Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Graham, Steven

Keywords

sexual minority women, LGBTQ+, gender, sexualities, self esteem

Area of Concentration

Psychology

Abstract

“Sexual minority women” (SMW) is an umbrella term that refers to those whose sexual identity does not align with dominant heteronormative sexual practices of the majority culture, such as lesbian, bisexual, queer, and others. This study aims to understand the competing gender expectations SMW face in dominant culture, which emphasize femininity, with gender expectations in LGBTQ+ spaces that emphasize masculinity. Additionally, this study will examine how these competing accountability structures impact SMW’s relationship to the LGBTQ+ community and their self-esteem. A quantitative survey and supplementary qualitative data found that masculine gender expression has little association with SMW’s psychological sense of connection to a LGBTQ+ community. No association was found between psychological sense of community and self-esteem. This study contributes to the body of literature examining the relationship between gender expressions and the LGBTQ+ community and calls for further quantitative research exploring this connection.

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