I first came across the field of gender studies as a junior taking an Introduction to Cultural Studies class at George Mason University. I have had strong feelings about gender equality and a keen awareness of misogyny my whole life, so gender studies interested me immediately.
As the class came to a close, I decided to write my final paper on feminist philosophical theory, which is an approach to philosophy based on feminist principles, and the application of philosophical theory to feminist topics. I threw myself into writing this paper more than any other paper I’ve ever written. Through working on this assignment, I realized I wanted to learn everything about gender studies. Now, I’m taking a class called Race, Gender, and Philosophy, and taking this class has solidified for me that I want to attend graduate school for gender studies.
Studying gender studies has allowed me to appreciate the history behind women winning basic rights. When reading Simone de Beauvior’s 1949 book Introduction to the Second Sex, I realized she had written the book before women had the right to have their own bank account or credit card, which didn’t happen until 1974. White women achieved the right to vote in 1920, Native American women had to wait until 1924, and the most striking — Black women gained the right to vote in 1965. I cannot imagine living without such basic rights, yet my grandmother could not have her own bank account until she was 25. My best friend’s grandmother was not allowed to vote until she was in her 30s.
In Western society, women have traditionally had very specific roles in communities as wives, mothers, and caretakers. There has historically been an absence of women in important spaces. Although more and more women are in positions of power now, this attitude still tends to be perpetuated in society. Due to gender discrimination, many women in male-dominated careers feel unwelcome, may be unliked, and may even feel the need to change careers. This can also be applied to communities more broadly, as described by Penny Weiss in the introduction to her 1995 book Feminism and Community. For example, I personally have always struggled to be a girl in video game circles, and I have had to fight to be accepted as someone who deserved to be there.
In graduate school, I will be studying feminist philosophy — specifically around community. Some feminists believe that being heavily involved in their community is too close to the domestic expectations women have been responsible for for decades. Other influential feminist thinkers, such as Iris Marion Young, bell hooks, and Virginia Held, believe community is a vital tool for continuing the fight for equality, and provides important solidarity and encouragement.
I personally am of the latter belief. In graduate school, I want to study the historical and social barriers women and gender minorities face in joining certain communities, and how to encourage them in these spaces. In the future, I want to publish my own feminist thoughts about community, and potentially become a professor in the gender studies or cultural studies field. Gender studies and cultural studies are both relatively new fields, and I want to contribute to them in a significant way. I believe findings in the gender studies field can continue to have a positive impact on the fight for equality — just as they did in first and second-wave feminism.
I am so grateful to live in a society where women’s rights are continually fought for, and I’m grateful to have the opportunity to attend my university and study gender studies. This Women’s History Month, take a moment to reflect on women’s history, and those who have gone before us and fought on our behalf.