Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Gendered Use Of Language In Facebook Status Updates Among Jordanian And American Youths: A Sociopragmatic Study, Ashraf Wenas Al Sad

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The study examines the types of speech acts of Facebook status updates that are posted by Jordanian and American youth. The participants were from Yarmouk University which is located in northern Jordan and from West Virginia University which is located in the US. The data was elicited from 50 American males, 50 American females, 50 Jordanian males, and 50 Jordanian females. Searle’s taxonomy was used to do the content analysis of the data. Searle’s taxonomy and additional speech acts were found: directive, expressive, assertive, God’s invocation, humor, and quotation. The findings of the study indicate that the religious and cultural …

#Canceled: Positionality And Authenticity In Country Music’S Cancel Culture, Gabriella Saporito

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

From its beginning in film and television and its early adoption by Black Twitter, cancel culture has become a phenomenon in the era of social media. Marked by the popular hashtags #cancel, #canceled, #[InsertNameHere]isOverParty, and #Surviving[InsertNameHere], cancel culture is a practice which involves publicly denouncing and/or shaming a person or company when they do something that is considered offensive or objectionable. It saw a resurgence in the era of #MeToo that has not slowed down in an age dominated by social media presidents and global pandemics. Cancel culture has also seen a recent re-adoption by the political right, which begs …

Listening To Their Voices: A Narrative On Campus Climate For Trans* Students, Cloe Bourdages

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact that campus climate has on trans* student academic and personal success. This qualitative study was explored through individual interviews by four participants. Participants discussed practices which enabled and inhibited their success; which lead to the finding of four themes: identity and validation, academic climate, climate outside of the classroom, and resources and services. Overall, a positive correlation in trans* student success was found when institutions use inclusive practices within their work. Lastly, the study provided implications for higher education recommended by both the participants and the researcher.

Reclamancipation: A Story Of Brilliance, Resilience, And Transilience, Nia A. Campbell

Theses and Dissertations

The experiences of African American women are composed of more than the maltreatment that often exclusively defines them. Oppression and celebration intermingle to define the identities of African American women, and this thesis proposes a method to understand this reality through an exchange of stories in the form of a customizable board game. The game educates those inside and outside the African American women’s community by encouraging the emancipation of self, decolonization of society, and formation of empathy. This thesis embraces intersectional feminism, womanism, and linguistic descriptivism. The research is informed by personal narratives of African American women ages 23-71 …

Theorizing #Girlboss Culture: Mediated Neoliberal Feminisms From Influencers To Multi-Level Marketing Schemes, Frankie Mastrangelo

Theses and Dissertations

I define girlboss feminism as emergent, mediated formations of neoliberal feminism that equate feminist empowerment with financial success, market competition, individualized work-life balance, and curated digital and physical presences driven by self-monetization. I look toward how the mediation of girlboss feminism utilizes branded and affective engagements with representational politics, discourses of authenticity and rebellion, as well as meritocratic aspiration to promote cultural interest in conceptualizing feminism in ways that are divorced from collective, intersectional struggle. I question the stakes involved in reducing feminist interrogations and commitments to discourses of representation, visibility, and meritocracy. I argue that while girlboss feminism may …

"With The Commodity In The Hand": A Practical Investigation Of The Intersection Of Material Culture With Performance Theory, Katharine M. Given

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the intersection of performance theory and material culture through the practices of garment reconstruction. In chapter 1, I examine key theorists in the fields of material culture and performance studies and articulate the connections between the two fields. In chapter 2, Using practice as research, I recount the experience of building reproduction garments from the eighteenth century using historically appropriate tools and methods, as well as the experience of wearing those garments. Finally, in Chapter 3, I walk through a possible historical examination of my encounter with these reconstructed garments, and consider the way in which feminine …

Correctional Education As Therapeutic Change: Exploring The Use Of Animal-Assisted Therapy Programs With Incarcerated Women, Terrie Ciez

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Throughout history and in every culture and country, animals and humans have formed special bonds often as pets. Well trained pets have often been used in Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) programs in hospitals and nursing homes to help patients cope with illnesses and recovery while away from home. Pet visits to these facilities have documented reductions in medications, stress, and loneliness when a simple wet nose reaches on to a patient’s bed for attention. A variety of animals have been incorporated into various facilities ranging from birds, fish tanks, and puppies and kittens to relieve the stress of residents. A …

Herlands: Imperial Feminisms From Charlotte Perkins Gilman To Wonder Woman, Anna Jankovsky

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The society of women is a trope of feminist utopian fiction in which a group of women live together in harmony without the influence of men to disrupt their society. This trope functions on five criteria: 1) The society must be able to defend itself and replenish itself without the assistance of men. 2) It must be fully isolated and nearly impenetrable from the outside world 3) It must have a utopic order of society untroubled by ambition. 4) It must be infiltrated and challenged by a man during the course of the story. 5) It must grapple with the …

The Monster As Queer Opportunity: Monstrous (Re)Construction, Embodiment, And Approbation On The Boulet Brothers' Dragula, Adam Harrison Reedy

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

While mainstream tides in the drag industry have largely come to signify the art form’s growing popularity, there exist multiple alternative artists and communities who have yet to find space for their expressions to thrive and find praise. The Boulet Brother’s Dragula is constructed out of such need, giving a space to alternative, radical, or “monster” drag artists who have experienced the pains of ridicule, alienation, and alterity in both queer and heteronormative spaces. Prior research on drag artistries has often glossed over alternative drag artistries, comparing them to popular or heteronormative representations while also focusing disproportionately on gender presentation. …

Margins Of The City: Urban Masculinity And Identity Politics In British Social-Realist Queer Cinema, Yi Li

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation identifies and analyzes a history of queer politics and identities in British realist cinema from the early 1960s to the 2010s. Focusing primarily on filmmakers Sidney J. Furie, Stephen Frears, Hettie MacDonald, and Andrew Haigh, it traces British queer maleness of the working class by tracking its changing representations and demonstrates how urban cinematic realism proves central to British definitions of masculinity. The first chapter investigates how foundational films of the British New Wave address social inequalities as consequences of class and sexuality to consider how they embraced a sexual frankness and realism with coded and decoded homoeroticism. …

Witch Pamphlets, Tsea M. Francisconi

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The witch hysteria that overtook Christian Europe during the Early Modern era inspired a mass paranoia over the conspiratorial belief that the Abrahamic religion’s personification of the world’s evils, also known as Satan, the Devil, demons, or Lucifer interchangeably, was attempting to rise up and cause harm to Christian communities during this time period. It was believed that in order to achieve this goal the Christian version of the Devil had been recruiting humans within Christian communities and turning these chosen humans into witches by granting them the ability to wield magical powers to spread their destruction, murder, and terror …

Heteronormativity In Healthcare: Neoliberalism, Bio-Politics, And Necropolitics, Grace Avila

Master's Theses

This thesis will discuss heteronormativity in healthcare. It will take a social science and theoretical approach to acknowledge LGBTQ+ health disparities, apply theoretical approaches to why these disparities exist, and offer solutions to combat health disparities experienced by sexual and gender minorities. Neoliberalism, bio-politics, and necropolitics will be the theoretical approaches utilized to understand the basis of disparities experienced by the LGBTQ+ community. Neoliberalism will include themes of capitalism and public health policies which influence discrimination in healthcare. Bio-politics will outline how the intersection of the biological body and politics can exacerbate health disparities through the power of controlling bodies. …

Experiences Of Married, First-Time Pregnant Adolescents When Seeking Care In Kano State, Yashua Alkali Hamza

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Kano State in Northern Nigeria has very high maternal mortality rates. Early marriage and early pregnancies between 15 to 18 years of age are two of the most significant factors in the high maternal mortality rates in Kano State. This phenomenological qualitative research study focused on young first-time mothers’ experiences of seeking care between the ages of 15 and 18. The study’s theoretical framework was the feminist theory of intersectionality. Colaizzi’s seven-step method was the means used for data analysis. This study found that young adolescent first-time pregnant women in Kano City faced significant barriers at home and in health …

Intimate Partner Violence: Effects Of Emotional Abuse In Women, Judith Marie Watiti

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractEstimates by the U.S. Bureau of Statistics point to over 30% of women being victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) yearly. Severity and frequency of violence in childhood have been shown in several studies to predict adult interpersonal violence. Research has shown that emotional abuse predicts other forms of abuse, thus identifying it as a potential causal link to IPV. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine whether emotional abuse mediates the relationship between history of childhood abuse and IPV. Social learning theory served as the theoretical framework for the study, in which 182 adult female participants from …

Texas Risk Assessment System (Tras) - An Analysis Of Post Incarcerated Females, Rebecca Pastrana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prediction of recidivism and risk has become one of the most important elements of an effective assessment in the U.S. prison system. Assessments conducted in the state of Texas prior to 2014 were not gender specific to female offenders. In 2015, Texas introduced a new risk/assessment tool known as Texas Risk Assessment System (TRAS) to identify and address differences in male and female offenders. The importance of the TRAS is that it helps identify female offenders’ needs, motivations, and factors that contribute to their reoffending. TRAS helps determine who requires higher levels of supervision, treatment, and/or other services. This quantitative …

Post-9/11 Women Veterans' Experiences Transitioning Into The Civilian Workforce, Qwynn Anna Galloway-Salazar

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Post-9/11 veterans’ transitional challenges have become an important topic in veteran studies. However, there was a gap in the literature regarding post-9/11 women veterans’ transitions into the civilian workforce. This interpretative phenomenological analysis explored the lived experiences, challenges, and perceptions of eight post-9/11 women veterans (four enlisted and four commissioned officers) who had transitioned from the military into the civilian workforce within the last 5 years. The study was guided by Schlossberg’s transition theory. Data from transcribed participant interviews were coded and analyzed for emergent themes. The superordinate themes included navigating the career transition, exploring identity shifts, accessibility and use …

The Long-Term Impact Of Intimate Partner Violence On Survivors’ Employment Outcomes, Heather Stark

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

When women experience intimate partner violence (IPV), subsequent effects could impact their performance in the workplace, including physical illness, absenteeism, lack of focus, financial hardship, and other problems. Little information is available, however, as to whether there are long-term negative effects on the victims’ employment. The purpose of this quantitative study was to compare long-term job success as measured by the dependent variables of job satisfaction, unemployment, underemployment, and job stability among women who have experienced IPV in the past and those who have not. Trauma theory provided the framework for this study. Participants were recruited from women’s organizations and …

Sociodemographic Influence On Pregnancy Among Adolescent Girls In Nigeria, Christian Otado Mbulu

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Adolescent pregnancy is a phenomenon that affects the entire world. The effect can be apparent at the individual, family, and societal levels. In 2013, the rate of adolescent pregnancy in Nigeria was 149 per 1,000 aged 10 to 19 years. In this cross-sectional quantitative study, the association between adolescent pregnancies, type of place of residence, household head age, and household head gender was examined for Nigerian adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 years who participated in the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey. The framework for this study was the Socioecological Model (SEM). Three research questions were analyzed using univariate, …

Perceptions Of Nasa As A Gendered Organization, Sade' Reynolds

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States government, gender inequality is a major issue. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the phenomenon of a gendered organization by interpreting the experiences of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) employees. The collected data were used to determine if NASA should be considered a gendered organization. In this study, key characteristics of a gendered organization were identified and explored. The research questions focused on exploring perceived career barriers, gender inequality, and their contributors to better understand the phenomena of gendered organization in the federal government workplace. The theoretical framework for this study was …

Impact Of Incarceration On The Maternal Identities Of African American Women, Shameka Roshe Davis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

There are minimal studies that have analyzed the impact and consequences of multiple incarcerations among African American mothers regarding their maternal identity and relationships. With this study, how African American women perceive the impact of their multiple incarcerations, relationships with their children, ability to parent their children, and how they negotiate their own maternal identity was examined. This study was completed in Las Vegas, Nevada and involved a multiple case study format and sample of 12 African American women who have experienced multiple incarcerations and have already been released from prison. Perspectives of participants were examined through a sequence of …

Why Boys And Men Do Not Report Mental Or Physical Abuse, Retha Stewart

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe focus of this study was on males who have experienced intimate partner violence. Abused men experience unique stressors that include societal minimization of the problem. This qualitative study examined the perceptions of abused men regarding mental health services and whether their attitudes about services have changed over time. Participants were men over the age of 18 who had previously been involved in a relationship where they were the victims of domestic violence. Six male participants who experienced abuse were interviewed. Upon the completion of the interviews, the process of phenomenological reduction aided in the recognition of the feelings and …

Issues Facing Community-Based Social Workers When Providing Female Offenders With Reunification Services, Karen N. Vertti

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractThe goal with this action research project was to understand how community-based social workers (CBSWs) could address female offenders’ and their children’s needs while striving to reintegrate them into the community of Central Los Angeles County, California. Postrelease female offenders with children suffer from a variety of issues related to housing, employment, and personal childhood trauma. The trauma exacerbates the risk of revictimization and recidivism. CBSWs play a pivotal role in helping female offenders overcome barriers to successful reentry and reunify with their children. This study incorporated Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory which provided a systems lens to this project. The …

Educational Strategies For Healthcare Providers Of Postpartum Women With Substance Use Disorder, Agnes Denise White

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractProviding educational strategies to maternal-child staff members can improve their attitudes, perceptions, and stigma towards the childbearing age women who are substance users. In the United States, an increased number of pregnant women have substance abuse problems. It is important that the maternal child staff have the resources and are equipped to care for women who are substance users struggling with their addictions and motherhood. The purpose of this project was to determine whether an educational program provided to postpartum nurses increased knowledge on the special needs of the new mother with a substance abuse issue. The education of the …

Indigenous Women: Violence, Vulnerability And Cultural Protective Factors, Christina M. Agloinga

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The disproportionate rates of violent crimes, historical oppression, and cultural assimilation disrupted the traditional practices and belief system within Alaskan Native communities, thus changing the influence of protective factors that support balance and equality for women. Identifying protective factors provided by cultural practices that support resiliency provides an increased understanding of how cultural strengths can combat distorted stereotypes within the criminal justice system. This study included characteristics of a phenomenological, narrative, and ethnographic study. The social constructionist framework and the social construction of target populations theory was used to explore how traditional cultural practices can influence the current gender identity, …

Perceptions Of Domestic Violence Among Women In The Department Of Artibonite, Haiti, Kenaz Jean Baptiste

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

One of the major problems that face women in Haiti, especially those in the department of Artibonite, is domestic violence also called domestic or relationship abuse, and intimate partner violence. In the department of Artibonite (Artibonite county), violation of women’s rights is stimulated and encouraged by cultural norms, religious practices, economic, social, and political conditions. This phenomenological study explored the experiences, views, and beliefs of abused women in the department of Artibonite, Haiti, and the factors that influence domestic violence. Data were acquired through in-depth interviews of 17 women and was coded, categorized, and summarized into interpretive themes. Elements such …

Understanding Female Somali Noncollege Graduate Immigrant’S Experiences With Cervical Cancer Screening Services, Rachel Anyu Anyu-Lainjo

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractHealthcare disparities exist in cervical cancer screening worldwide particularly in women of East African descent compared to non-African women. Previous research has investigated the reasons for low participation in cervical cancer screening among Blacks, minorities, and immigrant populations. Limited research has focused on immigrant women in the United States of America, specifically immigrants from Somalia who currently live in St. Cloud, Minnesota. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand the perception of Somali immigrant women ages 25 - 45 years who have not earned a college degree and their lived experiences with cervical cancer screening. Two conceptual frameworks …

¡Con Ganas Todo Se Puede! Journeys Of First-Generation Latina Nontraditional Community College Student-Mothers / ¡Con Ganas Todo Se Puede! Viajes De Madres Latinas No Tradicional Que Son Estudiantes Primera-Generacion En Colegio Comunitario, Myra Gardea-Hernández

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Nontraditional college student enrollment in the United States is rapidly growing and is predicted to continue to increase. Similarly, female students are currently the majority student population on college campuses. Although numerous studies document college student experiences, few focus on first-generation Latinas who are student-mothers at community colleges. The purpose of this study was to explore the educational experiences of first-generation Latina nontraditional student-mothers enrolled at a community college in California to identify the ways in which grit (ganas) and mindsets influenced their success. This inquiry followed Moustakas’s (1994) transcendental phenomenology research process. Individual interviews of five Latinas were analyzed …

Evaluating Study Procedure Training Methods For A Remote Daily Diary Study Of Sexual Minority Women, Kristin E. Heron, Abby Braitman, Charlotte A. Dawson, Rachel I. Macintyre, Lindsay M. Howard, Robin J. Lewis

Psychology Faculty Publications

Background: Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methods can be used to remotely assess physical and mental health in daily life for hard-to-reach, marginalized, and geographically dispersed populations in the U.S., such as sexual minority women (e.g., lesbian, bisexual). However, EMA studies are often complex, and engaging participants from afar can be a challenge. This study experimentally examined whether adding videos to written recruitment materials would improve consent rates, reduce dropout rates, and improve survey completion rates for an online daily diary study.

Methods: As part of a 2-week study of same-sex female couples' health, 376 women ages 18-35 were recruited from …

Disordered Eating, Food Insecurity, And Weight Status Among Transgender And Gender Nonbinary Youth And Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study Using A Nutrition Screening Protocol, Whitney R. Linsenmeyer, Ian M. Katz, Jaime L. Reed, Andrea M. Giedinghagen, Christopher B. Lewis, Sarah K. Garwood

Psychology Faculty Publications

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of and relationships among disordered eating, food insecurity, and weight status among transgender and gender nonbinary youth and young adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved a screening protocol to assess disordered eating and food insecurity risk from September to December of 2019 at a gender clinic using five validated measures: (1) previous eating disorder diagnosis (yes/no); (2) Sick, Control, One Stone, Fat, Food Questionnaire (SCOFF); (3) Adolescent Binge Eating Disorder Questionnaire (ADO-BED); (4) Nine-Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS); and (5) Hunger Vital Sign. Age, assigned sex at …

Minority Stress And Alcohol Use In Sexual Minority Women's Daily Lives, Robin J. Lewis, Kelly A. Romano, Sarah J. Ehlke, Cathy Lau-Barraco, Cassidy M. Sandoval, Douglas J. Glenn, Kristin E. Heron

Psychology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.