Women's Studies Commons^™

Converging Crises And The Cost Of Exclusion: Unveiling The Invisible Women Of Sri Lanka’S Economy, Lihini Ratwatte

Journal of International Women's Studies

In Sri Lanka, women’s labor force participation has never exceeded 35% in over three decades. As of 2022, the country was ranked 110 out of 146 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index. The gaps in women’s participation in the formal economy alongside women’s limited political empowerment are two leading causes for the country to be lagging in such global gender equality indicators. At a large cost to the economy, the existence of archaic gender norms that promulgate women’s unpaid care work often exclude women from the formal labor force. This paper dissects the socio-economic and socio-political factors …

Globalization And Migration: The Great Gender Equalizer?, Akm Ahsan Ullah, Sharifah Nurul Huda Alkaff, Shirley Chin Wei Lee, Diotima Chattoraj, Jannatul Ferdous

Journal of International Women's Studies

Globalization has been extensively debated in a range of contexts, from trade to borders, international relations, and conflict. It appears to be a positive force for women as many scholars contend that it has offered women new opportunities, thus enhancing greater gender equality in many countries where traditional patriarchal structures are firmly entrenched. However, some scholars are more skeptical of the benefits of globalization for women. They note that despite women gaining an increasing share of employment opportunities in a globalized world, the expected redistribution of domestic, household, and childcare responsibilities often did not materialize. They also argue that multinational …

Global Women’S Precarity, Borderlands, Decoloniality, And Transformative Change, Vivienne Tailor, Nupur Ray, Goodness Thandi Ntuli, Lihini Ratwatte

Journal of International Women's Studies

No abstract provided.

Menstruation Products And Perceptions: Breaking Through The Crimson Ceiling, Ava Colleran

Young Historians Conference

This paper examines different views on menstruation throughout history and their effects on social, political, and economic landscapes. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and Mayans all believed in the supposed ‘magical powers’ of menstrual blood. These societies held their own ideas on the limits of these magical abilities, and the good and evil forces they could be used for. Throughout these ancient societies, menstruation was used as a justification for the increased control of the state and men over women’s bodies. If menstrual blood did have these magical powers, it was a power that needed to be limited and controlled so …

Woman, Queer, Jewish: The Sociopolitical Importance And Impact Of Identity Labels, Megan Polun

Honors Projects in English and Cultural Studies

In this thesis, I trace and analyze the historical, social, and political uses of three identity labels: woman, queer, and Jewish. These three identity categories are personally important to me because I identify as a queer, Jewish woman. The questions motivating this analysis are as follows: How have these words been defined and who gets to define them? What has it meant historically to move through the world with one of these labels, and what does it look like today? What qualifies someone to identify with one of these labels, and what experiences or qualities do we share? What challenges …

Female Politicians And The Way That Gender Stereotypes And The Male-Dominated Power Structure Influence The Way They Run Their Campaigns, Morgan Marckres

Honors Projects in History and Social Sciences

Women only make up 28.5% of Congress even though they make up 50.5% of the population of the United States. This disparity indicates that there are significant barriers that female politicians face when they are running for office. To look for why, an extensive literature review was conducted that gave context about the gender stereotypes that female candidates face and how they navigate the male template of power. Using the material from the literature review, the campaigns of three women and three men who won their election in the recent 2022 midterms were analyzed. The candidate’s campaigns were then compared. …

Adapting The Classics: Making The Invisible Visible, Kate Isabel Foley

Theater Honors Papers

This project seeks to answer the question, “How can a writer use an old story to shine new light on modern issues and make the invisible visible?” My adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is a genderbent retelling with queer themes while my adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan is a dark reimagining of Mrs. Darling as an antihero protagonist who must become Captain Hook to try to save her children. Both my research and these two plays focus on bringing visibility to marginalized communities, specifically women and members of the queer community.

Women In The Construction Industry, Olivia Emond

Honors Projects in Management

The construction industry is a male dominated field that has been known for its masculine culture. Women have faced many barriers when entering this field of work due to this culture and being the minority. This study will look into the motivational factors that make women want to pursue a career in the construction industry. This research will look at female construction workers and how their experiences have helped shape their perception on the industry. The following study will analyze how females have combated the masculine culture in the industry and what makes females want to obtain leadership positions. This …

Mental Health In Sexual And Ethnic Minorities, Aaliyah Bailey, Ashlyn Bowers, Ashley Clark, Cassidy Paquette, Garrett Bassham

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Evidence Based Health Promotion Scientific Abstract

Introduction & Background:

Mental Health resources are scarce in rural areas. In 2020, suicide was the third leading cause of death for African Americans ages 15 to 24; this is only one example of the mental health disparities experienced by minority groups.

Purpose Statement and Research Question:

We saught to answer: “Are there greater mental health disparities among sexual and ethnic minorities, such as LGBTQ+ groups or Middle Eastern women, compared to their heterosexual, majority counterparts; if so, is there anything we can do about the issue as nurses?”

Literature Review:

To match the …

Sex In The Cities: A Comparative Analysis Of Vienna And The United States’ Efforts In Gender Mainstreaming Transportation, Sarah Miller

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

The paper focuses on the differences in transportation systems between the United States and Vienna, Austria. Research shows that women have been an overlooked group of people within cities. Due to this, cities have not been designed for them and an example of this is transportation. Some cities like Vienna, Austria have made it their mission to create gender-equitable cities. To better understand this problem women were interviewed who had experience in the Viennese and American systems to analyze the differences. Also, certain government agencies were contacted to understand this problem from a governance standpoint. All of the interviews supported …

The Guangzhou Abolition Of Prostitution Movement And Thought In The Republic Of China From The 1920s To 1930s, Rui Li

Madison Historical Review

The 1920s and 1930s were the peaks of the abolition of the prostitution movement in Guangzhou during the Chinese Republican era. This paper will analyze articles from different sources of mass media and administrative reports of municipal government to restore public opinion and even specific measures to abolish prostitution in Guangzhou at that time. At the same time, the public opinion generated by different intellectuals and the actions taken by the Guangzhou city government to abolish prostitution is used to discuss the certainty of the existence of prostitution and the difficulties that would be encountered in abolishing it. In turn, …

Walking The Digital Line Of Profit And Empowerment: Period Products On Social Media, Kaylee Stanton

22nd Annual Celebration of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (2023)

Instagram posts from mainstream and alternative menstrual product companies showcase varying styles of branded advertising including product placement, education, and artistic expression. Through an analysis of a collection of the most liked posts from Always, Tampax, U by Kotex, August, and The Divacup, I argue that the combination of environments between Instagram and femvertising results in contradictory and often ineffective messaging about periods where companies struggle between capitalizing on period stigma to sell products and facilitating authentic empowerment. These unique positions of the brands reveal a need to reshape empowerment and display the pitfalls of feminist advertising on neoliberal social …

Bans Off All Bodies, Emily Davis Ryalls

Feminist Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Exemplary Senior Navy Female Leadership: A Study Of How Navy Female Leaders Use The Grit Characteristics Courage, Conscientiousness, Long-Term Goals, Resilience, And Excellence Versus Perfection To Create Extraordinary Results Within Their Organizations, Cache' Hapner

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe how exemplary senior Navy female leaders used five principles associated with grit (courage, conscientiousness, long-term goals, resilience, and excellence versus perfection) to accomplish extraordinary results in their organizations.

Methodology: This qualitative study used a phenomenological method to describe how eight senior Navy female leaders use five characteristics of grit to accomplish extraordinary results in their organizations. Respondents were purposively chosen. The researcher collected data through interviews, transcripts, and artifacts that were triangulated and coded for themes using NVivo software.

Findings: Exemplary senior Navy female leaders use …

‘The Harvest Is So Great And The Laborers Are So Few’: The Public Ministry Of Two Evangelical Women Preachers In Nineteenth-Century Minnesota, Lisa R. Lindell

Hilton M. Briggs Library Faculty Publications

On a Sunday morning in July 1873, worshippers gathered for church in Brother Cheatham’s grove in Utica, Winona County, Minnesota, in the heart of America’s western frontier. Conducting the service was Ruth Matilda Rowell, an Advent Christian pastor. Assisting her was Minerva Ursula Cobb, an ordained minister in the Freewill Baptist church. The participation of two female ministers that day rendered the occasion notable. Both women were experienced preachers, with Rowell’s ministry in Minnesota dating back to the mid-1850s and Cobb’s to her arrival in 1864, with prior ministry in the state of Wisconsin. By exploring the vocational paths of …

Ua19/16/2 Women's Basketball Press Releases, Wku Athletic Media Relations

WKU Administration Documents

Press releases and game statistics for WKU women's basketball team from January to July 2023.

Giving Voice To The Body: Slam Poetry In The Poet X, Stefanny Leung Yu

Student Theses

When the world silences her, can slam poetry become her voice? Elizabeth Acevedo, an author and poet, uses her beautiful piece of slam poetry to explore how language can empower marginalized voices, speaking on behalf of those who are usually silenced. The Poet X is a verse novel that narrates the powerful story of a young Afro-Latina girl, Xiomara Batista, who navigates the intersecting pressures of school bullies, family issues, religious conservatism, patriarchal rules, and racialized body politics in her Harlem community. This research engages with Acevedo’s work to focus on how slam poetry serves as a powerful outlet and …

Anti-Woman Invective On The Early Modern Stage: Abuse, Degradation, And Resistance, Savannah Xaver

Dissertations

On the early modern stage, gendered epithets like “strumpet,” “mermaid,” “minx,” “hobby horse,” “courtesan,” “drab,” and “whore” are not just markers of misogyny. Instead, these insults harm the male user as well as their female target. My cross-playwright and cross-genre connections show the complex, wide use and impact of anti-woman terms. A wide-ranging study of the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries reveals that gendered insults signify masculine mental decline in tragedies as well as comedies and tragicomedies. In tragedy, the increasingly violent language of male slur users – like, for example, the frustrated Othello, who declares, of his wife, …

Las Barreras Sociales, Económicas, Y Políticas Que Deben Enfrentar Las Mujeres Víctimas De Violencia Al Momento De Realizar La Denuncia Y De Recibir Protección En El Departamento De Maipú, Provincia De Mendoza En El Año 2023 / The Social, Economic, And Political Barriers That Female Victims Of Domestic Violence Face When Reporting Violence Or Accessing The Corresponding Protection Services In Maipú, Mendoza In 2023, Amelia Opsahl

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Este informe analiza las barreras que enfrentan las víctimas de la violencia contra las mujeres al momento de realizar una denuncia y acceder a los servicios de ayuda en el departamento de Maipú, Mendoza en el año 2023. Realicé este trabajo a través de cinco entrevistas presenciales con profesionales que trabajan con el tema en el departamento. Cada una de mis entrevistadas tiene una profesión distinta y trabajan sea con las víctimas, sea con los políticos, o bien con los propios agresores. Por eso, mis entrevistas ofrecen una mirada amplia de la problemática y me permite investigar las barreras que …

Basketball Alumna Makes Harlem Globetrotters' Roster: From Rattler To Globetrotter, Brian Magloyoan

Black History at St. Mary's University - 2025 Collection

Arysia Porter is going from her studies and the St. Mary’s University hardwood to playing with the electrifying Harlem Globetrotters! After receiving a call to participate in a one-day tryout in Atlanta, Porter was selected along with four other women to join the Globetrotter roster. While this is a great achievement, Porter sees this as a great inspiration for other girls. During her time at St. Mary’s Porter held the record for the most points in a single game, as well as having earned a degree in criminology. Aside from being a Globetrotter, Porter she stays working in San Antonio …

Consent In Conversation: Education Of Sexual Violence In Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Emily Benning

Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics

Maya Angelou’s memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, is just one of many titles challenged and banned in public schools for “sexually explicit” content. On page 71 of her 281 page autobiography, Angelou discloses that she was raped at 8 years old by her mother’s boyfriend, and despite it being followed with scenes that emphasize the value of healing through literature, public attention has been directed to the (non-consensual) intercourse itself as a reason for censorship. As censorship efforts have expanded in the past two decades, challengers have continued to add more ban-worthy qualities to the list …

“Yellow Fever” + Pornhub Statistics: A Sociological Sickness, Patricia Plachno

Audre Lorde Prize

This essay was written to explore the complexities behind "Yellow Fever," or the fetishization of Asian women. In further understanding the origins of "Yellow Fever", shining a light on historical stereotypes and microaggressions assist in problematizing this phenomenon. Pornhub's yearly statistics provide a tangible outline of the sheer volume of participants in racial fetishization.

The Postmodern And The Personal In Edna St. Vincent Millay’S Aria Da Capo, Roxanne Rankin

Munn Scholars Awards

Aria Da Capo, Edna St. Vincent Millay’s 1919 play, has thus far been largely ignored in literary criticism. This essay, through a historical survey of Millay’s previous critical reception followed by a close reading of Aria Da Capo, attempts to explain and then bridge this gap in academic scholarship. A postmodernist reading of the play will then illustrate why Millay’s work still confounds scholars today and how Aria Da Capo specifically continues to be relevant more than 100 years after it was first produced.

Intergenerational Change In Hiv/Aids-Related Stigma In Cato Manor, Mijin Cho

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In South Africa, the world’s epicenter of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, HIV-related stigma and stigma-enforcing stereotypes continue to serve as major health barriers to receiving adequate HIV prevention and treatment. While there continues to be a rise in research and advocacy, there is a need to study HIV stigma through a multigenerational lens that addresses the changing HIV/AIDS stigma in the post-apartheid era. Using qualitative methodology, this study aims to explore the generational differences in perceived HIV stigma between females in their 20s and above 50 years of age (as denoted by “50s+”) living in Cato Manor, South Africa. The study …

Conflicting Socio-Cultural Attitudes And Community Factors Resulting In Backstreet Abortion In Cato Manor, Kwazulu Natal, Chloe Sachs

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Abortion in South Africa is a complex topic, rife with augmenting and limiting political, social, religious, and cultural factors. In South Africa, abortion has been legal since 1996; however, abortions have been performed for centuries in the region. Although abortion is legal, many factors influence a woman’s choice and ability to terminate a pregnancy. Religious and cultural norms within morally conservative societies contribute to negative abortion sentiments and hesitation to seek formal medical abortions. This study explored multiple age groups within Cato Manor and whether the attitudes towards abortion and factors impacting the choice of where and whether to receive …

Women In Sustainable Leadership: A Case Study On The Perspectives, Opportunities, And Challenges Of Biologist And Conservationist Estrela Matilde, Ella Lyons

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Despite the relatively small population of 8,000 occupants and the minimal international recognition of the Island of Príncipe, located off of the Gulf of Guinea on the Western Coast of Central Africa, the region has increasingly become a leading example of sustainable practices to be taken on a global scale in the near future to combat our current climate crisis. This case study explores the sustainable practices that Príncipe has learned to embrace under the leadership of Portuguese conservation biologist and project manager for the NGO Fundação Príncipe, Estrela Matilde. Estrela integrates social, cultural, and environmental conservation to align with …

El Impacto Del Diagnóstico De Cáncer De Mama En Los Vínculos En Mujeres De La Ciudad Autónoma De Buenos Aires (2023) / The Impact Of A Breast Cancer Diagnosis On The Relationships Of Women Living In The Autonomous City Of Buenos Aires (2023), Devin O’Loughlin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

El siguiente trabajo de investigación busca describir las relaciones sociales de una persona con cáncer de mama. Para colectar datos, se entrevistó a cuatro mujeres argentinas CIS que han padecido cáncer de mama para investigar sus relaciones con sus amigos, sus parejas, y sus familias, y si estas relaciones han cambiado como resultado de su diagnóstico. Estas entrevistas estaban destinadas a informar cómo se distribuyen los roles de cuidado y acompañamiento durante el tratamiento por la enfermedad e indagar cómo pueden ayudar los amigos y la familia a la gente durante el tratamiento para el cáncer de mama. El trabajo …

El Trabajo De Las Mujeres: Los Impactos Del Feminismo Socialista En La Organización Sindical De Buenos Aires Después De La Crisis Orgánica De 2001 / Women’S Work: The Impacts Of Socialist Feminism On Buenos Aires Union Organizing Following The 2001 Organic Crisis, Elise Williamson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

En diciembre de 2001, en Argentina eclosionó una crisis orgánica en donde emergieron múltiples experiencias de participación social, política y cultural. En este período de dura inseguridad política y económica, se desarrolló una relación rejuvenecida entre la clase trabajadora de las fábricas que cerraban y despedían a sus empleados y los movimientos sociales (movimientos de trabajadores desocupados, asambleas de vecinos en los barrios de Buenos Aires y feminismo, entre otros). Poco tiempo después, con la recuperación económica, una nueva generación se incorporó a los nuevos empleos creados a la salida de la crisis. Esta generación, que había vivido las experiencias …

More Care And Less Pay: The Phenomenon Of Low Wages Among Care Occupations, Allison B. Dayton

Student Publications

This research examines the phenomenon of care occupations paying less than other occupations with similar levels of human capital investment. The paper evaluates the high concentration of women, especially Black women, the resulting wage penalties, social closure theory, temporal flexibility, and positive externalities as possible explanations for this problem. Potential solutions like raising the minimum wage and subsidizing education for care workers are also addressed.

Gendered Stem Beliefs And Major Choice, Nicole T. Cesanek, Benjamin J. Durham

Student Publications

Beliefs and expectations about who can and should pursue STEM careers contribute to a student’s sense of STEM identity and may help to explain the gender gap in pursuing STEM in higher education. The formation of these beliefs is a long and complex process, starting very early on in an individual’s life. We analyze how gendered STEM beliefs of students, parents, and teachers in ninth grade affect a female student’s probability of majoring in STEM in college. We add to an analysis done by Sansone (2019) in an appendix of his paper by using actual majors instead of intended majors. …