The impact of feminist scholarship on Australian political science

Abstract

The discipline of political science has remained male dominated in most parts of the world. Women have organised within political science associations both to raise the status of women in the profession and to try to transform the discipline. This article is a personal account of the 25‐year history of the Women's Caucus of the Australasian Political Studies Association and its successes and failures. While the status of women in the profession has improved and the journal has become more gender inclusive, the impact of feminist scholarship on political science curriculum remains patchy. Space has been made for gender scholarship and a chapter added to textbooks and disciplinary histories, but the approach is additive rather than transformative. One contributing factor may be increased fragmentation of the discipline.

Notes

Those who have held the position of President since 1979 are Carole Pateman (1980–81); Elaine Thompson (1982–83); Marian Sawer (1985–86); Marian Simms (1992–93); Carol Johnson (1998–99); Helena Catt (2000–01); Verity Burgmann (2002–03); and Judith Brett (2004–05).

Cf American Political Science Association statistics published in 2003 showing that women constituted only 23.5% of full‐ and part‐time faculty in 1999–2000 (AmPSA 2003).

Marian Sawer is a Professor in the Political Science Program, Research School of Social Sciences, Australian National University. She thanks Louise Chappell, Alanna Clohesy, Jennifer Curtin, Tahnya Donaghy, Felicity Grace, Sandra Grey, Carol Johnson, Carole Pateman, Jindy Pettman, Barbara Sullivan, Alexandra English and this journal's anonymous referees for helpful suggestions, and Peter McCarthy and Gillian O'Loghlin for editing.

Interestingly, the lead journal, Public Choice, reported in its response to an American Political Science Association survey that there had been no women on its editorial board in the survey period (CSWPS 2001, 322).