Photo by: mariana mansur
By: Ellen Hatfield
This month is Women’s History Month. This month we pay special attention to the contributions of women throughout history. Women like Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Gloria Steinem, Julia Child, Sylvia Plath, Rosa Parks, Eleanor Roosevelt, Amelia Earhart, Belva Lockwood, and many others. Learn more about the contributions of these women through an online exhibit by the National Portrait Gallery.
By nature, Women’s Studies is a major that is an “interdisciplinary field that explores knowledge about women, their experiences, roles and achievements, and investigates issues related to their lives,” (UWW). University of Tennessee mentions that women’s studies students gain experience with ”in-depth knowledge of the conditions of women in various cultures and societies, gender dynamics, strategies and organizational skills needed to address gender inequalities, women’s struggles, achievements, and contributions in past and present societies and across cultures, the courses and consequences of women’s subordination, gender-based assumptions & biases and their consequences, social change agents, and sensitivity to social concerns and other view points.”
Students who graduate with a degree in Women’s Studies can go onto a wide variety of careers, for example: domestic violence advocate, public relations, counselor, administrator, researcher, educator, etc. Skills gained through this major include:
- Ability to work for change in organizations and the community
- Alertness to social issues
- Analytical Judgment
- Assertiveness
- Critical thinking
- Effective communication
- Leadership
- Problem solving
- Sensitivity to prejudice
Different sectors that women’s studies majors can work in are quite varied. Sectors include business & industry (public or private corporations, organizations for research on and advancement of women in business), healthcare (hospitals, clinics, wellness centers), human services (counseling, case management, community relations, women’s service organizations such as Girl Scouts), education (schools, women’s resource centers, non-profits), writing (newspapers, magazines, broadcast), and law and politics (law, lobbying, special interests, research).
As with any major, a great way to gain experience while still in college is to partake in an internship. An internship can help you decide which job functions you like and dislike. The National Women’s Studies Association has internship board where employers can post internships related to the women’s studies field. Some of the opportunities listed on the internship board were in film distribution, communications, public policy, leadership, marketing, magazines, editorial, publishing, women’s human rights, and research. Other women’s organizations that have internship programs include Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Catalyst (works with business globally to help build inclusive workplaces), and the Association for Women in Science.
There are several more websites that have information about Women’s Studies. This is a major that you really can do what interests you and you have a variety of opportunities available for you to purse.
- University of Delaware – career information and links to check out
- Advancing Women – career strategy, tools, resources, and targeted job board
- American Association of University Women – equality and breaking through educational and economic barriers
- American Business Women’s Association – women from diverse occupations and help to grow personally and professionally in leadership, education, and networking
Have you had success finding an internship or job with a Women’s Studies degree? Let us know what you love about it.






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