The study of the identity processes of women of color in science-based fields helps us (a) find ways to support similar women, and (b) study the dynamics of inequity, within and beyond science. Participants in this study (a Black woman, a Latina, and an American Indian woman) survived inadequate high schools and discouraging college science departments to win formal recognition (fellowships, publications). Using multiracial feminist theory, including intersectionality, and practice theory, we conceptualize authoring of identity as an ongoing process. Qualitative methods were designed around Black feminist precepts of caring and personal accountability, the use of concrete experience and of dialogue (Collins, 2000a). Participants' opportunities to author legitimate science identities were constrained by their location in the matrix of oppression. They reported conflicts between their identities as women of color and as credible science students, and having racist, sexist identities ascribed to them. All became more adept at fending off negative ascription and all found settings with less identity conflict; their ability to read a situation and quickly adjust, la facultad (Anzaldúa,
Immigrants from the Dominican Republic have grown in number and currently make up a substantial portion of New York City's population. In order to better understand the cultural context of Dominican women's sexual and reproductive health attitudes and practices, focus groups were conducted with Dominican women living in New York City as well as with women living in the Dominican Republic. Analysis found that women in the USA had more economic independence and a greater sense of freedom in regards to sexuality than women in the Dominican Republic. However, those in New York City also hoped to maintain their cultural identity in many ways. Women associated the prevalence of gender-based violence with male unemployment and alcohol abuse. Women in both locales reported limited condom use and saw contraception as a woman's responsibility. Many barriers to using the healthcare system were identified and, in many cases, there exists a preference for herbal treatments and folk remedies. This study provided many important insights that have the potential to increase the quality of sexual and reproductive health care for Dominican women.
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