WOMEN SCHOLARSHIPS

There are many scholarships available for students who belong to marginalized groups in society. In terms of gender, women are still considered marginalized individuals in society. Underprivileged women experience more discrimination given that their status in society hinders them from pursuing higher studies. In other cases, despite the supposedly modern times, women are still viewed as keepers of the home who do not have a place outside the domestic terrain.

In the United States and many other countries that are still dominated by men in the academe and in the workforce, several scholarship foundations are directed at providing women the opportunity to receive education.

The logic behind the availability of these scholarships is that women have been historically limited within their home, and that there is still the need to provide aid and grants to women who still have to cope with such discrimination. More importantly, in the academe, one will notice that there are some courses that used to be available only to men, which are now being pursued more actively by female students. Courses such as mathematics, political science, and history used to be dominated by males, while female students were usually enrolled in courses related to the arts, like literature, and the domestic spheres of study, like home economics. For instance, Engineering used to be a field that women did not dare to enter. Now, although the course is still populated more by male students, women at the very least are doing well and have proven themselves to be at par with male engineering students.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR WOMEN

What follows are some of the most popular scholarships for female students. Some of the scholarships provide funding for specific courses or women with specific dispositions.

For women who are interested in engineering, the Society of Women Engineers will be able to help in looking for aid or scholarship grants. A lot of universities that have women’s organizations are also advisable starting points of reference for female students who need help in looking for particular courses of interest. In these modern times, many universities also offer specific courses for women, particularly courses on women’s studies. All these may be easily looked up through search engines in the internet. For instance, the UCLA official website has a link of lists of reliable scholarship funds, many of which target female students of good academic standing. There are also some other scholarships available to lesbian women, like the NWSA Graduate Scholarship in Lesbian Studies or Scholarships for Mature Women offered by the National League of American Pen Women.

Also, there are many scholarships offered to foreign women who wish to study in the United States. As there is growing interest in the status of Third World women, underprivileged women from developing countries can easily search for scholarships available to them in the United States. For instance, the Margaret MacNamara Memorial Fund is available to women from the Third World who wish to pursue graduate studies. Applicants should be able to show that they have significantly contributed to helping women and children in their countries of origin. The AAUW Educational Foundation International Fellowships scholarship grant, which is housed in Washington DC, offers funding for graduate female foreign students who are interested in studying abroad in order to give back to their country of origin. For female medical students, funding may be granted by the AEI scholarship f und located in Ann Arbor, MI. The International Peace Scholarship Fund located in Iowa also gives grants to foreign women who wish to study in the United States or Canada.

In the field of sciences, the Sigma Delta Epsilon organization may be of help, an organization located in New York. For women who are interested in studying about politics and doing studies and research about issues, seen through women’s point of view, the Women’s Research and Education Institute: Congressional Fellowships on Women and Public Policy, offers fellowships where graduate students find opportunities to become involved in societal and political activities. The Zonta International Foundation in Chicago also offers grants for women who are interested in science and engineering. For women who want to pursue graduate studies in business, the Pepperdine University offers scholarship for women interested in business administration.

It will be noticed that a lot of scholarships available to women are graduate courses. This is because many women are actually “return” students, like those who choose to begin a family first after finishing their undergraduate degree, then later decide to pursue higher studies. Also, in all the scholarship grant, interested female students are expected to demonstrate academic excellence. For the particularities of the scholarships mentioned, simply type in the association or group in internet search bars for links.