Women in Philosophy: Why Should We Get More of Them, and How Do We Do It?

Helen Beebee (University of Manchester) gives a talk at the Summer School (27 July - 2 August, 2014) titled "Women in Philosophy: Why Should We Get More of Them, and How Do We Do It?". Abstract: In this talk, I present some data on the underrepresentation of women in philosophy in the UK and elsewhere, consider some of the possible reasons for it, and make some suggestions for small, local changes in policies and behaviour that might just begin to make a difference. I focus in particular on the issue of gender stereotype - a phenomenon whose existence and effects are pretty well researched by social psychologists, and which (I shall argue) is highly relevant to the discipline of philosophy.