The purpose of this study is to examine gender preferences that students may have in hypothetical professor selection by either profile picture or catalog listing. First, we showed picture profiles of male and female professors (while controlling for attractiveness and age) to student participants and asked them to select one or the other. Second,…

Due to the Title IX law, administrators at institutions of higher education (IHE) in the United States must promptly investigate reports of sexual assault. In addition, the Clery Act requires IHEs to publicly disclose annual sexual assault statistics. However, it is unknown whether--or how--sexual assault disclosure differs by type of IHE. This…

Using the framework of feminist standpoint theory, this study explored the everyday work of undergraduate STEM students to identify STEM institutional cultural norms and standards that organize and inform the organization of everyday work for undergraduate women majoring in math and physics. Data collection and analysis focused on how the…

A qualitative case study with 18 non-traditional age undergraduate Women of Color yielded rich data about strategies they employed to cope with racial microaggressions on a predominantly White campus. Women first decided if, and how, to "pick their battles" based on how much time and emotional energy they had left after fulfilling…

This narrative inquiry study uses personal experiences as a method of ethnographic research among Black women student leaders. The collegiate life stories of six African American women undergraduates experiencing gendernoir racial battle fatigue are described and analyzed. Combined are participant journaling, lived experiential interviews, and…

The purpose of this critical qualitative inquiry was to explore what motivated undergraduate Black womyn (UBW) to engage in "Sister Circle"-type student organizations--or groups that center race and gender. Using a critical race feminist theoretical lens, data were collected through a combination of one-on-one interviews and focus…

Because little work exists on the sense of belonging focusing on just Black undergraduate women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), especially at highly selective predominantly white institutions (PWIs), this study takes a phenomenological approach to understand the lived experiences of Black undergraduate women in STEM by…

This article reports on a phenomenographic study of Black women undergraduates who were resident assistants in a predominantly White institution (PWI) of higher education. Critical race feminism, namely intersectionality, was used to explore how they navigated the responsibilities of their position and social identities. Findings are that…

This article offers an intersectional critical race feminist analysis of student silence in a diverse university classroom. Findings from a case study with six Women of Color and four White women revealed students remained silent because they felt their complicated intersectional realities did not fit with the acceptable classroom…

Despite the growing research that outlines the experiences of Blacks and women undergraduates in engineering, little is known about Black women in this field. The purpose of this qualitative study was to uncover how eight Black undergraduate women in engineering understood their race and gender identities in a culture that can be oppressive to…

This study examined factors that influenced undergraduates' decision to enter, leave, or stay within science majors. In addition, we sought to understand if such decisions differed by gender and type of science major. Using Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) longitudinal survey data, we found that women were less likely to select a science…

The purpose of this preliminary, phenomenological study was to identify factors that influence identity development and meaning-making of Black undergraduate women at a predominately White institution. The goal of this research was two-fold: to share diverse experiences of Black undergraduate women in order to understand the essence of their lived…

This study uses longitudinal data of undergraduate students from five public land-grant universities to better understand undergraduate students' persistence in and switching of majors, with particular attention given to women's participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Specifically, the study examines…

This study examined female underrepresentation in business schools among undergraduate students and faculty in a sample of universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and compares the findings to other public universities in Pennsylvania. We found that during the 1995-2008 period, when compared with other academic…

Although women have made significant progress in the work force and in education, gender gaps still exist in many industries and occupations, including science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. This research aimed to understand how undergraduate women negotiate gender within STEM fields, looking specifically at these women's…