Mihaela Miroiu (born 1955) is a Romanian political theorist and feminist philosopher, the most prominent activist for women's rights and a very well known activist for Roma rights, more generally, for minorities rights. She is currently Professor of Political science at the Faculty of Political Science, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest.
She was and is involved in numerous institutional, civic and political contributions for setting and development of political science and democratization in Romania. She introduced the first Ph.D. program in Political Science in Romania in 2000, the first courses in Gender Studies in 1994, and the first Masters in Gender Studies in 1998.
Early life and career
Mihaela Miroiu was born in Hunedoara, Romania. She studied Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Bucharest, earning a BA in 1978 and a PhD in 1978. She is married to Adrian Miroiu, Professor of Political Science at NSPSPA. At the beginning of her career, Miroiu taught philosophy in various high schools in Bucharest. In 1994 she became a lecturer at the Faculty of Political Science at the National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest and associate professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Bucharest, teaching Feminist Philosophy. She was dean of the Faculty of Political Science, 1997–2001. She initiated feminist studies (1994) and gender studies (1998). In 2001 she introduced and coordinated the first Romanian collection of Gender Studies at Polirom publishing house. She initiated two non-governmental organizations: ANA Society for Feminist Analyses in 1995 and Curriculum Development Center and Gender Studies – FILIA in 2000.
Miroiu has won several research grants at major universities such as Cornell University, USA in 1994, at Central European University, Budapest, Hungary in 1994, 1995, 1996; Warwick University in 1997, at New Europe College, Bucharest between 1998 and 1999, St. Hilda's College, Oxford University, Great Britain 2002; and between 2003 and 2004 a Fulbright research grant at the Department of Political Science, Indiana University, Bloomington, USA.
She coordinated research grants on gender issues in partnership with European and American institutions: the Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna, UNESCO, New Europe College, SNSPA, Babeș-Bolyai University, Konrad Adenauer Foundation, ERSTE Foundation, FRAGEN IIAV, International Information Centre and Archives for the Women's Movement, Indiana University, Bloomington.
She has lectured as a visiting professor at Cornell University, New School for Social Research, Central European University, Budapest, Manchester University, Warwick University, Indiana University, OSF Moldova, University of Santander, University of Vienna, University of Stockholm, and the University of Gothenburg. She received numerous awards, including Women Inspiring Europe, European Institute for Gender Equality, 2010, Brussels; Outstanding Achievements Award, Association for Women in Slavic Studies Eurasian and East-European Studies (AWSS), 2010; Excellence in Teaching offered by the National Alliance of Student Organizations in Romania, 2007; award for Promoting Equality of Opportunities in Romania, National Council for Preventing and Combating Discrimination, Bucharest, 2005; for promoting women's rights, Woman of the Year, 2005, Avantaje Magazine. She is also an Honorary Citizen of Hunedoara, Hunedoara County, since 2017.
Civic and political contributions
As a women's rights activist and public intellectual, Miroiu is the author of numerous papers and policies proposals for democratization and the rule of law, as well against discrimination, equal opportunities, and minorities' rights. She has played an important role as adviser and trainer for the democratic political parties concerning political ethics, ideologies and gender policies. She played an important role as lobbyist for The law of parental leave (1998), The law against discrimination (2000), The law for fighting violence against women, for the introduction of the principle of equal opportunities in the Romanian Constitution (2003), for setting up of the Romanian National Agency for Equal Opportunities and promoted the ratification of the Istanbul Convention in Romania. Miroiu is still lobbing at present for Gender parity in local, national, and European elections, Equal pay for equal work, Equity among salaries between masculinized and feminized domains, Rural women's access to water and heating facilities.