ERIC Number: EJ1010921
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0954-0253
EISSN: N/A
Perceived Advantages and Disadvantages of Being a Female Graduate Student in the US and the UK
Mehta, Clare Marie; Keener, Emily; Shrier, Lydia
Gender and Education, v25 n1 p37-55 2013
We build on Diana Leonard's work on gender and graduate education by qualitatively investigating the perceived advantages and disadvantages of being a female graduate student in the USA and the UK. We interviewed six female students (ages 22-30) pursuing master's degrees in psychology or social sciences in the USA and the UK. Students from both countries reported the advantages and disadvantages of being a woman in their graduate programmes. Advantages included being the majority in their fields and receiving more lenient treatment from faculty. Disadvantages included being viewed in terms of stereotypical gender roles and receiving unwanted sexual attention. Participants also discussed strategies for managing their gender as they pursued their graduate education. We consider these findings in light of Leonard's work on gender and graduate education and from an ambivalent sexism framework. (Contains 4 notes.)
Descriptors: Females, Gender Differences, Foreign Countries, Masters Degrees, Interviews, Student Attitudes, Psychology, Social Sciences, Sex Stereotypes, Sex Role, Disadvantaged, Advantaged, Sexuality, Graduate Students
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom; United States
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A