Celebrating Women's History and Empowerment Month 2024

Every March, we celebrate Women’s History and Empowerment Month, both honoring the historical contributions of all who experience life through the lens of "woman" in body, spirit, and identity (past, present, future, and fluid) as well as empowering women and reducing barriers to their advancement.

Carol Mimura as post doc at Berkeley doing an experiment in the lab.

Carol Mimura's message to innovators: ‘Take risks. There is no shame in failure.’

"Myself and another student would be the first women to receive a bachelor of science degree in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale."

2L Grace Geurin-Henley (left) and 3L Gwen Iannone, leaders of Berkeley Law's Gun Violence Prevention Project

Student leaders of the Gun Violence Prevention Project forge a new strategic path

Berkeley Law's student organization Gun Violence Prevention Project is helping a nonprofit pursue international impact litigation claims.

Yogananda Pittman stands under the vaulted ceiling at Durant Hall during a visit to the UC Berkeley campus in November 2022

Yogananda Pittman, chief of the UC Berkeley Police, says she will respect the community’s diversity

"As I continued to get promoted, I was oftentimes the only woman and always the only person of color in the room..."

Jennifer Doudna holding up a gene prototype

Delivering the future of CRISPR-based genome editing

Nobel laureate Jennifer Doudna details new applications at Kuh Distinguished Lecture

Markita del Carpio Landry in the lab

Associate Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Markita del Carpio Landry is one of several women faculty members to be featured in the Brilliance of Berkeley lecture series

International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, June 3, 1900

Learn more about the women at Berkeley (past and present) who are advancing our mission of teaching, research and public service.

Lucy counting worms for the weekly worm population census

Sustainability with SERC

Interview with current student Lucy and her work with the Student Environmental Resource Center (SERC) via Berkeley Life

Headshot of Paola, Jennifer, Juana, and Nikki

Celebrating Women Faculty

Fourth-year student Kelsey spotlights campus leaders and groups championing women and their contributions to the Berkeley community.

UCLA alum and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins aboard the International Space Station.

UC has sent more women to space than any other school in the solar system

These women, including four Berkeley alum, shared the pressures, risks and thrills of their high-flying careers with their male colleagues.

News & Research

Women Who Advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

This year’s national theme, Women Who Advocate for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, recognizes the need to eliminate bias and discrimination given legacies of exclusion and ongoing patterns of inequity and harm that women continue to experience. 

Women, many from marginalized communities, are often responsible for unpaid office housework, including being their organization’s DEI leaders, which makes advocating for all women and recognizing and compensating DEI leaders for their time and energy more important than ever. This is becoming increasingly urgent in light of increased misogyny, transmisogyny (misogyny directed towards trans women and transfeminine people), and misogynoir (misogyny directed towards Black women).

"I’m so inspired by the generations of folks I see wanting to go in [DEIBJ] work in ways that previously didn’t exist. Back then, there was no way you could become vice chancellor of equity and chief diversity officer. To see so many people at our institution say, 'I want to go into DEIBJ work, how do I become you?!' is something that’s really beautiful, and I want us to continue to inspire that despite the challenges that come with the job. With more of us, more can happen. I hope that this encourages folks and gives you a real picture, but also a real hope of what’s possible." - Dania Matos in University DEI Insights from UC Berkeley’s Vice Chancellor


Have content submissions for this page or feedback to share? Your opinion matters to us. Share your thoughts through this website feedback form.