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Gender and politics research in Europe: towards a consolidation of a flourishing political science subfield?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Petra Ahrens Open the ORCID record for Petra Ahrens [Opens in a new window] ,
Silvia Erzeel Open the ORCID record for Silvia Erzeel [Opens in a new window] ,
Elizabeth Evans Open the ORCID record for Elizabeth Evans [Opens in a new window] ,
Johanna Kantola Open the ORCID record for Johanna Kantola [Opens in a new window] ,
Roman Kuhar Open the ORCID record for Roman Kuhar [Opens in a new window]  and
Emanuela Lombardo Open the ORCID record for Emanuela Lombardo [Opens in a new window]
Petra Ahrens*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
Silvia Erzeel*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Pleinlaan 2, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
Elizabeth Evans*
Affiliation:
Department of Politics and International Relations, University of London, Goldsmiths, UK
Johanna Kantola*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, 33014 Tampere, Finland
Roman Kuhar*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Arts, Department of Sociology, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 2, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
Emanuela Lombardo*
Affiliation:
Department of Political Science and Administration, Faculty of Political Science and Sociology, Madrid Complutense University, 28223 Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, Spain
*
petra.ahrens@tuni.fi
silvia.erzeel@vub.be
elizabeth.evans@gold.ac.uk
johanna.kantola@tuni.fi
roman.kuhar@ff.uni-lj.si
elombard@ucm.es
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Abstract

Over the past twenty years, the field of “gender and politics” has flourished in European political science. An example of this is the growing number of “gender and politics” scholars and the increased attention paid to gender perspectives in the study of the political. Against this backdrop, we take stock of how the “gender and politics” field has developed over the years. We argue that the field has now entered a stage of “consolidation”, which is reflected in the growth, diversification and professionalization of the subfield, as well as in the increased disciplinary recognition from major gatekeepers in political science. But while consolidation comes with specific opportunities, it also presents some key challenges. We identify five such challenges: (1) the potential fragmentation of the field; (2) persisting hierarchies in knowledge production; (3) the continued marginalization of feminist political analysis in “mainstream” political science; (4) the changing link between academia and society; and (5) growing opposition to gender studies in parts of Europe and beyond. We argue that both the “gender and politics” field and political science in general should address these challenges in order to become a truly inclusive discipline.

Keywords

Academic knowledgeAnti-gender movementGenderIntersectionalityPolitical scienceSexuality

Information

Type
Special Issue
Information
European Political Science , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , March 2021 , pp. 105 - 122
Copyright
Copyright © 2021 European Consortium for Political Research

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