Aim: To describe the lived experience of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Method: Eight scientific articles of appropriate quality were found, analyzed, condensed and synthesized. Different experiences by women with PCOS were found and ordered into themes. The findings were then anchored in associated literature and discussed. Results: Four different themes were found: Feeling different; Disturbing symptoms; Searching for answers; Care treatment. Each of these themes offered areas of improvement in regard to nursing care. Conclusions: Extra attention to the psychosocial aspects of health for women with PCOS should be taken to improve nursing care. The exchange of information between nursing staff and patients needs to be better adapted to the individual informational needs of women with PCOS.

How do the experiences of women in the labor market differ from the experiences of men? Do economic crises affect their labor market decisions differently? Economists have investigated the responses of women to specific moments of crisis in Argentina – the country lends itself well to this analysis, as the last three decades of its history have seen both economic growth and financial collapse. With the crisis literature in mind, I investigate trends in female labor force participation rates in Argentina between 1980-2003, finding that while some evidence supports the “added worker effect” hypothesis, more research must be done to understand the relationships between female labor force participation and male and female unemployment.

The purpose of this qualitative study is to address the problem of the silencing of adolescent girls and young women by exploring their spiritual experiences and knowledge of their inner selves. Five participants between the ages of 18 and 25 were interviewed 3 times over several weeks about their spiritual experiences, artefacts of spiritual significance, and beliefs about their inner selves. The findings of this study reveal that young women are deeply interested in nurturing their spirituality, which they are not finding in religion, and they are looking elsewhere for a spirituality that embraces a feminine ethic of care and responsibility.

Women of color, specifically African American women, within science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) are significantly underrepresented in workplace organizations. However, the majority of the research addressing STEM issues is centered on increasing the pipeline, recruitment, and retention of underrepresented groups in the K-12 and collegiate domain. There is little, if any, literature focused on the career development of African American female engineers holistically. This is a critical missing link in the research which would support efforts to increase diversity in STEM. The purpose of this study was to provide this missing link by examining the career experiences of African American female engineers and exploring their challenges and support systems during their career development. This qualitative study was guided by the basic interpretive inquiry utilizing a life history approach. There were nine African American female participants in the study who currently work in an engineering field within an engineering industry. Data were obtained using in-depth interviewing where the participants were digitally recorded and the files were transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis.

The purpose of this study is to stress what experiences men working in the earlier school years share about being a minority group and what thoughts they have about why other men tend to avoid this profession. In this survey I have interviewed four male teachers in the earlier school years. In previous research it is claimed that men choose not to get a teacher training for the earlier school years partly because this profession is known to be dominated by women where it is difficult for men to feel at home. It is also claimed that teachers in training choose the later school years in order to focus more on teaching than looking after the children. None of the interviewed men sees it as a problem being a minority group, neither during training nor in teaching. What the men in this survey state as the main reasons for why other men do not choose to become teachers are the low levels of status and salary. They also believe that the schools need more men but most of all qualified teachers who have chosen this profession because they take an interest in it.

This thesis applies the radical feminist perspective set out by MacKinnon (1993) and Dworkin (1995), to analyze the construction of female sexuality within popular Canadian men’s pornographic magazines and non-pornographic magazines. A mixed methods approach was used to analyze the images and text within the feature articles of the selected magazines. Results revealed that women continue to be constructed as sexual objects within both categories of magazines, but the earlier link identified by MacKinnon and Dworkin between violence and sexuality was on longer apparent. Instead, women were a sexual puzzle that the magazines attempted to unpack. Rather than a strict dichotomy between pornographic and non-pornographic magazines, a continuum of grey emerged whereby the level of explicitness between the two magazines increased as the continuum progressed from left to right, thereby demonstrating the pornographication of mainstream media, as per McNair (2002).

Background: Past studies suggest that inadequate energy intake (EI) is directly related to menstrual dysfunction (MD) in active females. Inadequate EI causes activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, disrupting the normal hormonal signaling of reproductive cycling and resulting in MD. However, studies have also demonstrated similar EI in athletes, but with different menstrual function. Traditionally, energy balance has been evaluated in 24-hour time periods. Recent research suggests there is benefit to analyzing energy balance at smaller intervals to better address physiologic response in real time. It is possible that women who meet their daily EI needs could still, therefore, experience MD if the majority of the day is spent in energy deficit. Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine whether within-day energy balance is a factor in menstrual status in active adult females. Methods: Twenty active females tracked hourly EI and energy expenditure over three days. A two-page survey was utilized to obtain information on training, health, and menstrual status. Participants were also asked to respond to several questions regarding eating habits and attitude towards food. Within-day energy balance was calculated and evaluated using NutriTimingTM software. Collected energy balance data were analyzed for associations with menstrual status. Results: Participants spent more hours in a catabolic state (energy balance less than zero) than in an anabolic state (20.5 hrs vs 3.5 hrs) and averaged a caloric deficit of -504 kcal over 24-hours. Nine subjects (45%) had experienced loss of menses for greater than 3 months (LoM>3mos), indicative of amenorrhea. Hours spent in energy surplus >400 kcal was inversely correlated with LoM>3mos (r = -0.463; P = 0.04). The impact of number of miles run per week and menstrual dysfunction, based on a quartile stratification of miles run, were analyzed using an ANOVA with Tamhane non-parametric post hoc test. Significant differences were found between the upper two quartiles of distance run per week and LoM>3mos (P = 0.048). There was no relationship between end-of-day energy balance and Lom>3mos. Conclusion: Researchers and healthcare professionals would do well to examine energy balance in an hour-by-hour manner as it is has implications for MD. This would help to clarify whether within-day energy balance is a factor in MD, and allow for the development of appropriate intervention strategies to improve health and athletic outcomes for active women.

The purpose of this study was to explore how Black men and women negotiate ideas about masculine performances within the context of romantic relationships. The New York Times Bestselling book Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man, which communicates a particularly patriarchal understanding of masculinity, was used as a point of reference. Six focus groups were conducted with 28 Black males and females between the ages of 19-60. Three general conclusions about masculine performances within Black male/female relationships were drawn from the findings.

Kvinnliga chefer sitter i en minoritetsställning eftersom det fortfarande är mest män som är chefer (Bohlin, 2006). Könsfördelningen i byggbranschen är 4 % för kvinnor och 96 % för män (SCB, 2010). Det finns starka skäl att tro att kvinnor inte har en plats i byggbranschen eftersom kvinnorna är ett andrahandsval. När det är högkonjunktur och brist på arbetskraft rekryteras kvinnor men annars anses byggyrkena för tunga, trots att fysisk styrka inte krävs inom vissa befattningar. Dessutom finns en manlig jargong som hindrar kvinnorna att komma in i branschen (Olofsson, 2000). Gary Yukl (2002) har identifierat och delat upp ledarskap i olika förhållningssätt, ett av dessa är egenskapsperspektivet som säger att en del människor är naturliga ledare och har särskilda egenskaper. Detta med fokus på ledarens personliga egenskaper. Litteraturen diskuterar kvinnliga ledarstilar men det finns inga studier som visar om män och kvinnor använder sina egenskaper på olika sätt trots deras olika socialisering (Isaac, Behar-Horenstein, Koro-Ljungberg, 2009). Eftersom det inte finns några studier om kvinnor och män använder sina egenskaper på olika sätt vill vi utreda vilka dessa är och hur de skiljer sig åt i ledarskapet. Trots alla hinder finns det kvinnor som lyckats och har ledarpositioner inom byggbranschen. Vi vill ta reda på vilka egenskaper dessa kvinnor har som ledare i en väldigt mansdominerad bransch. Vår frågeformulering för uppsatsen är: Vilka egenskaper präglas en kvinnas ledarskap i byggbransch av? Syftet med vår studie är att se hur kvinnliga ledare uppfattar kvinnligt ledarskap och deras egenskaper inom en mansdominerad bransch som byggbranschen. För att uppfylla vårt syfte har vi använt oss av en kvalitativ metod med deduktiv ansats. Fyra olika respondenter i byggbranschen har intervjuats där alla fyra var kvinnor i ledande positioner. Intervjufrågor som vi ställde var formulerade utefter vår teoretiska referensram. Det vi har kommit fram till genom vår studie är att det finns egenskaper som präglar en kvinnas ledarskap inom byggbranschen. Vi har även kommit fram till att det finns en del hinder och därför är det viktigt att vara anpassningsbar. Vårt bidrag med denna studie är att visa vilka egenskaper som kvinnor har, samt att vi vill visa att kvinnor har en plats som ledare i byggbranschen.

Hysterektomi är ett av de vanligaste kirurgiska ingreppen kvinnor genomgår och det är vanligt att kvinnans sexualitet påverkas. Sexualiteten är svårdefinierad och inrymmer mer än bara sexuella handlingar, det är en del av att vara mänsklig. Hur kvinnor uttrycker sin sexualitet beror på många olika faktorer så som ålder, samhällsklass och/eller kulturella aspekter. Vårt syfte är att beskriva kvinnors sexualitet efter hysterektomi. En litteraturöversikt baserad på 14 vetenskapliga artiklar där resultaten behandlade hur en hysterektomi påverkade kvinnors sexualitet. Artiklarna var publicerade i olika världsdelar och alla kvinnor i studierna var i vuxen ålder och de hade genomgått ingreppet på grund av benigna anledningar. Den teoretiska referensram som har använts är Joyce Travelbee’s teori om mellanmänskliga relationer. Psykosexuella faktorer som påverkades var bland annat lubrikation, orgasm, sexuell åtrå samt smärta. Hur ingreppet påverkade sexualiteten hos kvinnan skiljer sig mellan individerna och det går inte att säga vilken faktor som drabbas mest. Dessutom så finns det psykologiska och sociala faktorer som har betydelse för kvinnans sexualitet. Hur hysterektomin påverkar kvinnors sexualitet är varierande och individuellt. Vad som inte tas hänsyn till i resultatet är hur kvinnans naturliga åldrande påverkar sexualiteten. Information och utbildning är en viktig del av sjuksköterskans omvårdnad när det kommer till kvinnans sexualitet. Partnern till kvinnan kan ha en avgörande stödjande roll och även de är i stort behov av kunskap. Det finns fortfarande stora brister inom omvårdnaden kring sexualitet och det är vanligt att sjuksköterskor använder tidsbrist som ett argument till varför sexualitet inte kommer på tal. / Hysterectomy is one of the most common surgical procedures women undergo and it is common that the woman’s sexuality is affected. Sexuality is difficult to define and includes more than just the sexual act; it is a part of being human. How women express their sexuality depends on many different factors such as age, social and/or cultural aspects. Our aim is to describe women’s sexuality after hysterectomy A literature review based on 14 scientific articles whose results showing how a hysterectomy affects women's sexuality. The articles were published in different continents and all the women in the studies were adult women who had undergone hysterectomy due to benign causes. The theoretical framework used is Joyce Travelbee´s theory of interpersonal relations. Psychosexual factors that were affected were for instance lubrication, orgasm, sexual desire and pain. How the procedure affected the women’s sexuality differed is individual and it is difficult to say which factor who is most affected by the procedure. Furthermore, social and psychological factors contribute to women's experience of her sexuality. How hysterectomy affects women's sexuality is varying and individual. Women’s natural ageing which affects women’s sexuality is something that is not taken in consideration. Information and education which is included in the task of nursing is according to the women in the study important for them. In addition, women’s partners have an important role in supporting the woman but they are in need of information and knowledge. There are major shortcomings within nursing regarding sexuality and it is common that nurses blame lack of time as a factor why sexuality is not spoken about.