Counting Scotland In! Making 'Gender and education' more inclusive and attractive as a research field

Abstract

This paper reflects on the development of the field of gender and education, as it emerged from the late 1970s onwards. It considers the reasons for the creation of the field and the impact on it of various waves of feminism, as well as the dominance of the Anglophone voice. It continues with an examination of how gender and education has developed as a field in Scotland. The paper continues with the findings of a small survey of the journal Gender and Education, the main journal of the field, at three points in almost 20 years of existence: 1990, 1998 and 2007. The survey findings suggest that the gender education field has been influenced by changes within both feminism and higher education though researchers from Scotland are few, and there is a concentration on Anglophone research and issues. The paper concludes with suggestions for future action in order to make the field more inclusive and practice/policy oriented.