By Angela McRobbie (China Daily)
Updated: 2008-03-27 07:23

The disappearance of women's studies at undergraduate level from British universities, marked this coming July by the graduation of the final batch of 12 students from London Metropolitan University, is symbolic of the changes that have been taking place in the landscape of gender, sexuality and feminism during the last decade.

Young women, in many universities including my own, flow through the doors of academy from across the world.

In Britain, the success of girls in education has in itself been a key factor in the expansion of higher education. More and more young women expect to gain a degree qualification as a requirement for an interesting and rewarding career, which in many ways has replaced marriage and motherhood.

This, in itself, when considered as a global trend, is the mark of a quite epochal change, such that the need for women's studies to understand its consequences might be obvious. But alas, as this graph of participation rises, so does the popularity of women's studies decline.

Opinion is divided among the academic feminist community. Some point to the vilification of feminism within popular culture as a deterrent.

If women's studies is only associated in the popular imagination with 1970s radical feminism, then it is not surprising it is no longer deemed worthy of study.

Many feminists work hard to counter this view, but it is an uphill struggle. Others point to the way in which women's studies has been mainstreamed.

It has transmogrified into gender and sexuality studies which, when offered as options within humanities, social science, law, business studies and management degrees, are among the most popular subjects.

Given the more career-oriented outlook of students today, this is not so surprising. There are also those who see the passing away of women's studies as a sign that gender equality has been won.

The Guardian

(China Daily 03/27/2008 page9)