Femocratic Administration: Gender, Governance, and Democracy in Ontario

Femocratic Administration examines the gendered nature of public administration through a study of the Ontario Women’s Directorate (OWD) between 1985 and 2000. Analysing the OWD from the perspective of feminist political economy, this book combines a detailed case study with a theoretical framework that reconceptualizes the meanings of state feminism, representation, and democracy.

Using interviews and archival materials, Tammy Findlay argues that the feminist bureaucrats (or “femocrats,” as they are sometimes known) of the OWD were marginalized even before the rise of neoliberal governance and New Public Management of the 1990s. Achieving substantive democracy for Ontario’s women, she contends, requires more than just institutional reforms – it demands “femocratic administration” that transforms the entire public service and its relationship with citizens.