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the gender gap in political science education in germany

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Abstract

Gender studies in Germany is not a fully integrated aspect of political science training. Only very few of the about 70 political science institutes include gender research in their teaching programmes. This is surprising given that there are a number of factors that support a stronger institutionalisation of gender studies, such as the size of the German political science community, an increase in female faculty, and equal opportunity policies that have been adopted by the German Political Science Association. This article discusses the restrictive factors that impact upon gender studies within Germany and compares a 2009 study on the mainstreaming of gender topics in B.A. and M.A. programmes in political science with a more recent 2014 survey. The findings of this study point to the fact that while there have been some overall trends, there nonetheless remain a number of barriers to improving the position of gender studies, not least the small size of many institutes. Indeed, the survey reinforces the position whereby teaching tends to concentrate on what are regarded as the ‘important topics’, while gender becomes, at best, secondary. This reflects a broader finding that demands for more women in academia are easier to implement than the need for a gender mainstreaming of the political science curriculum.

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Notes

  1. Some ‘institutes’ only have one or two political science chairs, large departments up to 15.

  2. According to the DVPW recommendation, essential chairs are political theory, German politics/comparative politics and international relations; methodology is a fourth topic.

  3. There is, actually, a second, much smaller association (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Politikwissenschaft, DGfP), which focuses on research and is not concerned with issues of teaching.

  4. The following is partly taken from Abels and Woods (2015). All data for 2013 are taken from the Federal Statistical Office (Statistisches Bundesamt).

  5. Source: DVPW President’s Report, 23 September 2015.

  6. The Caucus also established a gender-monitoring report on the individual sections of the association to record active support of female (junior) members of the association and women’s participation in workshops, section meetings, leadership positions and journals. The Caucus advises the leading body of the association and has networked internationally for equal opportunity, for example, setting up and implementing a gender monitoring instrument for the International Political Science Association.

  7. See http://www.fu-berlin.de/sites/gpo/ueber_uns/index.html

  8. Also, they do not reflect the total picture in so far as they focus on universities only, while universities for applied sciences are not included. At the latter, political science is usually not a separate institute and programme, but individual chairs are often part of a broader social science or social work department resp. study programme. A number of these individual chairs are held by gender scholars.

  9. I am grateful to my research assistant Laura Hohmann for her background research.

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  1. University of Tübingen, Institute of Political Science, Melanchthonstr 36, Tübingen, D- 72074, Germany

    gabriele abels

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abels, g. the gender gap in political science education in germany. Eur Polit Sci 15, 322–331 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1057/eps.2015.80

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