Superwomen of color and the multiverse of graduate school : amplifying the voices of graduate women of color negotiating their multiple identities and roles
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Erica R. Wallace (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- Silvia Bettez
Abstract: Women of color often experience the pressures of navigating multiple intersecting roles and multiple intersecting identities within various contexts. Within the hegemonic environment of higher education, particularly at historically or predominantly white institutions (HWIs or PWIs), as prior research demonstrates, women of color frequently enact the superwoman role to reconcile the tensions and pressures of multiple marginalization and multiple role conflict. This research sought to understand how graduate women of color negotiate their “multiverse” (the multiple identities and roles they experience) within their graduate student experience and if these experiences vary by race/ethnicity. Using Critical Geography, Figured Worlds, Critical Race Feminism, and the Superwoman Schema as a theoretical framework, this study explored the following research questions: 1a) Do graduate women of color at one PWI identify with the characteristics of the superwoman role, as defined by Woods-Giscombé’s (2010) Superwoman Schema (SWS) Conceptual Framework? 1b) Are there statistical differences in adherence to SWS by race/ethnicity? 2a) What are the various identities and roles that women of color graduate students negotiate within the context of their experiences as students? 2b) How do these negotiations impact their experiences as students? This research uniquely implements a mixed methods approach, intentional inclusion of non-Black women of color, focus on graduate students, and incorporation of institutional factors instead of a hyper-focus on individual experiences. An explanatory sequential mixed methods design enabled the researcher to use the Giscombé Superwoman Schema Questionnaire (G-SWS-Q) to survey 44 self-identified graduate women of color on their adherence to the superwoman role. Twelve participants from that survey group, representing a diverse group of identities and experiences, completed individual in-depth interviews to provide more insight into their survey responses and their experiences as graduate students. The descriptive statistics and frequencies from the quantitative phase showed that the women in this study had moderate-to-high endorsement of SWS (mean = 76.57). Intense motivation to succeed was the most highly endorsed dimension, and obligation to help others was the least endorsed dimension. Within the qualitative phase, participants illuminated how the superwoman role showed up for them as it related to their student experience and various institutional factors that influenced their enactment of the role. Additionally, both quantitative and qualitative participants shared how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their student experience which was an important factor in the context of this study. While this study had some limitations, it also has significant implications for future practice and research, including the potential relevance of SWS for non-Black women of color. Adding to the growing body of literature on the experiences of women of color in higher education, this research highlights the necessity of recognizing the commonalities and differences within their experiences and the impact that multiple role conflict and the institutional environment play on the success and well-being of graduate women of color.
Superwomen of color and the multiverse of graduate school : amplifying the voices of graduate women of color negotiating their multiple identities and roles
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Created on 12/1/2023
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2023
- Keywords
- Graduate students, Higher education, Mixed methods, Multiple roles, Superwoman, Women of color
- Subjects
- Women graduate students $x Attitudes
- Minority graduate students $x Attitudes
- Education, Higher $x Social aspects
- Adjustment (Psychology)