Autonomous women: an examination of the lives and experiences of childfree, never-married single women of color from a decolonial feminist perspective

Martinez Phillips, Kimberly (2025) Autonomous women: an examination of the lives and experiences of childfree, never-married single women of color from a decolonial feminist perspective. Doctoral (PhD) thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

The number of childfree and never-married women continues to increase globally. However, we know very little about their subjective experiences and identities outside of the traditional heteronormative frameworks, and we know even less about women of color (WOC) outside of these contexts. The discourse of patriarchy is often limited to white women’s experiences and perceptions. Viewing the oppression of women through the prism of patriarchy only does not allow for the understanding of the differences between white women and women of color (WOC). My study examines how childfree, never-married single WOC have created a separate space for themselves as a challenge to the paradigms of patriarchy and colonization. The experiences of WOC are uniquely situated due to the intersection of colonialism, sexism, and racism. My research applies the theoretical frameworks of Feminist Standpoint Theory and Decolonial Feminism through an intersectional lens to examine the social, economic, and cultural contexts that shape the identities of childfree, never-married single WOC in the United States. I answer the question - how do childfree, never-married single WOC experience and feel about romantic love, singleness, sex, and attachments in society? I interviewed forty women of color using a qualitative, inductive inquiry approach. The women in my study are aware of the history of oppression associated with heteronormative marriage within a colonial context. My findings include that childfree, never-married single women of color (WOC) have rejected cultural expectations and constructed their own boundaries; they do not ascribe to the traditional heteronormative gender roles, heterosexual marriage and conventional motherhood; they use education as an essential aspect of their path toward independence and unconventionality and their family histories shape their decisions about work and financial stability; they successfully operate through some colonial institutions while circumventing others; they do not center romantic love in their lives; and they receive very little support from social institutions, which creates more precarity for them in a society that centers whiteness, capitalism, and normative heterosexuality. I have created new terminology (Autonomous WOC) to discuss and explain how these women live a life contradictory to cultural norms and create their own norms based on what is important to them. They live a life of independence and freedom from social and cultural limitations. I argue that childfree, never-married single WOC have collective experience and knowledge that is rooted in group identity situated in a common history and shared social oppression. These women have a distinct standpoint, and their narratives could provide pertinent information to the variances and cultural shifts in gender norms, patriarchy, capitalism, and heterogender family structures in American society.

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