What is it about?

Women attending New York metropolitan universities completed questionnaires that measured how much they saw and valued themselves as independent, self-reliant individuals vs. people emotionally and socially embedded with others. We found that women of African descent (Black Americans, Carribean immigrants) valued self-reliance much more than did women of European descent (White Americans, Soviet-bloc immigrants),

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Why is it important?

Women come to the university (and life!) experience with different societal pressures, values, and expectations. This study suggests that 'hard individualism' is characteristic of older women and African-heritage students whereas younger women and White women more typically express a 'soft individualism' that sees the self as respectful of others and embedded in social networks. It behooves both teachers and students to recognize the diversity of values within a classroom and that might affect personal and classroom functioning.

Perspectives

I began this research because I saw all sorts of values being expressed and acted on in my classes. Sometimes these led to clashes and a lack of understanding in group discussions and activities. The research allowed me to understand not only what these differences are but also appreciated their origins and functions.

Rhianon Allen
University of British Columbia

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Diverse Values in American College Women, The International Journal of Diverse Identities, January 2017, Common Ground Publishing,
DOI: 10.18848/2327-7866/cgp/v17i02/25-41.
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