When not invisibilized in society, transgender women are subject to pervasive transphobia in the social sphere and encounter devastating discrimination across the institutions. In light of discrimination in the mainstream job market, many look to the sex industry for a source of income. In fact, trans women have long ties to the sex work community and have been foundational to the sex workers rights movement, engaging in activism predating Stonewall. Yet, the experiences of trans women who sell sex remain largely overlooked in historical retellings and social science research on sex work. By creating space for the voices of those who have long gone unheard – conducting in-depth interviews with seven transgender women who sell sex – this thesis seeks to move beyond the dominant narrative of sex workers and bring greater attention to their unique experiences. This thesis explores the experiences of trans women in sex work as it relates to their labour practices and processes, engagement with the criminal justice system, and health and access to health and social services. Challenging the ways in which norms have been produced and sustained under the guise of ‘truth’, this thesis applies the concepts intersectionality and stigma to explore how experience is conditioned by the environment of oppression – at the intersection of sexism and cisgenderism – and the social judgment and marginalization of sex workers. Alongside navigating through the hardships associated with the criminalization and stigmatization of sex work, trans women who sell sex are subject to intensified violence, discrimination and oppression on the basis of gender. Amidst the height of the trans rights movement and in light of the recent amendments to federal legislation that protects trans Canadians from discrimination, this thesis considers what is warranted to achieve social change. Reflecting on history and looking to the future, it is imperative that the trans and sex worker communities forge stronger bonds in their battle for rights.

This study is about political participation of women in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The study will attempt to understand women’s views on the matter. The aim of this thesis is to contribute to knowledge of how Cambodian women’s participation in politics displays in relation to their educational background. To research and analyze this problem area, I have travelled to Cambodia and used semi-structured interviews as a method. Hay’s types of political participation and intersectionality have been used as theoretical framework to form questions for the interviews and to analyze the findings to uncover potential differences in participation between women of different social classes. The findings show that both interviewed groups participated in politics in various ways, but the main differences between the two educational groups of women are mostly concerning opportunities in and knowledge of politics. For all women to feel empowered, to feel like their opinions matter and to feel comfortable to express their views, education for all women is a necessity. Actions for guaranteeing women education is critical for their participation in politics and for the Cambodian society to develop. Therefore, intersectionality needs to be applied in analyses to change these structures and education for women is a prerequisite to create equal opportunities for everyone.

Previous research has indicated that disparities in sentencing exist within legal systems depending on social characteristics such as ethnicity, gender, and age. The purpose of this study is to investigate what kind of disparities in sentencing are present within the Swedish legal system. It hypothesizes that variations in sentencing are affected by stereotypical perceptions of offenders in regard to ethnicity, gender, and age as well as a legal system that is governed by Swedish norms and values. The data of the study derive from 164 previous convictions from the 2017 issue of Stockholm’s Tingsrätt. The data were analyzed through Ordinary Least Square analysis (OLS) and binary analysis to identify the best predictor of ethnicity, gender, and age in sentencing outcomes as well as examine interaction effects within the social groups. The results of the study are in line with those of previous research and illustrate tendencies toward disparities in sentencing outcomes depending on the social characteristics of ethnicity, gender, and age. In addition, the interaction effects indicate that the social features of youth, non- Swedish nationality, and male gender in combination reflected the highest risk of harsh sentencing compared to other combinations. Sentencing disparities are arguably outcomes of stereotypical perceptions of offenders and an “ethnically” Swedish legal system that is governed by Swedish norms and values. Further research is required to enhance knowledge of disparities in sentencing due to the effect of an “ethnically” Swedish legal system. Such research is needed to determine how provisions that concern equality can become actual conditions.

Currently, sexual assault is characterized as the primary threat to women’s safety on university campuses. Accordingly, many post-secondary institutions in Canada have developed specialized policies, resources, and prevention strategies to address this form of gendered violence. Although a serious concern, the narrow focus ignores university students’ vulnerability to multiple other forms of gendered violence, including intimate partner violence (IPV). In an effort to address this neglected topic, this thesis explores the way five university students experienced and navigated IPV. Adopting an intersectional lens informed by feminist work on gender roles, gendered expectations, and sexual scripts as well as Pierre Bourdieu’s work on class, this thesis examines how gender oppression and class privilege intersect to create unique experiences of IPV for university students. To that end five semi-structured interviews were conducted with women who suffered psychological, physical, sexual, and/or financial abuse while in university. The interviews facilitated open and honest dialogue whilst providing this research project with valuable insight into how IPV plays out among class privileged university students. The thesis concludes that although the participants are oppressed in terms of gender (and susceptible to IPV on this basis) their class privilege also conditioned their experiences of IPV. While affording them access to social and economic resources, the disjuncture between their self-identity as educated, smart, and independent women inhibited their ability to accept their identity as victims; as a result, the participants struggled to disclose, seek help, and address the abuse.

The focus of this research aims to target feelings, tendencies, and perceptions of community belonging in order to highlight current challenges in negotiating urban social relationships. The mixed-methods empirical study deployed attempted to identify the multiple and intersecting perspectives contributing to the conceived representations of community in each city. Applying theoretical constructs taken from studies on social cohesion, intersectionality, and metamodernism, this thesis looks to multidimensionality in forming a new theoretical model for achieving cohesive community and social belonging; the purpose of which is to uncover how planning can be conceived as a solution to ethnoracial division and lack of community and social belonging. As individuals, respondents found that meeting on the same premises, taking the perspectives of others into account, and actively acknowledging the presence of unity in difference were all conceived as constructive measures to take. Developing approaches to incorporating these desiderata into planning strategy therefore becomes a logical implication of my research.

This study addresses existing gaps in the literature concerning the undergraduate experiences of Latino men students as examined through an intersectional and masculinities-based lens. Due to a dearth in literature centering the exclusive study of Latino men in higher education, researchers are challenged to offer a comprehensive understanding of their postsecondary experiences and outcomes. Therefore, the purpose of this phenomenological study was to understand how currently enrolled Latino men undergraduate students make meaning of their undergraduate experiences. Relying on the lived experiences of Latino undergraduate men, this study collected data through three sets of interviews (Seidman, 2013). The examination of data was considered through the Multilevel Model of Intersectionality (Núñez, 2014a), which allowed for the participants’ lived experiences to be examined at multiple levels of intersectionality and centered in social oppression and privilege. The findings center the role of the Latino family, navigating and overcoming pan-ethnic discrimination, and evolved understandings of masculinity. Recommendations include the incorporation of the Latino family into the postsecondary experiences of Latino men, discontinuing the study of Latino masculinities as a homogenous concept, and equity based institutional policies that center the intersectional needs of Latino men undergraduate students related to academic and personal success. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (PhD)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals, also known as sexual minorities, endure unique and excess stressors due to their stigmatized sexual minority identity. Commonly referred to as minority stress, these stressors may potentially lead to poorer mental health outcomes among sexual minority individuals as compared to their heterosexual counterparts. The manifestation and extent of these stressors depend on the complex relationships between one’s simultaneous intersecting identities (e.g., race, gender, and sexual orientation) and macro-level inequality reinforcement (e.g., structural barriers, societal representation, politics). Inequality at the macro-level creates power and oppression on a larger scale by emphasizing dominant societal norms and belief systems, which, in turn, could have consequences on interpersonal and individual levels. Previous minority stress literature neglects macro-level impact and tends to view sexual minorities as a homogenous group. In an effort to highlight within-group variability of minority stressors and their impact on sexual minorities at the intersection of race and gender, an intersectional lens was applied to assess existing minority stress literature that corresponded with three types of intersectionality (i.e., structural intersectionality, representational intersectionality, political intersectionality). Sexual minority stress research, with emphasis on external stressors aligning with macro-level forces, was selected for review. After organizing the literature by race, gender, and specific sexual minority identity, an intersectional lens was applied to explain the variation of experience based on converging identity intersections of sexual minority individuals. The variation of mental health outcomes was also identified. Findings revealed that literature primarily lined-up with structural intersectionality, followed by representational intersectionality, and, finally, political intersectionality. Ideally, this review would have equally distributed information on all within-group identity combinations, but this review further highlights group underrepresentation in the literature. Consistencies emerged for bisexuals and sexual minorities of color (SMOC) across the structural, representational, and political intersectionality categorizations. Overall, bisexuals and SMOC appear to be at a more significant macro-level disadvantage than gay or lesbian individuals and White sexual minorities. A recognizable pattern occurred based on gender across race/ethnicity in relation to structural and representational intersectionality. The stressors for women and gender minorities occurred in the context of societal power, assumed heterosexuality, and healthcare. By contrast, stressors for men concerned geographic location, employment, workplace, and appearance. While very little minority stress literature corresponded with political intersectionality, this review highlighted a large gap in previous research and what to explore in the future. The findings highlight the similarities and differences encountered by sexual minorities related to experiences, stress, and mental health regarding macro-level impacts. Additionally, gaps in the minority stress literature were also revealed, such as underrepresented identities and political influence. In the future, incorporation of intersectionality that should be applied prior to conducting minority stress research for a more comprehensive understanding.

Considering the geographical setting of the Southern region of the U.S., which is mostly divided into two races, Black and White, this study is to examine human science-related major undergraduates’ cultural competence and attitude toward the intersectionality group, elderly immigrants. The data, a total of 444 human science related major undergraduates in Mississippi, were collected. Through the principal factor analysis, attitudes toward elderly immigrants were divided into three factors: discrimination, avoidance, and tolerance, and cultural competence was into attitude, awareness, and sensitivity factors. The further related data analysis is to be completed by spring 2020. Through the study, it is expected to increase awareness of the need for culturally competent programs to educate the students on diversity and help to prepare undergraduate students to meet societal demands related to the intersectional minority population in the future.

This project aims on exploring ways to redefine the relationship of gender and space through urban design. Gender inequalities expressed in spatial manners have been theorized by feminist geography, an approach to human geography. Having a good understanding of this theoretical context will provide the tools to tackle distantiation, spatial separation, constraint and the limited spatial opportunities women experience in public places. Using Rinkeby square as the canvas for this exploration, the effort will be put on mapping the uses of the square through observation, quantitative research, as well as interviews with local organisations, shops and authorities close to the square. An inventory of the architectural features of the square will be made along with a site analysis focusing on the questions of effects on equality. Furthermore existing female networks and societies in the area will be contacted seeking possible collaborations for a later project work, workshops or events. Finally, as a result of the initial investigations, this project intends to explore how a physical intervention would affect these questions at Rinkeby square. It is the working hypothesis of this project that any project in order to be successful would need to be based on a deeper understanding of the challenges surrounding female presence on the square, and be tied into the already existing networks for women. This project therefore hopes to establish contact with existing female networks such as (D)Järva Kvinnor, Café Respekt and Tensta-Hjulsta Kvinnocenter, amongst others.

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