Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 November 2022
The woman who is now entering (or contemplating entry) into the political science profession confronts a field that is biased against her (“political science is no place for a woman”) and which admits her only grudgingly and accords her limited status. The following is a summary of the data now available on the status of women in the profession.
From the survey conducted by the APSA Committee on the Status of Women (1969, 473 departments responding), we have the following information on female participation:
23.2% of undergraduate majors are women
17.5% of graduates enrolled are women
14.7% of Ph.D. candidates are women
8.7% of those receiving the Ph.D. 1960-1968 are women
8.6% of assistant professors are women
6.7% of associate professors are women; and
4.1 % of full professors are women.
1 Philip, E. and Converse, Jean M., “The Status of Women As Students and Professionals in Political Science,” PS, Vol. IV, No. 3, (Summer 1971), pp. 328–348.Google Scholar
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4 Ibid. p. 360.
5 Mitchell, Joyce and Starr, Rachel, “Aspirations, Achievement and Professional Advancement in Political Science: The Prospect for Women in the West,” in Women in Political Science: Studies and Reports of the APSA Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession, Washington, D.C.: American Political Science Association, 1971.Google Scholar
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9 Mitchell and Starr, op. cit., p. 12.
10 Ilchman and Rudolph, passim, p. 49.
11 Victoria Schuck, “Femina Studens rei Publicae: Notes on her Professional Achievement,” Vol. III, No. 4, (Fall 1970), p. 625.
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