Brenda O’Neill

Canadian political behaviour and public opinion; gender and political leadership; feminism and the feminist movement; research methods and methodology

• Honours BA (Brock) MA (McMaster) MA (McMaster) PhD (UBC)

Professor

Brenda O’Neill is a Professor in the Department of Political Science at Carleton University and Professor Emeritus at the University of Calgary. I’ve also held academic positions at the University of Calgary, the University of Manitoba, and the University of Lethbridge. After obtaining a BA in Economics and Politics at Brock University, I completed an MA in Economics and then an MA in Public Policy and Administration at McMaster University, followed by a PhD in Political Science at the University of British Columbia.

My research addresses several topics including political behaviour and gender and politics, focused largely on Canada. I am currently working with Susan Franceschet (Calgary) on an edited collection on gender and party leadership as well as a single-authored monograph reviewing the challenges universities currently face in the Canadian context. I’ve held several SSHRC grants and recently held the Thelma Margaret Horte Fellowship in Women and Society at the University of Calgary. Between 2017 to 2020, I was the English-language editor of the Canadian Journal of Political Science.

I’ve held several academic leadership positions, most recently as Dean, Faculty of Public and Global Affairs and before that Head of the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary. At the University of Manitoba, I served as Graduate Chair of the Department of Political Studies and later as Provost of the University of Manitoba’s University College. I am the recipient of several awards in recognition of her teaching, research and service contributions, including the Jill Vickers Paper Prize by the Canadian Political Science Association and the University of Manitoba Merit Award for Outstanding Achievement in Research, Teaching and Service.

Selected Publications

“Concepts and Methods: How Definitions and Techniques Matter for Understanding Women’s Political Participation,” in Amanda Bittner, J. Scott Matthews, and Stuart Soroka, eds., Foundations of Canadian Political Behaviour, Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2024.

With Antonio Franceschet, Jack Lucas, Elizabeth Pando, and Melanee Thomas, “Editor Fatigue: Can Political Science Journals Increase Review Invitation-Acceptance Rates?” PS: Political Science & Politics, 55(1) (2022).

With Scott Pruysers and David Stewart, “Glass Cliffs or Partisan Pressure? Examining Gender and Party Leader Tenure and Exits,” Political Studies, 69(2) (2021).

With Katrine Beauregard and Elisabeth Gidengil, “Women, Support for Sovereignty, and Feminism: The Case of Québec,” Politics, Groups, and Identities, 10(1) (2020).

With Taruneek Kapoor and Lindsay McLaren, “Politics, Science and Termination: A Case Study of Water Fluoridation Policy in Calgary in 2011,” Review of Policy Research, 36(1): (2019).

“Continuity and Change in the Contemporary Canadian Feminist Movement,” Canadian Journal of Political Science, 50(2) (2017).

With Elisabeth Gidengil, “Motherhood’s Role in Shaping Political and Civic Participation,” in Melanee Thomas and Amanda Bittner, eds., Mothers and Others: The Impact of Family Life on Politics, Vancouver, BC: UBC Press, 2017.

(edited with Elisabeth Gidengil), Gender and Social Capital. New York: Routledge, 2006.