Career Information for Women and Gender Studies Majors |
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It is important to understand that employers hire people, not degrees. The skills and knowledge you develop as a result of your education, as well as in your work and community activities, have the greatest impact on hiring decisions. Listed below are some specific knowledge and transferable skills you will acquire as a result of your university education and your focus on Women’s Studies.
Specific Knowledge Skills
Valuable Transferable Skills
Some Career Options
Potential Employers
Websites
Specific Knowledge Skills
- An understanding of how to investigate and assess the impact of culture/gender roles and the perception of these roles on individuals, cultures and societies and their ongoing development
- An ability to examine trends in popular cultural, society, technology, gender, and assess the potential impact on society and individuals
- Knowledge of the historical and cultural context of the role of gender in developing/future society
- Skills to effectively and appropriately deliver and develop information, training and education to a wide range of people with different cultural and societal experiences and expectations
- Knowledge of the impact of policy development and implementation on different societal groups
- The ability to identify the potential impact of change and development on societal relationships
- Skills to examine an organization, community, society, culture, and determine areas in need of investigation, change, development to facilitate development and co-operation
- The ability to interpret and communicate information with awareness of and sensitivity to cultural roles
Valuable Transferable Skills
Information-gathering and Communication Skills
- The skills required to identify and access a wide range of relevant information and resources
- The ability to compile and organize facts and information and to comprehend and apply new and/or unfamiliar information to different situations and settings
- Skills in preparing interesting, creative and informative presentations which target diverse audiences
- The ability to develop effective reports, presentations and materials using current technology
Thinking, Planning and Organizational Skills
- The ability to learn, understand and interpret information and apply knowledge to new situations
- The ability to set priorities, meet deadlines and effectively plan/manage time, data and resources
- Problem-solving skills and the ability to make well-reasoned decisions, think creatively and search for, identify and consider all sides of an issue
- Skills to effectively analyze and interpret a wide range of information and data to discuss, support and/or reject ideas, opinions, reports, theories and proposals
Teamwork and Management Skills
- Skills enabling you to work effectively as part of a team by identifying your role and contributing, through leading, teaching, motivating and/or encouraging others, to the success of the team
- An understanding of how to successfully identify, plan and contribute to the goals of a project
- The ability to oversee, supervise and/or contribute to a project from beginning to end including determining outcomes, planning details, making decisions, assigning roles and completing tasks
Some Career Options for Women’s and Gender Study Majors
(Additional education, training or experience may be required)
| Fundraiser | Advocate/Lobbyist | Parole/Probation Officer |
| Historian | Editor/Publisher | Advertising Sales/Designer |
| Broadcaster | Production Assistant | Business Manager/Entrepreneur |
| Lawyer | Art Therapist | Public Health Educator |
| Publicist | Re-settlement Worker | Crisis Worker/Intake/Referral Worker |
| Court Officer | Financial Analyst | Public Relations Specialist |
| Instructor | Program Developer | Children’s Rights Advocate |
| Social Worker | Art Administrator | Politician/Political Strategist |
| Community Activist | Human Resources | Publisher/Publishing Agent |
| Merchandiser/Purchasing | Investigator/Detective | Student Life Co-ordinator |
| Therapist/Psychologist | Journalist/Reporter | Sales/Brand Manager |
| Curriculum Developer | Job Developer | Substance Abuse Counsellor |
| Teacher/Professor | Life Skills Trainer | Market Research Analyst |
| Campaign Manager | Consumer Advocate | Social Planning Co-ordinator |
| Negotiator/Mediator | Labour Organizer | Consumer Affairs Advocate |
| Outreach Worker | Compliance Officer | Student Services Officer |
| Volunteer Co-ordinator | Counsellor/Therapist | Women’s Shelter Director |
| Documentary Researcher | Librarian/Archivist | Multi-Cultural Co-ordinator Social |
| Victims Advocate | Minister/Religious | Social Services Worker |
| Equity Officer | Communications Consultant | Medical Health Professional |
| Employment Advisor | Community Development | Union Organizer/Manager |
| Public Educator | Media Relations | Discrimination/Harassment Investigator |
| Media Buyer/Planner | Corporate Trainer | Public Policy Administrator |
| Event Planner/Co-ordinator | Corrections Officer | Policy Analyst/Developer |
| Police/Security Officer | Policy Researcher | Women’s Centre Organizer |
| Youth Worker |
Potential Employers
| Publishers | Financial Organizations | Health Organizations |
| Advertising Agencies | Educational Organizations | Community Organizations |
| Government Agencies | Media Organizations | Public Policy Departments |
For more career options and job descriptions, visit the following sites:
Career Cruising - www.careercruising.com. Please contact the Career Centre at 519.884.0710 ext. 4495 or careercentre@wlu.ca for the username and password.
Career Insider (Vault) - Access through the library website at www.wlu.ca/library. Click ’Find Articles and More’, click ’Databases by Title (A-Z)’ and then ’C’ - Career Insider (Vault). You need to access this resource from a Laurier computer or through the library’s remote access service.
National Occupational Classification - www.hrsdc.gc.ca/noc
Websites
Canadian Women’s Foundation
Canadian Federation of University Women
The Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women
Status of Women Canada
Centres for Excellence in Women’s Health
Business and Professional Women’s Clubs of Ontario
Kitchener-Waterloo Business Women’s Association
Canadian Women in Communications
UN Women’s Watch