Digital Commons Network^™

Hocus Pocus: Modern-Day Manifestations Of Witch Hunts, Brie D. Sherwin

Northwestern Journal of Law & Social Policy

Witch hunts have never been about facts or evidence; rather they are about beliefs often fueled by fear. Witch hunts of the past persecuted the powerless – typically women or those who did not fit into “societal norms.” More recently, the term “witch hunt” has reappeared with great fervor in the political arena, used by the powerful to generate fear that serves a distinct political narrative that those in power are the true victims. Tweets, sound bites, and political speeches rife with accusations of a “witch hunt” reflect a modern usage which has served to delegitimize the historical context of …

Gender Undone: Confronting Bias In The Nuclear Field, Sneha Nair, Christina Mcallister, Annina Pluff, Katherine C. Mack

International Journal of Nuclear Security

In the face of evolving security needs, diversity is critical in nonproliferation, nuclear security, and other related fields. Despite multiple studies highlighting the need for gender balance and diversity in the nuclear nonproliferation and security space and targeted recruitment and capacity-building efforts by the International Atomic Energy Agency and states, gains in the representation of women (as well as historically underrepresented groups) have been set back by the gendered effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and slow cultural change at nuclear facilities and organizations. This issue is in large part due to the inability of initiatives aimed at diversity, equity, inclusion, …

Effects Of Chronic Stress On Working Memory Are Sex-Specific And Age-Dependent, Tyler Jamison Cox

Theses and Dissertations

As the aging demographic of the United States expands, the convergence of age-related cognitive decline and stress-related dysregulation emerges as a substantial concern, impacting not only the lifespan but also the overall well-being of American citizens. In the realm of research, there has been a pronounced focus on Alzheimer's Disease, leading to an imbalanced allocation of resources compared to the study of normal aging. It is widely acknowledged that executive function deteriorates as individuals age, a concept substantiated by numerous investigations conducted in labs dedicated to the study of normal aging. Significantly, even among individuals afflicted with neurodegenerative disorders affecting …

The Identification Of Students’ Conceptual Mastery Of Fluid Statics: An Overview Of Gender, Maria Claudia Sodakain, Sentot Kusairi, Nandang Mufti, Jane Koswojo

Jurnal Pendidikan Sains

This study aimed to assess the conceptual mastery of fluid statics among students, employing a descriptive quantitative approach. The research involved 22 male and 13 female students from eleventh-grade MIPA at a private school in Surabaya, Indonesia. The primary research instrument comprised 11 multiple-choice and reasoning questions, covering concepts related to Pressure and Hydrostatic Pressure, Pascal’s Law, and Archimedes’ Principle. Results indicated a higher level of conceptual mastery among male students compared to their female counterparts. While both genders demonstrated relatively high conceptual mastery in Pressure and Hydrostatic Pressure, significant disparities were observed in their understanding of Pascal’s Law and …

Using Multiple Lenses To See An Invisible Group, Kathleen J. Farkas, Jaroslaw Richard Romaniuk

Faculty Scholarship

Social work in Poland and in the United States shares the values of human dignity and self-determination, but there are often value conflicts in terms of how various groups experience social roles and social expectations. This paper explores the use of multiple lenses to understand the past and current conditions for LGBT+ people in Poland. An international, university-level collaboration uses a framework of “invisible groups” to highlight the needs of those who are on the margins of society and whose human and individual rights are suppressed. The article reviews the results of a recently published on-line survey of LGBT+ populations …

Guidance Document On The Use Of The Confidante Tool To Track New Or Recent Cases Of Female Genital Mutilation, Francis Obare Onyango, Dennis Matanda, Chi-Chi Undie

Sexual and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Choices

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is internationally recognised as a violation of human rights that is rooted in social norms including harmful gender norms. In countries where it is prevalent, FGM contributes to bottlenecks that curtail realisation of full potential by girls and women. In settings where FGM is illegal, practising communities may adopt strategies such as cutting girls at very young ages, performing supposedly less severe cuts, or conducting FGM in secret, and thus underreport the occurrence of the practice due to fear of legal consequences. This may hamper tracking and/or measuring the effectiveness and/or impact of interventions and actions …

White Men In White Coats: Children’S Attributions Of Scientific Knowledge Based On Race And Gender, Lillian C. Holm, Mariel R. Cox, Khushboo S. Patel, Judith H. Danovitch

The Cardinal Edge

Children use others’ characteristics (e.g., intelligence and niceness) to evaluate how much a person knows (Landrum et al., 2016). However, little is known about how gender and race influence children's perception of adults' scientific knowledge. The current study examined how children ages 5-8 (N = 25; 11 girls, 14 boys) perceive adults’ scientific knowledge. In the first task, children saw 8 different adults of varying race and gender (White man, White woman, Black man, Black woman) and rated their knowledge using a five-point scale. Children then chose one person out of two adults who they thought knew more about a …

Actionable Motivational Interviewing: Gendered Perceptions Of Probation Officer-Client Relationships, C.J. Appleton, Lindsay Smith, Danielle S. Rudes

Qualitative Criminology (QC)

Prior research purports that probation officers (POs) view the differences between women and men clients as emotional, with women being more "in-touch" with their emotions and "self-aware" of their issues (Welsh, 2019). Since probation client satisfaction links to relationships with POs (DeLude et al., 2012), it is also important to examine clients' perceptions of POs using a gendered lens that considers the potential variations in women and men clients' views of officers. This study uses 15 semi-structured interviews with women and men clients in one Northwestern probation agency. We examine clients' perceptions of the officer-client relationship, finding that clients desire …

Redrawing The Contours Of Care: Ethical Commitments And Gendered Politics In The Work Of Government Psychological Counsellors In Sri Lanka, Nadia Augustyniak

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Over the last three decades, Sri Lanka has seen a growing popular interest in psychology as a field of professional practice as well as a steady expansion of mental health services. Historically, this shift has been linked to the impacts of political violence (1971, 1987-1989), civil war (1983-2009) as well as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, with local and international trauma and humanitarian interventions shaping recovery and the country’s mental health and psychosocial care infrastructure. More recently, however, psychology and mental health have been increasingly decoupled from the discourse of trauma, entering into everyday life and popular culture through the …

Women's Representation And Accessibility In Indonesian Politics: A Study Of Jakarta Regional People's Representative Council, S. Maryamah Kadriyah

Jurnal Politik

This research delves into the challenges and dynamics of women’s political participation in Jakarta, Indonesia. Despite legal frameworks advocating gender equality, like the 30% representation quota, women members of Parliament (MPs) in Jakarta’s politics face significant hurdles, predominantly rooted in a deeply entrenched patriarchal culture. Utilising a qualitative methodology, the study involved comprehensive interviews with female members of Jakarta’s DPRD. The findings reveal a complex interplay of educational background, political motivations, party dynamics, and societal perceptions influencing women’s political careers. The underrepresentation of women in parliament hinders effective gender-centric policy formulation, underscoring the need for enhanced descriptive and substantive representation. …

Recap Report: Girls Deliver Pre-Conference On Adolescent Girls At The Women Deliver 2023 Conference, Girl Center

Adolescents and Young People

The Girls Deliver: Pre-Conference on Adolescent Girls was held on July 16, 2023 in Kigali Rwanda to kick off the Women Deliver 2023 Conference. Girls Deliver was led by the Population Council’s Girl Innovation, Research, and Learning Center (GIRL Center) and co-hosted by AFIDEP, Amplify Girls, Baobab Research Programme Consortium, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Coalition for Adolescent Girls, Exemplars in Global Health, FP2030, Girl Effect, Girls First Fund, Hilton Foundation, NDI, Plan International, PMNCH, Purposeful, Together for Girls, UNICEF, Women Deliver, and The World Bank Africa Gender Innovation Lab.

This recap report presents an overview of Girls Deliver, a summary …

Exploring Adolescents’ Occupational Possible Selves: The Role Of Gender And Socioeconomic Status, Yaoran Li, Hanxiang Du, Ian Martin, Edward Hidalgo, Yang Jiang, Wanli Xing, Vitaliy Popov

School of Leadership and Education Sciences: Faculty Scholarship

Adolescence is an important stage in forming one's identity and developing career inspirations. The current empirical study aims to investigate gender and socioeconomic status (SES) differences in adolescents’ occupational possible selves. A total of 3336 sixth- to eighth-grade students participated in the survey research and reported (1) hoped-for occupation, (2) desire for the hoped-for occupation, (3) likelihood of attaining the hoped-for occupation, and (4) whether and what actions were taken toward the hoped-for occupation. A series of regression models and advanced natural language processing techniques were applied to the survey data. Results revealed evident gender differences and some nuanced SES …

Gender And Deception: Moral Perceptions And Legal Responses, Gregory Klass, Tess Wilkinson-Ryan

Northwestern University Law Review

Decades of social science research has shown that the identity of the parties in a legal action can affect case outcomes. Parties’ race, gender, class, and age all affect decisions of prosecutors, judges, juries, and other actors in a criminal prosecution or civil litigation. Less studied has been how identity might affect other forms of legal regulation. This Essay begins to explore perceptions of deceptive behavior—i.e., how wrongful it is, and the extent to which it should be regulated or punished—and the relationship of those perceptions to the gender of the actors. We hypothesize that ordinary people tend to perceive …

The Influences Of Acculturative Stress And Gender Roles On Sexual Subjectivity In European, Asian, And Latinx Immigrant Women In The U.S., Silvia Re

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

In the process of acculturation, cisgender immigrant women are at greater risk of experiencing acculturative stress, often entailing a reconsideration of their self-concepts and identities as members of new sociocultural contexts. Gender roles and sexual subjectivity are two identity features they can revise given their ties to culture and socialization. Results from previous studies suggest that cisgender immigrant women’s sociocultural contexts, related values, and attitudes may contribute to their levels of stress, sense of self-efficacy, self-esteem, and sexual subjectivity. This study aimed to fill gaps in the existing literature and raised awareness of the relationship between acculturative stress, gender role …

Feminist Foreign Policy And The War In Ukraine: Hollow Framework Or Rallying Force?, Sara J. Chehab

Journal of International Women's Studies

This article examines the applicability of Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) frameworks following the 2022 Russia-Ukraine War. By looking at how Sweden, France, Canada, and Mexico responded to the war in the February 2022 to January 2023 period, the paper seeks to examine whether states’ reactions were in line with their FFP commitments or whether FFP was placed on the backburner in the face of a major threat. While there has not been a common feminist response to the war in Ukraine because states have responded through different means without consistently employing their FFP principles, the article argues that a clear …

The Ripple Effect: Gender And Race In Brazilian Culture And Literature, Maria José Somerlate Barbosa

Purdue Studies in Romance Literatures

In The Ripple Effect: Gender and Race in Brazilian Culture and Literature, Barbosa adopts a comparative, multilayered, and interdisciplinary line of research to examine social values and cultural mores from the first decades of the twentieth century to the present. By analyzing the historical, cultural, religious, and interactive space of Brazil’s national identity, The Ripple Effect surveys expressive cultures and literary manifestations. It uses the martial art-dance-ritual capoeira as a lynchpin to disclose historical ambiguities and the negotiation of cultural and literary boundaries within the context of the ideological construct of a mestizo nation. The book also examines laws …

Mahu And Native Hawaiian Culture: Experiences Of Non-Heteronormativity, Rachel Beth Chapman

Theses and Dissertations

There are extensive amounts of psychological research that highlight the needs and experiences of racial ethnic minority populations in general and more specifically minority sexual identities and genders, also referred to as non-heteronormative populations (Alexeyeff & Besnier, 2014). However, there continues to be a lack of representation in the research of Polynesians and an even greater lack of representation of non-heteronormative Polynesians and their experiences (Allen et al., 2011). Māhū, a population of native Hawaiians who identify as non-heteronormative or third gender, are almost completely absent from scholarly work. This study examines the experience of self-identified māhū and how mental …

The Definition Of A Black Man: The Entanglement Of Race, Sexuality, And Space, Michael Moore

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how Black queer men and transmasculine individuals navigate Black heteronormative and White queer spaces in New Orleans. Over the last few decades, articles, including anthropological and sociological, have focused on the relationship between race, gender performance, sexuality, and emotional expression among men such as Christian (2005), which analyzed how Black queer men expressed their masculinity within queer spaces (Christian 2005). This thesis builds on this literature to explore how societal and cultural pressures of masculinity can hinder Black queer men institutionally, socially, and romantically.

The Gender And Race Intersectional Disproportionality-Tool (Grid-T): An Exploration Of Practitioners’ Access To And Use Of High-Quality Data For Special Education Placement, Audrey J. Ford

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Disproportionality in special education (SPED) is upheld by systems and individuals, policies, and practices that both reflect and shape the local communities within which it exists. Even with many proposed solutions for disproportionality, it persists. This two-manuscript dissertation explores two characteristics that make disproportionality difficult to solve (e.g., inconsistent findings and persistence) and proposes a tool to inform data-based decision making in interventions for disproportionality in SPED.

Manuscript One (M1) includes a literature review and development of the Gender and Race Intersectionality Disproportionality- Tool (GRID-T). Based on the findings of the literature review about inconsistence and persistence, I crafted three …

Essays On Human Capital, Labor, And Gender, Kritika Sen Chakraborty

Economics ETDs

This dissertation is a collection of chapters that demonstrate the factors affecting human capital and labor market outcomes of adolescents and the gender differences in the quality of employment of adults in South Africa.

The second chapter evaluates the impact of South Africa’s Child Support Grant, an unconditional means-tested grant provided to age-eligible children, on adolescent nutrition outcomes. The findings suggest that welfare programs can alleviate extreme undernutrition and overnutrition among females during the critical growth period of adolescence.

In the third chapter, I use longitudinal data from rural South Africa linked with geospatial climate indicators to examine the effect …

Social Bonds And Fear Of Crime Victimization Among Youth: An Analysis Using Ferraro’S Risk Assessment Framework, Praveenrao Bolli

All Dissertations

The impact of crime taking place in society can be fluid and may quickly gain the form of fear among individuals with both direct and no direct victimization experience. While youth are extensively more vulnerable and immature than adults (Krulichová & Podaná, 2019), they are more likely to have or learn the fear of crime victimization. Therefore, the distribution and etiology of youth fear of crime victimization should not be overlooked. Ferraro's (1995) risk assessment framework suggests incorporating theoretical variables to predict the evolution of fear. With the inclusion of the perceived risk of victimization, Ferraro's risk assessment framework provides …

Diversity In Tech: Analyzing The Mismatch Between Corporate Framing And Impact, Rana Abulbasal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This doctoral dissertation investigates the discrepancy between tech companies' substantial investments in diversity programs and the persistently low representation of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) employees. Despite extensive efforts, discrimination and harassment against women and people of color persist in the industry. The study employs a critical interdisciplinary approach, comprising sociological perspectives on diversity management and two empirical studies. The first scrutinizes tech companies' framing strategies of diversity initiatives on their websites, while the second explores the impact of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies on women of color in the industry. By identifying shortcomings and proposing recommendations, …

Gender And Loans: Understanding Differences In Student Debt Burden, Rong Chen, Katie N. Smith

Journal of Student Financial Aid

Based on combined data from Baccalaureate & Beyond (B&B:16/17), Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges, this study utilizes zero-inflated beta regression methods and analyzes individual and institutional factors that predict debt burden by gender. Results show that women are less likely than men to have a zero debt burden one year after college graduation. Interaction effect tests show that the relationship between gender and zero debt burden differs by race/ethnicity. Additional analyses disaggregating the debt and earnings components indicate that women’s salary is significantly lower than men’s. The combined results of lower probability of …

Assertion Or Transgression: A Critical Study Of Surpankha As An Unwelcomed Girl Child In Kavita Kané’S Lanka’S Princess, Nancy Sharma, Smita Jha

Journal of International Women's Studies

Kavita Kané’s Lanka’s Princess is the retelling of Ramayana3 from the perspective of the often misrepresented and misunderstood character of Surpankha,4 the daughter of rishi (sage) Vishravas and rakshasi (monster) Kaiskesi. Kavita Kané uses myths as a pretext to defy the idea of an ideal femininity in her book. Kané’s representation humanizes the character of Surpankha (translation: woman with sharp fingernails) who was born as the beautiful princess Meenakshi, but her defiant demeanor caused her brother Ravan to give her the name of Surpankha. Kané’s work exhibits the inner thought process of an unwelcome girl child in the family who …

Mathematical Identities And Tracking: An Exploration Of Efficacy In Children And Women, Emma Hagan

Education | Master's Theses

This study seeks to understand the impact of elementary school mathematical identities and mathematics tracking on the identities of women and girls. “Tracking” is an institutionalized education method developed in the 1960s and 1970s in which schools sort their students into smaller class-sized groups based on their observed achievement (Domina et al., 2016). Too often, when students test onto the lower track, they are confronted with a sense of futility and a lack of self-efficacy (Domina, Hanselman, Hwang & McEachin, 2016; Houtte & Stevens, 2015). Further, in STEM disciplines, students who identify as female report lower self-efficacy rates than those …

Leading And Mentoring Women In Stem: Mitigating Gender & Microaggressions, Lilicia Bailey, April Curry

The Scholarship Without Borders Journal

Microaggressions, behaviors that can be nonverbal or verbal, can occur when individuals “communicate negative, hostile, and derogatory messages to people rooted in their marginalized group membership (based on gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality).” This statistic, according to the Institutional Transformation program at the University of New Hampshire,¹ is in alignment with what researchers indicate regarding microaggressions, asserting that they can be “intentional or unintentional” can occur daily, and are unacknowledged (Making the Invisible Visible: Gender Based Microaggressions, n.d.).

We consider the various types of microaggressions, specifically those based on gender, and assess the effect it has on women in leadership …

Perceptions Of Elementary School Principals Regarding Strategies To Build Trust Among Staff To Support Positive Change, Laurel Cole

Doctor of Education Program Dissertations

Trust is essential between elementary school principals and teachers, for it is a necessary ingredient in well-functioning organizations, especially schools. The problem addressed in this phenomenological study was the lack of practical strategies for principals to build trust with teachers effectively and efficiently to facilitate positive change and, ultimately, to support student achievement. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to understand how elementary school principals can quickly build trust with their teachers to facilitate positive change. Through the literature review, the researcher examined historical definitions of trust and early trust studies, the creation of trust and strategies for …

Existential Thomism And The Ecstasy Of The Sexed Body, Kathleen Cavender-Mccoy

Dissertations (1934 -)

This dissertation assesses the relevance and significance of Norris Clarke’s existential Thomism to critiques of John Paul II’s theology of the body. I argue that using existential Thomism as a basis for Catholic metaphysics opens the door for an existential theology of the sexed body, a theology of the individual on a unique spiritual journey towards union with God which amends, expands, and nuances the existing theology of the ecstatic body developed by John Paul II. Chapter One situates my thesis within its historical context by tracing philosophical and theological developments which inform the current status of embodied sexual difference …

Platform Of Growth: An Analysis Of Earnings And Social Media Engagement Among Esports Athletes, Colleen Marie Dibble

Theses and Dissertations

Esports consists of online gaming, cyber sport, and virtual sport in a highly competitive environment. The industry has grown tremendously over the last 30 years (Leroux-Parra, 2020). Professional esports competitions are often now contested with a large scale, global audience, and millions of dollars potentially at stake in some competitions. Hundreds of esports athletes earn a living from the multi-billion-dollar esports industry. In addition to players earning salaries and prize pool money in a professional setting, many colleges have offered scholarships to enrolled students and have begun to offer esports-related curriculums (Dominguez, 2022). Networks such as ABC, ESPN, and TBS …

Meta-Analysis Of Cyber Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration And Victimization: Different Types And Their Associations With Face-To-Face Ipv Among Men And Women, Ohad Gilbar, Ruby Charak, Oscar Trujillo, Jorge I. Cantu, Valeria Cavazos, Iris Lavi

Psychological Science Faculty Publications

Cyber intimate partner violence (C-IPV) is a technology-mediated form of violence. It has been examined only in the last 10 years as a form of violence that can cause psychological damage to its victims. How this phenomenon connects to and differs from face-to-face IPV (F2F-IPV) has been, as yet, little studied. Research has not made clear whether sex differences may impact its use, particularly in light of the fact that no physical coercion is used in C-IPV. Thus, the current research aimed to investigate through a meta-analysis: differences between the average levels of different types of C-IPV victimization and perpetration; …