Participation by Women in ISA Annual Meetings, 2005-2009

Abstract

This study investigates how well women are represented at the International Studies Association's (ISA) annual meetings. It tracks women's participation in the roles of chairpersons, paper presenters, and discussants on the panels, roundtables, and poster sessions at five consecutive annual meetings. Additionally, the study investigates women's relative presence in the sessions sponsored by the various sections of the ISA and whether it makes a difference if women or men are the section's program organizers. The findings demonstrate that women are steadily increasing their presence at the ISA's annual meetings. The conclusion interprets this finding within the larger context of the field of international studies.How well are women represented at the annual meetings of the International Studies Association (ISA)? Although there have been a number of studies on various aspects of the status of women in international studies, women's participation in the ISA's annual meetings is a largely unexplored aspect of the status of women in the profession (for example, Henehan and Sarkees 2009; Sarkees and Breuning 2010). The annual meetings provide an important venue for members of the profession to receive feedback on their work, learn about the work of their colleagues and trends in the profession, as well as meet and network with colleagues. As such, the ISA's annual meetings serve an important purpose in the careers of the association's members and conference participants. Although the importance of the annual meetings certainly stretches well beyond the official program, tracking women's participation in the organized panels and roundtables is a tangible way in which the advancement of women in the profession can be made visible.This study provides a comparative assessment of women's participation in five consecutive annual meetings. In addition to a survey of women's participation in various roles-such as chair, discussant, and paper or poster presenter-the study investigates variation in the propensity of the association's sections to incorporate women, as well as the role played by the women and men who organize the conference program for these sections.The study's basic design is derived from the work of International Studies Perspectives (2010) 11, 242-254.

You Research Like a Girl: Gendered Research Agendas and Their Implications

“…That said, the classifications of subfields also obscure a substantial amount of potential heterogeneity in research interests as a result of aggregation and the choice of categories. Existing research on gender segregation by research field is based largely on studies of conference participation and publications in IR and comparative politics (e.g., Breuning and Lu 2010; Maliniak et al 2008). This provides an incomplete picture of the discipline as a whole.…”

Gender Representation and Strategies for Panel Diversity: Lessons from the APSA Annual Meeting

“…We also recognize a difference between integrated and siloed representation. As Breuning and Lu (2010, 247) noted in their study of the International Studies Association (ISA),“[i]t is important to understand not just how many women participate…” but also “where they are located and whether, and to what degree, their scholarship intersects with that of the men participating in the meeting.” As the data suggest, panels that overrepresent women on the program (e.g., Women and Politics) may be large but siloed from sections that exhibit underrepresentation. This siloing effect at APSA also is not new.…”

“…This pattern also is visible in sister associations. In a study of participation in the Canadian Political Science Association’s annual conference, Tolley (2017) observed a strong siloing effect in which gender-related research is “often presented in gender-focused panels and not incorporated across the discipline’s subfields.” Meanwhile, in a comprehensive multiyear study of ISA participation (a majority of whose membership consists of political scientists), Breuning and Lu (2010, 252) found that women not only over-participate as a percentage of membership but also that “participations are unevenly distributed across the various organized sections.”…”

Gender Gap or Gender Bias in Peace Research? Publication Patterns and Citation Rates forJournal of Peace Research, 1983-2008

“…Breuning and Lu 2010:243). Although there has been a positive trend in terms of female participation at the ISA conventions over the past few years (35% in 2005 vs. 38% in 2009), the literature suggests that women continue to publish in academic journals at a lower rate than their presence in the discipline (Breuning and Lu 2010). of submissions. The publication and submission lines are very highly correlated (r = .85), which speaks against a gender bias in the editorial process.…”

“…Unfortunately, such gendered data are only available for a few recent years (cf. Breuning and Lu :243). Although there has been a positive trend in terms of female participation at the ISA conventions over the past few years (35% in 2005 vs. 38% in 2009), the literature suggests that women continue to publish in academic journals at a lower rate than their presence in the discipline (Breuning and Lu ).…”