Background: Female entrepreneurship has a crucial positive influence on the economy and social advances. Yet, women are still underrepresented in entrepreneurship and are often made to fit a male-centric western entrepreneurship stereotype. Further, many studies on entrepreneurship focus on one context and there is a lack of cross-cultural studies on influential factors and how female entrepreneurs can manage them. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to add to the literature about female entrepreneurship and its influential factors and related management aspects. We utilise a feminist theory lens, which suggests women should be viewed on their own to add female perspectives to literature and broaden the understanding of entrepreneurship. We further follow a cross-cultural comparison between Germany and South Africa as developed and developing contexts, which provides richer and newer insights into the variety of influential factors. Method: Methodologically, this study is based on qualitative interviews and an exploratory research design. In an abductive grounded theory approach, we have interviewed five German female entrepreneurs and five South African female entrepreneurs. In semi-structured interviews, we could gain significant insights from female entrepreneurs about their journey. We further utilised a comparative analysis to sufficiently view the similarities and differences between the two contexts. Conclusion: Through this study, we were able to compare findings from previous studies and further identified new areas that have not been previously studied. We realised that many internal factors are crucial for female entrepreneurship, and we identified five major categories of influential and managing factors.

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In this dissertation, I analyze the 20th century text, A Room of One's Own, by Virginia Woolf (2005), and I engage with Woolf's concept of a woman's need for a room of her own in which she can be free to think for herself, study, write, or pursue other interests away from the oppression of patriarchal societal expectations and demands. Through library-based research, I identify four screens in Woolf's work through which she viewed and critiqued culture, and I use these screens to reconceptualize "a room of one's own" in 21st Century terms. I determine that the new "room" is intimately and intricately technological and textual and it is reformulated in the digital spaces of blogs, social media, and Web sites. Further, I introduce the new concept of the technologized politically embodied cyborg, or TPEC, and examine the ways 21st Century TPECs are shaping U.S. culture in progressive ways.

The purpose of this study was to contribute to women’s healthy aging across the adult lifespan by empirically examining potential protective factors (e.g., empowerment and feminist attitudes) in maintaining positive body image, healthy eating behavior, and aging satisfaction. Objectification Theory (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997) provided a theoretical framework for understanding the connections between sexual-objectification experiences, media influences, and self-objectification, and the resulting negative psychological consequences for women in Western society. This study was the first to examine empowerment in relation to Objectification Theory. Additionally, a developmental perspective was gained by using a diverse sample of young, middle-aged, and older women in the investigation of the impact of self-objectification on aging satisfaction. Results indicated that women of all ages were just as likely to report either body image satisfaction or body image dissatisfaction after accounting for BMI. However, younger women were more likely than older women to view their bodies as objects. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was performed utilizing Objectification Theory as a framework for predicting body image, eating behaviors, and aging satisfaction. Empowerment and feminist attitudes were not protective factors in promoting healthy eating behavior and positive thoughts related to body image and aging. The final structural model did, however, provide support for Objectification Theory and its proposed relationships between sexual-objectification experiences and the development of self-objectification and the negative consequences of self-objectification on a variety of health-related constructs. Long-term implications include incorporating this knowledge into empirically supported prevention and intervention programs aimed at reducing body image and eating disturbance and promoting healthy aging across the adult lifespan.

National and international research on governmental privatization efforts reflects myriad successes and failures. However, little is known about the effectiveness of family safety privatization efforts in the state of Florida. In Brevard County, Florida, family safety privatization efforts have been underway for several years now, and while evaluations are taking place, they do not reflect one key piece of information—the perceptions of family safety workers. A snowball sample was obtained from former and current child safety workers and open- and closed-ended questions were administered with a total of 15 former and current family safety workers who work or worked for several different public and private family safety agencies within Brevard County, Florida. Information was obtained regarding perceptions of privatization to adequately and more efficiently do the work of public entities. The results show two primary areas of interest. The model of care which has been instituted post-privatization (CARES) has been perceived as more effective than the former state model; the strongest problematic themes that developed concerned power, control, and the perception of unfairness. These themes are explored using a backwards mapping approach and recommendations for continued growth and cohesion are explored.

This research paper examines how an empowerment perspective can provide insight into women’s citizenship in the context of menstrual seclusion. Within the field of development, the goal of many civil society actors is to empower women through their intervention efforts. This objective frequently makes empowerment seem like a straightforward process. However, there are numerous factors to consider when investigating women’s status in the complex environment of menstrual seclusion in Nepal. By incorporating evidence from 17 semi-structured interviews, four documents, and one focus group discussion with intervention actors and women practising menstrual seclusion, this study demonstrates how women can become empowered in this setting. The material is evaluated through a thematic analysis within the empowerment framework and contextualised through feminist theory. The findings indicate that actors solely focus on certain components of empowerment although holistic and context-driven efforts are needed. This research paper concludes that in order to generate development outcomes, empowerment efforts need to target all aspects of women’s participation to have a larger effect on their active citizenship in this setting.

It is vital that feminist theory and critical white studies be combined in order to form what I call critical white feminism. Both critical white studies and feminist studies are often limited in their ability to adequately address the complex interconnectivity of racial and gender privilege and oppression. In general, feminist scholarship produced by white feminists excludes and oppresses women of color and is therefore inadequate. I refer to this problem as white feminist racism and argue that white feminists are ignorant of the ways in which whiteness and privilege facilitate problematic theorizing. Unlike white feminist theories, the emerging field of critical white studies provides a foundation for exploring whiteness in a racist society. However, critical white theories often examine racism and whiteness without attention to gender, and are therefore inadequate, as well. Consequently, another approach is necessary for the development of liberatory theories that sufficiently conceptualize social change. As a solution to the limitations of both feminist studies and critical white studies, I propose critical white feminism, which encourages white feminists to interrogate whiteness and privilege. The purpose of critical white feminism is to a) conceptualize an inclusive and transformative antiracist feminist framework and agenda, b) challenge white feminist racism and white feminist hegemony, c) encourage open and honest communication between feminists across differences, and d) facilitate feminist solidarity and mobilization.

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