Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2024, English

My dissertation scrutinizes literary representations of the Romany, referred to as “the Gypsy trope,” in Victorian and Modernist works by Walter Scott, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, and Virginia Woolf, emphasizing the need for a critical analysis of the complexities of this trope. Existing criticism of the trope focuses heavily on its discriminatory aspects, arguing that it embodies non-Romany writers' cultural fantasies of otherness, reflecting their imperialist mindset. Given that gypsy characters are often associated with Eastern culture and portrayed as victims of discrimination, oppression, and harassment, this post-colonially inflected perspective provides a framework that could aptly encompass many possible interpretations of the trope. However, interpreting the trope solely through its discriminatory measures overlooks a key geopolitical aspect that sets the Romany people apart from their Eastern associates: the Romany have been present in or around English regions since the early sixteenth century, making their lifestyle and culture less “exotic” than internal to the British Isles. In contrast to colonial subjects whose physical distance from the metropolitan center functions to define a boundary line of otherness, the Romany's nearness and visibility were key elements in their representations as literary or symbolic characters, especially as domestic and internal others; this closeness endowed the gypsy characters with an exoticism that was simultaneously familiar. Therefore, to consider this complex interplay of domestic and exotic, this dissertation examines how the interactions of gypsy characters with other characters and communities variously operate within the trope. The authors under my scrutiny represent Romany people not merely as racial and cultural others, but also as drivers of transformation in the non-Romany protagonists' racial, class and gender identities. The familiarity of the gypsy characters allows for seamless engagements with the pr (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mary Jean Corbett (Committee Chair); Madelyn Detloff (Committee Member); Collin Jennings (Committee Member); Lisa Weems (Committee Member) Subjects: British and Irish Literature; Gender Studies

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 1976, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2024, History

This dissertation offers a new look at the Age of Jackson to better understand the influences that women and gender roles had on American politics during the 1820s and 1830s. It offers a counternarrative to a historiography that has focused predominately on Whig Womanhood, which developed in opposition to Andrew Jackson's presidency. Instead, it looks at the women who were passionate supporters of Jackson to see what drew the “common woman” to the complicated figure who was once heralded as being a champion of the “common man.” Additionally, this research looks at how conforming to normative gender roles was a useful political tool. Jackson's reputation as a martial figure often came coupled with the idea that he was a protector of women, and his supporters responded to this narrative. At the same time, Jackson's opponents argued that he was dangerous to women, while also denigrating the womanhood of female figures close to him. This dissertation thus argues that women were integral to the electoral strategies of the Democrats as well as the Whigs during the Jacksonian period, which, therefore, cannot be fully understood without far greater attention to the neglected Jackson women.

Committee: Daniel Cohen (Committee Chair); Daniel Goldmark (Committee Member); John Grabowski (Committee Member); Renée Sentilles (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; Gender; Gender Studies; History; Political Science; Womens Studies

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Leadership Studies, Xavier University, 2022, Leadership Studies and Human Resource Development

This study investigated the extent to which teacher and staff's gender role beliefs differ from the U.S. population and such beliefs are associated with their preference of leader gender in a P-8 Midwestern school through the lens of Bandura's (1971) Social Learning Theory. Teachers and staff who participated in this study responded to the survey questionnaires pertaining to gender role bias from World Value Survey Wave 7 (2017-2020). A series of one-sample T-test showed that there is not a significant difference in gender role beliefs at the P-8 school in comparison to the World Value Survey results targeting the U.S. population except for the two survey items: 1) Being a housewife is just as fulfilling as working for pay; and 2) When jobs are scarce, men should have more right to a job than women. Regarding the two survey items, the school participants showed a significantly lower level of gender role bias than the U.S. general population. Logistic regression analyses revealed that participants' gender role beliefs are not significantly associated with teachers and staff's preference of leader gender after taking into account the participants' gender, position type, and age. Despite the non-significant findings from the quantitative data, the qualitative data from the survey's open-ended question showed gender role beliefs in favor of female or male leaders, reflecting that gender role bias exist among some teachers. The study's findings could inform best practices for enhancing gender equality in leadership position in a K-12 setting.

Committee: Ahlam Lee Ph.D. (Advisor); So Jung Park Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Educational Leadership

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2021, Antioch New England: Marriage and Family Therapy

Due to the lack of research on the Desi community, this qualitative study was the first of its kind to investigate the process of gender role expectation and negotiation style among second generation Desi couples. Previous research provided awareness of unequal treatment amongst the male and female genders within the patriarchal structure of the Desi community. However, this study provided a unique understanding on Desi couples' perspective on gender dynamics. Six couples, ages 25- 35, who were married for at least 3 years and identified as second generation Desi were interviewed in order to gain a deeper understanding of gender role experiences. With in-depth interviews, phenomenological qualitative research on the experience of gender role expectation and negotiation explored these factors: influence of gender role and gender role development, division of labor, dismantling patriarchy, unconscious bias, financial decisions, becoming parents, conversations on gender roles, and conflict resolution. These six couples self- reported how their relationship is impacted by gender role dynamics as they create an egalitarian relationship. Some suggestions for therapeutic interventions are included in the clinical considerations. The limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are also discussed.

Committee: Janet Robertson PhD (Committee Chair); Lucille Byno PhD (Committee Member); Cadmona Hall PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Counseling Psychology; Psychology; Psychotherapy; South Asian Studies; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2021, Sociology

This dissertation analyzes narratives of women speaking about their sexual history and pleasures, with a focus on how women conceptualize their own experience and compare it to others. Additionally, this study strives to understand how women create meanings that are important to their sexual experience, and how this is related to their gender and sexual identity. By using a critical framework, this study explores and interrogates the organization of power and domination—by this, I mean social, cultural and political stakeholders who benefit from maintaining a particular understanding of female pleasure and women's bodies. Using a queer feminist lens, this research explores the historical and current issues surrounding the common understanding of female sexuality. This research seeks to fill a gap in the literature on sexual histories, sexual pleasures, orgasms, and queer narrative by centering the voices of women.

Committee: Mary Erdmans Dr. (Committee Chair); Gary Deimling Dr. (Committee Member); Susan Hinze Dr. (Committee Member); Lisa Nielson Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

BA, Kent State University, 2021, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English

The posthumous publication of Ernest Hemingway's The Garden of Eden raised questions within the academic community surrounding the topics of gender and sexuality. Though he is typically known as a writer who favors heterosexual and heavily masculine themes, this novel challenges those notions by introducing aspects such as same-sex experimentation, gender role reversal, and the complicated dynamic of a three-person relationship. The first portion of this thesis focuses on the establishment of the aforementioned qualities within the novel, supporting and further arguing that the elements blatantly reject what is typically discussed about Hemingway's works. In addition, the film adaption of the novel is evaluated at length in order to understand a more modern response to his work within popular culture. Finally, this thesis explores two short stories, Mr. and Mrs. Elliot and The Sea Change. As both of the stories are cited as early blueprints to The Garden of Eden, their inclusion suggests Hemingway began thinking of these time-period taboos long before the 1986 publication of the novel. The overall argument emphasizes the importance of rereading and revisiting the Hemingway canon in order to bring more continuous and evolved conversation into academia and popular culture at large.

Committee: Ryan Hediger Ph.D (Advisor); Molly Merryman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Robert Trogdon Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kimberly Winebrenner Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender; Gender Studies; Literature

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2020, Latin American Studies (International Studies)

Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs are among the most popular policy tools used in Latin America to deal with poverty alleviation. These programs are considered groundbreaking because the cash grant is typically given to women. Some scholars claim that these types of instruments empower female beneficiaries because they increase women's status within their household and neighborhood. Others partially disagree with these claims because they consider that empowerment should also entail a change of traditional gender relations within the family. Drawing on in-depth interviews, I examine the overall effects of the Ecuadorian CCT, Bono de Desarrollo Humano (BDH), on women living in three rural communities in southern Ecuador. In particular, I focus on its impacts on perceptions of empowerment and gender roles. Through an analysis of the effects of the program in terms of economy, intimate relationships and women's empowerment, I argue that the BDH, as a program with a welfare approach, is considered by most participants as a tool which helps to cover practical gender needs. The findings of this research suggest that although some women have experienced positive impacts due to the BDH, such as covering basic needs and gaining access to financial services and loans, the program has had little to no impact on addressing strategic gender needs, such as empowerment or changes in gender roles.

Committee: Risa Whitson Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Julia Paxton Ph.D. (Committee Member); Brad Jokisch Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender Studies; Latin American Studies; Public Policy; Social Research; Welfare; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2020, Counseling Psychology

Traditional masculinity ideology and conformity to specific masculine norms have been associated with dozens of negative outcomes, including increased depression, violent behavior, and low esteem (O'Neil, 2012). Gender conceptions can also be positively constructed in men to resist traditional masculine norms (Smiler, 2014; Way et al., 2014). Meanwhile, hundreds of studies have linked religion and spirituality to positive outcomes, including increased life satisfaction and life expectancy (Plante & Thoresen, 2012), but few studies have examined masculinity and religiousness or spirituality (Ward & Cook, 2011). The current study examined how Catholic men's religious identities interact with their conceptions of gender and masculinities. In this mixed qualitative study using grounded theory and content analysis, a mixed theoretical and methodological framework was used to investigate what it means to be a Catholic man. Participants were 12 cisgender, middle class, heterosexual, emerging adult, Roman Catholic men from Northeast Ohio and were given questionnaires (e.g., the Inventory of Subjective Masculinity Experiences) and semi-structured interviews. Results illuminate how religious identities and gender conceptions interact to construct self-conceptions similar to and different from how masculine norms have been previously operationalized in the literature. Emerging categories included patterns of responses related to self-improvement, selflessness, and leadership. Implications for theory, health, and practice are discussed including how Catholic men's constructions of what it means to be a man may be related to health and well-being outcomes.

Committee: Ronald Levant EdD (Committee Co-Chair); Margo Gregor PhD (Committee Co-Chair); Ingrid Weigold PhD (Committee Member); John Queener PhD (Committee Member); Robert Peralta PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Counseling Psychology; Gender; Gender Studies; Psychology; Psychotherapy; Religion; Social Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy, Miami University, 2017, Educational Leadership

Educational researchers are beginning to investigate the lived experiences of African immigrants in the United States. Very few studies documenting the experiences of West African immigrant women are available. Thus, existing literature on West African immigrants is not representative of all immigrants from this part of Africa. By exploring Togolese immigrant women's migration and educational experiences in the United States, this study expands that literature. Using narrative inquiry methodology and feminist theories of gender identity and intersectionality, I explore the experiences of five Togolese immigrant women who recently pursued post-secondary education in colleges and universities in the United States. The study highlights the strategies Togolese immigrant women create and employ to navigate the patriarchal terrain in U.S. society as African women, as well as the educational system as Black women. This project offers insight to educators interested in improving the educational experiences for diverse students in their colleges and universities. The findings of this study offer guidance to African female immigrants and specifically Togolese female immigrants on how to navigate gender expectations about education and family in the United States. Given that Togolese immigrant women are not well represented in immigration literature, this study gives voice and visibility to an underexplored population.

Committee: Lisa Weems (Advisor); Denise Taliaferro Baszile (Committee Member); Thomas Poetter (Committee Member); Gwendolyn Etter-Lewis (Committee Member) Subjects: Education

Master of Arts, University of Akron, 2016, Communication

This study examined the impact of gender role orientations on conflict styles used by superiors when in conflict with their subordinates. Previous studies examining differences in conflict styles based on biological sex have been contradictory and inconclusive. However, few studies have examined the conflict styles used based on gender role orientations. This study filled the gap using surveys collected via snowball sampling in order to collect self-reported data regarding the relationships between gender role orientations and conflict styles of superiors. The measures used included the BSRI to measure gender role orientations, and the ROCII-II to measure conflict styles in superior-subordinate relationships. This study found that men are more likely to use the dominating style of conflict and women are more likely to use integrating and avoiding. Masculine individuals were found to use dominating more often, androgynous individuals used integrating more often, and feminine individuals used avoiding more often. Gender role orientation was also found to be a significant predictor of the avoiding and obliging conflict styles.

Committee: Heather Walter Dr. (Advisor); Elizabeth Graham Dr. (Committee Member); Julia Spiker Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Communication

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Ohio University, 2015, Political Science

This thesis explores how dominant gender norms in video game subculture are challenged by independent game development communities, promoting gender equality. It begins with a review of the literature on video games and gender and continues with original qualitative research on various online game communities, including Gamergate, Games and Play (a private progressive indie developer community), and the queer games scene. The thesis argues that, through the internet, noncapitalist modes of production and niche political communities are made possible, transforming gaming subculture from one in which political activism is nearly impossible to one in which activism is entrenched within it.

Committee: Susan Burgess Dr. (Advisor); James Mosher Dr. (Other) Subjects: Gender; Gender Studies; Mass Media; Political Science

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2015, History

The bicentennial of the War of 1812 has reinvigorated interest in the conflict, but there are still elements of this war which remain unplumbed. Within the locality of the Great Lakes region, using diaries, journals, and letters as my main primary sources, I explore how gender dynamics established by whites prior to the War of 1812 influenced a mindset that said women were incapable of fruitful participation in warfare. In contrast to those who argue that women's participation in the War of 1812 was extraordinary, I argue that women participated by any means that they were permitted. Although this participation occasionally flew in the face of traditional gender boundaries, many women aided in war efforts through everyday means, though they ultimately received little acknowledgment because their actions were reinterpreted through a lens of domesticity. My research shows that women were a significant part of the War of 1812, despite gendered thinking which regulated them to the role of the victim.

Committee: Rebecca Mancuso Dr. (Advisor); Michael Brooks Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: History

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2014, Popular Culture

One of the most powerful arenas where the construction of ideal femininity gets constructed is through the depiction of women on television. My thesis investigates one of the most popular television shows in the 21st century, Desperate Housewives. It explores how the female protagonists are depicted through the ways they attempt to maintain power within their suburban worlds. My thesis discusses how certain power is allotted within the narrative of the show. I investigate the implication that power is a good thing, and also offer analysis with some of the problems of gaining power. We not only see constrained power, but also see women in positions of status. Power within family dynamics, romantic love/marriage, and domestic and professional activities are central to my thesis. I focus on beauty and image through consumption, the struggles for women balancing their domestic and professional worlds, and alternative depictions of femininity through the repression of emotion. I use textual analysis to examine dialogue, plot and narrative, character development, genre, and aesthetics/formal elements within production, which include costumes, make-up, cinematography, editing, acting, lighting, and sound. My thesis draws on feminist scholarship within media studies and popular culture studies; specifically elements of sociological and psychological theory within the context of gender.

Committee: Becca Cragin (Committee Chair); Marilyn Motz (Committee Member); Sandra Faulkner (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Film Studies; Gender; Gender Studies; Mass Communications; Mass Media; Personal Relationships; Sociology; Womens Studies

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2011, Arts and Sciences: Sociology

Soccer is the world's most popular sport, but despite this global fascination, here in the United States it has taken several decades for the sport to gain widespread acceptance. This study looks at the thoughts and attitudes of the parents of girl soccer players; specifically at the ways that parents use soccer as a form of cultural capital as well as to reproduce approved gender roles and class values in their daughters. The research site was an elite soccer club in a Midwestern city. I conducted 25 semi-structured interviews with mothers and fathers of girls' soccer players followed by a brief background questionnaire. One of the benefits of this study is an addition to the literature on girls in youth sports and an extension of our understanding of why private club soccer is used in the United States. The results of this study support previous literature in showing that middle-upper class parents use soccer to produce beneficial traits and develop the class “appropriate” gendered bodies of their daughters.

Committee: Steven Carlton-Ford PhD (Committee Chair); Annulla Linders PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Sociology

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2010, Geography (Arts and Sciences)

This research seeks to explore the ways in which the women of Ciudad Sandino have participated in community-driven development (CDD) and what impacts this participation has had on the gender relations between men and women. I am able to address this by using qualitative methods to conduct a case study of the Genesis spinning cooperative, which is part of the Jubilee House Community – Center for Development in Central America. I have found that for members of the Genesis project there have been significant changes in their lives due to their participation, however the implications of these changes is different for men than it is for women. Similarly, although gender ideologies have been challenged at the individual level due to participation, in this context, participation does not necessarily challenge the structural system in place which upholds societal views of gender roles.

Committee: Risa Whitson Dr. (Advisor); Yeong Kim Dr. (Committee Member); Edna Wangui Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender; Geography; Social Structure; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2010, Psychology-Counseling

Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT; Lent, Brown, & Hackett, 1994) delineates the ways in which social forces may influence women's career development and create gender segregation in different types of occupations (see Betz, 2007 for a review). However, a number of questions remain, specifically in regards to how social forces may shape the core cognitive variables of the model, namely self efficacy and outcome expectations. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to further examine precursors to these variables and the role of gender within the career development process. To accomplish these aims, a survey of 390 college women was conducted. While not all hypotheses were supported, a number of key findings emerged. First, vicarious learning continued to underperform in terms of predicting self efficacy and outcome expectations. Second, the data supported the overarching SCCT model, particularly core components delineating the development of career related self efficacy and outcome expectations through learning experiences. Third, gender role norm conformity showed promise as a distal predictor of career related learning experiences. Only some of the observed relationships between the conformity and learning experience variables were borne out as expected. However, some interesting findings emerged which may be in line with existing and emerging gender-related theories. These findings are discussed within the larger frameworks of career development and gender theory and implications for research and practice are discussed.

Committee: Linda Subich Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Academic Guidance Counseling; Gender; Higher Education; Occupational Psychology; Psychology; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, 2009, Counseling Psychology

Infertility is a medical issue that affects approximately one-fifth of the population and represents a major life crisis for many individuals and couples. Yet, little is known about these issues in the field of counseling psychology, despite our focus on normal development and adjustment. Given the likelihood of encountering persons with infertility in clinical work, it is imperative that counseling psychologists become more aware of the issues facing these individuals. Previous research suggested that gender ideologies may be related to the distress individuals experience due to infertility, but research aimed at understanding this relationship is lacking. The motherhood mandate, as discussed by Nancy Russo in 1976, provides a theoretical understanding of the link between gender ideologies and infertility-related distress. The motherhood mandate may serve to inform women's primary appraisal (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) of their experience of infertility, such that if motherhood is linked to attainment of an adult female identity, the inability to have a child may contribute to women's distress and lesser well-being. The current study, then, aimed to increase knowledge of infertility and the distress experienced due to infertility through examination of the socialization practices that may shape women's desires to have children, their appraisals of infertility, and the distress that may result when infertility blocks fulfillment of a desired social role. Using an online sampling method, 185 women with infertility completed the demographic and reproductive health questionnaire, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Infertility-Specific Distress scale (ISD), the Appraisal of Life Events scale (ALE), and the Conformity to Feminine Norms Inventory (CFNI). Results indicated that higher adherence to traditional gender ideologies is related to higher threat and loss appraisals, and the relationship between traditional gender ideologies and infertility-specific distress (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Linda Subich Ph.D. (Advisor) Subjects: Psychology; Womens Studies

Master of Arts in History, Youngstown State University, 2013, Department of Humanities

Ever since America's inception, prescriptive literature has been continuously used for guidance and advice relating to suitable conduct and gender roles. This type of literature points to middle-class ideals and the belief that social mobility can be achieved through propriety and adherence to socio-gender norms. While previous scholarship has focused primarily on nineteenth century etiquette and conduct literature written by religious men under edifying pretexts or popular literature in consumer driven twentieth century magazines and advertisements, this thesis examines women's prescriptive literature books between 1920 and 1960. Prescriptive literature published during this period was authored by middle-class women and was intended to be didactic in nature. However, women authors of prescriptive literature, who functioned outside of traditional gender roles and norms were not only subjective in their advice, but perpetuated a duality of roles for women, often advising against the very social mobility they had achieved. Women authors of prescriptive literature consistently gave advice that helped to encourage and facilitate women's agency through autonomy and gender role expansion while simultaneously reinscribing women into domestic themes and redefining boundaries in their public and private lives. This thesis examines numerous prescriptive books and their authors, arguing that this literature's content, like women's lives, became diversified while maintaining ambivalence about domesticity and roles derived from the home that transferred into the public domain. Prescriptive books written between 1920 and 1960 perpetuated contradictions in gender discourse, and conflated female ideals with stereotypes and gender double standards in their education and work.

Committee: Martha Pallante PhD (Advisor); Donna DeBlasio PhD (Committee Member); Diane Barnes PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; American Literature; Gender; Gender Studies; History; Literature; Pedagogy; Reading Instruction; Sociology; Womens Studies

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 1971, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: