Search Results (8)

This study documents the unique personal and professional experiences that Latina leaders bring to the role of community college president. Guided by a Chicana Feminist conceptual framework, we examined the tools, strategies, and assets that Latina presidents possess to persist as higher education leaders within a white patriarchal dominant culture. As a research collective, we conducted platicas as a Chicana Feminist methodology with five Latina community college presidents in California. Each platica lasted between 60 and 90 min. Findings exemplified four sources of cultural intuition that Latina community college presidents drew from to redefine higher education leadership and drive student equity on campus: (1) personal experiences with marginality in educational spaces, (2) accumulated professional knowledge, (3) scholarly training in graduate school, and (4) the process of leading itself. The study found that Latina presidents possessed important knowledge and distinct perspectives based on their experiences as Women of Color, children of immigrants, and former community college students to guide their leadership approaches in equity driven ways. Full article

Women remain underrepresented in STEM fields, with a major STEM pipeline leakage occurring between high school and post-secondary education. Past research suggests that providing female high school students with opportunities for problem-solving, prosocial behaviors and working towards authentic communal goals can improve their perceptions of STEM and the attractiveness of STEM careers. Building on this prior research, we investigate Scientella, a US-based, student-run organization that provides out-of-school consulting projects, mentorships and webinars to female high school students. Drawing on the direct experiences of Scientella’s co-founders and analyzing program survey data, we explore how Scientella provides these opportunities, the benefits realized by students, and the challenges faced by the organization. Survey data show that involvement in Scientella’s activities provides students with benefits related to STEM career exploration and counter-stereotypical STEM skill development, including career discovery, industry engagement and practical experience, and the development of collaboration, communication and social research skills. The admissions of Scientella student leaders to STEM majors in selective US colleges indicates the promise of Scientella’s approach, and that providing students with opportunities to engage in STEM-themed career exploration and leadership development could be an effective strategy to increase female STEM participation in post-secondary education and the pursuit of subsequent career opportunities. Full article

This article examines students’ experiences at Southern Baptist colleges that educated women during the Progressive era (1880–1920). Denominational leaders and school faculty attempted to recreate Christian home life on college campuses by tightly restricting students’ freedoms and behavior. This article examines female college students’ publications to better understand their views on family and home life on the college campus. Their writings indicate that students did believe that the college was like a family. However, students reinterpreted the meaning of home life and family on the college campus by reimagining the use of residential space, developing alternative hierarchical and intimate relationships on campus, and exercising more autonomy over their religious rituals. Full article

Although there are multiple efforts to increase gender equality in the forest sector, women are still underrepresented in the forest sector workforce, even more so in top leadership of forest sector companies. This underrepresentation is also found in higher education, and many forestry undergraduate programs still struggle to matriculate and graduate women. A way to attract and retain women is through mentoring and networking. Utilizing interviews, we found that it is quite challenging to find a woman mentor/role model in the forest sector because women are still underrepresented. To find a good mentor, young women are encouraged to be proactive in utilizing different channels, both formal and informal. When it comes to gender, our respondents emphasize the different benefits of having a woman vs. man as a mentor. In a men-dominated field such as the forest sector, women mentors enhance social belonging, confidence, and motivation in relatively alienating environments due to “been there-done that” experiences. Same-gender role models might also protect women from negative stereotypes and show how women can advance despite existing gendered barriers. Full article

There is limited literature on anti-sexual violence programming on college campuses for historically underrepresented groups in the United States, including, and especially, for Muslim students. This study will explore the following questions: (a) What is Muslim students’ awareness of sexual violence on college campuses? (b) What are Muslim students’ attitudes towards sexual violence?, and (c) What challenges do Muslim survivors and allies of sexual violence face on college campuses? A mixed methods analysis of quantitative (n = 91) and qualitative data (n = 8) was utilized to understand the impact of anti-sexual violence advocacy programming on college campuses. Results demonstrate that Muslim women reported knowing more survivors of sexual assault than Muslim men. Women also reported significantly higher levels of disagreement with victim-blaming statements compared to men. Qualitative interviews with eight student leaders demonstrated challenges to sexual assault programming on campus, include Islamophobia, power struggles between student groups, denial that sexual violence is a problem, and a lack of engagement from men. Results from this study highlight several key findings including (1) rape culture attitudes vary significantly between Muslim men and Muslim women, (2) barriers to facilitating sexual violence programming include several systems of oppression, and (3) the urgent need to provide nuanced programming to support minoritized youth communities on college campuses. Full article

Gender-based violence is a human rights and public health issue, disproportionately affecting women. The Motivating Action Through Empowerment (MATE) bystander program aims to address violence against women by shifting focus from perpetrators and victims of violence to community responsibility for not accepting attitudes and behaviors that support or allow the violence to occur. Traditionally bystander programs have been delivered through institutions, most notably college campuses in the United States. The translation of bystander programs to community settings is not widely reported. This research aimed to understand whether a violence prevention program could be effectively delivered in a faith community setting; specifically, it focuses on the implementation of MATE in a Christian church network in the Gold Coast region of Queensland, Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten church-based trainers in the MATE pilot program. Theoretically informed analysis using the COM-B behavior model identified that environmental factors had a large bearing on opportunities to deliver MATE workshops. This research identified six key lessons for MATE and other programs wishing to leverage faith communities: (1) Provide religious context; (2) Accommodate diversity; (3) Build faith leader capacity; (4) Employ social marketing; (5) Undertake co-design; (6) Actively administer, measure and monitor. Full article

Although there are continuous efforts aimed at increasing gender diversity, the forest sector is still largely perceived as a male dominated field, indicated by a persistent masculine image. As a result, women are still underrepresented. Utilizing interviews, we found that greater representation of women in the forest sector is considered as one of the best solutions to attract young women to the industry. However, it presents a ‘Catch-22’ in which the solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem. We propose to change the forest sector image by tackling gender issues such as sexual harassment, and by simultaneously focusing on the good features of the industry such as its important role in a sustainable future and solutions for the modern world. For example, the sector can show its role in mitigating climate change and in supporting a more sustainable future economy (e.g., bioeconomy and green jobs) and urban built environment. In addition, changing the forest sector image should be supported with better marketing and promotion in various platforms, both online and offline. The sector also needs to utilize social media to attract younger generations. Full article

This article presents the findings of a grounded theory study that examined the role of organizational culture and organizational fit in the leadership aspirations and experiences of 16 women working in faith-based colleges and universities in the U.S. Specifically, the researchers sought to understand what aspects of organizational culture at the home institutions of these participants influenced their employment experiences, including their considerations and decisions related to aspiring to and/or advancing into leadership. Analysis of the interview data indicated that the participants clustered into four subgroups: (1) participants who did not perceive that gender issues in the culture influenced their work or roles within the institution; (2) participants who reported that they did not perceive gender issues to be an institutional problem; however, they cited examples of problematic systems and cultures; (3) participants who identified gender inequalities at their institution, but indicated that such problems impacted them only minimally, if at all; and (4) participants who offered explicit criticism regarding the gendered dynamics evident in the culture in their institutions and in Christian higher education more broadly. Influences on leadership aspirations or experiences were identified as either being “push” (i.e., propelling the participant away from the organization and thus diminishing aspirations or willingness to move into or remain in leadership) or “pull” (i.e., drawing the participant into further engagement with the organization, thus increasing the desire to become or remain a leader in that context), with particular attention to the context of faith-based higher education. The article concludes with a brief discussion of implications for practice for individuals and postsecondary institutions. Full article