Why study gender? Gendered identities, norms, structures and institutions affect all of us and intersect in complex ways with other aspects of self and society such as ethnicity/race, class, sexual orientation, age and disability. Studying gender gives us essential critical perspectives on contemporary social and cultural formations and issues, as well as being fascinating, rewarding, and opening up amazing opportunities. Our students gain fresh perspectives on familiar topics and are taught to think for themselves in an encouraging and supportive environment.
Employability
As well as being interesting, studying Gender opens up good employment opportunities: research conducted in 2002 in nine European countries found that two-thirds of Women's Studies graduates found employment in professional fields. Gender Studies graduates go into a variety of professions within fields such as the media, policy, non-governmental organisations, teaching, the civil service, the arts and trade unions.
Inspiration
Graduating with a Gender Studies degree not only increases employability, it also has an impact on aspirations and the type of employment graduates look for. Many students report that it opens up opportunities they have not previously considered. In addition, networking with faculty in Gender Studies can open up opportunities in a number of different areas such as the policy, NGO and private sectors.
Transferable Skills
Studying gender fosters a number of transferable skills which are of value in the labour market. Students gain insights into society and acquire self-knowledge, and often develop high levels of motivation and political consciousness. Graduates can use their gender training to help them to work in a more open way, to widen colleagues' views of the world, and to create workplaces which are more gender-sensitive.
Applications to Sussex are made online, via our undergraduate and postgraduate portals. Here you can apply for one of our undergraduate degrees which has gender content, for one of our five MA programmes related to gender and sexuality studies, for our MSc in Social Research Methods with a pathway in gender, or for PhD study.