Written by: Mahdi Dialden, News Writer
SFU political science Professor S. Laurel Weldon has been inducted into the Royal Society of Canada (RSC), which honours researchers for their achievements in their respective fields. Professor Weldon’s research specializes in the role of social movements in influencing public policy, violence against women, and gender equality policies around the world.
When asked about her induction into the RSC in an interview with The Peak, she said, “It’s a labour of love [ . . . ] it feels like a lot of recognition of that hard work.” Weldon added that academics “do a lot of work on the weekend” such as “a lot of work in evenings [getting up early and] a lot of travelling.”
The state of women’s rights and equality during her formative years catalyzed her interest in researching this field. Weldon stated that she had high expectations for equality in Canada; however, Weldon found it shocking “how recent some of the changes were and [ . . . ] the inequalities that persisted.” She added that she was particularly surprised about violence against women.
One of the main takeaways Weldon highlighted is that “protest is an important avenue of influence for people who are otherwise excluded from power in various ways.” She also noted that, “We need people to have a passion for their issues and to be bringing new ideas and perspectives to our political life in order to have a robust and inclusive society.”
Weldon believes that what separates her method of research from others, is that she “like[s] to ask big questions, big theoretical questions, and [compile her own] datasets.” Building on this discussion, Weldon offered this comparison about her work about how she collects data: “I think being a social scientist, it’s like a detective, right? You’ve gotta take all the evidence that you have.”
One of her research projects focuses on gathering large datasets that are related to women’s rights. Weldon also studies inequality in family law — the legal aspect of family matters that directly affect women. Factors like feminist movements, women in government, and the presence of democracy in different countries are factors she looks at.
Professor Weldon was a distinguished professor at Purdue University in Indiana for 18 years, followed by a two-year tenure as a Vice Provost there as well. She had started a couple of research centers there, including one on diversity inclusion and public policy research.
Additionally, Weldon has written several books, the most recent one titled The Logic of Gender Justice co-authored with Mala Htun from the University of New Mexico. The book won an award from the International Studies Association for the best book on human rights in 2019.
