The Center for Women’s Studies is recognized by the University Grants Commission since March, 2000. Before that, Shivaji University was running this Centre out of University funds. The Director in the scale of a Reader (Associate Professor) was appointed in Sept. 2005. Currently there are M.Phil and Ph.D. programs in Women’s Studies. The Center offers electives in Women’s Studies to M.A. students from the Faculty of Social Sciences. Teaching, research, advocacy and extension constitute major tasks of the Centre. Centre offers its expertise to the United Nations, various Ministries in the Government of India as well as to the Parliament of India.
Our Vision:
Center envisions a society based on gender equality, free from all forms of discrimination.
Our mission:

• Produce professionals committed to gender equality through Women’s Studies curriculum and gender sensitization programs.

• Advocate women’s rights on all possible platforms.

• Conduct research for making concrete recommendations for reducing inequality.

• Offer inputs to policy makers in integrating gender in policy-making.

The Centre is under financial support of the University Grants Commission since the year 2000. Government of Maharashtra started contributing to the salary component since 2005.

  Research Areas :

Primary research area of the Centre is Women and Politics. The Centre has contributed to the discourse Women’s Reservation Bill through testimonies before the Parliamentary Committees, participation in the United Nations Expert Group Meeting and Research Reports on the experience of women’s reservation in local governments.

  Academic Programmes : 

Currently there are M.Phil and Ph.D. programs in Women’s Studies. The Center offers electives in Women’s Studies to M.A. students from the Faculty of Social Sciences.

  Course Structure :(Papers)

Course Structure and Syllabus of M.Phil in Women’s Studies
Click here for the Course Structure

Click here for the syllabus of M.Phil in Women’s Studies

Library
The Centre has adequate teaching and learning resources for its courses. The library has over 800 titles on Women’s Studies.

Monitoring
The Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India has invited the Centre for Women’s Studies as the Monitoring Agency for Maharashtra to review the implementation of the Rajiv Gandhi National Crèche Scheme in the State. There are over 1200 crèches in Maharashtra funded through this scheme. Centre is conducting the inspection of crèches with the help of trained professionals in Social Work.

Project for Women in Leather Industry
In July 2004, the Centre for Women’s Studies and Centre for Community Development held a Public Hearing for the National Commission for Women New Delhi. The theme was “Problems of Women in Leather Industry”. It was organized at Jawahar Nagar locality where people belonging to cobbler and tanner communities reside in large numbers. As many as 150 women participated and unfolded their problems. Footwear manufacturing is an integrated family occupation. Mobility of male artisans into other vocations has resulted in closing down of home-based leatherwork unit and has led to unemployment of female artisans. These women have only two options left: unemployment or opting for low-Paid unskilled jobs like housemaid or sweeper.

Following this public hearing, at the initiative of Prof. M. M. Salunkhe, Vice-Chancellor, Shivaji University has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai for the development of the leather industry in Kolhapur District. According to the MOU the CLRI promised to help with the skill up-gradation and technological advances, while Shivaji University would act as the nodal agency and mobilize activities at the ground level. There are three major components of this project: skill up gradation, academic programme and women empowerment. The Centre for Women’s Studies has been working towards the empowerment of women in Kolhapur leather industry.

Visit of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Dept. of Commerce 15th Oct. 2007 (Click here for details)

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce paid a visit to Shivaji University on 14th Oct 2007 to review the status of leather industry in Kolhapur. Shivaji University has collaboration with Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai for ‘Development of Leather Industry in Kolhapur’. A Public Hearing of all stakeholders in Kolhapur Leather Industry was arranged by the CWS for the Parliamentary Committee, jointly with the Centre for Community Development.

Number of Activities/Events Organized in last 10 years

Organized more than 100 extension activities that include seminars, workshops, sensitization programs, orientations and the like in last ten years.

Themes Covered Through Extension Activities

• Violence against Women.
• Political Empowerment of Women
• Women’s Economic Empowerment
• Gender Sensitivity Trainings
• Gender Sensitivity Trainers’ Trainings
• Gender Construction through Media
• Women and Health
• Gender and Development
• Empowerment through Education

Number of Persons Reached Through Extension Activities

More than 20,000 persons participated in the seminars, workshops, sensitization programs and talks.

Target Groups Covered Through Extension Activities

• Teachers and students on the University Campus and in 200 affiliated colleges
• Researchers
• Administrators
• Elected women representatives
• Office-bearers of political parties
• Rural and urban non-student youth
• NGO activists
• Women from underprivileged and privileged sections of society
• Slum dwellers
• Mahila Mandals/ Women’s groups
• Members of Women’s Security cells in police stations
• Women’s self-help groups
• Victims of commercial sexual exploitation
• Women in Kolhapur footwear industry
• Anganwadi workers
• Crèche workers
• Women members of cooperative credit societies, banks and dairies.

Director,
Centre for Woman Studies,
Email: cws@unishivaji.ac.in