Donovan
What is the biggest obstacle in today's culture for the students who are actively pursuing a degree in women's studies?
I just want to know what is the hardest part, or the biggest cultural roadblock for the students who are pursuing a degree in Women's Studies.
#Womens-studies #culture #today #women
19 answers
Asha Nelson
Asha’s Answer
The biggest obstacle is society's lack of understanding on the severity of gendered issues. For instance, the social relations of gender have implicated systemic crises which have contributed to issues of social exclusion, gender-based violence, and social alienation ( Antrobus, 2004). For example, in recent news, in the United States of America, the Trump administration wants to remove the term 'gender' from the United Nations human rights documents replacing it with 'woman' (Borger,2018).Thus, by doing this , it would in fact contribute to social exclusion of trans-gendered , gay and non-conforming individuals violating their basic human rights. Therefore, it may be difficult for some people to understand the complexities of underlying gendered issues. Some may even view this degree as irrelevant to society / economy. However, do not be discouraged because it is an asset to have such degree. By using your knowledge, this could contribute to global gender justice and give an insight to economic and social policy.
Gender issues are an age-old problem for women since the days of women suffrage. The problem is that the masses of males in the corporate sector just don't want to hear it or address it. Therefore, there must be other strategies that women can take other than what has already been done. I am working on that.
Beverlyn Banks
Dr. Namrata Jain
Dr. Namrata’s Answer
Cynthia Livingston
Cynthia’s Answer
A student pursuing a degree in women's studies can face a range of challenges. The first comes from how you view women's studies as opposed to how it is viewed academically. Don't assume that what see identified as women's studies in the media or on the Internet is something addressed in women's studies. Take the time and do the foundational work even it it is not based on material you are assigned in a class. One good place to start may sound odd, depending on where you are in your own educational journey, but is very helpful and that place are syllabi for classes in women's and gender studies you can find on the Internet. The Association of Feminist Anthropology list several syllabi at http://afa.americananthro.org/syllabi/. A second source is from the University of Alabama Department of Anthropology's guide to anthropological theories (by and for students) at https://anthropology.ua.edu/theory/feminist-anthropology/. This lists many of the foundational figures and their major contributions. From this list you can begin to develop your own bibliography of seminal works in the field and start reading. A third issue is a lack of information on way women's studies developed. It is only partially correct to say that it developed as a reaction to male dominated academic fields. In educational systems modeled after the universities developed in Western societies in the last 500 years or so, have limited women's roles in education and academics. While many of our contemporary social and natural sciences were developing they were dominated by men and, simply put, men found it much easier to study other men than they did to study women. When most of these men did study women, they did so through the lens of their own Western societies where men were identified as the heads of households and men's "active" lives were emphasized over women's "passive" lives. In other words, early academic fields were dominated by men who were influenced, or biased, by their own cultures. This does not mean that this was their intent when they did their studies. It does mean that we can recognize and benefit from what they did and do better. A fourth, and final issue, is one that a number of other people who have touched on and that is the perception of women's studies. Many people do not understand why women's studies are important, but more people--including students and sometimes professors--forget that women's studies are not JUST about studying women and "their" issues. We can no more study women in isolation than our largely male academic ancestors could successfully study men in isolation. A culture, subculture, or society has definitions for genders and gender roles, but these are not things written in stone. Rather gender, gender roles, and gender performance are a range of behaviors, some of which many not be expressed at a give time, and that are constantly negotiated by the individual, those around the individual, and the culture or society at large. Women's studies must also include men, children, non-binary individuals, families, communities, politics, economics, and more. This is something any student would find challenging.
Susana González
Susana’s Answer
First of all, there is a big problem regarding stereotypes. We are born without stereotypes, but the whole society, our family, friends... create stereotypes in the way that we think or we act.
For example, there is a recent paper in Science journal (Bian et al, 2018) that find these stereotypes in children as young as 6! We need to be really careful because not all these stereotypes are evident but all of us have them. It is important to recognize them and try to avoid them.
Hope it helps
Tanya Rajvedi
Tanya’s Answer
I apreciate this question
mexilezechiel891@gmail.com Ezechiel
Liz Del Tufo
Liz’s Answer
Lindsay Raspi
Lindsay’s Answer
Hi there! I was a Gender Studies Major in undergrad at the University of Maryland. I was a nontraditional student who went to college later for financial reasons and graduated at 32. I absolutely loved the Gender Studies program! It taught me so much and has had an impact on every area of my life. The biggest obstacle for me was in finding work in the field after graduating. If you major in Gender Studies, you may want to minor in something more easily employable, or make sure to do an internship with a nonprofit or other organization that may lead to employment after. I am currently going to grad school for a Masters of Arts in Counseling, and there is a Feminist Theory base that can be used as a counselor/therapist. Definitely research what kinds of jobs are out there and good luck!
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Lindsay, your 3 points are so to the point! I really appreciate those advices.
Amity Saha
Youssouph MANE
Youssouph’s Answer
in my humble opinion there are no obstacles, you just have the will and the courage to continue your studies.
Amy Widman
Amy’s Answer
Chian-Han Hsu
Chian-Han’s Answer
Peter Appelbaum
Peter’s Answer
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Adina Friedman
Adina’s Answer
I teach conflict resolution/peacebuilding, including gender and conflict, and sustainable development and women's empowerment (among other things). In my opinion one of the biggest obstacles is the fact that many people (mostly men, but also many women) are not aware of the many ways in which gender is an integral part of every aspect of our world and lives, and therefor have little appreciation for what the fields of gender (and/or particularly women's studies) entail and offer. Gender - with all its nuances and intricacies - is one of the last "blind spots" many people still have, including most well-intentioned, forward-thinking, and otherwise very progressive men. I believe studying gender (and women, as falling within this broader category) is critical for everyone. Being blind to gender and the effects of gender means we are really not seeing the world in its complexity. This is true regarding many forms of power and privilege, as well as culture, structural dimensions, and other factors that are critical for us to understand the world. But gender is cross-cutting, and its importance is still not sufficiently appreciated.
Personally I would say that despite - or perhaps because of - these obstacles, it is an important field to pursue.
Sydney Swafford
Sydney’s Answer
In my experience studying Women's and Gender Studies in college and hoping to purse a Masters in the field, the biggest obstacle is that people don't know what it is and therefore don't value it. I often get strange looks and the staggering "what will you do with that?" question from family and friends who don't quite know what we study. In addition I very much agree with Asha's answer. Women's and Gender studies is a simple name for a field that studies gender, sexuality, race, culture, religion, and the modern world in every aspect. Many do not value this on top of the struggle that many don't think racism, sexism, and any other "ism" is a real issue.
Quinci Smith Slater (she/her)
Quinci’s Answer
Brenda Bush
Brenda’s Answer
To answer your question: “What is the biggest obstacle in today’s culture for the students who are actively pursuing a degree in women’s studies?”
In my perspective, the biggest obstacle is perception. What do you expect to gain from a women’s studies degree? How are you going to make money from it? Is there going to be any long-lasting satisfaction from such a degree? Sometimes students spend time and money on a degree because it seems to further their current personal interest, or agenda, not realizing that there is going to be a time to pay back the student loan from the income made from a degree in Women’s Studies.
On the other hand, who do you hope to work for? What impact does a degree in “Women’s Studies” have on an agency who hires - looking for results? You could take such a degree and create a niche in sex trafficking; women in positions of authority; or the question of, “if being a woman is a good thing, then why does she have to look like a man?”
What is the biggest obstacle? Perception…and longevity.
Good luck and take care of yourself.
Victor Nino
Victor’s Answer
Hello Donovan,
Thanks for your question.
Although I am not a professor, but a women's studies student, I do feel as if I can give some insight on obstacles I have faced being a women's studies student. The main issue I have is the push back I receive from people who do not understand what women's studies is about. The idea that women/gender studies professors and students only discuss issues that men create versus the experiences and theories from an intersectional lens rather than the typical academic (euro/white heterosexual male) perspective.
A major roadblock I face is pushing myself to speak out against problematic situations in my daily life. To speak out against discriminations women and LGBTQ people face in an academic way that can potentially change a persons perspective. Also while being sensitive to the person in order to keep them engaged in the conversation to learn about how they can change by simply understanding a perspective that is not represented widely.
I hope this answered your question, Donovan. I can only speak on my experience as a male women's studies student (which is definitely different than the perspective of a female women's studies student).
Do great things,
Victor
Jessica Haight-Angelo
Jessica’s Answer
Hi Jessica, this is an interesting perspective but it doesn't directly answer the student's question. Any direct insights you can share, would be helpful!
Gurpreet Lally, Admin
I addressed what I feel is a big obstacle to even creating a class called Women's Studies. Does the student want, say, specific curriculum staples or whatnot as well?
Jessica Haight-Angelo
Amara SV Belewa
Amara SV’s Answer
However, a society headed by patriarchy is responsible for such an obstacle but the obstacle can be overcome when you have passion and confidence in what you believe to have learned as a career. I advise you to look beyond the glass-ceiling of culture which I consider the biggest obstacle to women's career development. Focus on your passion and dedicate your time to learn what you love.
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