A case study using Bate Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking to look at gender and racial biases in medical school textbooks. 5 chapters were looked at specific based on their racial and gender themes present in the images in the chapters. Data from these chapters demonstrate the medical field as beneficial for white and male patients, while women and patients of racial minorities are underrepresented. This underrepresentation impacts future medical care, where these patients are dying as a result of this underdeveloped material.

In recent years, feminist activists have taken their fascination with and concern over access to period products in developing countries and diverted their attention to period poverty that exists in the United States. Backed by globalist approaches and the deep history of Menstrual Activism in the US, the Menstrual Equity Movement aims to make policy changes at the state and federal levels to ensure that all menstruators have the products they need to manage menstruation. This exploratory study aims to understand the experiences and attitudes about period poverty at Arizona State University’s campus. Undergraduate menstruators were asked to reflect on general, and on campus experiences with access to period products. Quantitative and qualitative analyses were utilized in conducting this research. This study concludes that menstruators’ education would benefit from having access to free period products in all bathrooms.

While there are many characteristics that make up a woman, femininity is one that is difficult to define because it is a communication and expression practice defined by culture. This research explores historical accounts of femininity in the 1950s as seen through the exemplar of the white, middle-class "happy homemaker" or "happy housewife." The 1950s is important to study in light of changing gender and social dynamics due to the transition from World War II to a period of prosperity. By using primary sources from the 1950s and secondary historical analyses, this research takes the form of a sociological accounting of 1950s' femininity and the lessons that can be applied today. Four cultural forces led to homemakers having an unspoken identity crisis because they defined themselves in terms of relationship with others and struggled to uphold a certain level of femininity. The forces are: the feminine mystique, patriotism, cultural normalcy, and unnecessary choices. These forces caused women to have unhealthy home relationships in their marriages and motherhood while persistently doing acts to prove their self-worth, such as housework and consuming. It is important to not look back at the 1950s as an idyllic time without also considering the social and cultural practices that fostered a feminine conformity in women. Today, changes can be made to allow women to express femininity in modern ways by adapting to reality instead of to outdated values. For example, changes in maternity leave policies allow women to be mothers and still be in the workforce. Additionally, women should find fulfillment in themselves by establishing a strong personal identity and confidence in their womanhood before identifying through other people or through society.

Despite increased awareness and gender diversity initiatives, disciplines relating to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) remain largely male dominant. Using Acker's Theory of Gendered Organizations (1990) and Cooley's theory of the Looking Glass Self (1902) as a theoretical model, this study uses qualitative and quantitative methods to explore the gendered experiences of undergraduate STEM majors at Arizona State University. This research uses students' perceptions of their peers, professors, and teaching assistants in relationship to (1) the degree to which a student feels they are encouraged (2) the degree to which a student feels they are included and (3) the degree to which a student feels others have confidence in their academic abilities. This study concludes that both men and women feel more encouraged by their female peers. In addition, women feel their fellow female peers have significantly more confidence in their academic abilities, whereas men feel their peers are confident in their academic abilities regardless of gender. These findings address the stigmas still present in STEM disciplines and emphasize changes to make to weaken gender stereotypes that contribute to the lack of diversification in STEM fields.

This research explores the unique and complicated experiences of women living with Von Willebrand Disease (VWD). VWD occurs with quantitative or qualitative deficiencies in Von Willebrand Factor—a key protein involved in blood clotting. While VWD affects men and women, women often suffer harsher complications because of menstruation, childbirth, and other women’s health issues. Using online VWD support groups, this research recognizes and attempts to understand the common experiences of women with VWD. Availability of Care, Motherhood, Community and Sisterhood, Girlhood, Sexual Health and Reproductive Health, and Stigma were the six common themes found within these online support groups. Women in these groups corroborate the current understandings of women-specific experiences with VWD: particularly, heavy menstruation, postpartum hemorrhaging, diagnostic difficulties, treatment complications, and implications of an overall lower quality of life. However, these women also report VWD-induced complications with sexual health, mental health, care when trying to conceive, misinterpretations of bruising, constraints on healthcare availability, and the stigma associated with heavy menstruation. These findings address gaps in the literature and identify new areas for further research. Ideally, these conclusions will provide educational materials for healthcare professionals, government legislatures, and families to better support women and girls with VWD.
Keywords: Von Willebrand disease, women’s health, sexual health, mental health, reproductive health, phenomenology, and stigma