polly Allen, a settler on the land that would become Lauderdale County, Alabama, was forced to leave her home by soldiers acting upon orders of territorial agreement. Before the soldiers burned her home, Allen offered them a meal, which led the soldiers to extinguish the flames rather than leave her and her family homeless.

Go to article

"The Grave Of A Patriot's Widow", William Lindsey McDonald 2026 University of North Alabama

"The Grave Of A Patriot's Widow", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The widow of Revolutionary War veteran, Brigadier General Levi Casey, Elizabeth Duckett Casey is buried in a Lauderdale County cemetery. The article offers a brief overview of her and her husband's lives, as well as information on the degradation of the cemetery she rests in.

Go to article

Newsclipping, The Old And New, 2026 University of North Florida

Newsclipping, The Old And New

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: James H. Lewis (left), Afro-American Life Insurance Company, Jacksonville, Florida, shaking hands with M. C. Clark (right), president of Dunbar Life Insurance Company, Cleveland, Ohio. Mr. Lewis congratulating his successor, Mr. Clark, as president of NNIA (National Negro Insurance Association). Undated.

Go to article

"The Courtview Diary", William Lindsey McDonald 2026 University of North Alabama

"The Courtview Diary", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article offers an excerpt and overview of the diary of Sally Independence Foster, a young girl from Florence, Alabama who recorded her experiences during the Civil War. Foster lived in Courtview, now known as Rogers Hall on the campus of the University of Alabama. Additional photographs of Courtview (Rogers Hall) are available in the University Architecture and William Lindsey McDoanld Image Collections by searching the side bar located on the left.

Additional information about Sally Independence Foster, can be found in this LibGuide, the digital archival collection, or the finding aid to the physical collection.

Go to article

"The Blockade Runner", William Lindsey McDonald 2026 University of North Alabama

"The Blockade Runner", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

During the Civil War, Mary Nail Blair of Florence, Alabama organized a secret operation to bring essential supplies into Florence and the surrounding area from behind enemy lines.

Go to article

"Eliza Coffee Whose Name Is Memorialized By A Hospital", William Lindsey McDonald 2026 University of North Alabama

"Eliza Coffee Whose Name Is Memorialized By A Hospital", William Lindsey Mcdonald

Research Articles

The article serves as a brief biographical sketch of Eliza Coffee, whom the Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital in Florence, Alabama memorializes.

Go to article

Archives As Activism: Using Cuny Archives To Examine And Analyze Social Change, Marci Littlefield 2026 CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College

Archives As Activism: Using Cuny Archives To Examine And Analyze Social Change, Marci Littlefield

Open Educational Resources

Archives as Activism uses CUNY archival materials to help students examine the relationship between activism, social issues and social change. Students will analyze primary sources such as flyers, newsletters, photographs, student newspapers, and institutional documents and connect them to contemporary social issues. CUNY’s history of activism around, race, gender, educational access, women’s organizing and institutional power provides students with an opportunity to investigate questions about power, collective action, intersectionality and social change.

Go to article

Newsclipping, Does Your Chin Line Suggest Age?, 2026 University of North Florida

Newsclipping, Does Your Chin Line Suggest Age?

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Advertisement for Dorothy Gray Preparations available at Gayfer's Toilet Goods Department. Undated. 

Go to article

Newsclipping, ...Could Erase Our Beggar Status, 2026 University of North Florida

Newsclipping, ...Could Erase Our Beggar Status

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Partial article regarding politics, presidents, and color prejudice. Undated.

Go to article

Newsclipping, Ministers Endorse Mahalia, 2026 University of North Florida

Newsclipping, Ministers Endorse Mahalia

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News Clipping: Clipping with photograph of Miss Mahalia Jackson shaking hands with Reverend V. S. Gregg, at the Baptist Ministers Conference of Philadelphia and Vicinity. Also in photograph, left to right: Reverend Walter H. Anderson, Miss Mahalia Jackson, Reverend W. L. Bentley, Reverend V.S. Gregg, and Miss Mildred Falla. Undated.

Go to article

Newsclipping, A Mother Who Adds Glory To Mothers Of All, 2026 University of North Florida

Newsclipping, A Mother Who Adds Glory To Mothers Of All

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Partial article regarding Mrs. A. E. Barrow being awarded "Mother of the Year" by the Oklahoma American Mothers' Committee, Golden Rule Foundation. Undated.

Go to article

Newsclipping, Memory Of Former Clerk Is Honored By Supreme Court, 2026 University of North Florida

Newsclipping, Memory Of Former Clerk Is Honored By Supreme Court

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Partial article regarding the memorial for the former clerk of the Supreme Court of Florida, G.T. Whitfield. Florida Times-Union.  Undated.

Go to article

Newsclipping, Little Sisters Feast Day Held At Home For Aged, 2026 University of North Florida

Newsclipping, Little Sisters Feast Day Held At Home For Aged

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Article regarding the 85th annual open house of the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged held on the feast day of St. Joseph, patron saint of the Home. Includes an image of 79-year-old Lydia Nicholas sitting in a wheelchair, playing the piano at the Little Sisters of the Poor open house, Sister Maethilda listening. Undated.

Go to article

Newsclipping, Voting Set Today On School Issues, 2026 University of North Florida

Newsclipping, Voting Set Today On School Issues

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Article regarding the polling place open for voting on a referendum that could revise the school system. Undated.

Go to article

Newsclipping, Fascist Wisdom, 2026 University of North Florida

Newsclipping, Fascist Wisdom

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Partial article regarding fascism. Undated.

Go to article

Newsclipping, Article Fragment, 2026 University of North Florida

Newsclipping, Article Fragment

Eartha M. M. White Textual Material

News clipping: Article fragment that mentions Dr. George Washington Carver of Tuskegee, Dr. Robert R Moton, president of Tuskegee, Dr. J. R. E. Lee, head of the Florida A. & M. College at Tallahassee, Booker T. Washington, founder of Tuskegee. The article also mentions Bethune-Cookman at Daytona Beach. Undated.

Go to article

Popular Institutions

Based on downloads in October 2026

University of Rhode Island

City University of New York (CUNY)

University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Gettysburg College

Portland State University

Brigham Young University

Bryn Mawr College

San Jose State University

University of Northern Iowa

Featured Publications

Popular Authors

Based on downloads in October 2026

Antonella Vitale CUNY Graduate Center

Manuscripts & Folklife Archives Western Kentucky University

Sydney Everett Kennesaw State University

Sarah Hunt Southern Adventist University

Colin Wood Liberty University

Publisher unknown University of Northern Iowa

Publisher unknown University of Northern Iowa

Gagan Kaur CUNY Graduate Center

Kiera Clark University of Victoria

Kristin Barrus University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Digital Commons powered by bepress