Search results

In 1992, women presidents led 10 of 28 (36%) AIHEC member colleges (Ambler, 1992). In the intervening years, that number has grown; currently, 16 (48%) of the 33 American Higher Education Consortium regular member universities and colleges are led by women (AIHEC, 2010). Leadership in indigenous education is congruent with the role of woman as caregiver and nurturer, and barriers that prevent women from assuming leadership positions do not seem to be as prevalent in tribal institutions as in mainstream institutions. Tribal college leadership demonstrates commitment to the values of open access, diversity, and inclusiveness.

Tribal colleges have a common mission of restoring and preserving tribal culture and language; culture defines the purpose, process, and product. Tribal critical race theory (TribalCrit) may provide a foundation for understanding leadership because it “emphasizes the importance of tribal philosophies, beliefs, customs, traditions, and visions for the future” (Brayboy, 2005, p. 437). This chapter provides a perspective of the role of women in American Indian tribal college leadership, and begins with foundational information on tribal colleges and AIHEC as well as a brief review of leadership theory. TribalCrit frames indigenous education and tribal college leadership; storytelling provides the vehicle to relay precepts of indigenous leadership through the female voices of four tribal college leaders.

This paper aims to examine the work-life balance (WLB) experiences of tribal working women belonging to the matrilineal Khasi and Jaintia communities of Meghalaya, India, using an identity-based approach.

Semi-structured interviews conducted with 18 tribal women working in the formal sector helped generate descriptions of the subjective subliminal tensions they experienced in their efforts to balance work and home life.

Six key themes emerged: webs of role-based responsibilities; reframing family around work; revising self-identity through work; challenges and coping tactics; traditional community influences on management of work and home life; and enacting womanhood as problem-solving.

This study contributes to the literature on women and WLB in that it expands the theoretical understanding of the impact of identity work on women’s WLB.

A healthy WLB is crucial for enhanced intrinsic motivation and consequently women’s psychological empowerment and career satisfaction. This has important social and practical implications for enriching tribal women’s quality of life in India and facilitating their contribution towards the betterment of their communities and the economy at large. To this end, policymakers should launch awareness campaigns pertaining to tribal women’s WLB, to aid organizations in rolling-out contextually relevant work-life management programmes for these women.

This study extends an identity-based approach as a general theory of the self to examine matrilineal tribal women's WLB construction as a distinct form of “doing” and “being”.

The purpose of the study was to assess the nutritional and health status of Saharia and non-Saharia women.

The present study was undertaken to compare the nutritional status of Saharia versus non-Saharia women in Baran district, Rajasthan. The sample comprised married non-pregnant and non-lactating (NPNL) women (aged 18-35 years) from three groups, that is, Saharia (n = 100), non-Saharia (Meena tribe, n = 100) and general category (n = 30). The general category women, or reference group, were selected as the control group belonging to the same region. The data included general profile, physical measurement, biochemical hemoglobin estimation, dietary and nutrient intake assessment.

The mean hemoglobin value in Saharia (8.3 ± 1.4 g/dl) and Meena (8.1 ± 1.4 g/dl) women was found to be significantly lower (p < 0.01 at 99 per cent confidence level) than that of the reference group (9.5 ± 1.4 g/dl) and much below the standard value of 12 g/dl. Chronic energy deficiency (BMI < 18.5) was more prevalent in Saharia women (68 per cent) followed by Meena (∼24 per cent) than reference women (7 per cent). Only 29 per cent Saharia women were under normal BMI and majority of the reference group women (77 per cent) and Meena women (72 per cent) had normal BMI (18.5-24). Nutrient and dietary intake of both the tribal women groups were low when compared with suggested levels. In Saharia and Meena women, magnesium and thiamine were significantly higher (p < 0.01) and other nutrients were significantly lower (p < 0.01) than recommended dietary allowances.

Anemia is prevalent in all categories of women. Women’s health is poor especially among Saharia women who are still striving hard to meet the national health standards. A multidimensional approach is required to uplift the health status. Hemoglobin levels of all the women were found to be very low.

The purpose of the paper is to highlight the differences in literacy and schooling attainment among the scheduled tribe women in India.

The paper uses data from the Census of India, Department of Education in India, and National Human Development Report prepared by the Government of India.

The high status of women among the tribal groups in the northeastern states has important effects on the literacy rates, enrollment ratios and dropout rates of girls in that region. High‐poverty rates pose to be significant obstacles in attaining literacy and education among tribal women in India. However, large differences in literacy rates in the various states in India show that social and cultural norms, proximity to the mainstream Hindu culture, and the role of women are also important determinants in achieving literacy among tribal women.

Literacy is considered to be an important tool for improving the status of women among the scheduled tribes. Aggregate statistics often paint a dismal picture of the low‐literacy rates and schooling among the scheduled tribe women. This paper shows that such statistics fail to capture the different trends in literacy rates and value placed in schooling among the various tribal groups in India. Differences in economic, social, and cultural backgrounds among the various tribes need to be emphasized in order to understand the differential nature of investments in literacy rates and schooling among tribal women in India.

Native American (NA) women's health needs in general are underresearched, and use of holistic, community-informed, and resilience-based approaches are rare. Despite extensive documentation of the continuing health inequalities between NA women and the general US population, little research examines what healthcare infrastructure and healthcare provider factors most impact, and exacerbate, these health disparities. The purpose of the study was to provide insight into the healthcare experiences of NA women. A qualitative descriptive research methodology with “hues” of an ethnographic life-history approach was used. Data were collected through qualitative semi-structured life-history interviews with 31 NA women from the Gulf Coast region of the United States. All women identified healthcare obstacles and barriers. These barriers were predominately comprised of Healthcare Infrastructure Barriers, which entailed: (1) Cost and Insurance Barriers; (2) Concerns about Western Medication; (3) Language Barriers; (4) Distance to Medical Facilities or Specialists; and (5) Long-wait Times, and Negative Provider Relationships, which included: (1) Rushed or Rude Provider Interactions; (2) Providers not Listening, or Ignoring Patient Concerns; (3) Poor, Inaccurate, or Inadequate Care or Diagnosis; (4) Discrimination in Healthcare; and (5) The need for Personal Relationships with Providers. These findings suggest that healthcare infrastructure issues and poor healthcare provider relationships are important structural issues that contribute to health disparities. The findings from this study have important implications for the type of training those working in healthcare services receive to be more sensitive to the needs of NA women and suggest that NA women may need unique support when accessing healthcare.

This study aims to provide a better understanding of Native American women veterans’ experiences with Veteran Administration and Indian Health Services. Eighteen interviews were conducted with special attention to the quality and quantity of health and mental health care services veterans accessed, the barriers and local contextual factors in accessing and utilizing services, and potential solutions to service gaps for women veterans from two Montana reservations, the Northern Cheyenne Reservation and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Reservation.

We examine the barriers and needs of Native American veterans in both reservations using qualitative methods. The research analyzed 18 interviews with women veterans from the Northern Cheyenne and Flathead reservations.

Native American women veterans identified a number of barriers to accessing care, some of which include lack of information regarding eligibility and the types of services available. Women often found the application process to be confusing and difficult. Other barriers included distance, cost of travel, and conflicts with their work schedule.

This exploratory case study served to clarify the challenges and obstacles Native American women veterans experience with accessing health and mental health services. This research revealed several patterns and themes in the experience of Native American women veterans in both reservation communities when attempting to access and seek care at Veterans Administration (VA) facilities and Indian Health Services (IHS). This research calls for policy changes and research to clarify how resources can be more efficiently and effectively distributed to rural veterans.

Little research has addressed the needs of Native American veterans. American Indians and Alaska Natives serve at a higher rate in the U.S. military than any other population. This research provides important information about Native American veterans who are often underrepresented in survey research, yet a rapidly growing segment of the United States military and veteran population.

Pre-colonization, Tribes lived in ways that were well-adapted to natural hazards and stewarded the environment respectfully. Colonization and the federal reservation system have stuck Tribes in static, often hazard-prone, areas; removing their foundational capabilities for avoiding disaster and environmental hazard impacts. The premise of ceded lands and the reservation system was a trust responsibility of the federal government to provide resources for continuing self-governance of Tribal Nations. Fulfillment of the federal government’s trust responsibility to Tribal Nations in the realm of climate change and disasters is predicated on the provision of sufficient resources for the Tribal Nation itself to properly govern. The trust responsibility is not fulfilled through the federal government allowing applications to program-dictated grant opportunities or even consistent, yet insufficient, recurring funding for disaster management. Nor is the trust responsibility fulfilled through the preparation and resourcing of outside entities – local, state, and up to the federal government itself – to enact disaster management actions on sovereign lands. The ability of a nation to develop and administer governmental programs and services independent of outside interference is the very foundation of sovereignty and self-determination. The fulfillment of the trust responsibility for disaster management hinges, therefore, on the allocation of sufficient resources and legal space for self-governance for Tribal Nations to return to pre-colonization levels of capability and sovereignty for disaster management for their citizens and residents.

There is a meager body of research addressing the role educational leadership preparation programs in colleges and universities play in preparing women leaders. Also educational leadership preparation research has yet to explore ways in which mentorship provides additional capital for female graduate students. This study seeks to understand the challenges facing, and the opportunities available to, female graduate students in educational leadership departments.

The study used qualitative methods to explore the constructs of educational leadership preparation and mentorship of female graduate students. Qualitative methods, specifically a questionnaire and a collaborative focus group, were informed by the work of feminist theory and were used to explore participants' experiences and perceptions with the larger purpose of understanding the implications of their experiences for the development of strategies and programs intended to support female graduate students.

The following themes emerged from the participants' stories: constraints within the organizational culture, personal and familial sacrifice, struggles with identity, questioning self, and experiences with mentoring.

The findings have important implications for the roles university leadership preparation program structures might play in supporting female graduate students and their career success. The findings also offer recommendations for the development of mentoring programs for female graduate students.

Currently, there is an exceptional lack of research documenting the lived experiences of female doctoral students, particularly research that can be used to inform policy and program development. To that end, the qualitative study described in this paper helps in understanding the challenges facing, and the opportunities available to, female graduate students in educational leadership departments as well as in understanding the implications of such experiences for the development of strategies and programs intended to support female graduate students.

Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive overview of the substance use disparities among American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth, the contributing factors to these disparities, proven and promising approaches through strengths-based methods, barriers to implementation of prevention and treatment efforts, and future recommendations for effective programs and research.

Approach – We have conducted a thorough literature review of relevant research studies, as well as a review of government, tribal, and community-based curricula and resources. This review of programs is not exhaustive but provides several examples of best practices in the field and suggestions for future directions.

Social implications – We strongly advocate that to accurately explore the true etiology of substance abuse and to respond to the concerns that AI/AN have prioritized, it is necessary to utilize a strengths-based approach and draw upon traditional AI/AN perspectives and values, and active community participation in the process. More specifically, prevention and treatment programs should use methods that incorporate elders or intergenerational approaches; foster individual and family skills-building; promote traditional healing methods to recognize and treat historical, cultural, and intergenerational and personal trauma; focus on early intervention; and tailor efforts to each Native nation or community.

Value – Ultimately, to reduce substance abuse disparities in AI/AN youth, we must find better ways to merge traditional Native practices with western behavioral health to ensure cultural competency, as well as to develop mechanisms to effect system- and policy-level changes that reduce barriers to care and promote the well-being of AI/AN youth, families, and communities.