Archive
From the Collection
BCRW @ 50
Eve Marie Kausch and Alex Volgyesi
Documenting BCRW’s history in the context of Barnard College, the emergence of women's studies and ethnic studies as disciplines and women's resource centers as institutions, and in broader social movements for gender and sexual liberation, anti-racism and labor and working-class movements.
Read MoreWomen in the Workforce
Curated by Suzanna Denison '09
Women have always contributed to the workforce in formal and informal ways, but their labor has not always been recognized. Karl Marx stated that "[women's] labor appears to be a personal service outside of capital." From the social issues concerning sexual harassment to the policy reforms surrounding the wage gap, this exhibit showcases a variety of materials from the BCRW collection that relate to women's participation in the workforce. These documents chronologically span three decades, starting in the early 1970s with documents from MIT's significant conference "Women in Science and Technology," which sparked a discussion of women in higher education and skilled professions, to materials that showcase 1990s women-run, women-owned businesses.
Read MoreFeminism and Sexual Health
Curated by Laurie Sugatan '06
A major theme of feminism is a woman's right to her own body, particularly to make decisions about her own health and wellbeing. Access to information is integral to a woman's ability to make important decisions regarding her health. The following documents, which date from 1970-1999, demonstrate how women's organizations have worked to distribute much-needed information about women's sexual health. Information that was otherwise unavailable or inadequate became accessible in resource guides, newsletters and pamphlets written for (and by) diverse groups of women. Addressing such issues as safe sex, teenage pregnancy, lesbians and AIDS, advancements in reproductive technologies, contraceptives, and reproductive health, these publications have empowered women to make well-informed decisions about their own bodies.
Read MoreWomen’s Prison Activism
Curated by Lucy Trainor '07
With the number of individuals in prison rising at unprecedented rates, it's clear that the current law enforcement policies in the U.S. need to be reexamined and reevaluated. Incarcerated women are a segment of this population who have remained even more invisible than their male counterparts. Few have bothered to ask who these women are, how they end up in prison, and what type of support they need to resume their lives after their sentences are served. What happens to the children and families of incarcerated mothers? How have women been disproportionally targeted in the "War on Drugs?" What types of alternatives to incarceration will benefit communities? The documents shown here, reflecting almost 30 years of advocating for incarcerated women, are the work of the organizations and individuals who dared to challenge the current system by asking these questions and many more.
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