List of women’s and gender studies academics: Difference between revisions

Women’s studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women’s lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppression; and the relationships between power and gender as they intersect with other identities and social locations such as race, sexual orientation, socio-economic class, and disability.^[1]

Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women’s studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics.^[2][3] The field now overlaps with queer studies and men’s studies. Its rise to prominence, especially in Western universities after 1990, coincided with the rise of deconstruction.^[4]

Albania[edit]

Argentina[edit]

• Ana Amado (1946–2016), Argentine political scientist and feminist, headed the women and society department at the Latin American Institute for Transnational Studies
• Judith Astelarra (born 1943), Argentine sociologist active in women’s studies in Spain
• Nora Domínguez (born 1951), Argentine academic, co-founder of the Interdisciplinary Institute of Gender Studies at the University of Buenos Aires
• Hilda Habichayn (1934–2021), Argentine sociologist and feminist, founder of the Center for Historical Studies on Women at the National University of Rosario
• Mirta Zaida Lobato (born 1948), Argentine historian, specializing in societal history and gender relations in LAtin America

Australia[edit]

• Sara Ahmed (born 1969), British-Australian writer and scholar specializing in feminist theory, lesbian feminism and queer theory
• Marian Baird (fl. 2001), Australian academic researcher, professor of gender and employment relatios at the University of Sydney

Austria[edit]

• Hertha Firnberg (1909–1994), Austrian politician and statististician
• Ilse Korotin (born 1957), Austrian philosopher and sociologists focusing of feminist biographical research
• Maria Mesner (born 1960), Austrian modern historian heading the University of Vienna gender studies program
• Edith Saurer (1942–2011), Austrian historian, cofounder of feminist historiography
• Sabine Strasser (born 1962), Austrian social anthropologist specializing in migration and gender studies
• Erika Weinzierl (1925–2014), Austrian historian and gender researcher

Bahamas[edit]

• Angelique Nixon (fl. 2010s), Bahamian academic based in Trinidad, lecturer at the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at the University of the West Indies

Belgium[edit]

• Rita Mulier (born 1934), Belgian feminist and economist, founder of the Women’s Consultation Committee and specializing in mother’s rights in the workplace

• Suzana Prates (1940–1988), Brazilian feminist and sociologist active in Uruguay, founder of the Study Group on the Condition of Women in Uruguay

Bulgaria[edit]

• Maija Blaubergs (1947–2010), Latvian-Canadian feminist scholar, coordinator of the University of Georgia’s women’s studies program
• Yolande Cohen (born 1960), Moroccan-born Canadian historian focusing on the history of women
• Francine Descarries (born 1942), Canadian sociologist and leading figure in feminist studies in Quebec
• Anne Klinck (1943–2023), Canadian academic, authority on the female voice in lyric poetry
• Leah Vosko (born 1971), Canadian academic focusing on political economy, labour rights, gender studies, migration, and citizenship

• Olga Grau (born 1945), Chilean academic specializing in gender, sexuality, philosophy, education and literature
• Virginia Guzmán Barcos (born 1943), Chilean psychologist, deputy director of the Center for Women’s Studies in Santiago

• Liang Jun (born 1945), Chinese activist, campaigner for women’s right to education in China

Colombia[edit]

• Magdalena León de Leal (born 1939), Colombian feminist sociologist, specializing in women’s studies
• Florence Thomas (born 1943), French-Colombian social psychologist. founder of the women’s studies progra, at the National University of Colombia

Croatia[edit]

• Rada Borić (born 1951), Croatian scholar, feminist and women’s rights activist, cofounder of the first Croatian gender studies program

• Norma Vasallo Barrueta (fl. 1990s), Cuban feminist research, head of the Women’s Department at the University of Havana

Czech Republic[edit]

Denmark[edit]

• Signe Arnfred (born 1944), Danish sociologist and feminist, organized meetings and seminars leading to gender studies
• Lene Koch (born 1947), Danish feminist and historian. active in establishing the Centre for Women’s Research at the University of Copenhagen
• Eva Hemmer Hansen (1913–1983), Danish writer and feminist, chair of the Danish Women’s Society
• Nynne Koch (1915–2001), Danish feminist, pioneering researcher in gender studies, active in the establishment of Kvinfo, the Danish Centre for Research on Women and Gender
• Tania Ørum (born 1945), Danish feminist and literary historian specializing in women’s and gender studies
• Birgitte Possing (born 1952), Danish historian specializing in historical biography in connection with the Danish women’s biographical dictionary Dansk kvindebiografisk leksikon

Ethiopia[edit]

• Zenebework Tadesse (fl. 1976), Ethiopian sociologist and researcher on democracy, gender and women’s rights in Africa

Finland[edit]

• Solveig Bergman (born 1955), Finnish sociologist, former director of the Nordic Gender Institute in Olso
• Elina Haavio-Mannila (born 1933), Finnish social scientist and former professor of sociology
• Aili Nenola (born 1942), Finnish academic active in folklore and the development of women’s studies at the University of Tartu and at the Kristina Institute
• Liisa Rantalaiho (born 1933), Finnish sociologist active in gender studies
• Päivi Setälä (1943–2014), Finnish historian advocating women’s research
• Harriet Silius (born 1948), Finnish professor of women’s studies at Åbp Akademi University, editor of the Nordic Journal of Women’s Studies
• Ulla Vuorela (1945–2011), Finnish social anthropologist

• Sophie Bessis (born 1947), Tunisian-French historian and feminist writer
• Anne-Marie Devreux (born 1052), French sociologist specializing in feminism and the sociology of gender relations
• Delphine Gardey (born 1967), French historian and sociologist, director of the Institute of Gender Studies at the University of Geneva
• Nahema Hanafi (born 1983), French historian, researching history of medicine, women’s place in history and directing master’s degree in gender studies
• Danièle Kergoat (born 1942), French academic focusing on gender and social relations of sex, work and social movements
• Margaret Maruani (1954–2022), Tunisian-French sociologist researching labor market and gender
• Nicole-Claude Mathieu (1937–2014), French anthropologist and feminist
• Juliette Rennes (fl. 1990s), French sociologist and academic, researching topics related to the history and sociology of gender, work and discrimination

Gerseveral[edit]

• Monika Barz (born 1953), German academic, former professor of women and gender studies the Evangelical University in Ludwigsburg
• Corinna Bath (born 1963), German computer scientist heading the Women’s Studies and Gender Studies Center at the University of Duisburg-Essen
• Irene Below (born 1942), German art historian with a particular interest in women in the history of art
• Annette Henninger (born 1966), German political scientist, professor of politics and gender relations at the University of Marburg
• Ursula King (born 1938), German theologian specializing in gender and religion
• Hildegard Maria Nickel (born 1948), German sociologist specializing in gender studies
• Heike Mauer (fl. 2015), German gender theorist and feminist, member of the German Women’s and Gender Research Network
• Viktoria Schmidt-Linsenhoff (1944–2013), German arti historian researching gender studies
• Ursula G. T. Müller (born 1944), German feminist and sociologist, active in the development of women’s studies
• Gesine Spieß (1945–2016), German academic specializing in gender studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Erfurt
• Claudia von Werlhof (born 1943), German sociologist, held Austria’s first professorship of women’s studies
• Elahe Haschemi Yekani (fl. 2000s), German academic at Humboldt University of Berlin specializing in research on gender studies, queer theories and intersectionality

• Rania Antonopoulou (born 1960), Greek economist and politician, specialist in macroeconomic gender issues and former policy advisor for UN Women

Hungary[edit]

• Andrea Pető (born 1964), Hungarian historian, gender studies academic

• Padala Bhudevi (fl. 2000s), Indian social activist helping Savara women with entrepreneurship
• Nupur Chaudhuri (born 1943), Indian academic working in the United States, member of the Coordinating Council for Women in History
• Purnima Mane (fl. 1990s), Indian writer, international expert on sexual and reproductive health, founding editor of Culture, Health and Sexuality
• Rashmi Tiwari (born 1972), Indian economist addressing women’s issues as director of the Aahan Foundationf For Social Change

Ireland[edit]

• Sarab Abu-Rabia-Queder (born 1976), Israeli-Arab sociologist specializing in gender studies
• Erella Shadmi (fl. 1990s), Israeli sociologist and peace activist, head of the women and gender studies department at Beit Berl College

• Elena Brambilla (1942–2018), Italian historian interested in the history of women and gender equality
• Saveria Chemotti (born 1947), Italian writer and researcher, focusing on culture and gender studies
• Souad Sbai (born 1961), Moroccan-born Italian politician and writer supporting the rights of Muslim women

Jamaica[edit]

• Leith Dunn (fl. 2010s), Jamaican sociologust focusing on gender and human rights
• Linnette Vassell (fl. 1976), Jamaican academic and feminist, advocating for gender equity and women’s rights

• Yasuko Muramatsu (born 1944), Japanese economist, president of Japan’s Women’s Learning Foundation

• Achola Pala (fl. 1977), Kenyan anthropologist and women’s policy specialist, promoter of research on African women undertaken by African women

Lithuania[edit]

• Giedrė Purvaneckienė (born 1945), Lithuanian politician and academic. co-founder of the Women’s Studies Centre in Vilnius

• Alicia Elena Pérez Duarte (born 1953), Mexican lawyer and researcher focusing on human rights and women’s legal status
• Tania Reneaum (fl. 2014), Mexican human rights expert, executive secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Moldova[edit]

• Valentina Bodrug-Lungu (born 1961), Moldovan gender studies scholar, pioneer of gender studies at Moldova State University

Montenegro[edit]

• Mileva Filipović (1938–2020), Montenegrin sociologist, sought without success to establish a women’s studies program at the University of Montenegro

Netherlands[edit]

• Francisca de Haan (fl. 2002), former professor of gender studies and history
• Donny Meertens (born 1946), Dutch academic active in Colombia, co-founder of the Gender, Women and Development Studies Program at the National University of Colombia
• Joyce Outshoorn (born 1944), German political scientist, former head of the Women’s Studies Department at Leiden University

New Zealand[edit]

• Virginia Braun (fl. 2000), New Zealand psychology academic specializing in thematic analysis and gender studies
• Sue Middleton (born 1947), New Zealand academic pioneering studies on women and education

Nigeria[edit]

• Angela Miri (born 1959), Nigerian academic active in English literature, gender studies and creative writing
• Dorcas Oluwade (fl. 2000s), Nigerian sociologist
• Olajumoke Yacob-Haliso (fl. 2010s), Nigerian academic focusing on African women in post-conflict contexts, also addressing refugees, gender and politics

• Agnes Bolsø (born 1953), Norwegian sociologist and expert on gender studies and sexuality, former director of the Norwegian Center for Gender Studies
• Berit Brandth (born 1947), Norwegian sociologist and gender researcher
• Tone Hellesund (born 1967), Norwegian ethnologist specializing in gender studies
• Elin Kvande (born 1951), Norwegian sociologist and gender researcher
• Suzanne Stiver Lie (1934–2018), American-born Norwegian women’s rights activist and academic, developer of women’s studies programs in Norway, Lithuania and Estonia

Paraguay[edit]

• Graziella Corvalán (born 1931), Paraguayan sociologist and linguist, creator of one of the first women’s studies programs in Paraguay

• María Emma Mannarelli (born 1954), Peruvian feminist and academic, founder of the gender studies program at the National University of San Marcos

Portugal[edit]

• Teresa Joaquim (born 1954), Portuguese social anthropologist, coordinator of the women’s studies program at Universidade Aberta

Romania[edit]

• Maria C. Buțureanu (1872–1919), Romanian educator, women’s rights activist and prolific writer, pressing for women’s complete emancipation

Saudi Arabia[edit]

• Marina Blagojević (1958–2020), Serbian sociologist, gender scholar and feminist, board member of the Women’s Study Center in Belgrade
• Biljana Dojčinović (born 1963), Serbian feminist academic, founder of the Center for Women’s Studies at the University of Belgrade
• Vera Kurtić (fl. 2010s), Serbian sociologist and feminist specializing in discrimination faced by Roma women, founder of the Roma Women’s Network of Serbia

Sierra Leone[edit]

• Filomina Clarice Steady, US-based Sierra Leonean academic participating in women’s studies and as a UN advisor on women and gender

South Africa[edit]

• Flora Botton (born 1933), Greek-born Spanish sociologist and gender studies scholar active in Nexico, co-founder of the gender studies program at El Colegio de México
• Mercedes Bengoechea (born 1952), Spanish feminist sociologist, active in the need to implement non-sexist use of language
• Margarita María Birriel Salcedo (born 1953), Spanish academic active in women’s history and women’s studies
• Montserrat Boix (born 1960), Spanish journalist, proponent of egalitarian journalism and the eradication of gender violence
• Rosa Cobo Bedía (born 1956), Spanish feminist, professor of sociology of gender
• Marta Segarra (born 1963), Spanish philologist and academic, CNRS researcher in gender and sexuality

• Margot Bengtsson (born 1943), Swedish psychologist known for her research in social, feminist and critical psychology, especially gender, power, identity and social class
• Boel Berner (born 1945), Swedish sociologist and historian
• Asta Ekenvall (1913–2001), Swedish librarian, founder of the Swedish Women’s History Archive
• Eva Gothlin (1957–2006), Swedish historian of ideas
• Yvonne Hirdman (born 1943), Swedish historian and gender researcher
• Gunhild Kyle (1921–2016), Swedish historian, professor of women’s history
• Hjördis Levin (born 1930), Swedish historian active in research on gender studies
• Lisbeth Larsson (1949–2021), Swedish literary historian focusing on gender studies at the University of Gothenburg
• Rosa Malmström (1906–1995), Swedish feminist active in the development of the Swedish Women’s Historical Collection now known as KvinnSam
• Eva Pineus (1905–1985), Swedish politician, librarian and women’s rights activist, founder of the Swedish women’s historical literature archive KvinnSam

Switzerland[edit]

• Caroline Dayer (born 1978), Swiss feminist researcher, specializing in gender studies, expert on homophobia, sexism and street harassment

Trinidad and Tobago[edit]

• Patricia Mohammed (born 1954), Trinidadian scholar interested in gender development and Caribbean art, founder of Caribbean Review of Gender Studies

• Feride Acar (born 1948), Turkish expert on women and gender, founding chair of the Middle East Technical University’s gender and women’s studies program
• Ayşe Gül Altınay (fl. 2001), Turkish academic at Sabancı University focusing on anthropology, cultural studies and gender studies

• Deborah Kasente (fl. 2000s), Ugandan writer and academic, co-founded of the School of Women and Gender Studies at Makerere University

Ukraine[edit]

• Vira Ageyeva (born 1958), Ukrainian philologist, co-founder of the Kyiv Institute for Gender Studies
• Kateryna Antonovych (1884––1975). Ukrainian artist and academic, active in women’s and community organizations
• Maria Mayerchyk (born 1971), Ukrainian feminist academic interested in diapora, feminism, folklore, sexuality and queer studies
• Olga Plakhotnik (fl. 2012), Canada-based Ukrainian social philosopher focusing on feminism and queer studies
• Tamara Martsenyuk (born 1981), Ukrainian sociologist specializing in gender studies
• Irina Zherebkina (born 1959), Ukrainian feminist academic, director of the Kharkiv Centre for Gender Studies

United Kingdom[edit]

• Eliza Bostock (1817–1898), British promoter of women’s education
• Lynne Brydon (fl. 1978), British social scientist specializing in gender studies, senior research fellow in African studies at the University of Birmingham
• Elizabeth Jesser Reid (1789–1866), English social reformer active in promoting higher education for women
• Jane Pilcher (fl. 1990s), British sociologist specializing in gender studies, including names, gender and ageing

United States[edit]

• Lina AbiRafeh (fl. 2008), Arab-American feminist focused on gender issues, former director of the Arab Institute for Women at the Lebanese American University
• Nwando Achebe (born 1970), Nigerian-American academic and feminist focusing on West African History, gender and sexuality
• Shauna Adix (1932–1998), American academic, founder of the Women’s Resource Center at the University of Utah
• Elizabeth R. Baer (born 1946), American academic specializing in women’s and Holocaust studies
• Aimee Bahng (fl. 2010), American academic, professor of gender and women’s studies at Pomona College, Caifornia
• Tani E. Barlow (fl. 1994), American historian and women studies academic, known for researching feminism in China
• Susan Groag Bell (1926–2015), Czech-American pioneer in women’s studies
• Sandra Bem (1944–2014), American psychologist known for her interest in androgyny and gender studies
• Margarita Benítez (born 1949), Puerto Rican educator and academic, founder of Puerto Rico’s first women’s study program
• Donna Boutelle (1931–2008), American historian, president of the West Coast Association of Women Historians
• Silvia Sara Canetto (fl. 1977), American psychologist and academic, researching diversity issues including gender and sexual orientation
• Berenice A. Carroll (1932––2018), American political scientist specializing in peace and conflict studies, feminist theory and women’s studies
• Eliza Lo Chin (born 1967), American academic specializing in women’s health, director of the American Medical Women’s Association
• Norma Chinchilla (born 1945), American sociologist, founder of women’s studies program at the University of California, Irvine and a specialist on Central America
• Janine Austin Clayton (fl. 2000s), American ophthalmologist research women’s health at the National Institutes of Health
• Mollie C. Davis (1932–2021), American activist and academic promoting women’s studies programs
• Jeannine Davis-Kimball (1929–2017), American archaeologist specializing in gender studies
• Carmen Diana Deere (born 1945), American feminist economist, expert on gender in Latin American development
• Linda Grant DePauw (born 1940), American modern historian pioneering women’s research
• Myra Dinnerstein (born 1934), American academic, founding director of the women’s studies program at the University of Arizona
• Terri Fisher (fl. 1988), American psychologist specializing in human sexuality and gender stereotypes
• Barbara Hillyer (1934–2024), American academic and feminist activist, founding director of women’s studies courses at the University of Oklahoma
• Cheryl Johnson-Odim (fl. 1978), American historian, specializing in women’s history
• Rosemary Keefe (1940–2012), American nun pioneering the women’s studies program at Rollins College in Florida
• Kamala Kempadoo (fl. 1990s), British-Guyanese writer and academic, specializing in sexology research
• Mirra Komarovsky (1905–1999), American pioneer in the sociology of gender
• Marlene Longenecker (1945–2014), American academic, director of Ohio State University’s Center for Women’s Studies
• Louise Ropes Loomis (1874–1958), American historian, cofounder of the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians
• Lynn Mahoney (born 1964), American academic historian focusing on women’s history, feminism, race studies, and ethnicity
• Serena Nanda (born 1938), American anthropologist
• Marysa Navarro (born 1933), Spanish-American historian specializing in the history of feminism and Latin American women
• Connie Newman (fl. 1978), American endocrinologist, former president of the American Medical Women’s Association
• Lizabeth Paravisini-Gebert (born 1953), Puerto-Rican philosopher researching the contributions of Caribbean women
• Carolyn C. Perrucci (fl. 1960s), American sociologist specializing in gender roles, family and education
• Catherine M. Prelinger (1925–1991), American historian, president of the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians
• Priti Ramamurthy (fl. 1991), American political economist, professor of gender, women and sexuality studies at the University of Washington
• Shulamit Reinharz, Dutch-born American academic, headling women’s studies program
• Hilda L. Smith (1941–2023), American historian specializing in gender analysis of political theory at the University of Cincinnati
• Barbara Miller Solomon (1919–1992), American historian, taught the first course on American women at Harvard Universtiy
• Gwendolyn T. Sorell (1938–2009). American academic specializing in human development and family studies at Texas Tech University
• Margaret Strobel (born 1946), American academic specializing in African studies, former head of women’s studies at the University of Illinois Chicago
• M. Elizabeth Tidball (1929–2014), American physiologist advocating for women in academic and STEM
• [[Mary Zirin}} (1932–2019), American scholar of Russian literature, advocate for Slavic women’s studies

Uruguay[edit]

• Teresita de Barbieri (1937–2018), Uruguayan feminist sociologist based in Mexico, researcher in social sciences and gender studies focused on Latin America

References[edit]