Open research questions in Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies
53 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,478 Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.
What the literature leaves open
The paper identifies the challenge of questioning the rhetoric of science as useful, relevant, and logical. The collection of essays highlights the challenge of navigating the dynamic relationship between crisis and care. The paper notes the challenge of addressing the gap in understanding the complex relationship between science and politics.
Review/Recenzja: Pamela Pietrucci and Leah Ceccarelli (Eds.). 2025. Scientists, Politics, and the Rhetoric of Public Controversy. Palgrave Macmillan · 2026 · DOIPolitical weaponization and undervaluation of science by government officials. The threat of research suppression to public trust in science. The need for close collaboration between science and society to respond to global challenges.
Cultural norms and societal expectations limit women's access to education and research opportunities. Institutional biases and lack of supportive ecosystems hinder women's progress in scientific research and innovation. Stereotypes that portray STEM fields as male-dominated discourage girls from pursuing careers in science and technology.
The paper suggests that future research should examine the impact of changing political and economic contexts on the scientific community. The paper argues that future research should investigate the role of scientists in shaping public policy and discourse.
The paper identifies a gap between the AASW scientists' aspirations and the extent to which formal government recognition was forthcoming. The paper highlights the need for scientists to adapt to changing political and economic contexts.
The paper identifies several challenges, including the historical lack of inclusivity in education and the patriarchal values that have shaped women's education. The paper also highlights the challenge of promoting women's studies programs and courses.
The paper identifies the challenge of bridging the gap between social sciences and natural sciences. The paper notes the challenge of integrating biological and social factors in the study of human behavior and politics.
The relation between human cultural and personal values and scientific practice is not well understood, - The influence of non-epistemological values on scientific practice is not well studied
The lack of an account of what values are appropriate for use in science policy advising. The need for a methodology that prevents marginalization in science policy advising.
The paper identifies a gap in the philosophical literature on science communication regarding the form of trespassing that occurs when scientists draw on non-epistemic sources of authority.
The paper identifies a gap in understanding the experiences of women in science in China. It highlights the need for further research on the challenges faced by women in science and the impact of political and social changes on their careers.
The paper identifies a gap in understanding how participation in citizen science is structured through legal and ethical expectations and how it shapes legitimacy. The paper argues that prior work has not fully addressed the intersection of legal and ethical citizenship and legitimacy in citizen science.
One of the main limitations of this article is that it is a conceptual analysis, therefore, it does not test the framework in specific citizen science projects and does not aim to cover all citizen science literature. The framework is used for analytical purposes to explain concepts. In the future research it is recommend- ed to apply the framework to different citizen science initiatives and examine how participants perceive procedural and substantive legitimacy in practice.
The paper suggests that future research could further interrogate the roots of science as unquestionable ontological knowledge. The collection of essays highlights the need for continued examination of the role of scientist-citizens in contemporary moments.
Review/Recenzja: Pamela Pietrucci and Leah Ceccarelli (Eds.). 2025. Scientists, Politics, and the Rhetoric of Public Controversy. Palgrave Macmillan · 2026 · DOIThe decimation of democratic institutional processes that undergird state-sponsored scientific research is a significant threat. The importance of federal support for research is highlighted.
The need to identify determinants of public trust in science in the face of challenges to science. The lack of a comprehensive approach to trust in science, encompassing multiple dimensions.
The study identifies a gap in the current understanding of the effects of scientists’ political involvement on public trust in science. The author argues that the current justifications for scientists’ political involvement are insufficient.
The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the experiences of Latines in STEM. The paper identifies a gap in the understanding of the importance of family and community for Latines in STEM.
“It’s For My Science Daughters”: A Portrait of Dr. Leticia Márquez-Magaña’s [Counter]Storied Legacies for Latinas and STEM · 2026 · DOIThe gap is the underrepresentation of women in many STEM disciplines. The gap is the lack of comprehensive strategies to address educational, institutional, and societal barriers.
Nonetheless, they did not eradicate all gender discrimination that remained prevalent, not only in the vertical sense by preventing women from progressing in the academic hierarchy, but also in the horizontal sense by retaining them in designated spaces (specific disciplines or institutions) that were underrecognized.
Professional opportunities, gender obstacles, and narrowed progression: The case of the first Social Science Research Council female fellows (1925–1934) · 2024 · DOIThese include the scarcity of attitudes and aptitudes supportive of public participation among both individuals and institutions; an anti-democratic political atmosphere that promotes disrespect; pursuit of private interests over the common good; failure to appreciate the limitations of dialogue and learning; underutilization of existing knowledge; and insufficient knowledge of how context matters.
The gap between the scientific community's perception of its role in public policy and the actual role it plays. The gap between the scientific community's insistence on autonomy and the need for government intervention and direction.
The paper identifies a gap in the critical analysis of social theory and its relation to capitalist society - It highlights the need for a more nuanced understanding of the Afro-American experience
The paper's historical analysis is limited to the archives of nine colleges and universities. The paper does not provide a comprehensive overview of the entire history of women's education.
The paper suggests that future research should focus on integrating biological and social factors in the study of human behavior and politics. The paper highlights the need for further exploration of the relationship between human nature and social conventions.
Most-cited papers in Feminist Epistemology and Gender Studies
- Le champ scientifique · Actes de la recherche en sciences sociales · 1976 · 468 citations
- Trust in scientists and their role in society across 68 countries · Nature Human Behaviour · 2025 · 210 citations
- Glaciers, gender, and science · Progress in Human Geography · 2016 · 154 citations
- The culture of power and science education: Learning from Miguel · Journal of Research in Science Teaching · 2000 · 100 citations
- The bottom-up meanings of the concept of public participation in science and technology · Science and Public Policy · 2008 · 89 citations
- Four Decades of Public Participation in Risk Decision Making · Risk Analysis · 2018 · 87 citations
- From Anti-Government to Anti-Science: Why Conservatives Have Turned Against Science · Daedalus · 2022 · 68 citations
- Interrupting epistemicide: A practical framework for naming, identifying, and ending epistemic injustice in the information professions · Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology · 2021 · 67 citations
- The leaky pipeline in research grant peer review and funding decisions: challenges and future directions · Higher Education · 2020 · 65 citations
- Femininity, science, and the denigration of the girly girl · British Journal of Sociology of Education · 2016 · 62 citations
Most recent work
- Histories of Scientific Responsibility in Japan and the United Kingdom · East Asian Science Technology and Society An International Journal · 2026
- Public Trust in Science: A Systematic Literature Review · Journal of Academic Ethics · 2026
- Merton Redux: Re-Confronting the Norms of Science in Democracy · Issues in Science and Technology · 2026
- Science Shouldn't Be Political · Journal of Academic Ethics · 2026
- Science policy advising & political legitimacy: a feminist public reason account · European Journal for Philosophy of Science · 2026
- The social structures of gender: exploring the philosophical dynamics of individual agency and structural forces in the construction of gender roles · SN Social Sciences · 2026
- What could a human right to participate in science be? · Royal Society Open Science · 2026
- Intellectual odyssey of a PPE graduate · Bulletin of Sociological Methodology/Bulletin de Méthodologie Sociologique · 2026
- Building Public Trust in Science: A Team Task · Episteme · 2026
- Beyond Representation: On Being a Woman in Science in China · Made in China Journal · 2026
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