About

Welcome to the Women’s Center Homepage

Mission Statement

The Williams College Women’s Center is an inclusive community that brings together students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members. We are women and supporters of women who believe in the value of a woman’s voice and believe in the importance of every voice being heard. We recognize, explore, and celebrate a woman’s identity in order to further gender equity on and off campus. The Center seeks to build alliances in order to educate and learn from our community about the facets of a woman’s identity including but not limited to gender, ethnicity, sexuality, class, race, culture, and spirituality. The Women’s Center is a safe space where women can come together to talk as women and a place for people to talk about gender that is safe for women and their allies. Through promoting women’s leadership and constant collaboration with other groups on campus we aim to foster that safe space in the Williams community and beyond.

Lunch Discussions

The Women’s Center hosts bi-monthly lunchtime discussions from noon to 1pm in Paresky. The discussions are led and moderated by a professor whose research, interests, and/or current coursework focuses on issues in gender and sexuality studies. Students are invited to listen to the professor speak on a topic and then participate in the discussion that follows. Past topics have included “Gender in the 2008 Election,” “Gender and the Recession,” and “Women in Scandinavian Countries.” Faculty and staff are invited to contact the Women’s Center if interested in leading a discussion.

Collective Meetings

The Women’s Center hosts bi-monthly evening Collective Meetings on Wednesdays at 8:30 PM in Hardy House Living Room. The topics and discussions vary from meeting to meeting and often focus on current events and news affect women. Past discussions have included the Purity Myth, Gender Relations on Campus, and Sexual Assault in the Purple Bubble.