World Society, Women Authors, and the Expansion of Feminist, Gender, Sex, and Sexuality (FGSS) Research in Comparative Education, 1957–2010

The status of women in academia, including comparative education, has grown rapidly. We build on the extensive literature on women’s work in the academy by investigating the macrohistorical cultural processes that promote expanded emphasis on feminist, gender, sex, and sexuality (FGSS) topics in comparative education. We use computational methods to investigate the expansion of published knowledge about FGSS in the content of Comparative Education Review and Comparative Education over the period 1957–2010. Findings reveal asignificant rise in FGSS emphasis starting in the 1970s, peaking in the 1980s, and then declining. The study supports the hypothesis that women authors initially drove this increase, but over time, the distinction between male and female authors regarding FGSS emphasis shrinks. The results are interpreted through the lens of neoinstitutional theory, suggesting that as the status of women expanded in liberal world culture, women authors, and FGSS research gained legitimacy, supporting the general increase of FGSS research.

Duke Scholars

Author Daniel Scott Smith Sociology