Body Image & Wellness

Unattainable and idealized images of women’s and girls’ bodies are visible in every aspect of advertising and mass communication. Women and girls are bombarded constantly with messages that treat them as objects of sexual fantasy and exploitation or that demean them. Popular culture promotes unrealistic standards of beauty and makes women – particularly young women – susceptible to distorted body images, low self-esteem and psychological and eating disorders. The multi-billion dollar cosmetic surgery industry poses increased health risks for women, including life-long disfigurement. Researchers in our network are documenting negative messaging while encouraging a healthy representation of female beauty in which intellect, creativity and character trump thinness and physical perfection.

Fat and Identity Politics, UCLA

Submitted by jmumbey on Mon, 02/22/2010 - 11:46am

UCLA Center for the Study of Women presents Paul Campos, author of "The Obesity Myth: Why America's Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health." In this talk, he discusses efforts to make fat people thin, through weight-loss diets, drugs, and surgery. Campos sees weight as a political and social issue and notes that body size is often used as a tool of discrimination, especially against women. Organized by Prof Abigail Saguy, Department of Sociology at UCLA, this talk is part of the Gender and Body Size lecture series, which addresses the new interdisciplinary field of "fat studies." Recent discussions of body weight have been dominated by health policy concerns over the so-called obesity epidemic. Despite a long tradition of feminist critique of fat hatred as a problem of patriarchy, there has been very little critique of the growing emphasis on the importance of slenderness for health reasons.

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Member Organization: 
Center for the Study of Women

"Starving for Identity: A Grounded Analysis of the Pro-Anorexia Movement"

Submitted by jmumbey on Wed, 02/17/2010 - 3:21pm
Member Organization: 
Center for Gender Studies
Date/Time: 
04/13/2010

"The present research used grounded theory to critically analyze the pro-anorexia movement. 24 pro-anorexia websites were systematically coded for a unifying emergent theory. The findings indicate that the pro-ana cyber community represents a collective effort to establish a shared social understanding or identity among individuals who feel confused, isolated or subjugated - and have significant issues with food and weight. Pro-anorexia websites provide users a new context to enhance or redefine their self-concepts and/or stigmatized identity. Pro-anorexia subscription affords the opportunity to create and validate an identity that is protected under a shroud of technological anonymity. Interestingly, there seems to be two dominant pro-anorexia accounts or perspectives. One account seems to emphasize pro-anorexia as a sanctuary, and a means to gain a deeper understanding of their disease or disorder ...

Tell Me PSA - School

Submitted by jmumbey on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 4:21pm

The award winning Girls Inc. "Tell Me" PSAs feature girls telling adults what positive messages they need to hear.  

Video URL: 
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Member Organization: 
Girls Incorporated

Nationwide Study Finds That Teenage Girls Have Mixed Feelings About the Fashion Industry

Submitted by jmumbey on Fri, 02/05/2010 - 12:19pm
Member Organization: 
Girl Scouts of the USA

February 10, 2010

 

 

Expert Profile

Location: 
United States
40° 42' 17.2368" N, 74° 0' 26.0784" W
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Kyla Bender-Baird, Research and Programs Manager, is providing the Council with a wide range of research and communications support. She received a BA in Sociology from Principia College and an MS in Women’s Studies from Towson University. Her thesis focused on transgender experiences of employment discrimination. During her time at Towson University, Kyla was a graduate assistant with the Institute for Teaching and Research on Women. On completion of her master’s degree, Kyla served as a Vaid Fellow with the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute. Kyla first joined the Council as a research consultant for The Big Five initiative. She has interned previously with Planned Parenthood and the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition.

Location

New York, NY 10005
United States
40° 42' 17.2368" N, 74° 0' 26.0784" W
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Expert Profile

Location: 
United States
38° 58' 50.88" N, 76° 56' 14.28" W
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Member Organizations: 
Consortium on Race, Gender, and Ethnicity

Ruth Enid Zambrana, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Department of Women’s Studies, the Director of the Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity, the Former Interim Director of the U.S. Latino Studies Initiative (2007-2009) at the University of Maryland, College Park, and an Adjunct Professor of Family Medicine at University of Maryland Baltimore, School of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine. 

Location

College Park, MD 20742
United States
38° 58' 50.88" N, 76° 56' 14.28" W
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Expert Profile

Location: 
United States
40° 42' 13.932" N, 74° 0' 49.8744" W
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Silvia Henriquez is responsible for the overall management, fundraising and administration of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health. Silvia has positioned NLIRH as one of the leading organizations working to advance the reproductive health and rights of Latinas. Within the first two years of her tenure, she increased national visibility through the 2004 March for Women’s Lives and the National Latina Summit. Subsequently under her leadership, NLIRH has developed a successful organizing and leadership development training curriculum, a national policy agenda and built coalitions with state and national partners that advance a reproductive justice advocacy effort. Through her work at NLIRH, Silvia has published articles in “Social Policy, Organizing for Social and Economic Justice and Democratic Participation” and “Conscience, The Newsjournal of Catholic Opinion.”

Location

New York, NY 10004
United States
40° 42' 13.932" N, 74° 0' 49.8744" W
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Women's Sports Foundation

Contact

1899 Hempstead Turnpike
East Meadow, NY 11554
Ph. (516) 542-4700, 1(800) 227-3988
Fx. (516) 542-4716
http://www.womenssportsfoundation.org
Info@WomensSportsFoundation.org


The Women’s Sports Foundation—the leading authority on the participation of women and girls in sports—advocates for equality, educates the public, conducts research and offers grants to promote sports and physical activity for girls and women.

Founded by Billie Jean King in 1974, the Women’s Sports Foundation builds on her legacy as a champion athlete, advocate of social justice and agent of change. We strive for gender equity and fight discrimination in sports.

Recently Posted

Employment Opportunities

Principal Staff

Kathryn Olson, Chief Executive Officer

Stacy L. Holand, Athlete Marketing Manager
E-mail: sholand@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Yolanda L. Jackson, Senior Director of Athlete Marketing and Promotions
E-mail: YJackson@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Karen Kranitz, Executive Assistant to the CEO and Board of Trustees
E-mail: KKranitz@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Shari M. Levitz, Annual Giving and Membership Manager
E-mail: SLevitz@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Gwendolyn Singleton, Data Entry Clerk
E-mail: GSingleton@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Chris Voelz, Leadership Gifts Officer
E-mail: CVoelz@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Stephen Collins, Information Technology Manager
E-mail: SCollins@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Barry M. Giaquinto, Chief Financial and Operations Officer
E-mail: BGiaquinto@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Felice Harris, Accounting Manager
E-mail: FHarris@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Lindsay Hock, Web Editor
E-mail: LHock@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Aleia Naylor, Senior Marketing Officer
E-mail: ANaylor@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Liz Ruttenberg, SHENetwork Project Manager
E-mail: lruttenberg@womenssportsfoundation.org

Sarah Axelson, Program Associate
Ph. (516) 542-4700 x148
E-mail: SAxelson@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Jessica M. Blubaugh, Senior Events Manager
E-mail: JBlubaugh@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Stacey Careri, Foundation and Government Funding Manager
E-mail: SCareri@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Candice Dixon, GoGirlGo! Atlanta Program Coordinator
E-mail: CDixon@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Jennifer L. Eddy, Senior Director of Programs and Events
E-mail: JEddy@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Elizabeth L. Flores, Program Officer
E-mail: LFlores@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Cicley Gay, GoGirlGo! Senior Program Officer
E-mail: CGay@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Kerry Milhaven, Events Coordinator
E-mail: KMilhaven@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Whitney Post, GoGirlGo! Boston Director
E-mail: WPost@WomensSportsFoundation.org

Areas of Expertise:

Body Image & Wellness, Awareness & Education, Title IX, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Health, Reproductive Rights & Sexuality

Member Experts:


Projects & Campaigns

Research And Policy Institute

The Women’s Sports Foundation Research & Policy Institute is a multidisciplinary network of specialists who seek to enhance the quality of girls’ and women’s experiences with sports and physical activity through evidence-based research and policy development.

Know Your Rights

Even 35 years after the passage of Title IX, a federal law granting girls and women in high schools and colleges the right to equal opportunity in sports, female athletes across the nation are placed at a disadvantage in comparison to their male counterparts. The more you know about the rights of girls and women in sports, the more you will be able to improve athletic opportunities for them.

Equity Issues

It Takes A Team! Educational Campaign for LGBT Issues in Sport

It Takes A Team! is an educational program designed to end homophobia in sport. Learn more

Body And Mind

GoGirlGo!

GoGirlGo! is the primary programming focus of the Women’s Sports Foundation designed to combat the alarming physical and psychological health hazards affecting America’s young girls. GoGirlGo! uses sport and physical activity as an educational intervention that supports girls’ health and wellness in childhood and early womanhood.

 

 

 

Reports & Resources

Progress Without Equity
A first-of-its-kind report on gender and high school sports participation. “Progress Without Equity: The Provision of High School Athletic Opportunity in the United States, by Gender 1993-94 through 2005-06, flows from an analysis of high schools that is unprecedented in its national and historical scope. It uses merged data from the Civil Rights Data Collection and the Common Core of Data, which is collected by the National Center for Education Statistics.

The report examines gender differences in athletic opportunity in a nationally representative sample of 24,370 public four-year high schools across 1993-94, 1999-2000 and 2005-06.  Three measures of the extent of athletic opportunity are documented including the number of athletic participation opportunities, the number of teams, and the number of sports. This report was authored by Don Sabo, Ph.D., Professor of Health Policy, D’Youville College, and Phil Veliz, M.S., University at Buffalo, the State University of New York.

Her Life Depends On It II
In December 2009 the Women’s Sports Foundation released a new and expanded comprehensive review of its essential “Her Life Depends On It” report, first released in 2004. The benchmark 2009 review draws critical conclusions that further emphasize the vital roles that sports play in the physical and social health of girls and women. The report is compiled from more than 2,000 studies examining women’s athletics and health, including hundreds of new studies conducted in the five years since the last report was released.

Her Life Depends On It
The most comprehensive compilation of research to date about the impact of physical activity on the physical, psychological and cultural health of girls. The report points to physical activity and sport as fundamental solutions for many of the serious health and social problems faced by girls. These include obesity, heart disease, substance abuse, teen pregnancy and depression – which accounts for much of the more than $1 trillion spent on healthcare for treating these issues.

Go Out and Play: Youth Sports in America
An exhaustive study of children’s participation in sports and exercise, "Go Out and Play: Youth Sports in America" is the first to document the benefit of sports to the wellness of families. The Women's Sports Foundation partnered with Harris Interactive to survey 2,185 third- through 12th-graders and 863 parents in this unprecedented investigation of the numbers of children playing, types of sports being played, the demographic profiles of today’s child athletes and the role of family and community in shaping kids’ physical activity. Although the report finds children’s play linked to healthier children and more content families, many parents, especially African-Americans and Hispanics, reported that schools are shortchanging their daughters. The first study to examine sports among children from immigrant families and children with disabilities, "Go Out and Play" reports these subpopulations are in greater jeopardy of being shut out of sports. The most at-risk group — urban girls — receive far fewer opportunities to play.

Who's Playing College Sports: Money, Race and Gender
Money, Race and Gender, the most accurate description of college sports’ participation patterns to date, shows that both men’s and women’s sports participation have increased over the past 25 years. It examines factors, including Title IX and athletic expenditure growth, impacting today's college sports participation trends, which vary widely by sport. Changes in high school sports participation, rising health care costs, increased numbers of international students, and college recruitment are explored, as well as the implication of these participation trends on college sports’ diversity.

Who’s Playing College Sports? (part 1) 
June 23, 2007, marked the 35th anniversary of Title IX -- the pivotal legislation credited with increasing gender equity in sports. In addition to celebrating, the Foundation is unveiling original research, entitled "Who's Playing College Sports." This study provides the most accurate and comprehensive examination of participation trends to date. Read more about the study or browse our online database to find out if your college makes the grade.

Physical Activity and Athletic Competition for Individuals with Disabilities: A Women's Sports Foundation Position Statement
Do schools have an obligation to provide physical education for students with disabilities? Do students with disabilities have the right to compete on their high school sports teams? Read the Foundation's position statement on the rights of individuals with disabilities in physical activity and athletics.

Women in the 2006 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games
Increasing women’s participation in the Olympic Movement as participants and leaders has been a slow and challenging process. While the number of ”events” open to female athletes has increased steadily during the past 30 years, the actual number of opportunities for females to medal within those events has yet to equal the number of male participants or medals.

Women in Intercollegiate Sport A Longitudinal, National Study Thirty One Year Update: 1977-2008
Prepared by Linda Jean Carpenter, Ph.D., J.D., Professor Emerita, Brooklyn College, and R. Vivian Acosta, Ph.D., Professor Emerita, Brooklyn College, this study is perhaps the most comprehensive in American women's sports history. New findings reveal highest numbers of participation ever, contrasted with low representation of women in sports information and physical training positions.

Center News

Opportunities, Grants & Fellowships

The Womens Sports Foundation (WSF) seeks a partnership with a compatible university to develop and house the first university-based comprehensive Women’s Sports Research & Policy Center (RPC).  The WSF intends to continue its leadership role as the gold standard of scientific legitimacy in girls and women’s sports and physical activity research and the RPC will be the engine and delivery vehicle for meeting our objectives. We strongly believe that such a partnership will be a powerful asset to both the WSF and the university.  

For more information please contact:  
  
Marjorie Snyder, Ph.D.
Research Director
Women’s Sports Foundation
Tel: 718-974-7675
 
 

 

Grants

Behind every Women’s Sports Foundation grant lies one concrete objective: provide girls access to sport and physical activity despite background or financial ability. Grants are awarded to girl-serving organizations who strive to provide diverse, underserved populations of girls ages 8 to 18 with a way to get involved in sport and physical activity. 

The Women’s Sports Foundation awards grants nationwide, but places a strong emphasis on Atlanta, Boston, Chicago and San Antonio metropolitan areas via the leadership of our community offices.
 

 


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The Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality

Contact

835 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
Ph. (415) 817-4525

http://crgs.sfsu.edu/
crgs@sfsu.edu


The Center for Research on Gender and Sexuality (CRGS) is an interdisciplinary community of San Francisco State University faculty, students, and staff dedicated to studying innovative social science research questions, methods, and theories, and training new investigators. Frequently working in collaboration with community organizations, the CRGS is committed to producing new and useful knowledge about sexuality and gender. Our goal is to promote social justice and well-being by empirically challenging how inequalities undermine healthy sexuality.

CRGS is proud to be a part of the National Centers on Sexuality (NCS) at San Francisco State University. At the NCS, interdisciplinary sexuality science, advocacy, capacity building and training come together through the collaboration of three organizations:

CRGS, producing new knowledge to advance social justice and social change;

Recently Posted

Employment Opportunities

Principal Staff

CRGS Faculty:

Dr. Colleen Hoff, Director
E-mail: choff@sfsu.edu

Dr. Héctor Carrillo, Research Faculty
E-mail: hector@sfsu.edu

Dr. Jessica Fields, Research Faculty
E-mail: jfields@sfsu.edu

Dr. David Frost, Research Faculty
Email: frost@sfsu.edu

Dr. Gil Herdt, Research Faculty
E-mail: gherdt@sfsu.edu

Dr. Rita Melendez, Research Faculty
E-mail: rmelende@sfsu.edu

Dr. Lynn Sorsoli, Research Faculty
E-mail: lsorsoli@msn.com

Dr. Deborah Tolman, Founder

Research Teams:


Adult Male Circumcision:

Héctor Carrillo, Principal Investigator
E-mail: hector@sfsu.edu

Michael Diaz, Research Assistant
E-mail: michaeldiaz06@gmail.com

Walter Gomez, Research Associate
E-mail: wgomez@sfsu.edu

Rachel Howard, Research Assistant
E-mail: rachelhoward1@gmail.com


Female Adolescent Risk Project (FARP):

Lynn Sorsoli, Principal Investigator
E-mail: lsorsoli@sfsu.edu

Gabriela Candelaria, Research Asst.
E-mail: gabyc@sfsu.edu

Allegra Hirschman, Project Coordinator
E-mail: allegra.hirschman@gmail.com


The Gay Couples Study Team:

Colleen Hoff, Principal Investigator
E-mail: choff@sfsu.edu

Brianne Amato, Research Assistant
E-mail: bamato@sfsu.edu

Sean Beougher, Project Director
E-mail: seancb@sfsu.edu

Deepalika Chakravarty, Statistician
E-mail: deepalika.chakravarty@ucsf.edu

Anthony Freeman, former RA
E-mail: afreeman@sfsu.edu

Carla Garcia, Research Associate
E-mail: ccgarcia@sfsu.edu

Walter Gomez, Research Associate
E-mail: wgomez@sfsu.edu


Trayectos Research Team:

Héctor Carrillo, Principal Investigator
E-mail: hector@sfsu.edu

Julia Sinclair-Palm, Research Assistant
E-mail: palmjulia@gmail.com


Honoring Leadership and Diversity - Women of Color and the CRGS (HOLD):

Sydney Seifert, Research Assistant
E-mail: sydney.seifert@gmail.com

Desiree Valdez, Research Assistant
E-mail: dc.valdez@gmail.com


Research on Inequality, Sexuality and Education (RISE):

Jessica Fields, Principal Investigator
E-mail: jfields@sfsu.edu

Lanice Avery, Research Assistant
E-mail: princessnicie@yahoo.com

Kendra Bloom, Research Assistant
E-mail: kbloom8@gmail.com

Allyse Grey, Research Assistant
E-mail: msgray86@yahoo.com

Sheerein Hosseini, Research Assistant
E-mail: activistforhumanity@yahoo.com

Christina Monroe, Research Assistant
E-mail: cmonroe@sfsu.edu


Women, Sexuality and Religion:

Rita Melendez, Principal Investigator
E-mail: rmelende@sfsu.edu

Allison Kirschbaum, Research Assistant
E-mail: akirschbaum@gmail.com

Alberto Rodriguez, Research Assistant
E-mail: alberto_rf@hotmail.com


Administrative Staff:

Liz McClelland, NCS Operations Manager
E-mail: lizm@sfsu.edu

Brianne Amato, CRGS Administrative Assistant
E-mail: crgs@sfsu.edu

Areas of Expertise:

Body Image & Wellness, Awareness & Education, Communications, Media & Gender, Culture & Identity, Disparities, Family & Society, Higher Education, Religion & Spirituality, Sexuality & Gender, Women's, Gender & Feminist Studies, Communications, Culture & Society, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion, Health, Reproductive Rights & Sexuality

Member Experts:


Projects & Campaigns

Research

CRGS at work
 
With the Gay Couples Study group joining CRGS in 2008, the research teams in CRGS became even stronger! The Gay Couples Study is now in the final stages of longitudinal data collection for both its qualitative and quantitative arms. Data collection for the qualitative interviews should finish by July, 2009 and the quantitative surveys should finish by February, 2010. Currently, the Gay Couples Study Team is working on several manuscripts for publication in profession journals, and will be presenting findings at the upcoming National HIV Prevention Conference in August.

The Girls' Risk Project, with PI Dr. Lynn Sorsoli at the helm, was recently completed. This study examined girls' decisions to engage in noncoital sexual behaviors, and the ways girls' narratives of those experiences differ by racial/ethnic group. It also explored the roles played by girls' health beliefs, gender beliefs, and behavioral contexts. Dr. Sorsoli and Project Coordinator Allegra Hirschman are now hard at work on an innovative new project that will examine the risks IRB members perceive regarding adolescent participation in sexuality studies, how adolescents perceive risk and experience study participation in sexuality studies and how the perceived risk and actual experiences of adolescents compare to the risks perceived by IRB members.

While wrapping up on his Trayectos Study, Dr. Héctor Carrillo began work on a new project focused on adult male circumcision. In the Circumcision Study, Dr. Carrillo will study the cultural factors of adult circumcision as an HIV prevention strategy for Mexican immigrants. After facing some initial recruitment challenges, the study is now just 5 participants away from reaching the desired sample size.

Dr. Jessica Fields and her research team recently capped off their Jailed Women and HIV Education project, a feminist analysis of incarcerated women's experiences of HIV education and risk, with culminating experience events at both the CRGS and the San Francisco County Jail. The Jailed Women and HIV Education study brings new attention, funding, and employment opportunities to the concerns of women of color locked up in San Francisco and other county jails. In addition, Dr. Fields continues to work alongside Drs. Rita Melendez and Amy Sueyoshi on H.O.L.D. (Honoring Leadership and Diversity) which involves interviews with administrators, faculty, and graduate students to investigate the barriers for women of color’s involvement at sexuality centers such as CRGS and within academia more broadly.

Dr. Rita Melendez is examining the relations between gender roles, religion, and HIV prevention among Latina and African-American women, and has recently begun work on the interview portion of her study.
 

Reports & Resources

Choi, K., Hoff, C., Gregorich, S., Grinstead, O., Gomez, C., Hussey, W. (2008), The Efficacy of Female Condom Skills Training in HIV Risk Reduction among Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial, American Journal of Public Health. 98(10). 1803-1813.


Hoff, C., Pals, S., Purcell, D., Parsons, J, Halkitis, P, Remien, R., Gomez, C. (2006). Is sexual risk behavior with main partners impacted differentially than risk with non-main partner in an HIV prevention trial targeting HIV-positive gay and bisexual men? AIDS and Behavior, 10(3).

Fisher, H., Purcell, D., Hoff, C., Parsons, J., O’Leary, A. (2006) Recruitment source and behavioral risk patterns of HIV-positive men who have sex with men. AIDS and Behavior, 10 (4).

Center News

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Training

Post Doctoral Fellowship Program
 
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