Introduction
Women and Gender studies investigate how larger structural influences, including nation-building, globalization, economic growth, and the legal system, impact the lives of specific women and men in historical and modern situations. The field continues to represent the constantly evolving paths that multiple first and third-world feminisms are currently pursuing in their curriculum and academic research (Browne 2021). The primary goal, therefore, is to dismantle the binary thinking that permeates most civilizations around the globe.
The field of women and gender studies emphasizes a critical examination of gender stereotypes and suggests ways combat them and reduce their negative influence in the modern society. It creates a distinctive dynamic by bringing together experts with experiences in history, philosophy, political science, economics, and the physical sciences. As a result of a shift toward an interdisciplinary theory that goes beyond multi- or transdisciplinary methods, this area of knowledge draws on the heritage of women studies, feminist ideas, and activist movements (Kang et al. 2017). Moreover, it is not only a reflection of the newest fads and fashions but rather an encompassing framework. This field focuses on a number of crucial concerns, such as gender-inclusive education, oppressive systems, and multidisciplinary approaches to gender.
Gender-Inclusive Education
If women want to attain gender equality and take on leadership roles in social change, education is crucial. Even though nowadays there are more opportunities than ever before, disparities still exist (Browne 2021). The prosperity of the economy and the development of the health, nutrition, and development of their families are two benefits that educated women to provide to society as a whole (Kang et al. 2017). Additionally, useful strategies for eradicating negative gender stereotypes is training. Women and Gender studies support women’s right to education in all professions. This field promotes different initiatives that advance women’s rights and gender equality, reviews official school curricula and policies, and aids in teacher, student, and parent training.
Structures of Oppression
Understanding power dynamics and politics both inside and outside of the government, as well as the social, economic, and cultural processes are prerequisites for Women and Gender studies. The key issue for the field is deconstructing structures of oppression and the ways in which economic, social, and cultural factors collide in a variety of physical and virtual environments as well as inside governmental frameworks (Kang et al. 2017). It highlights the necessity to understand these processes and, in particular, why it is important to understand them together and not as distinct, isolated factors.
There is a need for a significant shift in perspective as a societal issue that encompasses women and human rights because it is frequently misrepresented as a narrow concern. The structure of society, a fundamental system of dominance most often referred to as patriarchy, is where this pattern of gender discrimination is most deeply and pervasively ingrained (Browne 2021). These are primarily intended to be the reification of human social relationships, which is the key connection between women and structures of oppression. The existence of the patriarchy affects men, women, and most other individuals on the gender spectrum negatively, fostering unhelpful and hurtful attitudes toward oneself and others. Men under a patriarchal system find themselves unable to seek emotional connection or discuss their issues because of toxic masculinity. At the same time, women are systematically silenced, excluded, belittled and endangered by the men around them and society at large.
Research in this domain emphasizes the need to deconstruct these structures, since it affects a significant portion of world’s population. These studies attempt to get full awareness of the oppression, its systems, and influence by actually practicing the change of it. Additionally, advocating for women’s rights, and creating culture of non-victimization of women is crucial part of the movement. Only by improving the outcomes of marginalized individuals, while also addressing the underlying reasons of their oppression is capable of creating a more just and equitable society.
Multidisciplinary Approach to Gender
The field’s key aim has always been to cross disciplinary borders and eliminate topic categories. This innovative thinking regarding disciplinary intersections has been expanded to produce new explanations and strategies for affecting sex, gender, and sexuality-related social relationships, disparities, and inequities (Browne 2021). Interdisciplinary methods of the field focus on the potential changing traditional stereotyped masculinity concepts. Gender has been placed on the agenda thanks to the development of the field, which have also provided fresh perspectives on gender as a process and structure of a social, cultural, and political organization.
Gender inequality can only be understood and, more significantly, addressed through an interdisciplinary approach to the field that incorporates a variety of criticisms and analyses. Gender, in its nature social, presents a framework of understanding and interacting with individuals. With the current presentation and mainstream perception of gender, it is impossible to address the complexity of human experience, or allow those who feel oppressed by the gender stereotypes achieve happiness. As mentioned previously, all genders face oppression or other types of problems, stemming from being forced to fit in the existing gender binaries or face scrutiny by deviating from them. Oppression affects each individual differently, depending on their gender, sex, sexuality, identity, ethnicity and race. Those experiencing discrimination from other modes of oppression, such as white supremacy, are often more heavily affected by gender-related scrutiny as well. Interdisciplinary methods are focused on challenging and dismantling the present patriarchal culture, as it is harmful to all individuals within it. Without challenging the status quo, increasingly large numbers of people will be unable to lead fulfilling and happy lives. As it has frequently been the case in recent years in the promotion of equal opportunity programs in neoliberal democracies, gender is not simply about women. This field stresses out the need for an interdisciplinary approach to examine some of the connections between biology, genetics, and social systems (Browne 2021). Understanding the connections between sex, science, and technology has been made possible by Women and Gender studies’ innovative and fruitful work in different adjacent fields as well.
Conclusion
Women and Gender studies offer a modern paradigm that considers race, social, and ethnic concerns in addition to gender-related ones. The link between interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary methods that result from multidisciplinary research, an established area of study with its own capacities and specific traits, may be explored via the lens of gender studies. The issues, raised by the field, being a contentious topic, lead to innovative perspectives on how sex, gender, and sexuality are related. A deeper comprehension of social interactions and divisions, as well as their description, is made possible by gender, which serves as both an empirical category and a theoretical conceptualization. The emphasis on gender has given rise to many different and frequently novel procedures as well as several theoretical approaches that seek to explain disparities and honor the perspectives and achievements of previously underrepresented groups.
References
Browne, Jude. 2021. Why Gender?. Cambridge University Press.
Kang, Miliann, Donovan Lessard, and Laura Heston. 2017. Introduction to Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies. University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries.