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Feminist political science scholarship has burgeoned internationally since the 1980s, evidenced by the volume and diversity of work published in both disciplinary and interdisciplinary journals, editions and book series. In New Zealand we have witnessed a plethora of feminist analyses that have focused on some element of the 'political'. However, feminist engagement with 'mainstream' New Zealand politics has been more limited, while traditional New Zealand political science has tended to view 'official' politics within and between states as gender neutral. This article explores this historically tense relationship and what it has meant for the development of New Zealand feminist political science. I identify four strands of feminist scholarship in New Zealand politics that have emerged in recent years. However, I suggest that despite increases in this scholarship, in the number of women hired, and in the work undertaken by the women in New Zealand's political science professional association to address the concerns of women in the discipline, these contributions have remained on the margins of New Zealand political science. Reasons for this marginal status may include the relatively small size of the field, and that there are few senior feminists in the field of New Zealand politics. But it may also be that New Zealand feminist political scientists are more comfortable engaging with the gender politics community internationally. I conclude with a brief discussion of what this might mean for the future of feminist political science and New Zealand politics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the state of the political science discipline in New Zealand, focusing on the numbers of women in the profession, the representation of women in the discipline’s journal, and the place of gender in the political science curriculum. While women in New Zealand political science have been active as a community for at least 30 years, there has been no systematic review documenting the status of women in the profession. This article provides an analytical starting point through a review of the data that does exist on New Zealand and comparable countries. It discusses the factors that may account for current trends and concludes with some recommendations for the future. It is clear that women have made visible gains in terms of numbers, but continued progress is precarious and dependent on both institutional and individual initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Despite significant advances in women’s status in political science departments in New Zealand and internationally, women remain underrepresented in the profession. This review article discusses five factors that are identified in the literature as problems for women’s progression in political science: the double bind, gender devaluation, the ‘chilly climate’, the culture of research and the chronological crunch. The specific causes of these factors and the extent of their impact on women’s status and performance in the discipline have not yet been fully established. A review of the international political science literature, however, reveals a growing dedication both to identifying the key variables impacting on women’s success in political science and to advancing strategies that might improve the status of women in the profession. I suggest that New Zealand’s political science community should make similar commitments in order to more effectively reduce gender gaps in the presence, status and outcomes of female scholars across the discipline. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]