Digital Commons Network^™

An Exploration Of The Identity And Career Development Of African American Women In Higher Education Leadership: Does Hair Style Make A Difference?, Yasmine Osir Farley

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

African American women, a group that endures the intersectionality of being both a woman and an African American, have many obstacles in their path as they advance in their career. Despite the strides that have been made in America to improve things for women and people of color, the interwoven societal standards of beauty do not include African American women. This standard of beauty affects women in that no matter how intelligent they are, looks play an important part in their professional life. For African American women, hair is a large part of who they are and how others perceive …

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Associated With Better Executive Function In Young Women, Samuel P. Scott, Mary Jane De Souza, Karsten Koehler, Dylan L. Petkus, Laura E. Murray-Kolb

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Purpose: A positive association between cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) and cognitive function has been demonstrated mainly in children and older adults. Women attending college live in a cognitively demanding setting where optimal cognition matters but often experience declines in CRF. Our aim was to test whether CRF is associated with executive function in young adult women.

Methods: Participants in this cross-sectional study included 120 healthy women age 18–35 yr in a university setting. Each woman completed a maximal treadmill-based exercise test to determine peak oxygen uptake (V˙O_2peak), computerized tests of executive function, and questionnaires to assess motivation …

History Of Key Events In Women’S Health Care, Zoё M. Chambliss

Student Publications

In 1973, ninety-three percent of all American doctors were men (Ehrenreich and English). Gender based inequity permeates all spheres of women’s health care from employment to access to treatment to biologically-based myths of male superiority, yet women once presided over the health and spirituality of their communities and their own bodies. All of the earliest human societies worshipped the Earth Goddess and respected women as holy givers of life. This tradition persisted until the rise of the patriarchy and Western “Civilization” increasingly forced women out of positions of power and rewrote the religious stories to give supremacy to male sun …

Baby Dust To All! Identity Construction In Two-Week Wait Online Discussion Forums, Danielle R. Derose

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Women with a self-identified infertility status sometimes choose to address this status by seeking medical intervention. There are a variety of methods available when attempting to conceive using medical treatments, with the choice heavily dependent on the health of each partner. A common first approach by reproductive endocrinologists is that of intrauterine insemination, or IUI. Women undergoing IUI invest significant time and money into the process and often must undergo procedures or take medication that can be enormously distressing. Once the IUI is complete, the woman must wait an emotional two weeks before she finds out if she is pregnant …

Gender Awareness Training: A Comparison Of U.S. Military Units To Nato/Pfp Military Units, Elizabeth Owens Lape

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (UN, 2000), initially adopted on 31 October 2000 and updated with a resolution in 2009 (UN, 2009), proclaimed all peacekeeping personnel – military, police and civilian, will receive training on the protection of women. The purpose of this research was to review and compare how the U.S. military and forces of NATO/Partnership for Peace countries educate and train their military on the overall use of gender as a planning factor in support of this resolution. The researcher conducted a phenomenological qualitative study that consisted of interviewing 12 personnel regarding their country’s National Action …

Reconceptualizing Women's Stem Experiences: Building A Theory Of Positive Marginality, Valerie N. Streets

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Since the 1980s, disciplines such as psychology and sociology have discussed the construct of positive marginality. Positive marginality describes the perception that belonging to a non-dominant cultural or demographic group can be advantageous rather than oppressing. To date, research on positive marginality has explored the construct in a qualitative manner across a number of demographic groups (e.g., Jewish women in social sciences, African American women in predominantly Caucasian workplaces). Because women are largely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, the current research examined positive marginality in a STEM context. This research advances the existing understanding of positive …

A Randomized Controlled Trial Of A Video-Conferencing Smoking Cessation Intervention For Korean American Women: Preliminary Findings, Sun S. Kim, Somporn Sitthisongkram, Kunsook Bernstein, Hua Fang, Won S. Choi, Douglas Ziedonis

Publications and Research

Introduction: Korean women are reluctant to pursue in-person smoking cessation treatment due to stigma attached to women smokers and prefer treatment such as telephone and online smoking cessation programs that they can access secretively at home. However, there is some evidence that face-to-face interaction is the most helpful intervention component for them to quit smoking.

Methods: This study is a pilot clinical trial that examined the acceptability and feasibility of a videoconferencing smoking cessation intervention for Korean American women and compared its preliminary efficacy with a telephone-based intervention. Women of Korean ethnicity were recruited nationwide in the United States and …

“A Girl Move”: Negotiating Gender And Technology In Chess Online And Offline, Undrah Baasanjav

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

The confluence of gender and information technology in chess is explored in this chapter based on a small empirical interview study. By interviewing nine women chess players who compete in men's tournaments, the chapter examines the underrepresentation of women in the traditionally male domain of chess and discusses the role of computers and the Internet in women players' work/play routines. Five in-depth interviews were conducted Face-to-Face (FTF) and four interviews were conducted over the Internet using the textual chat feature of the International Chess Club during the summer of 2010. How women negotiate gendered identity and how they position themselves …

Feminine Ideology, Relational Self-Concept, And Internalizing Symptoms In Women, Anjali George

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Background: Investigators have theorized that women may experience internalizing disorders such as depression and anxiety more frequently than men in part because of unique socialization processes that women undergo. One aspect of early socialization thought to contribute to women’s propensity for depression and anxiety is the way women are brought up to relate to themselves in relation to others, often placing greater importance on the needs, desires, and value of others, at times at a psychological cost to themselves. This study attempts to elucidate the relationship between gender socialization, relational self-concept, and internalizing symptoms in women.

Methods: Two hundred and …

¿Dónde Pertenecemos? Narrative Analysis Of Afro-Boricua Women’S Experiences Of Belonging Within And Beyond College, Marie Nubia-Feliciano

Educational Studies Dissertations

Afro-Latinas, Latinas of African descent, exist at the intersections of culture, race, gender, and class, and this position informs how we experience our world. This unique experiential perspective is present when we decide to attend college. It was the goal of this research project to explore the post-secondary educational experiences of Afro-Latinas. One particular group of Afro-Latinas was the subject of the research project: Afro-Boricua women.

The unique relationship that Puerto Rico has with the United States provided a backdrop for these women’s college going experiences. It provided a historical framework of colonialism and racialization that occurred both on the …

Why Do We Need More Women Leaders In Central And Eastern Europe?, Susan R. Madsen, Tanja Slišković

Marketing and Strategy Faculty Publications

The majority of top leadership teams do not fully realize the value of having women in key positions. A large body of research has shown this is the case across all sectors, including business, government, political, nonprofit, and education. Depending on the entity, this may include women in both paid and unpaid roles ranging from positions such as supervisor, coordinator and manager, to school principal, council member, CEO, or board director. Gender inclusivity benefits not only businesses, but also entities such as legislatures, universities, schools, and city and municipality councils. Organizations will increasingly thrive when both men and women hold …

The Educational Journeys Of First-Generation College Women In Stem: A Grounded Theory Study, Susan Geier

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to ascertain the various factors that influenced these first-generation college women as they chose a college and selected a STEM major and subsequently persisted to upper level (junior/senior) status. Twenty-five first-generation college women in STEM majors who attended a research-intensive university in the Midwest were interviewed. Approaching this study using constructivist grounded theory provided the opportunity for deeper insights by examining data at a conceptual level while preserving the voices of the women in this study. The women faced numerous challenges on their journeys, yet they persisted. As the women in this study selected …

Influences On Self-Care In Women With Heart Failure: A Pilot Study, Joy Corcione

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Background: Heart Failure self-care becomes exceedingly difficult to perform as the disease progresses; therefore social support becomes important in facilitating heart failure self-care. Woman with heart failure represent a significant and growing vulnerable population. Women tend to have lower self-confidence in providing self-care, experience greater negative emotions, decreased social support, experience more adverse psychosocial factors affecting self-care and experience greater psychosocial adversity than do men. Self-care is vital in managing heart failure and social support greatly facilitates self-care behaviors.

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to gain a deeper understanding about the sources of perceived social support and …

Rebuilding Security And Peace For Women: Exploring Women’S Security Challenges And Activism For Security And Peace Building In Northeast India, Rubi Devi

Dissertations

Women have been affected by violence and conflicts ever since the wars were first waged on earth. Woman as a grieving mother or widow is a common portrayal of war and conflict. However, the common portrayal of women as passive victims does not recount the whole story of women’s experience in conflict/post conflict scenario. Women face countless security challenges in the form of physical, psychological abuses, economic burden and most importantly sexual violence- rape, murder, molestation, kidnapping and sex trafficking. The gendered nature of conflict, thus, increases women’s security challenges and places them at a critical juncture of experiencing and …

Effective Use Of Media Awareness Campaigns For Breast Cancer Care Among Women: A Comparative Study, Okorie Nelson, Abiodun Salawu

Journal of International Women's Studies

This study investigated the influence of media awareness campaigns on breast cancer care among women in South-West Nigeria. This study employed a mixed research method, which made use of survey and focus group discussion to achieve the objectives of the study. For the sample size, a total of 632 persons participated in the study, which was made up of 600 questionnaire respondents and 32 discussants for the focus group discussion. The multi- stage sampling and simple random sampling techniques were used to select the questionnaire respondents in Lagos, Oyo and Ekiti States. Also, three hypotheses were tested using cross tabulation …

Women's Access To Political Leadership In Madagascar: The Value Of History And Social Political Activism, Ave Altius, Joel Raveloharimisy

Journal of International Women's Studies

Globally, wide gaps exist between men’s and women’s participation in leadership roles. This paper explores women’s access to leadership in Madagascar through an examination of women’s participation in politics and government. Research across the literature found three major reasons for women’s political participation: gender quotas, kinship and societal upheaval. However, upon examining Madagascar, women’s participation in leadership involves factors, which were not fully explored in this literature. The historical legacy of Madagascar and women’s social and political activism were the principal factors in women’s participation in leadership. The findings might have implications in explaining women’s access to leadership roles.

A Macro Economic Approach To Gender Disparities In Hiring At The Ceo Level, Abigail R. Wood

Business and Economics Summer Fellows

More men named John run S&P 1500 companies than all women combined, causing many to wonder what factors are limiting women’s career advancement. While many studies have been written about the topic of women’s success in the business world, most focus on individual firms or positions and therefore miss macroeconomic factors such as women’s completion of master’s degree programs and labor force participation rates. This research examines the disparity of gender in CEO positions through the examination of macroeconomic data which captures women’s career trajectory and qualifications. This research specifically examines trends in women’s obtainment of master’s degrees in business …

Risk-Taking Behaviors That Place Women At Risk For Hiv Across Cultures, Beverly Mae Fray

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Saturday, July 23, 2016 and Sunday, July 24, 2016:

The purposeof this poster presentation is to raise awareness among conference attendees that culture intersects with sexual practices all over the world, regardless of language. Second, it attempts to demonstrate that in the majority of cultures across the globe, gender, socioeconomic power dynamics, and social hierarchical structures invariably place women at higher risk for HIV and other STIs when compared to men. Culture and Risk-taking Behaviors among Women: A thorough review of the nursing, public health, anthropology and psychology literature revealed that culture plays a significant and complex …

Effects Of Partner Violence On Mental Health And Hiv Disease Progression In Women In Baltimore, Jocelyn Anderson, Jacquelyn C. Campbell, Nancy E. Glass

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Monday, July 25, 2016:

Purpose: Recently a great deal of national attention has been given to the overlapping issues of intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV. The examination of this intersection has focused primarily on the increased risk of HIV acquisition in women who have experienced violence. The effects of IPV as a chronic stressor on the physical and mental health of women living with HIV has had limited examination in the research literature. To examine the prevalence of IPV and its associations with treatment markers and adherence to clinic visits in an urban clinic.

Methods: Survey …

Psychosocial Educational Programme To Facilitate The Reintegration Of Incarcerated Women Dumped Babies Or Committed Infanticide, Hans Justus Amukugo, Ndemupavali Sumpi

International Nursing Research Congress (INRC)

Session presented on Thursday, July 21, 2016:

Purpose: In this study, the researcher explored and described the views of women who had dumped babies and/or committed infanticide with regard to their experiences with the purpose of developing, implementing, and evaluating an educational programme to facilitate their reintegration upon release with their families and with society in general in the Oshana Region, Namibia. Baby dumping and infanticide have become social phenomena with grave consequences that are drawing nationwide attention and condemnation in Namibia. Those women who are perpetrating these heinous acts provide numerous motives; such as fathers denying paternity, unemployment, young …

Self-Defense; An Intervention Technique To Empower Victims Of Domestic Violence, Ashley Mendez Ruiz

Faculty Curated Undergraduate Works

Self-defense plays a significant role in domestic violence cases. In the domestic violence context, self-defense can be defined as a set of survival skills that combine: awareness, verbal confrontation techniques, safety and survival strategies, as well as physical exercises that will enable the victim to escape from a violent situation. An effective self-defense training combines physical and nonphysical strategies to empower the victim. In those cases where a domestic violence victim uses self-defense as a survival technique, a remarkable difference can be noticed regarding the power self-defense gives the victim to overcome the abuse.

Exploring The Relationship Of Healthy Lifestyle Characteristics With Food Behaviors Of Low-Income, Food Insecure Women In The United States (Us), Kimberly Ann Wollard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) self-reported surveys from 2007-2012, this research explored the relationship between four healthy lifestyle characteristics - healthy weight, adequate daily fruit and vegetable intake, regular moderate to vigorous physical activity and not smoking - with food behaviors of low-income, food insecure women. The study examined three specific food behaviors (the use of SNAP, consumption of fast foods, and the utilization of community emergency food programs) to determine if these behaviors had a significant impact on low-income, food insecure women to follow healthy lifestyle characteristics. A secondary data analysis was conducted …

Unaffected Women’S Decisions To Have Prophylactic Risk-Reducing Mastectomies, Stephanie N. Galloway

Theses and Dissertations

When a woman is at an increased risk of developing breast cancer due to a pathogenic mutation or a significant family history of the disease, she will be faced with choosing from among multiple management options, including risk-reducing mastectomy (RRM). The relative rate of RRM for both diagnosed and unaffected high-risk women has increased in recent years. Previous research has investigated the factors that influence women diagnosed with the disease to undergo RRM, but has not fully addressed how unaffected women make their decisions to choose RRM as an option when they are still healthy. This study was designed to …

The Real Miss America Campaign, Kristen Causey, Katherine Meringolo, Olivia Okoro, Lisa Yoon, Madison Zeinart

Pepperdine Journal of Communication Research

No abstract provided.

Women Who Kill Women, Rashmi Goel

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

This Article examines more closely the participation of mothers-in-law in India’s dowry murders to gain a better understanding of these dynamics and to expose the limits of existing reforms. I first turn to the participation of women in dowry death cases and the ways in which their participation challenges our conventional understanding of patriarchy and societal manifestation. In Part II, I provide an overview of dowry deaths in India. In Part III, I survey the different criminal provisions related to dowry deaths and demonstrate how these laws actually operate within a set of cultural practices that support female subjugation. Part …

Perceptions Of Being A Woman And Strategies For Women’S Body Image Resilience, Lauren L. Mclean, Amanda C. Laguardia

The Qualitative Report

Although the negative effects of female body objectification are well established, there is a lack of qualitative research examining how women can develop resiliency against body image issues and low self-esteem. Through the current phenomenological qualitative study, we sought to explore how participants defined being a woman, particularly a woman with healthy self-esteem. In addition, we explored several resiliency strategies, based on Choate’s (2005) theoretical model of body image resilience, that women could potentially use to combat some of the effects of objectification. Results indicated that female participants experience normative beliefs and gender expectations that a woman with a healthy …

Model For Exploring Women Entrepreneurial Motivation In The Tanzanian Construction Industry, Gladys Sospeter Nyamagere

Business Management Review

Although the contribution of women entrepreneurs in construction industry (WECI) to economic development is increasingly being recognized both in practice and theory, there is limited understanding about the experiences and conduct of WECI. This paper aimed at addressing the knowledge gap by providing insights about the motives that drive women to start and develop businesses in the construction industry in Tanzania. The case study research strategy was employed in which six WECI were studied. Data were collected through a combination of methods, including in-depth interviews. Data were subjected to qualitative analysis techniques. The findings show that, unlike women in traditional …

The Impact Of Cargo Bikes On The Travel Patterns Of Women, Jana E. Schwartz

Master's Theses

There are a number of issues preventing the rollout of cargo bikes as a transportation mode in the United States. One concern that has been raised is whether cargo bikes can function as a gender equitable transportation solution in the United States, given documented gender gaps in national bike riding statistics and ongoing inequities in childcare in 2-parent heterosexual households. The research is aimed at reviewing the practicality, enjoyment, and outcome of cargo bike use as a gender equitable transportation solution. This research contributes to new knowledge in gender equitable transportation in 2 ways — a) gender-focused analysis of survey …

Females In Automotive Careers: Career Decision-Making Influences And Experiences During University Preparation And Beyond, Russell A. Leonard Jr.

Dissertations

Today, women fill nearly 50% of the jobs in the U.S. economy (U.S. Dept. of Labor, 2014). While women are making progress in many careers once considered male only, they are still underrepresented in the male-dominated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers, filling only 25% of available STEM jobs (Beede et al., 2011). The problem is not a lack of interest in STEM subjects, but a “leaky pipeline” that develops early in adolescence. By the eighth grade, half as many girls are interested in STEM careers as boys (National Science Foundation [NSF], 2007). Even after graduation from college, women …

Self-Reported Sexuality Among Women With And Without Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Hillary Hurst Bush

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) – characterized by deficits in social interaction and communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors, interests, and activities –increasingly are being diagnosed in individuals of all ages. However, as children on the autism spectrum enter adolescence, self-report research on ASD and sexuality is currently limited to 14 empirical, peer-reviewed articles, misconceptions are prevalent, and professionals remain underequipped to support their sexuality needs. The goal of the current study was to expand the current knowledge base by exploring multiple aspects of sexuality (including relationship and family status, gender identity, sexual history, sexual orientation, sexual desire, sex education exposure, …