Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Leiva, Diane M.
Author's Email Address	dleiva@admin.fsu.edu
URN	etd-07102007-225407
Title	Women's Voices on College Drinking
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Jeffrey Brooks Committee Chair Dina Wilke Committee Member Linda Schrader Committee Member Stacey Rutledge Committee Member
Keywords	Gender And Alcohol Gender And The First-Year Experience Gender And College Drinking
Date of Defense	2007-03-15
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract ABSTRACT Over the last 30 years, college women’s drinking has steadily increased from 6% to 49%. While colleges across the country have attempted to deal with alcohol-related issues by implementing a multitude of programs and policies, the data guiding their efforts fail to address the gender-specific reasons that motivate women to drink. The success of college alcohol programs and policies rely on a clear understanding of the factors that motivate drinking behavior and what factors may causes this behavior to change. The purpose of this qualitative study is to understand women’s social and drinking behavior in college. Drawing from Feminist Standpoint Theory that posits the need and urgency to use women’s voices when collecting and analyzing data on and about women’s experiences, this research employs ethnographic methods that seeks to describe the culture and life experience of 15 third and fourth year undergraduate college women. In addition, the research includes observation of key events, activities and nightspots where college students gather to socialize, and document analysis in the form of flyers and ads during the period in which the informants were freshmen. Research findings highlight that factors such as strong personal and social skills and organizations play a key role in how women experience the transition between adolescence and adulthood and adjust to a new environment. However, women continue to see themselves and define success and/or failure based on social expectations defined and determined by a male dominated social structure. Changes to women’s behavior must be preceded by women’s understanding of their current role within the social structure followed by broader changes to women’s role and participation in society.
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