Gender and Sexuality Commons^™

Torch (September/October 2011), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Relationship Formation And Stability In Emerging Adulthood: Do Sex Ratios Matter?, Tara D. Warner, Wendy D. Manning, Peggy C. Giordano, Monica A. Longmore

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Research links sex ratios with the likelihood of marriage and divorce. However, whether sex ratios similarly influence precursors to marriage (transitions in and out of dating or cohabiting relationships) is unknown. Utilizing data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study and the 2000 U.S. Census, this study assesses whether sex ratios influence the formation and stability of emerging adults’ romantic relationships. Findings show that relationship formation is unaffected by partner availability, yet the presence of partners increases women’s odds of cohabiting, decreases men’s odds of cohabiting, and increases number of dating partners and cheating among men. It appears that sex ratios …

The Anthropology And Sociology Of Proponent And Opponent Worldviews In Central Arkansas Regarding Same-Sex Issues And Constitutionally Protected Rights: An Interdisciplinary Perspective, Rohn Muse

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis autoethnographically examines divergent worldviews, specifically with respect to the contentious issues of same-sex marriage and adoption/foster-parenting of children by unmarried cohabitating couples in Arkansas. Moral panics and moral politics are central to current debates about each. This thesis integrates and synthesizes interdisciplinary perspectives and insights while deconstructing and unpacking dissimilar beliefs and behaviors found in this Bible-belt state. Selected GLBTQQ/SGL narratives, interwoven with my story, compare left-leaning liberalism with ultraconservative cognitive framing utilized to oppose gay rights. Vicious targeting of gays prevails in absolute opposition to gay issues when strictly based in faith and resolute religious dogma. Humanism …

Positioning The Booty-Call Relationship On The Spectrum Of Relationships: Sexual But More Emotional Than One-Night Stands, Peter K. Jonason, Norman P. Li, Jessica Richardson

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Most research on human sexuality has focused on long-term pairbonds and one-night stands. However, growing evidence suggests there are relationships that do not fit cleanly into either of those categories. One of these relationships is a ‘‘booty-call relationship.’’ The purpose of this study was to describe the sexual and emotional nature of booty-call relationships by (a) examining the types of emotional and sexual acts involved in booty-call relationships and (b) comparing the frequency of those acts in booty-call relationships to one-night stands and serious long-term relationships. In addition, the manner in which sociosexuality is associated with the commission of these …

Perceptions Of Beauty Among Female Chinese Students In The United States And China, Carly R. Staley, Ginny Qin Zhan

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

This pilot study compared the perceptions of beauty among Chinese women who were exchange students in the United States with Chinese women who were students in their homeland. We interviewed 19 women in China and 19 women in the United States to determine differences in responses. In accordance with the sociocultural approach and the social comparison approach, we expected Chinese women in the United States to have a be more acculturate, more frequently conclude that American women were more beautiful than Chinese women, be more likely than those studying in China to report body dissatisfaction, be more likely to dislike …

Psychopathy And Gender Of Serial Killers: A Comparison Using The Pcl-R., Chasity Shalon Norris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Psychopathy and serial murder are 2 of society's most devastating and least understood tribulations. Even less is comprehended with regards to the differences in the way these ills are expressed between the genders. In this study, psychopathic personality traits are considered in a sample comparison of male and female serial murderers. Traits are measured using questions derived from Hare's Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R, 1991). A content analysis was performed to score the components for each subject, using known and accepted biographical and personal interview materials. Findings showed a distinct difference between the sexes, with females scoring lower than their male …

Critique Of The Discourse Of Authentic Leadership, Rita A. Gardiner Ms

Women's Studies and Feminist Research Publications

This article considers the new management discourse of authentic leadership is deeply problematic because it fails to take into account how social and historical circumstances affect a person’s ability to be a leader. It examines some of the arguments made by proponents of authentic leadership theory, and contrasts these claims about authenticity with Hannah Arendt’s concept of uniqueness, as well as considering Heidegger’s notion of authenticity as resoluteness. It also looks at the ways in which authentic leadership fails to address issues related to power and privilege by looking specifically at how silence operates. The author argues that it is …

Dinamika Otonomi Tubuh Perempuan: Antara Kuasa Dan Negosiasi Atas Tubuh, Gabriella Devi Benedicta

Masyarakat: Jurnal Sosiologi

This paper discusses sexuality and autonomy of woman’s body through a study of sexy dancers in entertainment industry in Malang, East Java. Entertainment industry, including night club industry is capital manifestation and a contested arena of any kind of ideology like capitalism and patriarchy. However, a woman still can show her autonomy of her body instead of being a commodity object. She can make her body as a subject. In this case, she, herself, becomes a doer which is controlling her own body. The dynamic of woman’s authority of her body is influenced by a certain setting and context. It …

How To Be The Best At Everything: The Gendering And Embodiment Of Girl/Boy Advice, Barbara Lesavoy

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

This paper explores the binary divide packaged under the children’s How be the Best at Everything (2007) girl/boy advice books. Postmodern and materialist feminist thought as a lens into media-infused social and class reproduction provide a theoretical framework in interrogating this gender binary. I argue that that the books, as heteronormative nostalgia, operationalize a theory I term “gender retraction,” a phenomenon in which the vast knowledge that informs our identity spectrum propels us into a cultural time warp, where, with an array of socially inscribed possibilities, the binary clarity of age old girl/boy categories has resurging appeal The paper exposes …

Maud Lavin: Push Comes To Shove : New Images Of Aggressive Women, Deborah Herz

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

No abstract provided.

Drew Humphries (Editor): Women, Violence, And The Media : Readings In Feminist Criminology. Series: Northeastern Series On Gender, Crime, And Law, Lisa S. Holley

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

No abstract provided.

Women As Consumers Of Reproductive Technology: Media Representation Versus Reality, Shirley Shalev, Dafna Lemish

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

In light of the growing role of media as a central source of health information, this article evaluates the contribution of television representations to the dissemination of information and social conceptions of women regarding new reproductive practices. The study reported here examined a case study of media representations of surrogacy in a popular television series in Israel, entitled A Touch of Happiness, which has been broadcast repeatedly over the last decade. The analysis compared the televised content with the legal framework and social reality of surrogacy, and found major discrepancies between the two. Thus, this study demonstrates the role media …

“An Ill-Bred Lady With A Great Big Chip On Her Shoulder”: Gender And Race In Mainstream And Black Press Coverage Of Eartha Kitt’S 1968 White House Dissent, Sarah Janel Jackson

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

An analysis of mainstream and black press coverage of Eartha Kitt’s January 1968 White House dissent on the Vietnam War is presented. Of particular interest is the way journalists constructed Kitt’s dissent for their audiences within intersecting discourses of gender and race. Findings reveal that mainstream journalists tended to undermine Kitt’s dissent by representing her within a gendered racial binary that denied her access to definitions of true womanhood. At the same time, despite presenting more explicit sexual objectification of the actress, journalists in the black press allowed her dissent legitimacy, challenging mainstream discourses.

A History Of Jewish Mothers On Television: Decoding The Tenacious Stereotype, Myrna Hant

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

Since the inception of television in the 1940’s the stereotype of the Jewish mother has persisted. This archetypal figure continues into the 21st. Century morphing from a purely ethnic figure to an icon depicting ambivalence about modern motherhood. In deconstructing the perpetuation of this portrait, two components are key: the historical significance of the shtetl mother and the writers and comedians who interpret the shtetl mentality. Most importantly, though, the inconsistencies towards mothers, so strongly birthed in the rise of Second Wave feminism, are still embedded in the Jewish mother stereotype.

Media Interpretation Of A Leading Woman Politician’S Performances And Dress Code Challenges, Mercedes Bengoechea

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

Based on a corpus of 63 press columns and reports, the paper analyzes how the media construct the identities of Carme Chacón, the first Spanish woman defence minister. It focuses on two salient pictures of her which represent the roles she successfully performed during her first eleven months in office (from April 2008 to March 2009): minister mother, and hybridly-gendered military officer/minister. The study reveals how Chacón’s success as a politician seems to be proportionate to her closeness to the socially sanctioned feminine role of mother, or to the powerful social roles of minister and military officer, performed from hybridly-gendered …

Suburban Poverty: Barriers To Services And Injury Prevention Among Marginalized Women Who Use Methamphetamine, Miriam W. Boeri, Benjamin Tyndall, Denise R. Woodall

Faculty Articles

Objective: This paper aims to identify the needed healthcare and social services barriers for women living in suburban communities who are using or have used methamphetamine. Drug users are vulnerable to injury, violence and transmission of infectious diseases, and having access to healthcare has been shown to positively influence prevention and intervention among this population. Yet little is known regarding the social context of suburban drug users, their risks behaviors, and their access to healthcare.

Methods: The data collection involved participant observation in the field, face-to-face interviews and focus groups. Audio-recorded in-depth life histories, drug use histories, and resource needs …

Hall, Ann C. And Bishop, Mardia J. (Editors): Mommy Angst: Motherhood In American Popular Culture., Carol Shelton

Journal of Interdisciplinary Feminist Thought

No abstract provided.

Book Review: No Stones: Women Redeemed From Sexual Addiction By Marnie C. Ferree (Intervarsity, 2010), Margaret English De Alminana

Selected Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Girls Club: The Gender Imbalance Of Youth Programs, A Case Study, Shayne Bell

Capstone Collection

Youth around the world have proven that when they come together and put their energies toward a cause, impactful change can happen. While youth in the US have been involved in social issues for decades, there is a noticeable imbalance in the gender makeup of these groups: In civic engagement programs, social change organizations, and volunteer programs around the country, young women make up the large majority of those involved, creating a gender gap that cannot be ignored. It begs the question- why are so many more females involved in these programs than young men? What is causing this?

This …

Associations Between Childhood Maltreatment And Young Adult Romantic Relationships: A Focus On Gender Differences, L. Kris Gowen, Celina Kishna

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Two recent studies investigated the associations between experiencing maltreatment in childhood and dating aggression and interpersonal problems in young adult romantic relationships, with a focus on gender differences.

How Mental Health Challenges Impact The Sexual And Relational Health Of Young Adults, L. Kris Gowen

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Sexual behavior is a normative aspect of young adulthood—90% of young adults have had vaginal intercourse and/or oral sex before the age of 30.1 Similarly, engaging in romantic and/or intimate relationships is seen as an essential developmental task of young adulthood. However, little is known about the sexual and romantic relationships of young adults with serious mental health conditions (SMHC), despite the fact that there is evidence that this population is disproportionately affected by poor sexual health. This article will outline what is known about the sexual and romantic relationships of young adults with SMHC and highlight the importance of …

Looking Beyond The Medical Model Of Sexuality: Social Factors In Women's Sexual Satisfaction, Cristalle Rae Pronier

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Since the explosive profit of Viagra in 1998, the pharmaceutical giants have been scrambling to develop a similar drug to treat Sexual Dysfunction in women. Female Sexual Dysfunction became an official disorder in 1999 shortly after the release of Viagra. This relatively new disorder has emerged as a prominent example of the medicalization of female sexuality whereby problems are defined, conceptualized, and solved in medical terms.

The inherent problem in medicalization is the denial of social, cultural, and psychological factors in women's sexual issues and concerns. To address this disconnect between the medical and social models of sexuality this study …

The Dynamics Of Drug Trafficking/ Smuggling By Female Offenders In The Trinidad And Tobago Prison Service: An Exploratory Mixed-Methods Approach, Le 'Jeane' Iman Ellis

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Female offenders incarcerated for the crime of drug trafficking/smuggling have received little research attention. This thesis is an exploratory study designed to help fill that gap. As such, the study is primarily focused on women involved in the illicit drug economy via their participation in drug trafficking/ smuggling activities and secondarily focused on the general population of females incarcerated/remanded for various other crimes. Within the relevant body of research the term "trafficking" is loosely utilized (Fleetwood 2009). Thus to provide clarity, in this research project the terms "trafficking" and "smuggling" are used interchangeably and specifically reference the act of international …

Queering Art Before, After And During The Sexual Revolution (1960-1980): A Study Of Aesthetics And Subversion, Gary C. Kilian Mr.

The Macalester Review

Works produced by the queer artists in 1970s America is oftentimes not considered to be an integral part of the sexual revolution’s narrative. Not only is this problematic in that it demonstrates the heteronormative discourse that permeated liberatory pro-sex rhetoric of the time, but this exclusion also makes the LGBTQ struggle for visibility ahistorical. In this paper, I argue that notable artists who self-identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer created art that fostered gradual acceptance of the queer community before, during and after the sexual revolution, explaining that resistance to dominant paradigms were rendered unseen due to the …

Torch (June 2011), Brandon Baldwin, Civil Rights Team Project

Torch: The Civil Rights Team Project Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Race And Gender Differences And The Role Of Sexual Attitudes In Adolescent Sexual Behavior, Laura E. Simon

Department of Sociology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Attitudes towards premarital sex have become more permissive in the past fifty years and adolescent sexual behavior reflects this attitudinal trend. The majority of adolescents are having sex prior to marriage and many adolescents are having sexual intercourse outside of committed relationships. Sexual behavioral trends vary by race and gender adding further intricacies in understanding adolescent sexuality. Past research examining adolescent sexual behavior has not examined the role of sexual attitudes in sexual behavior and the potential differences by race and gender. I draw on the Theory of Reasoned Action to further the understanding of the role of sexual attitudes …

Charamicos: Bildungsroman Femenino O Aprendizaje Político A Través De La Memoria Histórica, Lucia M. Montas

The Coastal Review

In Latin America, the combination of history and fiction, especially during the last decades has allowed marginalized groups, specifically women, to contribute to the rewriting and reevaluation of their national history. Women writers in contemporary Dominican literature have been able to actively participate in this process after a long period of silence. Dominican author Angela Hernandez exemplifies this idea within contemporary Dominican narrative. In her novel Charamicos (2003), Hernandez reinterprets the Post Trujillo era from a feminist point of view. Thus, the purpose of this article is to analyze this novel as a depository of historical memory and construction of …

La Complejidad Del Concepto De La Mujer Española De La Posguerra En La Novela De Manuel Mantero, Maria Aurora Álvarez Andréu

The Coastal Review

Ever since antiquity until the present, the concept of woman has been based on the duality of Mary and Eve. The intention of the present work is to study a third option to complete this preexisting duality of womanhood. More precisely, the objective of this work is to analyze how the characters of the single woman, the nun and the prostitute in León de Manuel Mantero's novel Estiércol [Manure] constitute an empty idea of the feminine which, consequently, will allow us to have a more clear perception of the social reality during Spain's post civil war era.

When The Therapist Is Homosexual: An Examination Of Therapeutic Outcome Satisfaction, Lewis G. Busbee

Graduate Theses

This study investigated the relationship between client satisfaction and therapist sexuality. The current literature had little or no research on the topic. This article defines psychotherapy, noted that most clients perceived psychotherapy was beneficial, and found research stating therapists should consider all ethical implications when working with clients, particularly in regard to how influential therapist can be on their clients. A questionnaire packet was given to participants, and they were asked to complete: a demographic page, and a vignette that included gender and sexuality of therapist, along with a hypothetical treatment plan, a modified version of the CSQ-8 (Attkisson,1977/2011) which …

Queering Gender: How Transgender College Student Navigate Gender, Rachel Jaggi

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In response to the “Doing Gender” theory as proposed by West and Zimmerman, some scholars have argued that the theory perpetuates gender inequality and leaves no room for social change. These scholars argue that research needs to be directed towards deconstructing the gender system, thereby “undoing gender.” Transgender individuals, who appear to be playing with the system of gender, provide an important conduit through which to examine the possibility of transcending the gender binary. I conducted semi-structured interviews and focus groups with transgender college students to examine the extent to which these individuals are able to overcome the dichotomous gender …