Gender in political science today
Gender has always been a contested matter—especially within the realm of politics. For centuries, feminists have been at the forefront of fighting for their right to political participation, often facing resistance from the political establishment. As feminists became increasingly successful at claiming women’s seats at the political table, the study of politics and gender, like women’s political participation and representation, became an established field within political science. As structural obstacles for women and gender minorities in politics have persisted throughout the years (despite improvements in some areas), political science has begun widening its focus to consider other ways gender and sexuality are dealt with politically besides participation and representation.
Despite improvements in some parts of the world concerning, for example, LGBTQ+ issues (like Singapore repealing Section 377A of its criminal code, which criminalized sex between adult men), in others, like some U.S. states, China, and Russia, LGBTQ+ issues are being censored. Often, this comes with a more general hostility towards the very idea of gender as opposed to sex. Political entrepreneurs worldwide utilize the concept of gender in a populist way, mobilizing against an imagined ‘elite’ that aims to disrupt supposedly natural differences between men and women. This phenomenon, called anti-genderism, is often accompanied by the rejection of gender studies, with scholars increasingly facing repression.
Against this background of anti-genderism and continued struggle, A Different View is happy to support scholars investigating the intersection between gender and politics and disseminate their research. We believe that the injustice women and gender minorities (among other groups) face is unjust and that we, as (future) political science scholars, can offer analyses that help fight these injustices.
– Paul N. Möller, ADV Editor
