Digital Commons Network^™

Black And White Women In Blue: A Case Study Of Policewomen, Danielle Marie Teunion-Smith

Wayne State University Dissertations

This exploratory study examines the policing experiences of fourteen African American and White female police officers using interviews and observations. There is ample research that addresses the ability of women to perform policing duties, but most of the literature presumes that White and African American policewomen are a single aggregate. These ignored societal differences and social realities of black and white policewomen, based on distinctive assigned social positions, histories, images and location, possibly contribute to different perspectives and experiences in law enforcement. These same social realities shape occupational positions, perspectives, perceptions, and treatment within law enforcement organizations. There are broad …

Rights In Flux: The Rights Of Afghan Women In Different Eras, Kelly Anne Drevitch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Have the lives of Afghan women improved since the U.S. invasion of October of 2001? Historically, the George W. Bush Administration followed past foreign governments, Afghan political parties, and Afghan regimes who also promised to "liberate Afghan women" when making the case for war or violence. Using case study methodology and feminist theory, the research compares the status of Afghan women in three eras: before the Taliban (1973 to 1995), during the Taliban (1996 to October 2001), and since the U.S. invasion (October 2001 to December 2009). By applying gender and cultural essentialism, the research concludes that these theories offer …

But This Is What I See; This Is What I See: Re-Imagining Gendered Subjectivity Through The Woman Artist In Phelps, Johnstone, And Woolf, Heather Wayne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Since the publication of Laura Mulvey's influential article 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema,' in which she identifies the pervasive presence of the male gaze in Hollywood cinema, scholars have sought to account for the female spectator in her paradigm of gendered vision. This thesis suggests that women writers have long debated the problem of the female spectator through literary depictions of the female artist. Women writers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries'including Elizabeth Stuart Phelps, Edith Johnstone, and Virginia Woolf'recognized the power of the woman artist to undermine the trope of the male gazing subject and a passive female object. …

The Effects Of Power Distance, And Gender On The Use Of Nonverbal Immediacy Behaviors In Symmetrical And Asymmetrical Power Cond, Vincent Santilli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Previous cross-cultural research in nonverbal immediacy indicates that nonverbal immediacy behavior varies across cultures, and some researchers have suggested that power distance might serve as a moderating variable, however no research has systematically set out to determine whether that is the case. This study assessed the perceived use of nonverbal immediacy under symmetric and asymmetric power conditions, as well as gender, in three cultures: Brazil, Kenya, and the United States. Quantitative data was collected from 527 participants who completed a nonverbal immediacy measure and an individual power distance measure under either a symmetric or an asymmetric power condition. Results related …

Gender Differences In The Determinants Of Sharing Information Via Mobile Phones, Chung-Chu Liu

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The notion of sharing information has become a critical element in competitive advantage for mobile phone companies. The purpose of this particular research is to collate, compare and prioritize gender differences in the determinants of sharing information via mobile phones. The content analysis and the analytic hierarchy process methods were made use of to collect and examine relevant data. According to the findings of this research, the determinants of information sharing via mobile phones may be arranged into four fundamental categories. The categories, in order of significant, are: situational factors (including time pressures, convenience, and price discounts), the unique characteristics …

Entry Into Winner-Take-All And Proportional-Prize Contests: An Experimental Study, Timothy N. Cason, William A. Masters, Roman M. Sheremeta

ESI Working Papers

This experiment compares the performance of two contest designs: a standard winnertake- all tournament with a single fixed prize, and a novel proportional-payment design in which that same prize is divided among contestants by their share of total achievement. We find that proportional prizes elicit more entry and more total achievement than the winner-take-all tournament. The proportional-prize contest performs better by limiting the degree to which heterogeneity among contestants discourages weaker entrants, without altering the performance of stronger entrants. These findings could inform the design of contests for technological and other improvements, which are widely used by governments and philanthropic …

The Complexities Of Attachment, Peer Rejection And Gender Within A Middle School Dynamic - A Glimpse At Early Adolescents And Their Significant Relationships, Barbara Ann Mestling

Dissertations

This was a mixed method two phase explanatory study of attachment, peer rejection and gender in a non-clinical middle school population. The purpose of the study was to illustrate the relationship between these variables with the assumption that there would be differences in attachment style between rejected and non-rejected students and further differences by gender. The Behavioral Systems Questionnaire (BSQ) and the Children's Self-Experience Questionnaire-Self-Report (CSEQ-SR) were utilized to determine interview subjects. A Parent Demographic Form provided background, life experience and social functioning information. There were challenges in the use of both instruments for this study's purposes. Although there were …

In The Driver's Seat: Living And Working As A Trucker, Cassandra Lively

Dissertations

This project examines the work and personal lives of truck drivers. Using data from fieldwork at a Midwestern trucking company, along with interviews with 38 drivers, dispatchers, company management and spouses and partners of drivers, I explore the questions: Thirty years out from deregulation, how are drivers' lives affected by the economic state of the industry? How do drivers and unions interact with public policy and company regulations that shape their on-the-job autonomy and their own and others' safety on the road? What are the dynamics of the industry around race, gender and sexuality? How does working in a high-stress, …

The Impact Of Person-Centered Communications On Political Candidate Evaluation: An Experimental Investigation, Randall A. Renstrom

Dissertations

"Person-centeredness" refers to how empathetic and warm a person's communication style is. Although the role of person-centeredness has been documented in various areas concerning interpersonal relations, person-centeredness has not been explored in the political realm. This project investigated how person-centered communications can influence impressions and evaluations of political candidates. In the first study, person-centered (PC) messages were shown to impact candidate trait ratings. Candidates using low PC messages were associated with more instrumental traits but fewer socio-emotional traits, while high PC candidates were assumed to have more socio-emotional traits but fewer instrumental traits. Similar results were found when participants rated …

Gender Stereotypes In Public School Textbooks In The Dominican Republic, Karie Jo Karasiak

Master's Theses

In 1992, the Secretary of Education of the Dominican Republic set an objective of eliminating gender stereotypes that discriminate against women from textbooks (Díaz Santana, 1996; Mateo Diclo, n.d.). My research is a historical comparison of two sets of texts published in the years 1996-1997 and 2005-2007 focusing on visual representations portraying gender roles with the purpose of ascertaining if progress is being made towards this objective. I analyze a total of six books, three books from 1996-1997 and three from 2005-2007. The examined textbooks include two second grade Natural Sciences, two fourth grade Spanish, and two sixth grade Social …

Traditionalism And Temporal Variance In Predictors Of Gendered Homicide, 1970-2000, Julia Maria D'Antonio-Del Rio

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

During the second half of the 20th century, changes in gender relations and equality have led to substantial shifts in many aspects of American life. As one feature of society, the relationship between social structure and crime has also changed with the shift from traditional to nontraditional views of gendered interaction. In particular, what were once thought to be invariant structural predictors of homicide may, in fact, have varying explanatory power over time; in particular, measurements of disadvantage and population structure may not equally affect men and women between 1970 and 2000. Therefore, the present study posits a transformation in …

From The Killing Fields To A Field Of Hope: The Portrait Of A Teacher's Dream, Kathy Ellen Smith

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Few qualitative studies have been done in Cambodia, a country held hostage by the murderous Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. Still struggling to recover from these atrocities, Cambodia looks to education to aid in its redevelopment. This ethnographically-informed case study describes the professional literacy life of a female Cambodian primary school teacher in the post Pol Pot era. This study describes this woman’s professional and personal life as she strives to build literacy in a small village. Her work is considered in the context of her colleagues and village. Additionally, the research portrays forces that impact literacy development, ways in …

From Graceful Adaptations To Jarring Collisions: Oberlin Students’ Experiences Integrating Divergent Conceptions Of Gender, Rebecca Elizabeth Witheridge

Honors Papers

This thesis explores the ways in which straight, cisgender Oberlin College students conceive of gender, and is based upon ethnographic data collected from interviews the author conducted with fifteen informants. Oberlin College is known for its acceptance of gay and transgender students, and the ways in which Oberlin College students self-actively challenge gender norms is visible everywhere, from the gender identity oriented course offerings to the all-gender bathrooms common across campus. The overarching conception of gender at Oberlin College that is prevalent and dominant challenges traditional ideas of gender and gender identity as being fixed to the body, biological, and …

Cross-Race Relationships As Sites Of Transformation: Navigating The Protective Shell And The Insular Bubble, Karen Audrey Geiger

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The context of leadership has evolved to incorporate greater social identity differences. Therefore, learning ways to navigate differences in social identity becomes important work leaders must now do. Because these differences surface in relationship with others, examining a relational framework helps us understand the nature of what happens between people (Ely & Roberts, 2008). This study explored the processes by which Black African American and White European American women enact leadership by creating and sustaining cross-race relationships as they work to change unjust systems around them. Using grounded theory methodology (Charmaz, 2006; Strauss & Corbin, 1990), a model was developed …

Attitudes Toward Transsexual People: Effects Of Gender And Appearance, Kelly R. Gerhardstein

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The transgendered community, like other gender non-conforming communities, is the subject of stigmatization, discrimination, and violence. However, there is a notable lack of research investigating the specific attitudes toward various manifestations of transgenderism, and the factors that may be contributing to these attitudes. The goal of this study was to investigate factors that contribute to negative attitudes toward, and discrimination against, this consistently marginalized group of people. The present study explored the relationship between attitudes toward transsexuals and several gender-related variables, including gender of the rater, sex and apparent gender of the transsexual, as well as gender role beliefs, personal …

Race, Sex And Genes At Work: Uncovering The Lessons Of Norman-Bloodsaw, Elizabeth Pendo

All Faculty Scholarship

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 (“GINA”) is the first federal, uniform protection against the use of genetic information in both the workplace and health insurance. Signed into law on May 21, 2008, GINA prohibits an employer or health insurer from acquiring or using an individual’s genetic information, with some exceptions. One of the goals of GINA is to eradicate actual, or perceived, discrimination based on genetic information in the workplace and in health insurance. Although the threat of genetic discrimination is often discussed in universal terms - as something that could happen to any of us - the …

Returning Home: Women In Post-Conflict Societies, Naomi R. Cahn, Dina Francesca Haynes, Fionnuala D. Ni Aolain

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

This paper explores the situation of women returning to their homes and communities after their countries have experienced major conflicts. In that context, it assesses the range of barriers and challenges that women face and offers some thinking to addresses and remedy these complex issues. As countries face the transition process, they can begin to measure the conflict’s impact on the population and the civil infrastructure. Not only have people been displaced from their homes, but, typically, health clinics, schools, roads, businesses, and markets have deteriorated substantially. While the focus is on humanitarian aid in the midst of and during …

Promoting Distributional Equality For Women: Some Thoughts On Gender And Global Corporate Citizenship In Foreign Direct Investment, Rachel J. Anderson

Scholarly Works

This essay applies a legal theory of global corporate citizenship to the question of women’s distributional equality in foreign direct investment. It proposes ways that a legal theory of mandatory global corporate citizenship can expand the ways we think about regulating transnational corporations and promoting gender equality.

Exploring The Relationship Between Work, Family And Religion Among Clergy Families, Lenore Johnson

Dissertations

Studies examining how working adults manage the competing demands of family, home and work shed light on the interconnectedness of public and private life. The notion that private life is a refuge separate from work is highly contested, and the experiences of clergy families add further support to such claims. However, while clergy families experience many of the same strains as other families, the relationship between public and private life is noticeably impacted by the inclusion of religion, adding further complications to the process of balancing multiple responsibilities. In this study, I explore the complex relationship between these aspects of …

Gender Differences And Cultural Contexts: Psychological Well-Being In Cross-National Perspective, Makiko Hori

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This study examines gender differences in psychological well-being and its causal factors in 33 countries. Previous studies documented women’s vulnerability in mental health, and according to social role explanations, gender differences in mental health are attributed to gendered socialization and gender roles assigned to men and women. Gender differences in mental health thus should disappear when we see gender-neutral socialization and social roles. I incorporate contextual factors, such as the country-level gender equality and gender norms, and argue that the effects of gender and family-related factors at the individual-level on psychological well-being are conditional on societal-level factors in each country. …

Constructing Inequality In Three Kentucky Communities: Discourses Of Blame And Responsibilty, Elizabeth J. New

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the social determinants of health in Appalachia. Using anthropological ethnographic field methods, this thesis explores the ways in which public assistance programs and exchanges between health care practitioners and clients result in discourses of blame and responsibly. Also included is a discussion of the role that health insurance plays in granting or denying individuals living in poverty the opportunity for treatment and care. The narratives collected for this project then become the bases for a critical examination of the public discourse surrounding health care reform in the United States in 2009 and 2010.

The Role Of Old-Fashioned Racism: Disaggregating Symbolic Racism In The United States, Leslie Curtis Cox

LSU Master's Theses

Old-fashioned, biological, or "Jim Crow" racism is viewed by many in the political science and psychology literature to be largely a relic of the past. In the post-segregation era it has been replaced as a political force by symbolic racism, although its residual effect still operates within symbolic racism as negative racial affect. Symbolic racism is thought of as a coherent belief system that describes whites‘ attitudes not only in the United States, but in some European democracies as well. This conceptualization of symbolic racism ignores the differences in the historical legacy of racism across different regional and demographic contexts. …

Women Leaders Resolving Conflict In Higher Education: A Feminist Epistemological Perspective, Maureen C. Silva

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In an American postsecondary context, conflict is inherent (Gianneschi & Yanagiura, 2006; Valian, 1999). Successful navigation of conflict in the academy is vital for those who aspire to leadership positions (Nadler & Nadler, 1987; Walters, Stuhlmacher, & Meyer, 1998). Presently, however, women face significant barriers to achieving success in higher education administration, including gender expectations for conflict resolution behavior (Bartunek, 1992; Bowles, Babcock, & McGinn, 2005; Gayle, Preiss, & Allen, 2002).

While a considerable body of literature exists for understanding gender negotiation, it remains rooted in a masculine paradigm (Kolb & Putnam, 2006; Shuter & Turner, 1997), and, as such, …

Voices Raised, Issue 26, University Of Dayton. Women's Center

Women’s Center Newsletter

Included in this issue: “Anything You Can Do, I Can do Better”; Angela Davis Visits UD; UD’s Coming Out Week; Overcoming Obstacles While Living Her Passion; Breaking Sorority Stereotypes; Helping Family and Friends with Eating Concerns through the Holidays; What do you love most about your body?; Incorporating Faith into Daily Life.

Exploring The Efficiency And Effectiveness Of Teacher Selection Tools: The Effects On The Total Group With A Focus On The Gender Sub-Groups, Sharon Lynn Ellerbrook

Dissertations

As schools struggle to meet federal testing requirements, the importance of having highly effective teachers in every classroom has never been greater, and, given the downward trend in the economy, there are more teaching applicants than ever. School districts would benefit from a streamlined process to interview and select only the most effective and highly-qualified teachers. The researcher’s purpose was to determine the efficiency and effectiveness of a unique and specific teacher selection process which included three Ventures for Excellence screening tools and one innovative instrument designed for this study, the performance rating scale. A collaborative correlational study involving three …

Exploring Masculinities In The United States And Japan, Susan Sims Cochran

Dissertations, Theses and Capstone Projects (Full IR Collection)

This paper explores the differences and similarities between American and Japanese masculinities (and their underlying values). The paper contrasts the findings regarding American and Japanese masculinities detailed in books and articles read by the author, and discusses the portrayal of masculinities in the films "The Last Samurai," "Shall We Dance?" and "Shall We Dansu?" The paper begins with a discussion of masculinities in general, including brief historical contexts, followed by an overview of masculinities studies in America and Japan, concluding with an exploration of the similarities and differences of masculinities in America and Japan, as portrayed in the above-referenced films.

Gender Segregation In The Public Schools; Opportunity, Inequality, Or Both., Bill Piatt

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Should the public schools be allowed to segregate girls from boys in the classroom? There is a history of single-sex education in this country, but there are concerns about single gender classrooms. In recent decades, researchers have begun to assert that requiring boys and girls to be taught together has a negative impact on the educational progress because of inherent differences in boy/girl learning behavior, or even in the development of their brains. Proponents of gender exclusive classrooms point out the voluntary nature of the programs, and the explicit findings of the Department of Education justifying such programs. Opponents argue …

Law's Expressive Value In Combating Cyber Gender Harassment, Danielle Keats Citron

Michigan Law Review

The online harassment of women exemplifies twenty-first century behavior that profoundly harms women yet too often remains overlooked and even trivialized. This harassment includes rape threats, doctored photographs portraying women being strangled, postings of women's home addresses alongside suggestions that they are interested in anonymous sex, and technological attacks that shut down blogs and websites. It impedes women's full participation in online life, often driving them offline, and undermines their autonomy, identity, dignity, and well-being. But the public and law enforcement routinely marginalize women's experiences, deeming the harassment harmless teasing that women should expect, and tolerate, given the internet's Wild …

Intersecting Spaces: A Narrative Exploration Of Intersectionality And African American Female School Psychologists, Natasha Vannoy

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The roles of school psychologists practicing within the public school systems are often defined quantitatively. The focus is often how many students are assessed, what assessment measures provide the most useful snapshots of the students and how the psychometric information will be used for educational planning. Moving away from the numerical aspects of the role, this study examines the narrative voices of the few among many. Reflecting upon the shifting demographics within the field of school psychology, as well as the low number of minority school psychologists within the field, I am examining how African American women within the field …

Exploring The Positive Impact Of 4-H Camp On Youth: Identifying Differences Based On A Camper's Gender, Years Of Attendance, And Age, Jason Hedrick, Greg Homan, Jeff Dick

Journal of Extension

When substantiating the positive impacts youth attain through the 4-H camping experience, it is important to consider influencing variables. The findings of the research project reported here show that, from a parent/guardian's perspective, youth gain multiple benefits from 4-H camp experiences in the areas of leadership, character development, self-esteem, decision-making skills, independent living skills, and citizenship. Beyond showing that 4-H camp has positive impacts for youth, the study reveals the degree to which these improvements are dependent on a camper's gender, years of camp experience, and age.