<p>Why do people so often scoff at the idea of a Women's Studies major? Whenever I tell someone I'm interested in studying Women or Gender Studies I'm always asked, "Do you hate men?" or "Are you a lesbian?"</p>
<p>So what's the deal? I mean, I know it's a semi-limited degree, but I don't see why people look down on it.</p>
<p>Maybe because they assume that if you want to major in WGS that you just want bash men, and that it is a useless degree. I also considered majoring in it, but then I decided I wanted to major in something more realistic/marketable/profitable. So now I just plan to take a few courses in the subject.</p>
<p>A lot of people associate that degree with feminism… which some people find offensive. Not me, I am a feminist to the core! I personally would not want to go back to the days of being property of my husband, not having the right to vote, and where the only acceptable jobs were secretary and nurse and teacher (and those only if you weren’t married yet). But apparently some people would prefer that state – or they forget/don’t want to think about what courage and sacrifice it took from women to move beyond it. Anyway, there are political undertones to people’s reaction to that major. 
I also think that there is a “what job are you going to get with THAT?” reaction.</p>
<p>I think WGS is a major that is ideally supplemented with something else. Like if one were to double major in WGS and biology or sociology or phycology or etc. Doesn’t it offer a specialization? For example if people major in biology but concentrate or specialize in molecular biology, how is that different from someone studying sociology but specializing in feminism?</p>
<p>Because some people believe that studies that do not lead directly to a job are useless.</p>
<p>Like my SIL said: the purpose of college is to get a job.</p>
<p>Oh . . and because we are still a sexist society that devalues the study of how we treat women in our culture:-)</p>
<p>It isn’t different in the construct between the two examples. But people are (stupidly) emotional on this issue. A stunning number of American women would say they are NOT feminists (which as noted above is the term that tends to be associated with women’s studies). However, they also want all the benefits the feminist movement has brought our society without somehow being willing to raise their hands and say so. While I think from your posts that you would like to separate this major from the political reaction people have, you can’t.</p>
<p>I think the interdiciplinary nature leaves some wondering what the point is, feminist or not. You look back at its formations and see a lil this, a lil that, with the seeming purpose of better understanding women, their roles, impact, representation and historical constraints. And then what? Why not women as a subset of history, soc/anthro or lit or econ studies? Ie, as part of the whole that exists? Masculinity studies, eg, is a topic, not a field. </p>
<p>I know there are lots of interdiscip majors that make sense- and at some schools, kids can create their own custom majors- but I’d like to hear more about the academic importance and impact of WGS, as a focus. I can say that the education major suffers equally- but that the classes one of mine took in ed were surprisingly intense, with high analytical standards.</p>