While courses in women’s studies were first offered at the university in 1971, the degree-granting Women’s Studies Program in the Faculty of Arts began offering an undergraduate major in 1991. The program was an interdisciplinary field of study that drew upon the social sciences, humanities, research methods, theory, literature, and gender relations. Tannis MacBeth Williams was the program’s first chair.
Early faculty involved in the Women’s Studies Program were Dr. Dawn Currie, Dr. Valerie Raoul, Dr. Veronica Strong-Boag, Prof. Sneja Gunew, Dr. Sharalyn Orbaugh, Dr. Becki Ross, and Dr. Lenora Angeles. The Women’s Studies Program worked closely with the Centre for Research in Women’s Studies and Gender Relations (created in 1991 with a mandate to support research and develop links between local and international scholars, policy makers and activists). The Founding Director of CRWSGR was Veronica Strong-Boag. Graduate-level courses were first offered in the 1998-99 academic year, initially from within the Interdisciplinary Studies Programme in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The CRWSGR began administering M.A. and PhD programs in Women’s Studies and Gender Relations in 2000-2001. It changed its name to the Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies (CWAGS) in 2006. In 2012, CWAGS and the Women’s and Gender Studies graduate and undergraduate programs merged to form the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, directed by Dr. Mary K. Bryson.

Sharon Elaine Kahn was born in Kansas City, Missouri, USA in 1946. She received postsecondary degrees from Washington University, St. Louis (BA English Literature 1968), Boston University (Med Counselling and Guidance 1969), and Arizona State University (PhD Counselling Psychology 1975). In 1975, Kahn accepted a faculty position in the Department of Counselling Psychology at the University of British Columbia, where she earned tenure and was promoted to full professor. Kahn concentrated her research on counselling theory, gender-fair practices, and women’s career issues. Her scholarly activities included two edited books, seven book chapters, more than twenty-five refereed articles, as well as numerous conference presentations and research reports.
In 1989, Kahn became UBC’s first Director of Employment Equity, and in 1994, she was appointed UBC’s first Associate Vice President, Equity, responsible for administering the University’s employment and educational equity programs and for its handling complaints of discrimination and harassment. Under her direction, UBC received two Certificates of Merit from the federal government for special achievement in implementing an employment equity work plan and maintaining a representative workforce. In 1997, Human Resources Development Canada awarded the University its Vision Award for the excellence of its employment equity program. In 2006, Kahn became UBC’s first Academic Leadership Coach, a position that supports the University’s senior leadership. Kahn retired from UBC in 2013.
In 1986, Kahn married Thomas Edgar Blom, a professor of English literature at the University of British Columbia. Professor Blom died in 2003. In 2015, Kahn married Barrie James MacFadden, a retired Vancouver elementary school teacher.

The ladies’ Discussion Club was formed in January of 1933, by the teachers and ex-teachers of the Maclean School staff. The club was originally given the name “Semper Discupulae” but soon became known by its present title of the “Ladies’ Discussion Club”. It was clearly stated at the very beginning that each person was expected to take an active part at every meeting. Although teachers and ex-teachers were charter members, other interested ladies were soon invited to join the club. The members helped start the library, with a “musical” being held in the Anglican church to help raise money to purchase books for a club library. Most of these books were donated to the Rossland Public Library when it was established. The club even had a public debate against the Mens’ Discussion Club in 1936 at the courthouse and won. The women were required to pay a fine if late to a meeting, and the money raised would be donated to organizations such as the Red Cross and the local Community Chest. Two charter members remained in the club from its inception, Dorothy Bisson Fraser and Erna Coombes. Starting in 1948, the club also had a school award for excellence.

The first Canadian chapter of the Phrateres was established at UBC in 1935 through the initiative of Clare Brown Harris while president of the Women's Undergraduate Society. An international organization, Phrateres was first formed at the University of Southern California at Los Angeles by Dean Helen Matheson Laughlin in 1924. The Theta Chapter at UBC was the eighth to be established on the west coast. Phrateres, which comes from the Greek word for sisterhood, seek to fulfil the ideals of the modern University and to promote a spirit of friendliness among women of individual universities and of all universities. Membership in the organization, whose motto is "famous for friendliness", is open to both sorority and non-sorority women at a small cost. It seeks to enrich university life through a wide range of social and service activities, including dances, reunions, and fundraising. Theta Chapter is affiliated with the UBC Greek system (sororities and fraternities), and over the years has been subdivided into as many as twelve sub-chapters, named Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Eta, Zeta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda, Omicron and Sigma.
As of 2000, Theta Chapter at UBC was the sole remaining active collegiate chapter of Phrateres International.

Maureen Trotter was born in 1949. She grew up in Alonsa, Manitoba, an unincorporated community west of Lake Manitoba with a population of approximately 150 people. Trotter completed her undergraduate degree in sociology and psychology at the University of Manitoba in 1970. She obtained a Master’s Degree in counselling psychology at the University of British Columbia in 1976. Before moving to Quesnel, Trotter spent time living in Winnipeg, Toronto, south of Ottawa, and Vancouver where she worked for a youth camp, a young offender group home, an organization for people with physical disabilities, a minimum security detention centre, and a drug and alcohol treatment program.

Trotter and her partner moved to Quesnel in 1978. Inspired by the back to land movement, they spent their first few years in town building up their property, constructing a stack-wall house, and starting a family. Trotter began working for the School District #28 (Quesnel) and the College of New Caledonia in 1979 on grant-funded contracts for coordinating women’s daytime programs and job employment training programs. She was later hired by the College to develop and teach a non-traditional trades training program for women, a native social development worker program, and a career readiness program. In 1990, Trotter was hired as an instructor for the College’s social service worker program and the university transfer department, where she taught sociology. She held this position until her 2008 retirement.

Trotter is well known in the Quesnel community for her volunteer work for various feminist, social justice, peace, and environmental organizations. She was a founding member of the Quesnel Women’s Resources Centre and was also involved with work at the Amata Transition House and the B.C. Steering Committee of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women. Trotter’s community service has also extended to the Quesnel Peace Action Group; the Quesnel Environmental Society; the Quesnel Child, Youth, and Family Network; the Quesnel Social Justice Coalition; the Quesnel Affordable Housing Action Committee; and the Quesnel Climate Change Committee.

The Quesnel Women’s Resource Centre Society (QWRC) is a collective that provides women-centred services to the Quesnel community. The goals of the QWRC are: (1) to provide women with access to resources, counselling, and self-help programs that assist them with life choices; (2) to actively address all forms of violence against women at all levels of the Quesnel community; (3) to work towards the elimination of poverty; (4) to challenge sexism and all forms of discrimination against women including racism, ableism, homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia at all levels of the Quesnel community; and (5) to enhance the status of women by addressing issues of importance such as universally accessible child care and the right to equal pay for work of equal value.

The QWRC began in 1979 in the Quesnel Safeway parking lot as a small group of women came together to apply for a grant. The QWRC opened its doors in December 1981 at 466 Reid Street, later moving to its current location at 680 McLean Street in 1992.

Services and programs provided over the years include the Strawberry Patch Childminding Centre, the Kool Kids Clothing Store, Stopping the Violence sexual abuse counselling, the Quesnel sexual assault response line, Uma Yaz student-focused daycare facility, and the Nobody’s Perfect parenting program. The Centre also organizes educational programs for job training, self-esteem, assertiveness, anger management, and respectful relationships. Programs are advertised in a newsletter published by the QWRC four times a year.

The Centre helps organize public events including International Women’s Day, Take Back the Night, and the December 6th Montreal Memorial. The QWRC also maintains a resource library on subjects such as addiction, anger, equality, health, justice, self-help, self-esteem, trauma, and violence against women.

The Amata Transition House Society is a non-profit organization that provides safe shelter to women and their children who are experiencing, or are at risk of experiencing, violence and abuse. Amata has been serving the Quesnel and area community since 1979. While staying in the home, women are provided with safe shelter, food, clothing, and other essentials. Amata also provides referrals, information, and support to help women make informed decisions about their lives. Amata is open to all women, with or without children, who have witnessed or experienced abuse in relationships.

Services and programs provided by the Amata over the years include a childminding program for women living at the house, the Children Who Witness Abuse group counselling program, and the Pheonix Program, which is a support and educational program for women who have experienced domestic violence and/or abuse. Amata also helps women via their Outreach Program, which facilitates access to local social services. Through this program, women living at the Amata Transition House can get assistance with filling out forms or have someone accompany them to appointments and meetings.