Thesis advisor: Celeste Wells / This study analyzes female students’ perceptions of sexual assault at Boston College. These perceptions are interpreted and understood using the theory of framework and organizational communication. The goal of this study is to effectively illustrate how female students form perceptions of sexual assault, and to understand why they are often hesitant to engage in conversations about it. Through the use of framing devices, this study explains how the administration and campus culture influence the way students view the issue of sexual assault. 135 female students at Boston College participated in an online survey, and their responses indicate that a culture of silence emerges from the perceptions of sexual assault on campus. While the culture of silence influences most female students to refrain from talking about sexual assault, a new framing device emerged from the data, which I refer to as the frame of defiance. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2017. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Communication.

Thesis advisor: Irene Mizrahi / This study, which is dedicated to the analysis of three novels by Carme Riera: Una primavera para Domenico Guarini, Cuestión de amor propio, and La mitad del alma, investigates the disappointments and disconnections that the protagonists suffer in their relationships with other characters and the influence of culture on those relationships. This study demonstrates that the breakdown of the relationships between daughters and mothers and between friends is the result of the patriarchal society of Francoist Spain that is hostile towards women. The repression that Riera’s narrators, who are all women writers telling their stories in a personal, intimate first-person narration, suffer under such a society not only causes them emotional problems, such as depression, frustration, lack of self-esteem, feelings of unworthiness and inferiority, but also prevents them from having meaningful relationships with other women as friends and daughters. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Romance Languages and Literatures.

Empirical research exploring the physical health of female sex workers and their risk of contracting and spreading sexually transmitted infections has been over-researched. There have also been numerous studies conducted on sex workers highlighting physical violence, rape and stigmatisation. There is, however, little empirical evidence exploring the personal lives of female sex workers especially with regards to their husbands and the impact that their wives choice in career may have on the constructions of their masculinity. Accordingly, this research aimed to qualitatively explore and understand, via a comparative in-depth case study with two married couples, how the masculinity of a man, who is married to a high-income female sex worker, may be constructed, as compared to a man who is married to a woman who is not involved in the sex industry. It was found, after conducting semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with each of the married couples, that the males constructed their masculinity in relation to their wives occupation, their income in comparison to that of their wives, their wives sexuality, familial and historical notions regarding infidelity, certainty regarding paternity, and issues of romantic jealousy (both sexual and emotional). It was found that, at least for the man from a non-traditional marriage (where his wife was a FSW), by constructing and reconstructing one’s masculinity (when faced with perceived threats regarding one's sense of masculinity), one is able to reclaim the typical patriarchal characteristics. This is done by strongly conforming (and potentially overcompensating by doing so) to traditional masculine and social patriarchal standards and/or by constructing one’s masculinity to align with a more liberal feminist perspective. Therefore one demonstrates a contemporary appreciation of gender equality and non-traditional gender roles for one’s female partner.

The film Monster (USA, 2003) is based on the life of Aileen Wuornos, the Florida prostitute who was one of the few documented female serial killers in the United States. The scriptwriter and director of the film, Patty Jenkins, surprisingly centered the film on a love story, instead of assuming the role of judge or advocate towards the actions of Wuornos. After a flash back sequence that recreates the childhood of Lee (Charlize Theron), the film opens as Lee meets Selby (Christina Ricci), a young and immature lesbian in a bar. Lee responds very rudely and defensively to the clumsy flirtation of Selby, as she does not think of herself as gay and her life as a prostitute has made her very hostile towards society. However, Lee opens up to Selby, as she perceives her as her last chance to find Love. Patty Jenkins cinematically evokes Lee’s hopelessness and despair before meeting Selby in order to emphasize the importance of this same-sex relationship. For Lee, Selby is the innocent child that she has to protect and save, a symbol of the child she once was herself. Inspired, she goes out to work on the highway to earn money for their first date, and a client beats her unconscious, ties her up, rapes her with a tyre iron and pours petrol over her. Fearing for her life, Lee shoots him, and then takes his car and wallet. As her relationship with Selby develops, she enters into the role of provider and protector. After her brutal encounter, she is scared of the streets and makes an attempt to go straight. However, 3 in her attempt to look for a proper job she encounters social rejection and brutalization. Pressurized by her new girlfriend to provide money, Lee goes back to prostitution. However, her last traumatic experience with the rapist john makes her believe that all her clients might turn out to be abusive, which provokes in her a desire for revenge and killing. Unable to stop, she robs her victims to provide for her girlfriend and believes that she can identify which clients deserve to die. After the killing of an innocent man, she is turned over to the police by Selby. Monster is not about sensationalism, but rather portrays the intimate tragic story of a human being who became a serial killer, due to a combination of bad social and personal pathologies. The Meaning of the Form: The aim of this thesis is to explore the representation of women and aggression in Patty Jenkins’ film Monster. I will argue that, while the female characters in Monster do not escape the conventional portrayal of women within the dominant Hollywood cinema, their portrayal does nonetheless create a ‘non-normative’ representation. By exploiting the classical narrative and a particular model of representation of women, Jenkins creates a cinematic text which attacks the patriarchal principles grounding the model. Therefore, the main argument of this thesis will be that Jenkins uses the Hollywood system of narration and representation of women in order to subvert and criticize it. Ultimately she is using the film as means to critique the patriarchal violence within American society itself. In order to substantiate my argument, I will first look at the conventional representation of women in fiction-film genre1, and will then investigate how the performance of aggression is constructed within the film. The film represents aggression as a social phenomenon that develops into a pathological behavior. By establishing the history of the general phenomenon of female aggression, I will examine its specific representation in my film case study Monster. Although the film introduces different female characters that each have their particular expression of aggression and representation, the primary focus of analysis will be Lee, the main character of the film.

This thesis sets out to explore the processes of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) of female ex-combatants in Sierra Leone within the context of post-conflict peace building. International and local stakeholders including the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), the National Commission for Disarmament, Demobilisation Reintegration (NCDDR) and World Bank were responsible for DDR. The DDR of female adult combatants and girl soldiers was essential as part of the broader strategies to prevent the reoccurrence of violence and creating conditions for sustainable peace and development. It was aimed at transforming female ex-combatants into a civilian status congruent with peace after eleven years of horrific civil war in Sierra Leone that involved rebel forces, principally the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), and the government‘s Civil Defence Forces (CDF). The DDR process has been criticized in that female ex-combatants were often invisible and their needs disregarded. This study investigates the role of women in post-conflict peace building efforts, specifically DDR in Sierra Leone. Its nub is to critically assess the design, implementation and impact of the DDR of female ex-combatants. It focuses particularly on how female combatants are affected by current gender, security and international relations discourses. It assesses the progress made by the relevant international and local institutions in implementing international policies and guidelines on the DDR of female ex-combatants, in Sierra Leone; draws wider conclusions about achievements made and suggests lessons that may be applicable widely.

For as long as internationalization has been a research topic, the risks surrounding it has been discussed. Several theories have emerged concerning how to go about international business, which entry modes and strategies to use as well as which markets to enter and at which pace - everything in order to reduce the risks of business failure. The lack of institutional and economic stability in emerging markets has evolved into warning signs for foreign firms as they are hesitant to enter these markets due to higher risks and furthermore, there are assumptions regarding low entrepreneurial skills in these markets, much due to the stability-barrier. In this regard, Thailand presents an interesting case, especially when aiming to look into females as entrepreneurs. The country presents a large number of females involved in business activities that show no sign of being hindered by the stability factor.  These interesting aspects paved the way for this thesis’ purpose “to examine and understand how Thailand's female entrepreneurs engage in international business activities.” Through examining the internationalization process from an aspect of both personal traits and network connections, findings have been presented regarding how the Thai female entrepreneur uses these components to initiate international business activities for her small- and medium-sized enterprise. These findings have enriched the understanding of how females approach and experience an internationalization process. To ensure a broader comprehension of the subject, this research has followed a qualitative research method combined with an abductive approach which this thesis has benefitted from as there is a lack of research on the subject. The theoretical framework starts with presenting the phenomena entrepreneurship, and then more in-depth explains concepts of female- and international entrepreneurship, introducing concepts like internationalization and psychic distance. Finally, the theoretical framework is concluded with a conceptual framework model explaining how all concepts are connected. Before presenting the empirical findings of the research, the methodology chapter explains how the researchers went about this study, how all the data was collected and under which circumstances. In order to tie the empirical findings with the theoretical framework, an analysis was made which presents this thesis’ findings in a theoretical manner before everything is tied together in a conclusion. The findings conclude that there is a significant bond between personal traits, networks, and firm internationalization and furthermore, this thesis suggests that Thai female entrepreneurs are fearless and therefore, encounter few of the barriers that other female entrepreneurs do. Finally, this thesis is concluded with theoretical and practical implications as well as suggestions for future research within the area.  “It is obvious that they are notafraid of what this might do.”

A utilização de uréia na alimentação de fêmeas bovinas pode prejudicar o desempenho reprodutivo destes animais, provavelmente decorrente do aumento do teor de nitrogênio uréico plasmático (NUP). O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar se alimentação com uréia por curto prazo oferecida a novilhas, e conseqüente aumento de NUP, exerce influência sobre a quantidade, qualidade e competência dos complexos cumulus-oócito (CCO). O experimento teve duração de 62 dias, dividido em oito semanas e dois períodos. Foram utilizadas 40 novilhas mestiças mantidas a pasto, alocadas a dois tratamentos, utilizando-se delineamento \"cross-over\": dieta sem uréia (SU): 5 kg (matéria original) de silagem de milho e 1 kg de concentrado/animal/dia ou dieta com uréia (U): 5 kg de silagem de milho e 1 kg de concentrado contendo 75 g de uréia/animal/dia. Os animais selecionados a cada semana receberam as dietas por seis dias, uma única vez ao dia. No sexto dia de oferecimento das dietas, foram realizadas aspiração folicular (OPU) e colheita de sangue, em jejum e 3 horas após a alimentação. Imediatamente após a OPU, foi realizada contagem total de CCO recuperados e classificação dos mesmos em viáveis e inviáveis. Apenas os viáveis foram destinados à produção In vitro de embriões. Em relação ao teor de NUP, houve efeito de interação entre tratamento e tempo de colheita (P=0,04) e dentro de cada tempo foi observado aumento significativo (P<0,01) para os animais do tratamento U. Não foi observado efeito de tratamento em relação ao número total de CCO recuperados por animal (média ± EPM: SU=9,15 ± 0,82 vs. U=8,82 ± 0,95), nem sobre a porcentagem de CCO viáveis sobre total de CCO recuperados por animal (SU=73,61% ± 2,47 vs. U=70,26% ± 2,31). A taxa de clivagem obtida no dia 3 após a inseminação In vitro (IIV) e as taxas de blastocisto nos dias 6, 7 e 9 após a IIV, não foram influenciadas pelo tratamento. Porém, no 11º pós IIV, houve diminuição (P=0,04) da taxa de blastocistos eclodidos para o tratamento U (SU=82,50% ± 0,05 vs. U=64,33% ± 0,07). Apesar do aumento do teor de NUP observado nas novilhas do tratamento U, a quantidade, qualidade e competência dos CCO durante as primeiras clivagens até atingirem o estádio de blastocisto In vitro não foram influenciadas pelo oferecimento de 75 g de uréia na dieta, durante seis dias. Porém, foi observada redução da taxa de eclosão dos blastocistos das novilhas do tratamento U. / Urea feeding offered to bovine dams may damage their reproductive performance, probably due to an increase in levels of plasmatic urea nitrogen (PUN). The aim of this study was evaluate if short-term urea feeding of heifers, following high PUN levels, would have an influence on the quantity, quality and competence of cumulus-oocyte complexes (COC). Trial lasted 62 days, divided into eight weeks and two periods. Forty crossbred grazing heifers were allocated to one of two treatments, using a cross-over design: diet without urea (WU): 5 kg (as fed) of corn silage and 1 kg of concentrated/animal/day, or diet with urea (U): 5 kg of corn silage and 1 kg of concentrated with 75 g of urea/animal/day. Heifers selected in each week received these diets once a day, for six days. On the sixth day of diets? offer, ovum pick-up (OPU) and blood sampling at fasting and 3 hours after feeding were carried out. Immediately after OPU, total COC recovered was counted and classified as either viable or unviable. Only viable were destined to In vitro embryo production. In relation to PUN level, there was a significant interaction between treatment and sampling time (P=0.04) and a significant (P<0.01) increase in animals undergoing U treatment for each of the test times. No significant effect was observed relative to either the total number of recovered COC per animal (mean ± SEM: WU=9.15 ± 0.82 vs. U=8.82 ± 0.95), or the viable COC as a percentage of total recovered COC per animal (WU=73.61% ± 2.47 vs. U=70.26% ± 2.31). Cleavage ratio assessed on day 3 post In vitro insemination (IVI) and blastocyst ratio on days 6, 7 and 9 post IVI were not influenced by treatments. However, there was a significant treatment effect (P=0.04) in relation to hatched blastocysts on day 11 after IVI (WU=83% ± 0.05 vs. U=64% ± 0.07). Even though higher PUN levels were observed in animals from treatment U, quantity, quality and competence of the COC during first cleavages until reaching the blastocyst stage In vitro were not influenced by adding 75 g of urea on the diet offered to heifers, during six days. Neverthless, a decline in hatched blastocysts rate was observed in heifers of treatment U.

Num momento em que os livros sobre as sociedades árabe-islâmicas colocam mulheres com burquc e véus em suas capas, impõe-se buscar elementos que amparem a discussão sobre sexualidade e misoginia. Este trabalho pretende discutir de que forma as fontes sexuais e eróticas da sociedade árabe-islâmica clássica, nos séculos XII e XIII, relacionam-se e respondem à religião, e como pensam o feminino. Após sistematização das prescrições corânicas quanto à sexualidade e à mulher, dois textos erótico-sexuais serão analisados: As Fontes do Prazer, de Al-Sayyid Hrn Ibn ©usayn Al-Maæzm provavelmente escrito no século XII d.C./VI H. , e As Delícias dos Corações com o que não se encontra em livro algum, de A¬mad Al-Tf, elaborado no século XIII d.C./VII H. Por ser a medicina um lugar de diálogo para estas obras, as indicações médicas sobre o corpo serão questionadas a partir da obra (Al-Qnn f Al-Æibb), O Cânone de Medicina, de Ibn Sn / At a time when the books about the Arab-Islamic societies show women with burquc and veils in their covers, it is necessary to seek for subsidies that sustain the discussion about sexuality and misogyny. This paper will discuss how the sexual and erotic sources of the classic Arab-Islamic society (XII and XIII centuries) think about the religion and the feminine. After a systematising of the premisses of the Koran about the sexuality and about the woman, two erotic-sexuals texts will be analyzed, As Fontes do Prazer, from Al-Sayyid Hrn Ibn ©usayn Al-Maæzmi - probably written in the XII century AD/VI H. -, and Les Delices des coeurs, Ce que lon ne trouve en aucun livre, from A¬mad al-Tf - produced in the XIII century AD/VII H. Being the medicine a place of dialogue for these works, the medicals indications about the body will be questioned from the work (Al-Qnn f Al-Æibb), The Canon of Medicine of Ibn Sina

Mulher, poetisa, guerrilheira sem armas, mas com alma feminina, a qual Moshe Dayan, ex-ministro da guerra israelense, disse, referindo a ousadia e a coragem da poetisa no uso das expressões nos seus poemas: \"cada um dos poemas de Fadwa Tuqan faz dez guerrilheiros\". Fadwa Abdel Fattah Agha Tuqan, uma grande poetisa palestina que se destacou e deixou sua marca por diversas gerações através da literatura, das palavras expressas, antecipando por décadas a liberdade de expressão. Tinha coragem e ousadia numa época na qual a tradição era a lei de maior autoridade, na qual o homem era o único dono da verdade e o único digno de liberdade, onde era proibida a pronúncia da palavra amor pelo gênero feminino. A rígida sociedade árabe tem negado a muitas das poetisas e dos poetas árabes revelar suas ricas experiências emocionais, incluindo Fadwa que teve muitas experiências de amor humano, riquíssimas de intensidade, tornou-se a dama da poesia árabe moderna e encantou-nos com as suas melodias poéticas recheadas com muita sensibilidade e fortes expressões. Para Fadwa, o amor representa o vigor máximo da força feminina, e através dele a mulher exerce tudo o que lhe foi negado, tudo sob o nome do amor, por isso o amor é uma tábua de salvação. Casou-se com a poesia, e deu à luz centenas dos seus belos poemas, que foram lançados no livre espaço árabe, mesmo prisioneira de tradição, e da arbitrariedade das relações sociais e familiares do sistema rígido, que não lhe permitiu revelar, em sua autobiografia, quem eram seus amores secretos no mundo árabe, o que a obrigou a ocultá-los totalmente em sua autobiografia. Demonstrou em seus poemas e poesias as tragédias, privações, mortes, separações, raiva e a reprimida revolução silenciosa. Fadwa Tuqan é uma das poucas poetisas árabes que estabeleceu uma ligação entre a poesia antiga com o Movimento de Inovação e Modernidade, saindo dos métodos clássicos da poesia Árabe Antiga, de maneira simples e não artificial, adquirindo pontos importantes em sua força interior, conservando o ritmo musical antigo e o ritmo interno moderno, formulando sua poesia musical. Suas poesias caracterizam-se pela força do vocabulário e pela excelente combinação e forte tendência para a narrativa e para as questões existenciais, baseadas em argumentos prontos, fazendo dos seus poemas diálogos com as idéias, ao invés de uma demonstração dos sentimentos. / Woman poet, guerrilla unarmed, but with the feminine soul, which Moshe Dayan, ex- Israeli minister of war, said of the daring and courage of the poet in use of words in her poems: \"every poem of poems by Fadwa Tuqan makes ten guerrillas\". Fadwa Abdel Fattah Agha Tuqan, a great Palestinian poet who stood out and left her mark on several generations through literature, the words uttered, anticipating by decades the freedom of expression. She had courage and boldness at a time when tradition was the law of higher authority, in which man was the master of truth and worthy of freedom, where it was forbidden to pronounce the word \"love\" for women. The Arab rigid society has denied many of the Arab poets and poetesses of revealing the rich emotional experiences, including Fadwa had many experiences of human love, very rich intensity. Became the queen of modern Arabic poetry and delighted us with his poetic melodies filled with great sensitivity and strong expressions. For Fadwa, love is the maximum force strength of women, and through it the woman does all she has been denied, all under the name of love, so love is a siege of save. Se married poetry and gave birth to hundreds of his beautiful poems, which were launched in the free Arabic space, even those who wrote these poems, being a prisoner of tradition, and the arbitrariness of social and family relationships of the system drive, did not allow her in diseases in her autobiography who his secret loves in the Arab world, which forced to hide them completely in her autobiography. Shown in her poems and poetry tragedies, hardships, deaths, separations, anger and repressed silent revolution. Fadwa Tuqan is one of the few Arab poets who established a link between the ancient poetry with the Movement for Innovation and Modernity, leaving traditional methods of ancient Arabic poetry, simply and not artificial, gaining important points in your inner strength, keeping the musical rhythm and pace antic domestic modern musical formulating her poetry. His poems are characterized by the strength of your vocabulary and excellent combination and a strong tendency for narrative and existential questions based on arguments ready, making the dialogues of her poems with the ideas, rather than a statement of feelings.

This study focuses on female entrepreneurship in Afghanistan as a relatively new phenomenon in the country. It captures women entrepreneurs’ lived experiences and investigates their motivations, the factors affecting their businesses, the challenges they face, and their survival strategies. It also explores entrepreneurship's impacts on women’s lives, particularly affecting their ascribed gender roles and contributions to social transformation. The findings of this research, based on qualitative interviews with 19 female entrepreneurs in Afghanistan, suggest that female entrepreneurship could be an effective way of involving women in social and economic development. This thesis also contributes to women’s empowerment and increases job opportunities for other women. It also has the potential to address women’s previously unmet needs. I argue that in conservative societies, entrepreneurship brings about social change by normalizing women’s presence in the public sphere, particularly in business, and therefore it should be supported and promoted.