Sociologists For Women In Society, Incorporated

What Sociologists For Women In Society, Incorporated does

Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) is a US-based, non-profit professional association founded in 1971 that serves an intergenerational, international, and racially/ethnically diverse community of feminist sociologists, scholars, graduate students, and practitioners. Its mission centers on advancing gender equity and inclusion within sociology through scholarship, teaching, activism, and leadership. The organization operates from Lawrence, United States, with a lean staff of 1–10 employees and no parent company or venture capital backing.

The core product portfolio consists of (1) SWS Membership, which provides professional development, networking, career support, and access to resources; (2) Gender & Society, the flagship peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal published six times per year with an estimated 500,000 annual downloads, an acceptance rate below 4%, and impact factors of 3.4 (2024) and 7.2 (2023); (3) SWS Resources including teaching modules and career materials; (4) the SWS Career Board for job postings; (5) the SWS Awards Program, including the SWS Feminist Lecturer Award; and (6) the annual Winter Conference for scholarly exchange and networking. The flagship journal is published and distributed through a core partnership with SAGE Publications, with editorial control held by SWS through its Publications Committee (PUBS) and appointed co-editors.

SWS generates revenue through four streams: recurring membership dues, conference registration fees, donations accepted via a website donate page, and journal publishing royalties through its SAGE partnership. Its digital presence is built on WordPress, with active engagement channels on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Facebook, and member communications via email and a member portal. In 2024, SWS underwent a roughly 16-month rebuilding effort through the SWS 2.0 Rebuilding Committee to overhaul bylaws, decision-making, leadership structures, and adopt a restorative conversations process to address transparency concerns and the experiences of racially marginalized members. Co-editors Patricia Richards and Sharmila Rudrappa currently lead Gender & Society on a term running May 2023 through August 2027, with Kris De Welde serving as Book Review Editor.

Name

Sociologists For Women In Society, Incorporated

Legal name

Sociologists for Women in Society

Website

https://socwomen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sociologists for Women in Society (SWS) is a US-based non-profit professional association founded in 1971 that provides membership, networking, awards, and the flagship journal Gender & Society to an international community of feminist sociologists, scholars, and graduate students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

Keywords

• Professional association services
• Academic journal publishing
• Feminist sociology research
• Membership organization
• Scholarly networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Lawrence

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: SWS generates revenue through membership fees. Members gain access to Gender & Society journal, professional development resources, career board, networking opportunities, and conference participation.
2. Conference Revenue: The organization hosts annual Winter conferences that likely generate revenue through registration fees. The 2027 Winter Conference is referenced on the website.
3. Donations: A Donate page is available on the website, indicating the organization accepts charitable contributions to support its mission of advancing gender equity and inclusion within sociology.
4. Journal Publishing: Gender & Society journal is published in partnership with SAGE Publications. The publication committee oversees contract negotiations with the publisher and manages editorial operations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SWS is a non-profit professional association that delivers membership-based services to feminist sociologists, including access to the flagship peer-reviewed Gender & Society journal, professional development resources, networking, a career board, an awards program, and an annual Winter conference. The organization operates as a scholarly community advancing gender equity within sociology through publications, teaching support, activism, and leadership opportunities.

Product overview

SWS is a non-profit professional association offering a membership-based platform centered around its flagship peer-reviewed journal Gender & Society. The portfolio consists of membership access providing professional development and networking, the journal as the core scholarly publication, supplemental resources for teaching and career advancement, a career board for job postings, an awards program recognizing feminist scholarship, and annual conferences for scholarly exchange. All offerings serve feminist sociologists and are designed to advance gender equity within sociology.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Gender & Society: Flagship journal of SWS, a top-ranked journal in Sociology and Women's Studies with approximately 500,000 annual downloads and an acceptance rate under 4%

Products and services

• SWS Membership Membership program offering professional development, scholarly visibility, expanded networks, and tailored support across career stages for feminist sociologists. Members gain access to the Gender & Society journal, career board, conference participation, and other member resources.
• Gender & Society Journal Flagship peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal published six times per year, focusing on gender and gendered processes in interactions, organizations, societies, and global transnational spaces. Top-ranked journal in Sociology and Women's Studies with approximately 500,000 annual downloads and a competitive acceptance rate under 4% of submitted papers.
• SWS Resources Professional resources including teaching modules, career materials, and content to increase public and professional understandings of gender and intersecting systems of inequality through a sociological lens.
• SWS Career Board Online job board facilitating career opportunities for members of Sociologists for Women in Society.
• SWS Awards Program Recognition program honoring feminist scholarship through various awards, including the SWS Feminist Lecturer Award, with presidential addresses and award talks published in Gender & Society.
• SWS Winter Conference Annual conference providing opportunities for networking, professional development, and scholarly exchange among feminist sociologists, featuring receptions, fireside chats, and networking events.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 500,000 annual downloads of Gender & Society journal
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• SAGE PublicationscoreTechnology or IntegrationSAGE Publications serves as the publisher for Gender & Society journal. The SWS Publications Committee (PUBS) oversees contract negotiations with SAGE and maintains editorial control over the journal. Editors/co-editors are the sole representatives of SWS to communicate with SAGE Publications and make decisions on editorial policy and content.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Eastern Sociological Society: ESS is a regional U.S. sociological professional association running an annual meeting and the journal Sociological Quarterly. It is comparable as a dues-funded sociology association but is geographically smaller and is not focused on feminist sociology.

Direct peers

• National Women's Studies Association: NWSA is a membership-based professional association for women's studies and gender studies scholars, operating on a similar dues + journal + conference model with the National Women's Studies Association Journal. It targets the same intersectional feminist academic community as SWS.
• Society for the Study of Social Problems: SSSP is a sociology-focused professional association that publishes Social Problems and operates with member dues, journals, and an annual meeting — closely mirroring SWS's member-association-and-journal model for sociologists with applied and critical orientations.
• American Sociological Association: The ASA is the main U.S. professional association for sociologists, publishing multiple peer-reviewed journals and serving an overlapping scholarly membership. It is directly comparable to SWS in mission structure (member dues, journals, annual meeting) and audience, though ASA is broader in scope and is not feminist-specific.
• Sociological Research Association: The Sociological Research Association is a selective honorary sociological association whose mission centers on advancing sociological research. It is comparable to SWS as a sociology-specialized association but is honorary/invitation-based rather than open dues-based membership.
• Association for Women's Rights in Development: AWID is an international feminist membership and advocacy organization supporting gender-equity researchers, practitioners, and activists. It parallels SWS in mission and member-supported nonprofit economics, but operates more in the development/policy space rather than academic publishing.

Broad incumbents

• International Sociological Association: The ISA is the global umbrella organization for sociologists, offering membership, journals (e.g., International Sociology), and World Congresses. It overlaps with SWS in international scope and sociological subject matter but does not focus on feminist sociology specifically.
• American Association of University Women: AAUW is a long-running U.S. nonprofit advancing gender equity in higher education, combining membership, advocacy, grants, and research outputs. It is comparable in non-profit, gender-equity mission, dues-driven revenue model, and focus on women in academia, though AAUW's scope extends well beyond sociology.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/SocWomen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sociologists-for-women-in-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sociologists For Women In Society, Incorporated