Women and Gender Studies contribute greatly to our understanding of the social and cultural world in which we live. Studying the complex issues of this field has yielded many key insights. Two important insights that have positively affected our society are awareness through learning and through this awareness activism that can result from it. This women's and gender studies course, like all courses, produced awareness by coherently explaining the situations women face in the world today. . You may not be aware of these situations until you are taught them. By learning about these events, you can appropriately act accordingly. Many women and men have taken the opportunity to take courses in women's and gender studies and have since made great strides to make a difference in the unjust society that needs to be addressed. Knowledge is power. An example of activism that produces awareness can be seen in the war against Iraq. When one becomes aware of an unjust war taking place, they, now knowing the circumstances, will act as they wish to stop the injustices from occurring. The same can be seen in women's activism. When people are educated about women's rights, they come to understand the circumstances and can act accordingly to help prevent problems from continuing. Anne-Marie O'Connor's article on women maquiladoras in Mexico and their terrible working conditions raised awareness, as did Sam Dylan's article on the mistreatment of these women. A growing population of female activists can be attributed to the growing number of courses offered and information available. Just a few decades ago you wouldn't have heard of it. It is due to the growing awareness of women's status as second-class citizens that activism has increased. Through various media, we learned about topics such as the “glass ceiling,” working conditions for women in Third World countries, current injustices against women perpetrated in the First World, reproductive rights, as written by Angle Davis , and other limitations imposed on women. Awareness gives birth to activism. When you become adequately aware of a situation that needs to be alleviated, you can now take action to reduce the problem. Courses and organizations on women and gender issues are very helpful in spreading awareness across the country. As more and more people become educated on the topic, there is a good chance that a percentage of these people will take action.