Career Prospects

Employers welcome the useful array of skills that graduates of Women and Gender Studies programs offer. Women and gender studies graduates are good at abstract thinking, analyzing situations, organizing material, writing well, and making oral presentations. Graduates of women and gender studies programs nationally hold positions in business, government, the non-profit sector, and the professions, where they are effecting social change. Our majors are well prepared to enter their chosen careers with open minds about the challenges of the workplace. They are equally well prepared to rear the next generation with a better understanding of our diverse and multicultural world.

The Women and Gender Studies Major leads to many jobs…..

With a background in women’s and minorities’ histories, graduates are poised to work with
advocacy groups, human rights organizations, environmental and consumer groups, health care,
and youth, elderly, and social services.

• Because their major emphasized understanding differences and discovering the intersections between racism, sexism, homophobia, classism, and other forms of oppression, women’s studies graduates are well suited for entry-level positions in a wide variety of settings, including policy and lobbying organizations, research centers, trade and international associations, and unions.
• Women and gender studies graduates’ knowledge about power relationships and injustice often leads them to choose careers in government and politics, because they are determined to use their skills to change the world, starting in their own communities.
• The interdisciplinary nature of women and gender studies is an excellent preparation for careers in education and librarianship that require expertise in finding and using information on contemporary social issues.
• The integration of race, class, and gender issues makes women and gender studies programs especially appropriate as preparation for many graduate degrees.
• Majors feel well prepared to enter the medical professions, where their expanded insight and sensitivity to social concerns prove useful.
• Others have found that their degree is increasingly relevant and at the cutting edge in issues facing the legal profession.

Women and Gender Studies programs explore the histories and experiences of women throughout various cultures. They also investigate how the social relations, cultural values, and educational parameters have contributed to the historical under-representation of women. Most of all, Women and Gender Studies scholars work to promote the equality of women through education, writing, and politics. Graduates with this major can work in a variety of settings including social, educational, business, and political.