Introduction: Contributions of Women Political Scientists to a More Just World

How the Absence of Women Became a Democratic Deficit: The Role of Feminist Political Science

“…4 In contrast, a 2004 roundtable at an American Political Science Association meeting was inspired by the belief that: …many of the women and minority scholars, in particular, who entered the field of political science in the past 20 to 30 years did so precisely because they wanted to make a difference in the world, and to use the tools of the profession to improve the situation of less empowered members of society, whether in the United States or abroad. 5 Feminist political science began exploring the barriers to women's presence in the institutions of political power, perceiving these as problems of institutional design and of formal and informal rules that were biased against women. The same approach that was applied in equal employment opportunity programmes for women in the workforce was transferred to political institutions, on the ground that women should have equal opportunity to serve as political representatives.…”