Women and Politics

Troubled Times: Gender and Politics in the 21st Century

PSA Women and Politics Conference, June 17th/18th 2025

Hosted by the Gender and Inequalities (GAIN) Centre at the University of Southampton

Overview

The backlash against gender equality can be found in public opinion, public policy and recent election results across the globe. Conservative movements, populist politics, and media representation have coalesced to push back against gender equity gains, meaning gender equality actors are forced to resist and contest this backsliding. The rise of anti-feminist rhetoric and the erosion of reproductive rights are symptomatic of a broader political climate that seeks to reassert traditional gender norms and undermine the feminist agenda. Yet, alongside these challenges, feminist activism and scholarship continue to pushback, developing strategies to counteract and resist the roll back of hard-won feminist gains. Amid these struggles, there are also signs of hope, with some countries continuing to advance equality, enshrining protections in policies, legislation, and constitutions – progress that deserves recognition and celebration.

Welcoming papers from across time and space, this conference analyses the causes and impact of equality backlash and backsliding while centring gender politics scholarship and activism that resist these trends.

We invite paper submissions that explore a wide range of topics related to gender and politics emphasising the contemporary challenges and opportunities for social change in troubled times.

Submissions

We welcome papers and panels on topics including, but not limited to:

• Feminist and anti-feminist movements
• The intersection of gender, race, disability and class in politics
• Gender and electoral politics
• The impact of digital media and technology on gender politics
• Gender in political theory and discourse
• Gender-based violence and policy responses
• Gender and climate change: environmental justice and activism
• Transnational feminist politics and global justice
• Gender and policy-making
• Gender and the politics of health and reproductive rights and justice

Submission: Please send 250 word abstracts to psa.women.politics@googlemail.com by Friday 11th April 2025, 5pm.  

Registration: Early bird registration opens on Monday 28th April 2025. Registration fees will be £20. Detailed information on registration fees, travel grants, and conference accommodations will be available on our website.

For further information, please contact psa.women.politics@googlemail.com.

The Women and Politics Specialist Group provides a focus for PSA members - both women and men - whose research is concerned with women or gender; and is also a resource for women in the PSA. The group has a commitment to encourage the presence and visibility of women in the PSA and the discipline, while combating sexism.

Find out more about our work here: https://psawomenpolitics.wordpress.com