• First day in office.

    CSW, 236A Kinsey: Dorothy Thomas.

  • Opening Celebration

    Opening Celebration for CSW and Judy Chicago’s The Birth Project. UCLA Wight Art Gallery.

  • CSWAC Meeting, Spring 1985:

    Karen Rowe, Anne Peplau, Margaret Robe, Ned Alpers, Ruth Zambrana, Beverlee Myers, Jo Ellen Pasman.

  • The Women, Culture, and Theory Colloquium drew 91 participants in 1984-85; membership was raised to 146 in 1985-86. Twenty-eight of the 46 papers presented were published.

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Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Center for the Study of Women

The UCLA Center for the Study of Women (CSW)* has played a pivotal role in advancing gender equity and women’s studies since its inception in 1984. Over the years, it has grown into a prominent institution for research, education, and advocacy on issues related to women, gender, and sexuality. As we embark on our 40th anniversary we celebrate our milestones over the years.

Founding and Early Years (1984–1990s):

On September 21, 1984, the Center for the Study of Women (CSW) was officially authorized by the Board of Regents, becoming the first organized research unit (ORU) in the University of California system to develop and coordinate research on women and gender-related issues. Fueled by the growing feminist movement and the recognition of the need for a dedicated research center. It was founded under the visionary leadership of Helen Astin, Karen Rowe, and Nancy Henley, three prominent scholars in the field of gender studies. Their goal was to create a space where interdisciplinary research and scholarship on women’s issues could flourish.

During its early years, CSW focused on building a strong foundation for women’s studies at UCLA. Karen Rowe served as the founding director of the center and played a crucial role in the development of the women’s studies program to provide support for faculty and graduate students engaged in gender-related research. During her tenure, Constance Coiner received the first Mary Wollstonecraft Dissertation Award, which was made possible by the generosity of Barbara “Penny” Kanner, PhD. CSW sponsored or cosponsored six major symposia, mounted a “Women’s History Week” photo exhibit in Powell Library, published a quarterly newsletter, coordinated a major reception with the Wight Art Gallery, and submitted a grant for the Ethnic Women’s Curriculum Transformation Project, which sought to incorporate the history and perspectives of women of color into undergraduate liberal arts curricula.

In 1990 we began offering student funding, including our first year of travel grants that went to 49 students from 20 different UCLA departments.

The center also initiated various events, conferences, and lectures to foster dialogue and scholarship in the field. In April 1991, CSW hosted its first “Thinking Gender” graduate student conference, which brought together scholars, activists, and students to explore cutting-edge topics in gender and sexuality studies.

Expanding Research and Advocacy (2000s–2010s):

As CSW entered the new millennium, it expanded its research and advocacy efforts. It became a hub for interdisciplinary research projects, often collaborating with scholars from various disciplines. The center’s commitment to address issues related to race, class, and intersectionality became increasingly evident in its research agenda. Event highlights include the Feminism Confronts Disability Conference (2002), a Gender and Science Conference (2006) and a year-long workshop series “Intersectionalities: Transnational Feminisms and Comparative Racial Formations” (2007).

Support for faculty and students continued to grow. In 2001, the CSW Workshop Project was initiated, bringing together five groups of faculty members to foster intellectual community across disciplines and enable the groups to use CSW support as seed funding to receive grants, which would be administered through CSW. In 2002, CSW cosponsored a new lecture series, “Feminist Ethnographies,” with LGBT Studies and Sociology. The lectures brought leading scholars like feminist theorists Trinh T. Minh-ha (UC Berkeley), Sherry Ortner (Columbia), and Sylvia Yanagisako (Stanford) to speak at the center. In 2006, Faculty Development Grants were initiated to support faculty research activities and align CSW’s programming with the research of affiliated faculty.

During this time CSW also supported several archival projects in gender studies. In 2008, the center began the “Access Mazer’‘ project that organized and digitized the Lesbian-Feminist Archive in Los Angeles. Published in May 2014, this resource included essays by project participants and summaries of the center’s processed collections.

The Streisand Foundation Gift (2021):

In 2021, CSW received a transformative gift from the foundation of recording artist, actor, director, producer, screenwriter, author and songwriter Barbra Streisand. Her generous gift allowed the center to expand its reach and impact even further. CSW was renamed the UCLA Center for the Study of Women|Barbra Streisand Center, in recognition of the vital role of this philanthropic contribution.

The gift provides financial support for research, fellowships, and public programs related to women’s issues. It also allows the center to strengthen its engagement with the broader community, bringing gender scholarship to a wider audience. The Streisand Center is focused on the four research areas: Truth in the Public Sphere, Impact of Climate Change, Dynamics of Intimacy & Power, and Impact of Art on the Culture.

Current Initiatives and Impact:

Today, the UCLA Center for the Study of Women|Barbra Streisand Center continues to be a leader in studies about women, gender, and sexuality. It fosters research on critical issues such as reproductive justice, gender-based violence, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. The center remains committed to its mission of promoting gender equity and social justice feminism through research, education, and advocacy.

CSW|Streisand Center’s impact extends beyond academia, as it actively collaborates with community organizations and advocates for policy changes that advance gender equality. Notable research streams include Gender and Water, Feminist Anti-Carceral Studies, Sexual Violence and Intersectionality, Just Research? Trans Futures in Health and Scientific Knowledge, and the Black Feminism Initiative.

In the years to come, CSW|Streisand Center is looking to continue to expand its impact beyond UCLA and Los Angeles, to fund faculty and students, and to support research and programming that improves the lives of people of all genders.

Celebrating Our 40 Years

*CSW became the UCLA Center for the Study of Women|Barbra Streisand Center in 2021.