GENDER ISSUES IN PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN LATVIA

Nowadays many scientists discuss feminist institutionalism in order to answer crucial questions about power inequalities, mechanisms of continuity, and the gendered limits of change (Krook, 2010), which has encouraged the author of the paper to study the relevance of feminism theory in public administration. Far from being a monolithic entity, feminism has a variety of traditions and focuses. This diversity is reflected in various approaches of feminism towards studying and criticizing the representation of women in public life. This first wave of feminism believed that when women had access to public institutions such as education and the work place, then gender inequity would be erased. The period of "modernity" was therefore characterized by women's access to areas of public life that was traditionally reserved only for men. The aim of the article is to find the link between feminism and gender theory and management theory of the society in order to form a feminist perspective in the field of public administration and discover if public institutions are also gendered. The article provides an insight into and evaluation of problematic issues of gender equality in public administration and respective situation in Latvia. Although the author has carried out multiple researches in the field, yet the purpose of this article is to draw attention to theoretical aspects of gender equality issues based on feminism theories and an explanation of problems related to gender equality.