Gender in Academic Journals: Experience from Indonesia

Ella Prihatini; Wendy Prajuli

doi:10.14764/10.ASEAS-0068

Authors

Ella Prihatini Bina Nusantara University
Wendy Prajuli Bina Nusantara University, Indonesia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5518-2233

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14764/10.ASEAS-0068

Keywords:

publication, gender, international relations, Indonesia, Global South, Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

The literature on the gender gap in political science and international relations (IR) has increased significantly in the last couple of decades. However, little is known about how male and female scholars are publishing their works in non-Western-based IR journals. Our study aims to unpack this by examining publications and authorship patterns in IR journals published in Indonesia. The case study represents a non-English speaking country with pivotal roles in international politics and geopolitical aspects, particularly in the Indo-Pacific. Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous nation and the third largest democracy, located between the Indian Ocean and the China Sea. The country is critical to regional stability and progress in Southeast Asia. Indonesia also has over seventy IR departments in various universities nationwide, and one professional association that aims to support teaching and research on IR. We asked whether men always outnumber women in terms of publishing academic papers. What is the pattern of topics published? And are there any shared interests between the two sexes? Using bibliographic data from seven IR journals published in Indonesia between 2000 and 2019 (N = 783), this paper highlights some key similarities with previous studies in Western societies. The findings suggest women produce fewer articles than men, and ‘gender homophily’ among men limits women’s leadership in scholarly publication. Yet, men and women shared equal interest in topics such as ‘security’, ‘military’, and ‘governance’, indicating that gendered preferences may not always be the best evidence to suggest that IR is a masculine discipline.

Author Biographies

Ella Prihatini, Bina Nusantara University

Ella Prihatini teaches international relations at Bina Nusantara (Binus) University, Jakarta, Indonesia. She received her PhD in political science and international relations from the University of Western Australia (UWA). Her research interests focus on women’s political participation, digital diplomacy, comparative studies, and electoral politics in Indonesia. She also serves as an honorary research fellow at the Centre for Muslim States and Societies (CMSS), University of Western Australia (UWA), Perth.

Wendy Prajuli, Bina Nusantara University, Indonesia

Wendy Andhika Prajuli is a lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Bina Nusantara (Binus) University, Jakarta. Currently, he is pursuing his Ph.D. at the Department of Southeast Asian Studies, Humboldt University of Berlin.

References

Abu-Laban, Y., Sawer, M., & St-Laurent, M. (2018). IPSA Gender and diversity monitoring report 2017. https://www.ipsa.org/sites/default/files/2018-07/IPSA_Gender_and_Diversity_Monitoring_Report_2017_web_version_2018.07.23.pdf

Acker, J. (1992). From sex roles to gendered institutions. Contemporary Sociology, 21(5), 565–569.

AIHII. (2022a). Perguruan Tinggi. https://aihii.or.id/perguruan-tinggi/

AIHII. (2022b). Jurnal Prodi. http://aihii.or.id/jurnal-prodi/

Aiston, S. J., & Fo, C. K. (2020). The silence/ing of academic women. Gender and Education, 33(2), 1–18.

Aiston, S. J., & Yang, Z. (2017). “Absent data, absent women”: Gender and higher education leadership. Policy Futures in Education, 15(3), 262–274.

Akhtar, P., Fawcett, P., Legrand, T., Marsh, D., & Taylor, C. (2005). Women in the political science profession. European Political Science, 4(3), 242–255.

APSA. (2005). Women’s advancement in political science: A report of the APSA workshop on the advancement of women in academic political science in the United States. American Political Science Association.

Arif, M., & Kurniawan, Y. (2017). Strategic culture and Indonesian maritime security. Asia & the Pacific Policy Studies, 5(1), 77–89.

Atchison, A. L. (2018). Towards the good profession: Improving the status of women in political science. European Journal of Politics and Gender, 1(1-2), 279–298.

Bates, S., Jenkins, L., & Pflaeger, Z. (2012). Women in the profession: The composition of UK political science departments by sex. Politics, 32(3), 139–152.

Bates, S., & Savigny, H. (2015). Introduction: Women in European political science. European Political Science, 14(2), 75–78.

Bennie, L., & Topf, R. (2003). The PSA’s survey of the profession 2002. The Annual Conference of the PSA. The University of Leicester.

Bonjour, S., Mügge, L., & Roggeband, C. (2016). Lost in the mainstream? Gender in Dutch political science education. European Political Science, 15(3), 303–313.

Breuning, M. (2010). Women and Publishing in International Studies. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of International Studies. Oxford University Press.

Breuning, M., Gross, B. I., Feinberg, A., Martinez, M., Sharma, R., & Ishiyama, J. (2018). Clearing the pipeline? Gender and the review process at the American Political Science Review. PS: Political Science & Politics, 51(3), 629–634.

Breuning, M., & Sanders, K. (2007). Gender and journal authorship in eight prestigious political science journals. PS: Political Science & Politics, 40(2), 347–351.

Curtin, J. (2013). Women and political science in New Zealand. Political Science, 65(1), 63–83.

Dion, M. L., & Mitchell, S. M. (2020). How many citations to women is “enough”? Estimates of gender representation in political science. PS: Political Science & Politics, 53(1), 107–113.

Evans, H. K., & Moulder, A. (2011). Reflecting on a decade of women’s publications in four top political science journals. PS: Political Science & Politics, 44(4), 793–798.

Fotaki, M. (2013). No woman is like a man (in academia): The masculine symbolic order and the unwanted female body. Organization Studies, 34(9), 1251–1275.

Hancock, K. J., Baum, M. A., & Breuning, M. (2013). Women and pre-tenure scholarly productivity in international studies: An investigation into the leaky career pipeline. International Studies Perspectives, 14(4), 507–527.

Kadera, K. M. (2013). The social underpinnings of women’s worth in the study of world politics: Culture, leader emergence, and coauthorship. International Studies Perspectives, 14(4), 463–475.

Key, E. M., & Sumner, J. L. (2019). You research like a girl: Gendered research agendas and their implications. PS: Political Science & Politics, 52(4), 663–668.

Knights, D., & Richards, W. (2003). Sex discrimination in UK academia. Gender, Work, and Organization, 10(2), 213–238.

Livingstone-Peters, S. (2020, March 3). Women in leadership: addressing equal gender representation in political science. International Science Council. https://council.science/current/blog/women-in-leadership-addressing-equal-gender-representation-in-political-science/

Maliniak, D., Oakes, A., Peterson, S., & Tierney, M. J. (2008). Women in international relations. Politics & Gender, 4(1), 122–144.

Maliniak, D., Peterson, S., & Tierney, M. J. (2012). TRIP around the world: Teaching, research, and policy views of international relations faculty in 20 countries. The Institute for the Theory and Practice of International Relations, The College of William and Mary, VA.

Maliniak, D., Powers, R., & Walter, B. F. (2013). The gender citation gap in international relations. International Organization, 67(4), 889–922.

Maliniak, D., & Tierney, M. J. (2009). The American school of IPE. Review of International Political Economy, 16(1), 6–33.

Mitchell, S. M., & Hesli, V. L. (2013). Women don't ask? Women don't say no? Bargaining and service in the political science profession. PS: Political Science & Politics, 46(2), 355-369.

Monroe, K. R., & Chiu, W. F. (2010). Gender equality in the academy: The pipeline problem. PS: Political Science & Politics, 43(2), 303-308.

Myint, H. (1984). Inward and outward-looking countries revisited: The case of Indonesia. Bulletin of Indonesian Economic Studies, 20(2), 39-52.

Østby, G., Strand, H., Nordås, R., & Gleditsch, N. P. (2013). Gender gap or gender bias in peace research? Publication patterns and citation rates for Journal of Peace Research, 1983–2008. International Studies Perspectives, 14(4), 493-506.

Phull, K., Ciflikli, G., & Meibauer, G. (2019). Gender and bias in the International Relations curriculum: Insights from reading lists. European Journal of International Relations, 25(2), 383-407.

Putra, I. P. (2020). Nadiem Janji Benahi Persoalan Beban Administrasi Dosen [Nadiem Promises to Fix Lecturer Administration Burden Issues]. Medcom.id. https://www.medcom.id/pendidikan/news-pendidikan/zNPGgdEK-nadiem-janji-benahi-persoalan-beban-administrasi-dosen.

Ristek Dikti. (2020a). Pangkalan Data Pendidikan Tinggi [Higher Education Database]. https://forlap.ristekdikti.go.id/prodi/search

Ristek Dikti. (2020b). SINTA - Science and Technology Index. http://sinta2.ristekdikti.go.id/about

Savigny, H. (2017). Cultural sexism is ordinary: Writing and re‐writing women in academia. Gender, Work & Organization, 24(6), 643-655.

Scott, D. (2019). Indonesia grapples with the Indo-Pacific: Outreach, strategic discourse, and diplomacy. Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs, 38(2), 194-217.

Sharman, J. C., & True, J. (2011). Anglo-American followers or Antipodean iconoclasts? The 2008 TRIP survey of international relations in Australia and New Zealand. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 65(2), 148-166.

Sjoberg, L. (2008). The Norm of Tradition: Gender Subordination and Women's Exclusion in International Relations. Politics & Gender, 4(1), 173-180.

Steele, J. F. (2016). Japanese political science at a crossroads? normative and empirical preconditions for the integration of women and diversity into political science. European Political Science, 15(4), 536-555.

Sucahyo, N. (2018). Akademisi Indonesia Terbebani Aturan Administrasi [Indonesian Academics Burdened with Administrative Rules]. Voice of America. https://www.voaindonesia.com/amp/akademisi-indonesia-terbebani-aturan-administrasi/4649983.html.

Teele, D. L., & Thelen, K. (2017). Gender in the journals: Publication patterns in political science. PS: Political Science & Politics, 50(2), 433-447.

Tetreault, M. A. (2008). Women in International Relations: Sediment, Trends, and Agency. Politics & Gender, 4(1), 144-156.

Tickner, J. A., & Sjoberg, L. (Eds.). (2011). Feminism and international relations: Conversations about the past, present and future. Routledge.

Timperley, C. (2013). Women in the academy: Key studies on gender in political science. Political Science, 65(1), 84–104.

Tolleson-Rinehart, S., & Carroll, S. J. (2006). Far from ideal: The gender politics of political science. American Political Science Review, 100(4), 507-513.

Weisshaar, K. (2017). Publish and perish? An assessment of gender gaps in promotion to tenure in academia. Social Forces, 96(2), 529-560.

Westendorf, J. K., & Strating, R. (2020). Women in Australian international affairs. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 74(3), 213-227.

Williams, H., Bates, S., Jenkins, L., Luke, D., & Rogers, K. (2015). Gender and journal authorship: an assessment of articles published by women in three top British political science and international relations journals. European Political Science, 14, 116-130.