Violet Fox
MSc Gender, Policy and Inequalities, Class of 2022
Name: Violet Fox
Programme and year: MSc Gender, Policy and Inequalities 2022
What are you currently doing and where?
I am currently pursuing a PhD in Sociology at the University of California Santa Barbara.
Why did you choose to study gender at LSE?
I graduated from the University of Oregon (US) with a BS in Anthropology with minors in Queer Studies and Ethics in 2019 and did my honors thesis research with homeless women. I loved my gender courses, loved being a student, and was really driven to understand more about structural inequalities. I knew I wanted to get a PhD eventually, but wasn't confident about which discipline to pursue it in. During the pandemic, I worked for a program that helped people returning from prison and saved up money to pursue a degree abroad (I wanted out of the US!). Initially, I looked at the University of Sussex program in Gender and Globalisation, but that was before I found the LSE Gender Department. I was blown away by the selection of programmes, faculty research diversity, and of course, location. The GPI programme was perfect for developing an interdisciplinary approach to gender, allowing me to understand perspectives on inequalities from political economy, sociology, cultural studies and critical race studies, public policy, and more.
How do you use what you learned at LSE Gender in your current role? Have there been any unexpected uses or applications of your gender expertise?
This fall (2025), I will be starting a PhD in Sociology from the University of California in Santa Barbara, specializing in feminist studies and investigating how diverse genders and sexualities impact economic decision-making and subjecthood. I never would have arrived at this point without my MSc from LSE Gender and the support (and encouragement) of the faculty and my peers. My dissertation research- which was focused on the material and discursive effects of a particular trans healthcare policy- strongly refined my scholarly pursuits and above all, helped me to understand my intellectual strengths. I am certain that my degree from LSE made it possible for me to get into this PhD program and legitimized my gender expertise in the eyes of people who might otherwise feel some trepidation about the place of 'gender studies' in the academy. This was not unexpected per se, but invaluable nonetheless!
What advice do you have for current and/or prospective LSE Gender students?
1) *PLEASE* if you think you might ever want to get into a research oriented role, take a methods course at LSE. All the courses offered by the Methodology Dept are uncapped (unlimited spots) and there are some wonderful (and feminist) methods experts over there. They have every kind of methods course you can imagine: discourse analysis, quantitative social science, mixed methods policy analysis, ethnographic methods, etc. At least take a look! It will not only greatly strengthen your dissertation research, but also make you considerably more competitive in research centered roles post graduation.
2) Take your courses and course work seriously, but make sure you leave time and energy for extracurriculars with your cohort. This is your network! This may be one of the only times in your life where you are surrounded by so many brilliant, international, accomplished, passionate feminists. Get to know your peers and explore London together! The year goes by incredibly fast and you are sure to find some life long friends and colleagues if you put yourself out there :)
Is there a particular highlight about your time at LSE Gender you would like to share?
A big shout out to Dr Ania Plomien's 'Feminist Economics and Policy' course. I had been so intimidated by economics up until that point! That course paired with Prof Wendy Sigle's 'Theorising Gender and Social Policy', totally shook up my world view and got me on the track I'm currently on. Thank you Wendy and Ania!