About SIROW

About SIROW

The Southwest Institute for Research on Women (SIROW) was founded in 1979 as a regional research and resource institute in the University of Arizona’s College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. SIROW is dedicated to improving the well-being of women and girls, their families, and the communities in which they live.

Land Acknowledgement

We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples. Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O’odham and the Yaqui. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the University strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community service. 

Positive Social Change

It is SIROW’s belief that SIROW and its partners can make positive social changes at individual, familial, community, and structural levels by: 

  • challenging the status quo,
  • facilitating the voices of those who experience disparity,
  • working with diverse groups of all gender identities and expressions, and
  • seeking innovative methods based on research, best practices, and theory to improve conditions and contexts.

SIROW faculty, staff, and students work locally, nationally, and globally to effect positive social change. SIROW’s partners in these efforts include University of Arizona colleges and departments, other institutions of higher education, schools, Native American tribes and communities, governmental agencies, community-based organizations, and community members.

Community-Based Research and Action Projects

Taking a holistic approach to well-being, SIROW’s interdisciplinary and intersectional community-based research and action projects focus on addressing correlated and co-occurring social and public health issues in the areas of: 

  • health and wellness (e.g., relationship and sexual health, substance misuse, mental health, and homelessness),
  • legal issues (e.g., juvenile justice, legal advocacy, domestic violence, and immigration),
  • education and employment (e.g., literacy, leadership, access, and workforce development), and
  • women’s history and the arts (e.g., representation of women, diversity of voices, and oral history). 

SIROW's Values

SIROW’s work is guided by its values of respect, collaboration, strength-based approaches, appreciation of diversity, investment in community, and passion for a more equitable world. Based on these values, SIROW shares its unique expertise in:

  • research methodology,
  • program design, implementation, and program evaluation,
  • collaborative partnerships to increase community capacity, infrastructure, and advocacy, and
  • training, technical assistance, and workforce development.

Through these efforts, SIROW strives to contribute to a more just and equitable society for all.

SIROW’s Women in Science & Engineering (WISE) Program

The Women in Science & Engineering (WISE) Program at the University of Arizona aims to increase interest in diversity in the fields of social and natural science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine by offering a variety of outreach programs and student engagement opportunities. In doing so, we work to motivate students to enter careers in STEM fields and to support them along the way. At WISE, we firmly believe that greater diversity produces better science and better equipped science to address some of the most pressing problems we face in the world today.