What Can I Do With a Women's and Gender Studies Degree?

Making an Impact Across Industries

Understanding gender is essential to solving real-world challenges in workplaces, institutions, and communities. Corporations rely on experts to navigate equitable hiring and pay practices in the workplace, healthcare organizations apply these insights to improve patient care, and educational institutions use this knowledge to foster inclusive learning environments. Across fields, understanding gender helps shape solutions that create positive outcomes for people and communities alike.

At Willamette, you will examine the ways gender expression and identity shape culture, society, politics, media, and historical context. Take courses on feminist theory, study sexuality, reproduction, and the politics of the body, or explore the contributions of women artists through art.

What is a Women's and Gender Studies Degree?

A Women’s and Gender Studies (WGS) degree explores how gender shapes society, culture, politics, and everyday life. The field examines questions about identity, power, inequality, and social change, looking at gender in relation to race, class, and sexuality. Women’s and Gender Studies students develop the ability to think critically, research and analyze concepts, present ideas, and convey complex information. Programs often study women’s experiences and gender broadly, including discussions on LGBTQ+ communities and different cultural understandings of gender.

This degree prepares you to turn social awareness into action across careers that shape policy, care, communication, and community life. Thanks to strong transferable skills, graduates pursue opportunities across nonprofits, research institutions, government agencies, and human rights organizations. Others work in healthcare, social services, libraries, colleges, political action committees, and public interest groups. Together, these paths represent the broad scope of careers in Women's and Gender Studies, where graduates use critical thinking and advocacy skills to address real-world challenges.

A professor pointing over the shoulder of a student

What Skills Do You Learn?

Graduates who have studied Women’s and Gender Studies develop skills such as:

Cultural and social awareness. Analyze how identity, culture, and social context shape lived experiences. Engage with diverse perspectives and navigate complex social environments.
Advocacy and ethical reasoning. Learn how to evaluate social issues and apply your knowledge toward meaningful change. Gain skills in policy thinking and values-based decision-making.
Critical thinking. Evaluate evidence, question assumptions, and analyze systems of power, culture, and inequality to form well-reasoned conclusions.
Communication skills. Build strong written and oral communication skills through discussion-based courses and research papers. Learn to express ideas clearly, engage in thoughtful dialogue, and communicate effectively with different audiences.
Facilitation and collaboration. Work across perspectives, support inclusive group conversations, and collaborate on projects where values, identity, and power dynamics matter.
Research and analysis. Find credible sources, analyze texts and data, conduct qualitative analysis, and synthesize information to support evidence-based arguments.

What Jobs Can You Get With a Women's and Gender Studies Major?

Women's and Gender Studies jobs span across a broad range of fields, including advocacy, education, healthcare, government, human services, non-profits, and social work. The major opens doors to people-centered careers where analysis, communication, and advocacy matter.

Consider applying your knowledge and skills to roles such as:

Advocacy, Policy, and Social Justice
Community Outreach Coordinator

Community Program Coordinator

DEI Consultant

Diversity and Inclusion Manager

Human Rights Advocate

Legal Advocate

Legislative Aide

Lobbyist

Non-Profit Program Director

Patient Advocate

Political Aide

Politician

Union Organizer

Victim Advocate
Communications, Media, and Marketing
Communications Specialist

Editor

Journalist

Marketing Specialist

Media Analyst

Public Relations Manager

Writer

Education and Research
Archivist

Educator

Librarian

Professor

Researcher

Teacher
Health and Human Services
Family Services Caseworker

Health Clinic Coordinator

Health Educator

Psychologist

Therapist
Administration, Management, and Law
Human Resources Manager

Lawyer

Nonprofit Events Manager

Project Manager

Public Policy Analyst

*Many of these career paths require an advanced degree. For roles involving counseling, clinical practice, or teaching, you will typically need training and supervised hours. Speak with an advisor for additional information on how to qualify for a specific job.

Is a Women's and Gender Studies Degree a Good Major?

A major in Women’s and Gender Studies is a strong option for students seeking transferable skills in critical thinking, research, writing, and communication. Use those skills to shape workplace policy, influence public health programs, or advocate for community resources.

Students build a deep understanding of social systems and power dynamics, valuable knowledge for careers centered on equity and inclusion. Employers value candidates who can research, write clearly, work with diverse communities, and translate complex issues into practical recommendations. Internships, volunteer work, campus leadership, and project portfolios make these strengths visible.

A student working on art work related to WGS

What Does a Women's and Gender Studies Major Do?

Students research social issues, analyzing them through lenses such as gender, sexuality, race, and culture. They explore the different forms of oppression and try to address inequality through actions based on insights and research.

A student with glasses looking up with another student out of focus

Real-World Paths After College

Some students start searching for gender and women's studies jobs right away, while others continue their education through a graduate degree. Depending on your ideal career, you might consider graduate programs in law, education, medicine, public policy, and public health.

Recent paths from Willamette graduates include:

American University
Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis
California Emergency Response Corps
Colorado State University
Franklin & Marshall College
Long Term Recovery Group of Santa Cruz County
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Northwestern University
Portland State University
Purdue University
San Francisco State University
University of California, Davis
University of Maryland
University of Southern California
Washington State University
Western New Mexico University
Willamette University School of Law

Why Choose Willamette for Women's and Gender Studies?

At Willamette, we encourage students to explore a wide range of courses that expand how they think about their major. Through small, discussion-based courses, students build a deeper understanding of gender, identity, and advocacy. A Women’s and Gender Studies major challenges students to explore gender through different perspectives, such as class, race, culture, and sexuality. Students have the opportunity to work closely with professors on research that makes a difference.

Popular courses include:

Feminist Theory - Examine dynamics of social identity and power through a variety of feminist theoretical perspectives.
Feminism, Gender, and Society - Explore the ways gender influences and shapes culture, family, social institutions, and personal lives.
Womxn in the Arts - Study the contributions of womxn in a wide range of creative mediums and forms across cultural settings.

WGS Courses

Learn about the role of gender identity in other cultures by immersing yourself in societies outside the United States. We offer study abroad programs across the globe to encourage students to engage with different cultures, norms, and societies. Take gender and women's studies classes in other countries to experience the discipline from another view.

Students can also join one of the many student-run clubs that focus on gender expression and identity. Connect and grow with like-minded peers who want to continue the discussion after class. Students can join clubs such as:

Choice Action Team
New Roots Non-Traditional Student Union
Queer Literary Society
Queer Men’s Club
Queer Student Union

Study Abroad

Student Clubs

Build on lectures and classroom discussions through real-world learning opportunities. Students can publish their work in peer-reviewed journals, present at conferences, or participate in graduate-level research projects. Students can also engage with art and artifacts through the Hallie Ford Museum of Art on campus. Use these resources to understand the role of gender within various historical and social contexts.

Hallie Ford Museum of Art

Learn from expert scholars, acclaimed writers, and engaged activists who are actively working professionals. Our small class sizes encourage mentorship between students and professors, leading to career insights, collaborative research opportunities, academic guidance, and deeper discussions. Collaborate with professors on research and thesis projects, or pursue an internship for real-world experience.

You'll also find support within our Career Development Center. Our advisors can guide you through your liberal arts journey. Work with career communities to find support within industries and roles that match your interests. Join interview workshops, discuss graduate program requirements, or even adjust your resume to stand out on applications.

WGS Faculty

Career Development Center

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What Can You Do With a Women's and Gender Studies Degree?

Making an Impact Across Industries

What is a Women's and Gender Studies Degree?

What Skills Do You Learn?

What Jobs Can You Get With a Women's and Gender Studies Major?

Advocacy, Policy, and Social Justice

Communications, Media, and Marketing

Education and Research

Health and Human Services

Administration, Management, and Law

Is a Women's and Gender Studies Degree a Good Major?

What Does a Women's and Gender Studies Major Do?

Real-World Paths After College

Why Choose Willamette for Women's and Gender Studies?

Request Information

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