Ann Oberhauser, Iowa State professor of Women’s and Gender studies within the department of sociology, will be speaking at this week’s Margaret Sloss Center’s Feminist Friday.

The title of Oberhauser’s discussion is “Feminist Spaces: Exploring Everyday Geographies of Power and Place.” It will facilitate a conversation on how people interact with spaces and the kinds of spaces that can be fabricated in terms of interactions between and experiences of individuals — particularly of women, Oberhauser said.

“Within [human] geography, there arose a concern that there wasn’t enough focus on women’s experiences, or on non-male experiences,” Oberhauser said.

The spaces Oberhauser refers to are social spaces — defined within the field of sociology as areas where people interact with one another, and which are created and influenced by the individuals who occupy those spaces.

In regard to local matters, Oberhauser will discuss how recent events in the Ames community relate to the topic of social spaces.

“Because of what’s happened in Ames in the last couple years, with incidents of women being murdered — be it in a park, or at the golf course, or in the downtown areas, there are certain spaces or times that generally are seen as unsafe,” Oberhauser said.

Oberhauser has a graduate degree in geography, and has experience studying and conducting research in southern Africa. She is co-author of the book “Feminist Spaces: Gender and Geography in a Global Context.”

“Women’s and gender studies is an interdisciplinary field. Looking at gender issues, looking at LGBTQ+ issues and sexuality,” Oberhauser said. “There’s a lot of different ways to look at it — historically, politically, economically. The field itself is very interdisciplinary.”

Oberhauser said she hopes to reach students of all backgrounds and disciplines, and to educate them on how it is that they can be more aware of the spaces that they both occupy and create.

“We know that some spaces are more welcoming to some than others,” Oberhauser said. “And issues around accessibility, for instance, [are] really important. Even basic issues, like […] gender-neutral bathrooms in public spaces. Just being aware of what messages we send when we’re in groups, or when we’re in particular areas on campus [is important].”

Oberhauser will be speaking at 1 p.m. Friday at the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center.