INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION: FEMINISM'S RELATIONSHIP WITH POLITICAL SCIENCE

Feminist political scientists argue that women's political roles may be best understood in terms of a split between the public and private spheres. Ignoring the private sphere predisposes politicalscience to misunderstanding the complex relationship between gender and politics. Despite interesting advances, mainstream political science does not seriously incorporate this critique and dismisses gender's importance. If political science continues to ignore feminism, it cannot gain a comprehensive understanding of politics. So, while feminist demands may change the discipline significantly, political science should consider feminism more seriously. After considering the dynamics of the relationship between feminism and political science, this article suggests ways to improve the dialogue between feminist and mainstream researchers.