Gender and Sexuality Commons^™

Black Birth Work As Radical Praxis: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry Of Leadership Among Black Birth Workers, Lesa C. Clark

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This hermeneutic phenomenological study explores the leadership experiences of Black birth workers (BBWs), revealing critical insights into leadership dynamics within maternal healthcare. Through a theoretical framework integrating African feminism, Black feminism, and anti-racist feminism, the research examines how BBWs conceptualize and enact leadership through embodied, relational, and liberatory approaches. This study addresses a significant gap in leadership literature, particularly regarding generational knowledge and practices of BBWs, which remain understudied despite their vital role in Black maternal healthcare. This study reveals distinct leadership perspectives and methodologies through in-depth interviews with eight BBWs and a detailed interpretive analysis. The findings contribute to …

The Importance Of Accessibility, Self-Advocacy, And Affirming Care: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis Of Transgender And Gender Diverse Older Adults’ Primary Care Experiences, Jason Vaught

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The present study explored the lived experiences of Transgender and Gender Diverse (TGD) older adults when receiving primary care. The methodology utilized for this study was Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Three participants completed individual, semi-structured interviews. The themes that emerged included “Lack of Accessibility to Services,” “Need for Self-Advocacy,” and “Value of Affirming Care from Providers.” These results illustrated the multifarious needs that arise for TGD older adults when accessing primary care. The findings provided recommendations for healthcare organizations, primary care physicians, and other healthcare professionals. Specifically, the recommendations emphasized two key practices for physicians treating TGD older adults: (1) …

Why Men Join The Incel Community: A Thematic Analysis, Aishwarya Lonikar

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Incels have gained mainstream attention in recent years because of increasing sexism and hatred that have manifested as violent acts committed towards women in the real world. This has led to growing research and discussion on social and political culture. The goal of this study is to understand why men join the incel community, to find ways to mitigate the need for men to join such communities. A theoretical thematic analysis was conducted using a survey to gain a deeper understanding of why men choose to join the incel community. A decolonial feminist interpretive framework was used to analyze the …

Interactive Effects Of Intrasexual Competitiveness, Same-Sex Competition, And Physical Attractiveness On Temporal Discounting, Jose C. Yong, Indra Alam Syah Aziz, Hualin Xiao, Norman P. Li

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

Studies have shown that men discount the future and prefer immediate-but-smaller over delayed-but-larger rewards when exposed to mating opportunities (e.g., attractive opposite-sex targets) or threats (e.g., same-sex competition) whereas women's discounting in response to similar cues appears mixed, suggesting that mating-motivated discounting is primarily a male phenomenon. Importantly, this line of research has not yet examined the role of individual difference variables as well as how the attractiveness of potential mates and perceptions of competition jointly influence discounting rates. We conducted a novel test of the effect of trait intrasexual competitiveness (ISC) using dating profiles varying on target attractiveness and …

Perceived Credibility Of Allegations Of Sexual Assault Across Victim Race And Mental Health History, Liyah C. Morgan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Previous research examined the effect of victim gender and rape myth acceptance (RMA) on perceptions of victim credibility; however, little attention has been given to the impact of victim race and mental health history, and even fewer studies have explored the intersection of these two identities. The primary purpose of the current study was to identify factors affecting understanding of perceived credibility of victims of sexual assault, specifically in terms of victim race and mental health history. The study also examined the role of RMA on perceptions of credibility and explored participant attitudes related to color-blind racial attitudes and mental …

Exploring Identity And Belonging Through Housing Pathways: Resettlement Experiences Of Female Ukrainian Refugees, Stephanie M. Duncan

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Background: This dissertation examines the resettlement experiences of female Ukrainian refugees in Germany following the escalation of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, which displaced over 8.5 million Ukrainians, including 1.2 million to Germany by April 2024. Focusing on Munich, the study explores the interplay of housing pathways, identity, and belonging, emphasizing gendered challenges faced by women, particularly single mothers and caregivers, navigating trauma, systemic barriers, and cultural adaptation. Organized into three articles, this work employs a social justice lens to address structural barriers, such as discriminatory housing markets, economic exclusion, and limited access to resources, which disproportionately impact marginalized women, …

Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition: Unpacking Gender Roles In Social Media Performances Of "The Good Life", Lauren Mar

Scripps Senior Theses

What do JD Vance, tradwife influencers, and the “sprinkle sprinkle” movement have in common? They all have something to do with the increasing popularity of an apparent return to traditional gender roles. This thesis is an intersectional investigation of women’s gender roles in relation to class and race as they appear in different performances of “the good life” on social media. Through a series of personal essays, this thesis explores how these media examples represent a deeper political unhappiness with present conditions. This thesis takes the time to unpack the different sides of discourse surrounding each subject, and counters the …

Exploring Lgbtq+ Competency In Healthcare, Jordan Whiteman

Honors College Theses

Marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ+ community are known to face healthcare disparities that negatively affect their process of navigating healthcare systems. This project explores the perceived lack of representation and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community within healthcare settings, exposing the deficits in knowledge for unique challenges and inequalities these patients may face. By viewing the literature, a myriad of complications faced by LGBTQ+ people in clinical settings can be identified. They possess a generalized feeling of mistrust towards the healthcare system. Healthcare staff overall describe low confidence with caring for this demographic. Heteronormativity’s presence in the field of healthcare …

Addressing ‘Wicked Complex Problems’: Qualitative Understandings Of Sexual Violence Prevention In Male-Dominated Industries, Sarah Vrankovich, Sharyn Burns, Giselle Woodley, Jacqueline Hendriks

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Globally there has been increased focus on the prevalence of sexual violence in workplaces, including the mining industry. In Western Australia, where this study is situated, this industry is a significant employer, predominantly male-dominated, and the prevalent use of fly-in-fly-out schedules can blur work and social life. Consequently, efforts to prevent and manage workplace sexual violence have become a priority, leading to the development and implementation of various strategies and resources. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 34 participants, including sexual violence prevention professionals (n = 16) and mining industry workers (n = 18). Reflexive thematic analysis identified systemic and behavioural …

Assessing The State Of Gender Equality For Skilled Migrant Women: Intersectionality Challenges, Uma Jogulu, Melissa A. Parris, Juliana Mutum

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to examine the present state of gender equality experienced by skilled migrant women in Australian workplaces by using an intersectionality perspective that takes into account the multiple challenges women face as managers. Design/methodology/approach: Using a mixed methods design, the authors surveyed and interviewed female and male skilled migrants who migrated to Australia as adults “first generation” immigrants and were employed in full-time managerial roles. Findings: The findings show that intersectionality features of gender and cultural background influence skilled migrant managers’ experiences in the workplace, including their opportunities for further career advancement. Their data …

Asian Women’S Studies After Three Decades: Institutional Success, Epistemic Limitations, And The Imperative Of Transnational Solidarity, Trimita Chakma

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article examines the three-decade project of Asian Women’s Studies (AWS), an institutional and epistemic endeavor that, while successfully challenging Western-centric feminism, inadvertently reproduced center–periphery dynamics. Drawing on archival research, interviews with AWS pioneers, and a systematic analysis of 414 articles from the Asian Journal of Women’s Studies (AJWS) between 2001 and 2021, this study explores AWS’s central paradox: efforts to decenter the West inadvertently created new regional hierarchies. The analysis reveals patterns including minimal personnel overlap (2.7%) between AJWS authors and Asian Association of Women’s Studies (AAWS) members, concentration in East Asia (58.5%, declining to 44.93% by 2022-2025) with …

A National Survey Of Gendered Grouping Practices In Secondary School Physical Education In England, Shaun D. Wilkinson, Dawn Penney

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Background: Gendered grouping practices and curriculum provision are matters of long-standing contention and debate in physical education (PE) policy, research, and practice internationally. In England, there is a long tradition of single-sex grouping in PE in secondary schools, with accompanying gendered patterns of staffing and many boys and girls taught different activities in the curriculum. Research on the incidence of single- and mixed-sex grouping in PE is however scarce, dated, and limited in scale. At a time when education, sport, and society are challenged to move beyond binary discourses and critically review structures and practices that uphold stereotypical and established …

Work Hard, Play Hard, Drink Hard: Frontier Masculinities And Female Teachers’ Experiences In A Regional Australian Mining Town, Kirsten Lambert, Christina Gray, Mary Anne Macdonald, Takei Beard, Kelly Jackson, Sarah Booth

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Teacher attrition is a significant issue that has been the subject of much recent critical research and public debate. What is less often explored in the literature is the gendered nature of teaching and the unique struggles female teachers face in the workforce, particularly in remote, regional and rural (RRR) schools. As a historically female-dominated profession, women, particularly teacher-mothers face a distinctive set of barriers to career progression in these schools. We apply a critical feminist lens to qualitative data generated from interviews with 21 teachers from 6 different schools in RRR locations in Western Australia. Data reveals a toxic …

Submission To The Nsw Standing Committee On Social Issues Inquiry “Impacts Of Harmful Pornography On Mental, Emotional, And Physical Health”, Giselle Woodley, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Our submission is formed from a combined experience of decades of working with teens and more recently, the Australian Research Council funded project (DP190102435), Perceptions of harm from adolescents accessing online sexual content, which explored Australian teens and young people’s (aged 11-17) perspectives of Sexually Explicit Material (SEM) including pornography. Qualitative data was collected between 2021 to 2023, and involved 30 teen interviews, with another 19 interviews with teens occurring a year later (49 interviews in total), and four focus groups (n-18) to explore these issues further. 26 parents of these teens from 24 families were also interviewed, followed by …

Masculinism, Institutional Violence And #Metoo: Understanding Australian University Responses To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Emily Gray, Jacqueline Ullman, Mindy Blaise, Jo Pollitt

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This article offers an analysis of data from the project Sexism, Higher Education, and Covid-19: The Australian Perspective. The authors argue that the gendered impact of the pandemic in Higher Education Institutions constitutes a form of institutionally perpetrated sexist harassment, and that raising awareness of the ways in which institutions themselves enable and perpetrate such harassment is consistent with the aims of the #MeToo movement. This article is intended to act as testament to the ways in which Australian universities function as masculinist institutions that, during this time of crisis, deployed tactics that were experienced by women and minority-identifying research …

Volume 28, Issue 1 Full Contents

Midwest Social Sciences Journal

No abstract provided.

Sex Work And Covid-19: An Intersectional Discussion Of U.S.-Based Sex Worker Experiences During The Pandemic, Sabrina M. Grandia

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted all forms of industry, including that of sex work. Between October 2020 until November 2022, I did field research and interviews with nine U.S.-based sex workers throughout those months of the pandemic. Using a grounded theory approach, I asked open-ended questions about their entrance into the industry, business practices, and personal experiences before and during the pandemic. Their stories allow us to gain insight into the impact the pandemic had on them as individuals and their broader communities. My analysis highlights a prominent influence of anti-trafficking policy, politicization of the virus, and the impact of Black …

A New Theater For Age-Old Social Patterns: An Exploratory Study Of Interpersonal Dynamics And The Overlay Of Gender Within Ai Companionship, Miriam Wolff

Theses and Dissertations

The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) companions fundamentally shifts the landscape of interpersonal communication, introducing artificial entities as relational partners rather than mere facilitators of human-to-human interaction. This exploratory study examines the interplay of machine gendering, self-disclosure, perceived partner responsiveness (PPR), and interpersonal satisfaction within human-AI interactions. Participants engaged in conversations with gendered AI companions through the program Replika, completed structured surveys, and participated in qualitative interviews. Findings indicate that users' willingness to self-disclose was influenced by their perceptions of AI responsiveness, while gendered characteristics of AI significantly shaped user expectations and communication patterns. Specifically, users often attributed distinct personality …

Toward Inclusive Care: Enhancing Lgbtq+ Adolescents’ Experiences In Primary Care, Rutwa Shah

Honors Undergraduate Theses

LGBTQ+ adolescents face significant inequities in healthcare access and health outcomes, yet little is known about how they engage with routine pediatric care, where parental presence and clinician dynamics often influence their ability to access affirming services. While prior research has emphasized the importance of inclusive environments and clinician communication, few studies center the voices of LGBTQ+ youth in clinical settings. This study explored how LGBTQ+ adolescents manage sexual/gender identity disclosure, trust, and communication with primary care clinicians. This study draws on data from The VIBES Study: Viewpoints on Improving Bonds Between Health Experts and Sexual and Gender Minority Youth. …

Comparison Of The Division And Fairness Of Household Labor Between The 1980s And Early 2000s, Madeline Rose Provins

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The purpose of this thesis is to examine change in the gendered division of household labor between the 1980s and early 2000s. The division of household labor has historically been inequitable reflecting parallel social hierarchies, power imbalances, and systemic inequalities outside the home.

I used a cohort sample of 1,157 respondents combined from the 1988 Wave 1 of the National Survey of Family and Households (NSFH) and the 2003 Wave 3 to test four hypotheses related to gender and household labor. I found that between 1988 and 2003, the gender gap closed in mean hours a week devoted to indoor …