Introduction: Searching for Sofia: Gender and Philosophy in the 21st Century

Why do women continue to be severely underrepresented in Anglophone philosophy, both in terms of numbers and in terms of seniority, despite several decades of change in academia more generally? Given its place among the humanities and social sciences, it seems odd that the career prospects of women in philosophy should much more closely resemble those of women in the sciences and engineering, than in cognate disciplinary areas. This introductory essay describes several aspects of the problems women face in becoming equal participants in philosophy, and surveys a range of responses to these problems. It also asks what credibility philosophy itself loses if it continues to be a male-dominated discipline. If philosophy traditionally means the 'love of wisdom' -or 'Sofia' - how is that claim to care for wisdom travestied when women continue to be allowed only so small a part in it?