Women and Gender Studies -- Graduate Theses
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Graduate theses completed in the Master of Arts in Women and Gender Studies (offered jointly by Mount Saint Vincent University and Saint Mary’s University).
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- ItemPrying into the Cavities: An Abolition Feminist Archival Inquiry of the 2015 Dalhousie Dentistry Restorative Justice Process(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2025-04) Yao, XinyuIn 2014, the “Dalhousie Dentistry scandal” erupted with the public’s discovery of a series of misogynistic and homophobic postings within a private Facebook group featuring only male Dentistry students. In response, Dalhousie University deployed a months-long restorative justice (RJ) process involving the group members and other Dentistry students. The process elicited mixed responses within the University and the broader community. This thesis delves back into the competing discourses from an abolition feminist perspective, ten years after the incident. The goal of this critical archival inquiry is to complicate a “plausible history” (Enke, 2018) regarding the institutionalization of RJ, especially its use as a gender violence response. Using Ahmed’s (2021) method of “hearing with a feminist ear”, the thesis evaluates from documents produced by the Dalhousie University administration, Dalhousie University students, the news media, and local feminist activists. Through its examination of public, media and institutional discourses, the project seeks to understand the contradictions and tensions that emerge as practices from grassroots movements are adopted by neoliberal institutions.
- ItemLGBTQ+ Experiences of the Relationship Between Discrimination and Mental Health Care(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2023) Foran, ElaynaThis thesis is an exploratory study which examines the experiences that LGBTQ+ individuals have in receiving mental health care in Nova Scotia, uncovering the concerns of LGBTQ+ individuals within care. The recommendations made hereinafter are intended for mental health care providers in Nova Scotia that are seeking to become more cognizant of LGBTQ+-specific issues. The literature that was used explores how LGBTQ+ people are treated in a system that has a history of pathologizing members of these communities. Participants (N=17) completed an anonymous online survey in which they were asked about their experiences in mental health care in Nova Scotia. Survey respondents noted that sensitivities related to disclosure of LGBTQ+ identity, language use, and culturally competent behaviour impacted the perceived quality of care. The analysis of this data also suggests that barriers, such as socioeconomic status or ability, are relevant to the client-provider relationship as well as to the capacity to seek care, and that accounting for the intersectional nature of a client’s identity impacts quality of care, more broadly. Overall, the recommendations presented to providers include understanding their positionality, being mindful of sensitivities related to disclosure of LGBTQ+ identities as well as other aspects of language use, the value of cultural competency training, trauma-informed practices, and understanding the barriers that impact care, such as financial barriers and long wait times.
- ItemPersistence of Female Genital Mutilation in Kenya: A Case of Meru County(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2023-08) Kubai, Faith KairuthiThe goal to end FGM in Kenya by 2022 seems bleak since the practice persists in hotspot areas such as Meru County. This study discusses the persistent crisis of FGM by examining existing discursive practices using feminist content analysis on online content in three organizations that work in the county. The analysis demonstrates that despite having a clear goal to end FGM, there are internal divisions on the use of Do No Harm language, effectiveness of the anti-FGM law, structural gender inequalities fueled by patriarchy and the insider-outsider differences in the African-led movement to end the harmful practice. The divisions emanate from gendered functions of FGM relative to the economic, political, and sociocultural organization of the community that are further exacerbated by the historical positions of sexism, racism, and colonialism characterized by top-down approaches. These are noteworthy because they are key contributing factors in the inability of present approaches to stem FGM and they show that the problem necessitates a bottom-up approach where activists need engagement with what works in their community context and get support to eradicate the practice. Use of discourse analysis in this study helped to consider activists’ standpoints, and grassroots and funder community input that ultimately call for dialogue among stakeholders. The voice of activists is expressed through the content they post in the online media while the grassroots community standpoint is taken from their verbal and written content in the form of testimonies and quotes from anti-FGM campaign training feedback. The funder community as a stakeholder plays a part through the stipulations and recommendations for grantees. This study shows that more successful eradication interventions will depend on factors such as sensitivity to the insider/outsider perspective, dialogue about the FGM law with the community and a focus with more attention on the role of patriarchal power in maintaining FGM practice and on shifting structural changes through women empowerment especially economically.
- ItemEquity for Student Parents: Toward Academic Culture and Policy Change(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2022-05) Esau, ErinThis thesis discusses the experiences of undergraduate student parents with university policies and expectations; the factors that affect their experiences; and recommendations to make universities more accessible and inclusive. Data was collected from the websites of seven Nova Scotia universities and through an online asynchronous text-based focus group. The methodological and theoretical framework is based on Intersectionality-based Policy Analysis, Institutional Ethnography, and Ethic of Care. I argue that the effects of systems of oppression are a large factor in student parent experiences and that attempting to address the hardships that many student parents share without attention to structural forces and differential impacts limits the effectiveness of solutions. Recommendations include policy changes to acknowledge the diversity of students and their circumstances, more accessible social activities and events, and an expansion of childcare supports, as well as cultural changes to begin addressing unwritten rules and assumptions.
- ItemThe Pink Dumbbell Problem: A Feminist Analysis of Gender-Specific Fitness Myths(Mount Saint Vincent University, 2022-05-08) Roberts, Terri M.This thesis explores the concept of Gender-Specific Fitness Myths (GSFMs) as identified by certified fitness instructors in Nova Scotia, Canada. Thirty-one certified fitness instructors participated in a survey about whether they did, or did not, experience workplace interactions that were rooted in incorrect and gender-biased information. The information participants provided on their own age, gender, and which fitness certifications they have revealed there is no one group of fitness instructors that has had more or fewer of these experiences than any other. Qualitative analysis of their responses revealed several themes in which GSFMs could be categorized and analyzed for origin and meaning. The survey responses also indicate that fitness instructors who are aware of and able to recognize GSFMs are responding with appropriate pedagogical strategies, but that they are also seeking more resources to do this. This research concludes with a series of recommendation that could improve access to physical activity spaces for girls and women.