Term of Award

Spring 2024

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Document Type and Release Option

Dissertation (restricted to Georgia Southern)

Copyright Statement / License for Reuse

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Department

Department of Curriculum, Foundations, and Reading

Committee Chair

Delores Liston

Committee Member 1

Daniel Chapman

Committee Member 2

Meca Williams-Johnson

Committee Member 3

Beth Howells

Committee Member 3 Email

bhowells@georgiasouthern.edu

Abstract

Through carefully selected memoir-inspired narratives, this dissertation employs vignette methodology to delve into the nuanced ways in which societal norms and persistent patriarchal expectations continue to shape and constrain the lives of women and mothers. This exposition touches upon the themes of family, cycles, patriarchy, motherhood, cultural coercion, and objectification by exploring the multifaceted dimensions of women's roles and intersectionality, while providing insights into the complex interplay between traditional expectations and contemporary challenges. This work was motivated by the following questions: are women, particularly mothers, really any “better off” today than those who have come before us? Or are we tethered together, generationally speaking, by the detrimental demands of culture and society? By utilizing vignettes as a tool of inquiry, this work seeks to capture the subtleties and intricacies of women's lived experiences as currere, and ultimately finds that while many roles have been added, the traditional script has not changed much. However, by identifying specific instances and patterns that perpetuate the oppression of women, we can recognize the systemic nature of the problem, thereby driving the implementation of effective changes, thus giving ground to transform from powerlessness to a sense of agency.

Research Data and Supplementary Material

No

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