In terms of mission, gender studies aims to empower students to:
- develop and apply a multidisciplinary perspective on gender issues at national and international levels;
- analyse and critically reflect on current gender equity initiatives in South Africa;
- deal with issues of gender and human rights;
- interrogate the disjuncture between constitutional rights and human rights;
- understand and promote the rights of minority sexuality groups;
- delve deeper into the value added by the non-profit sector in upholding women’s rights;
- investigate legal and practical solutions to the high incidence of gender-based violence in South Africa and internationally; and
- manage gender policy within an organisation