Gender and Sexuality Commons^™

Fictional Survivors And Real Life Survivors: Fede Alvarez’S Evil Dead As A Slasher Film And Unnecessary Depictions Of Sexual Violence, Alyssa Froehling

Audre Lorde Prize

This paper addresses the instances of rape in Sam Raimi's 1981 film The Evil Dead in comparison with Fede Alavarez's 2013 remake, Evil Dead. It explores the implications that these depictions of violence on film have on American culture, victim blaming, and gender inequality.

Post-Feminism For Children: Feminism ‘Repackaged’ In The Bratz Films, Sarah Anna Becker, Danielle Thomas, Michael R. Cope

Faculty Publications

After their release in 2001, Bratz dolls carved into Barbie’s previously monopolistic share of teen doll sales. Amidst their growing popularity, cultural critics expressed a host of concerns about Bratz dolls, especially over how they sexualize youth, but the line grew to include a host of products like costumes, makeup kits, games, books, clothing, and movies. It also inspired new, similar doll lines from other toy companies. In this article, we situate the Bratz’s popularity in a specific cultural moment tied to the history of modern feminism. We use a content analysis of the Bratz movie series to explore the …

A Targeted Existence, Melissa J. Lauro

SURGE

Over the summer, I visited a friend from Gettysburg who was having a party. The party was fun for the first half, and I was having a good time, so I decided to stay the night instead of walk in the dark to the bus. This is what parents and educators and older sisters and women everywhere had taught me: stay with people you know; clutch your keys in your hand; don’t walk alone. I was staying with my friend from school; I was safe. [excerpt]

Diploma Thesis: Do Women Represent Women?, Vladimira Dostalova

Jepson School of Leadership Studies Research Symposium

There is an implicit assumption behind advocating for women in elected offices that descriptive representation of women lead to a corresponding political output. This would mean that gender is one of the indicators of legislative behavior. To examine the role of gender in the substantial representation of women, I focus on the agenda setting process, which I measure as the sponsorship of group interest legislation. Data include all bills introduced in lower Houses of ten states, which provide necessary variance to control for party effect, overall ranking of the status of women, and level of women’s presence in a state …

Policy Brief No. 24 - Are Female Baby Boomers Ready For Retirement?, Lori Curtis, Kate Rybczynski

Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster Research/Policy Brief

Due to their life-course socio-economic conditions, many female boomers may suffer large decreases in well-being as they head into retirement. Pension reforms which increase retirement age will disproportionately disadvantage those already in low income. While changes to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) will reduce losses from poor or sporadic labour force participation, these changes are too late to help the early boomer women. Likewise, while research suggests that improving retirement outcomes must begin with improved labour market conditions, inequitable conditions persist. Therefore, any current policy change will miss helping the early boomers. Finally, with increasing rates of chronic disease and …

Research Brief No. 10 - Analyzing Canadian Women Working After Childbirth As Lifecourse Transition, Stéphanie Gaudet, Martin Cooke, Joanna Jacob

Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster Research/Policy Brief

This research focused on Canadian mothers who had a first child between 1970 and 1999, and the probability of these mothers working shortly after childbearing. Authors Stéphanie Gaudet, Martin Cooke and Joanna Jacob studied the change and underlying dynamics with two main questions. First, what are the characteristics that affect Canadian women’s employment? And how have women’s employment transitions after the birth of a first child changed over time? The investigators probed the effects of socioeconomic characteristics on labor force withdrawal using the 2001 General Social Survey, Cycle 15 on Family History. Employment transition was viewed through a type of …

Research Brief No. 5 - The Changing Impact Of Motherhood On Employment Across Generations Of Canadian Women, Philippe Pacaut, Celine Le Bourdais, Benoit Laplante

Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster Research/Policy Brief

Women’s work histories are closely interwoven with motherhood, as shown by previous studies that have examined Canadian women’s family histories in relation to their movements of entry into—and exit from—the labour market. These studies have either supported or reinforced, at least implicitly, the existence of an incompatibility between motherhood and paid work. The results of these studies are interesting in that they provided a broad picture of how Canadian women adapted their work lives according to family events. However, the image they reveal is static and incomplete, failing to highlight the changes experienced among recent generations of women. We examined …

Policy Brief No. 2 - Gender Differences In Family/Friend Caregiving In Canada, Janet Fast, Karen Duncan, Chelsea Dunlop, Jacquie Eales, Norah Keating, Donna Lero, Satomi Yoshino

Population Change and Lifecourse Strategic Knowledge Cluster Research/Policy Brief

Family/friend caregivers comprise the backbone of the Canadian health care system. They provide 70-80% of care to individuals with a chronic health problem or disability at an estimated value of $25-26 billion annually. For those who develop policies and programs to support the family/friend care sector, it is critical to understand the characteristics of current family/friend caregivers. Using data from Statistics Canada’s 2007 General Social Survey (GSS) on family, social support, and retirement, we describe the characteristics of family/friend caregivers age 45 and older in Canada.

Research Brief: "Military Sexual Trauma Among Recent Veterans: Correlates Of Sexual Assault And Sexual Harassment", Institute For Veterans And Military Families At Syracuse University

Institute for Veterans and Military Families

This study examines the population prevalence of military sexual trauma among OEF/OIF-era veterans. It found that almost 41% of women and 4% of men reported a military sexual trauma, indicating a high prevalence of OEF/OIF-era veterans who have experienced an MST. In practice, servicemembers and veterans who have experienced a military sexual trauma (MST) should seek medical help, such as counseling. In policy, the Department of Defense (DoD) might continue its efforts to reduce negative repercussions often associated with reporting sexual assault or sexual harassment. Suggestions for future research include having more data on the prevalence of MST in the …

21st Annual Women's And Gender Studies Symposium Program, 2016, Illinois State University, Women's And Gender Studies Program

WGSS Student Research Symposium

Program from the Women's and Gender Studies Symposium

Why Do Boys Love Frozen, A Disney Princess Movie?, Payton E. Butler

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

Frozen holds box office records for both Disney Princess films and animated features as a genre. The key to its success was capturing not only girls, but the whole child market of both girls and boys. How did “a princess movie” come to capture the heart and mind of the stereotypical American boy? Through analytical review of the film, as well as previous research on boys and their media preferences, I identify four factors that contribute to Frozen’s success: focused advertising, exciting action scenes, appealing humor, and a higher ratio of male to female characters. These factors have enabled boys …

Is College Making Men Less “Manly?”: The Influence Of Time Spent In A Liberal Arts Environment On Masculinity, Samuel Oakley

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

In Otterbein’s explicitly-named and often-touted diverse and inclusive liberal arts collegiate environment, students are frequently exposed to the institution’s various messages regarding inclusive gender norms via administrative communications, curricular priorities, and the ideological content of extracurricular events. Taken together, institutional histories and contemporary practices demonstrate that Otterbein University purports to offer an environment permeated with an ideology that emphasizes the value of diversity, equality, and inclusion as part of a holistic educational experience.

My study includes three components. First, I administered the Bem (1971) Sex Role inventory (a scale originally designed to measure individual gender performance) to answer the following …

A Reflection On God And Sex: What The Bible Really Says, Howard Wagner

Best Integrated Writing

Wagner uses humor and honest self-appraisal to discuss the contrast between his burgeoning academic knowledge of the Bible and what he had been previously taught, and he determines that faith is an ongoing process.

In Search Of God’S Path, Ann Brake

Best Integrated Writing

Brake weaves personal response and critical analysis into a discussion of Sikhism from the perspective of a western observer.

Conflicting Cultural Identity And The Baz Benin In Edwidge Danticat’S Claire Of The Sea Light, Kellianne Rinearson

Best Integrated Writing

Rinearson explores the connection between the gangs in Edwidge Danticat’s Claire of the Sea Light and mythological figures in Haitian folklore thus adding nuance to the discussion of Caribbean cultural identity.

The Grimké Sisters: Radical Defenders Of Women’S Rights And Abolition, Megan Bailey

Best Integrated Writing

Bailey examines the intersection of gender and religion in the abolition movement of the American Civil War and argues that the Grimké sisters’ effectiveness in preaching against slavery was undermined by the perception that they were too radical.

Medical Journal Of Leontius, Slave Of Vitus Aelianus: A First-Person Historical Fiction Written From The Perspective Of A Roman ‘Doctor’, Amanda Bucher

Best Integrated Writing

Bucher conveys the attitudes towards gender and sexuality in the Roman world through the use of first person historical fiction.

A Gray Area, Lindsay Smith

Best Integrated Writing

Smith conducts a close reading of Homer’s Odyssey and presents the gender dynamics that subvert, through the depiction of a powerful Circe, prevailing attitudes of male superiority.

Best Integrated Writing 2016 - Complete Edition

Best Integrated Writing

Best Integrated Writing includes excellent student writing from Integrated Writing courses taught at Wright State University. The journal is published annually by the Wright State University Department of English Language and Literatures.

Exploring And Navigating Lgbt Identity In Fandom, Shannon Morrison, Idee Winfield

SEWSA 2016 Intersectionality in the New Millennium: An Assessment of Culture, Power, and Society

To date, very little qualitative research has been completed and published on how exactly those who identify as LGBT use the internet to explore and define their own identities. My research aims to fill this gap by studying how LGBT members of fan communities explore, navigate, and define their personal identities through their experience in the community and work in the realm of speculative fiction (“fan-fiction”). I will accomplish this through interviewing a number of LGBT-identified members of this community and asking about how their interaction with their community in addition to their personal work affected them in their personal …