The Gender Studies discipline motivates learners to analyze and understand the role of gender in society and recognize the gendered nature of most issues arising around us every day. The omnipresence of gender related disputes and discrimination makes it integral to study the various aspects of gender and its effect on all areas of life- politics, economy, health, etc. Students gain a unique perspective from viewing the societal discourses from the lens of gender studies and gain the ability to understand it’s multilayered nature.
Studying Gender Studies at an undergraduate degree introduces students to a plethora of opportunities. They acquire many transferable skills that are required by numerous jobs. Employers prefer candidates with a deep understanding of issues surrounding discrimination and equality and people who are equipped to work in a team or deal with diverse groups of people. During the course of their study, students learn to analyze and organize research data, gain critical thinking skills, become comfortable with public speaking and working with diverse groups of people. Such unique social skills make them valuable to many workplaces.
The distinctive perspective offered by a course on Gender Studies offers an edge to the graduates which aids them in multiple fields like Journalism, Film-making, Law, Social Media Managing, etc. More specialized career fields like Gender Consulting and Academia/Researching allow the graduates to work exclusively in the field of gender studies, researching the various issues surrounding diverse gender identities and advising clients regarding the most beneficial route to deal with those issues. Similar research and analysis work is involved in the field of Policymaking, where the role involves formulating gender positive policies and helping promote gender equality through the legislature.
Graduates can opt to work in the commercial field and pursue roles like Communications officer, Diversity officer, HR coordinator, etc. Such roles are also available at various International Organizations like the UN and UNICEF, some governmental organizations, and various NGOs. In addition to these, such International Organizations have human rights and gender specific projects where jobs such as Gender Analysist, Gender Specialist, Social Safeguards Advisor, Project Manager, etc. UN Entities like UN Women and YuWaah specifically focus on an intersection of human rights and gender identity struggles. Some organizations exclusively focus on spreading awareness and roles like educators of sexual health, inclusion, sexualized violence, anti-racism, etc., are great opportunities for learners of Gender Studies.
In addition to all these career prospects, graduates can opt to pursue higher studies and learn more about a specialized field within Gender Studies at a post-graduate level. These fields include Feminism, Masculinity, Queen Theory, Intersectionality, Gender and Sex, and so on. These learners can pursue a successful career in Academia and Scholarly Writing.
Gender Studies is an integral field of research which provides an incomparable approach to social situations, which is highly sought after by employers. This specialized course opens many doors of exciting opportunities to the graduates and enables them to pursue their field of interest while also making a social impact on the lives of people facing discrimination.
