Typical questions

• • I want to find articles discussing the #MeToo movement.

• • I need statistics on progress towards women's representation on boards.

Starting points

• • The interdisciplinary nature of women's studies means that it is covered in many of the subject chapters of this book, including History, Economics, Political Science and Sociology and the area studies sections. This chapter therefore focuses on general resources that concentrate on women. Coverage of gender is also made in the LGBT+ chapter.

• • Students often experience difficulty in understanding theoretical concepts. The Dictionaries and Encyclopedias chapter is useful for this.

• • Other common issues relate to tracing reports from the many NGOs and pressure groups that cover the subject area. Many produce ephemera but there is often no central directory and websites appear and disappear frequently. The chapter on Grey Literature offers good general advice on tracing these.

Recommended resources

Key organisations - national

Try to identify pressure groups and research bodies for campaign materials and commentary on government policy.

Fawcett Society

www.fawcettsociety.org.uk

Leading campaigner for UK gender equality. Topics covered include women and politics, the gender pay gap and misogyny in UK society. It is worth following its social media platforms for the latest updates.

Women's Resource Centre

www.wrc.org.uk

The leading national umbrella organisation for the women's sector assisting small local campaign groups.

Feminist and Women's Studies Association (UK and Ireland)

fwsablog.org.uk

Scholarly society. Website has a blog with news, conference and events listings. National Women's Studies Association (USA)

www.nwsa.org

Key body for research and teaching in North America. Website includes listings, links to relevant organisations and a large section discussing feminist curriculum resources.

Key organisations - government

Try to identify any specific ministries for women or departments covering equality and diversity as these usually give access to the latest government policy, plus consultation papers, legislation and statistics.

Government Equalities Office (GEO)

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/government-equalities-office

UK government body that leads on policy relating to women and sexual orientation. Links to related government bodies such as the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

Key organisations - international

If national governments lack stable websites or specific gender departments, try international agencies.

European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE)

eige.europa.eu

Autonomous body of the European Union. Its website has information, policy reports and data. This includes statistics that benchmark gender equality in European nations.