Doctoral Research Study Walden University, Minneapolis, MN, USA Status: Currently collecting data The Basics Study Title: Socioeconomic Status (SES), Motivations and Barriers to Higher Education, and the Academic Achievements of Women Attending Postsecondary Institutions in the Freely Associated States (FAS). Key Terms : Gender equality, low-middle income countries (LMICs), the Compact of Free Association (COFA), geopolitics post-WWII, world-systems theory, social determinan