"In Pursuit of 'Good Life': Gender, Caste and Class in India's Shadow Economy" – This ethnographic inquiry investigates how class, caste and gender intersect in urban slums of Hyderabad, South India, to shape aspirations for “good life” for lower caste (Dalit, historically categorized as untouchables) women engaged in the informal labor sector which constitutes a whopping 80 percent of the Indian workforce.

Join us for a Spring Open House at the Center for the Study of Women in Society!

We’re excited to invite our affiliates, friends, and community members to a special gathering where we can share inspiration, celebrate our collective work, and renew our commitment to advancing feminist research and social change.

Come connect with others who are passionate about supporting CSWS’s mission and to learn more about the impact we are making in the community and beyond.

"The Case of the Missing Clitoris: Dis/attending to Sex and Pleasure in Healthcare" — In US healthcare, discussing sex is a fraught endeavor; in many cases it’s easier to just avoid it entirely. Thus sex and pleasure are usually not considered on their own but for what they may say about reproduction, pain, or disease. Professional norms to avoid sex and pleasure ostensibly protect parties from sexual violence and undue discomfort, but people trying so hard not to be sexually inappropriate risk missing out on important information and possible solutions.

“‘Girls should be like this’: Impacts of Beauty Standards on Adolescent Girls in Goa, India” — Body dissatisfaction is a well-established risk factor for eating disorders, depression, and substance use, especially during adolescence. Body dissatisfaction is unusually prevalent among Indian adolescent girls—a high concern considering India is home to one-fifth of the world’s adolescent population (25 years or younger). Yet what we currently know about body dissatisfaction in India mainly comes from research with adults in urban areas using quantitative methods.

Save the date! CSWS research fellow Gretchen Nihill discusses her project, "Compounding Safety Cues for Women of Color." Nihill is a psychology doctoral student at the University of Oregon.

12–1 p.m. Wednesday, May 21, 2025  |  330 Hendricks Hall |  1408 University Street, Eugene

Save the date! CSWS research fellow Yuan Fang discusses her project, "Bronze Mirrors: Serving the Beautiful or the Powerful? Viewing Bronze Mirrors in Ancient China from a Gender Archaeology Perspective." Fang is an anthropology graduate student at the University of Oregon.

12–1 p.m. Friday, May 30, 2025  |  330 Hendricks Hall |  1408 University Street, Eugene

Save the date! This year's CSWS Jane Grant Dissertation Fellow winner Rhiannon Lindgren discusses her project, "Revolutionary Love and Reproductive Struggles: Feminist Politics of Care for the Queer Future." Lindgren is a philosophy PhD candidate at the University of Oregon.

12–1 p.m. Wednesday, June 4, 2025  |  330 Hendricks Hall |  1408 University Street, Eugene