A Qualitative Examination of the Gendered and Racialized Lives of Latina College Students

Abstract

In order to fill a gap identified in the literature (Cole in Am Psychol 64:170–180, 2009), the current study sought to explore how Latina college students experience their social identities and whether they would identify intersections of those identities. Data from in-person semi-structured interviews addressing ethnic background, gender, discrimination, and intersectionality with 12 Latina traditional age college students (M = 19.83 years, SD = 1.34 years) attending a Hispanic Serving Institution in Southern California were analyzed and coded using consensual qualitative research (CQR) (Hill et al. in Couns Psychol 25:517–572, 1997, in J Couns Psychol 52(2):196–205, 2005) methodology. Though intersectionality did not emerge as a central aspect of their experiences, CQR analysis revealed the following six domains: (a) gender role socialization; (b) stereotypes; (c) current gender role ideology; (d) ethnic discrimination; (e) sexism; (f) coping with discrimination. Cross-analyses of core ideas yielded categories that were labeled general, typical, or variant. Results are discussed in the context of culture and economic factors.