Hi everyone,
I’m currently an undergrad majoring in Sociology in Asia, and I’m seriously considering pursuing a Master’s in Gender Studies. Since high school, I’ve been deeply interested in feminism, queer rights, and cross-cultural perspectives on gender.
I wanted to ask a few questions and also get advice from people who’ve studied or worked in related fields:
- Career paths — What kind of careers have you or people you know pursued after studying Gender Studies? Are academic and non-academic paths equally viable?
- My goals — For context, my personal career goals include:
- Doing academic research and engaging with cutting-edge scholars and ideas
- Writing books to share my own theories
- Giving lectures/talks
- Teaching sex education (similar to a high school educator role)
- Working in mental health/psychology, especially for queer communities
- Working in NGOs or international organizations focused on gender/queer rights I know this is a wide range — are these realistic, and which of these would Gender Studies best prepare me for?
- Location — Since I’m currently based in Asia, I’m also thinking about studying abroad. Do you think the U.S. or Europe would offer a better environment for Gender Studies — both academically and socially (in terms of inclusivity, queer-friendliness, and career opportunities)?
- Finances — I’ve noticed many people say that Gender Studies (and humanities/social sciences in general) are fields where students usually come from middle/upper-middle-class families, since it often requires strong financial support and may not lead to immediate financial returns. For someone from an ordinary family background, what are the realistic options? Is it still doable, and if so, how? (scholarships, working part-time, etc.)
I’d love to hear your honest thoughts and experiences — whether you studied Gender Studies yourself, work in related fields, or even if you decided against it.
Thank you so much in advance!
Comments
Humanities is difficult in general. Gender Studies is in the most difficult position imo.
I’d avoid the US for very obvious reasons… Europe might work, depending on the country, European conservatives have adopted the culture war from the US as well and you’d need to choose carefully which countries might be suitable and safe, you don’t want to experience censorship or politicans trying to pull funding from you, because you’re researching something “woke”.
More generally speaking. Academia doesn’t have to offer much in terms of career potential. You’ll find plenty of posts here explaining why. A good academic education does open a lot of doors though, you will need to do internships and explore options on your own. If you decide to stay in academia you’ll definitely never be in a financially comfortable position.
Gender Studies used to be in demand, because companies felt like they needed to hire people with gender competency, the wind has shifted though and such positions are often cut to appease the culture war crowd and rightwing politicans in Europe and the US. Again, if you decide to go down this route, you need to thoroughly research the political environment in the country you’re interested in.
May not even lead to eventual financial returns, unfortunately.