Why Gender Matters In Economics

An economic way of thinking about the gender issues confronting women around the world Gender matters in economics—for even with today's technology, fertility choices, market opportunities, and improved social norms, economic outcomes for women remain markedly worse than for men. Drawing on insights from feminism, postmodernism, psychology, evolutionary biology, Marxism, and politics, this textbook provides a rigorous economic look at issues confronting women throughout the world—including nonmarket scenarios, such as marriage, family, fertility choice, and bargaining within households, as well as market areas, like those pertaining to labor and credit markets and globalization. Mukesh Eswaran examines how women’s behavioral responses in economic situations and their bargaining power within the household differ from those of men. Eswaran then delves into the far-reaching consequences of these differences in both market and nonmarket domains. The author considers how women may be discriminated against in labor and credit markets, how their family and market circumstances interact, and how globalization has influenced their lives. Eswaran also investigates how women have been empowered through access to education, credit, healthcare, and birth control; changes in ownership laws; the acquisition of suffrage; and political representation. Throughout, Eswaran applies sound economic analysis and new modeling approaches, and each chapter concludes with exercises and discussion questions. This textbook gives readers the necessary tools for thinking about gender from an economic perspective. Addresses economic issues for women throughout the world, in both developed and developing countries Looks at both market and nonmarket domains Requires only a background in basic economic principles Includes the most recent research on the economics of gender in a range of areas Concludes each chapter with exercises and discussion questions

Gender is now recognized as a fundamental organizing principle for economic as well as social life, and related research has grown at an unprecedented pace in the recent decades across branches of economics. The volume takes stock of this research, proposes novel analytical frameworks and outlines further research directions. It grew out of the Summer School of International Research in Pontignano (University of Siena) that traditionally brings together the most representative scholars in the chosen field. The thirteen essays included in the volume cover recent advances in gender related issues across disciplinary branches, from Economic History and the History of Economic Thought to Macroeconomics, Household Economics, the Economics of Care Work, Labour Economics, Institutional and Experimental Economics. The volume is primarily addressed to graduate students in Economics and is an essential companion for researchers in the area of Gender Economics. As most essays are written in a non-technical language it is also of interest to a wider audience, including specialists in Sociology, Demography and History.

The belief that men and women have fundamentally distinct natures, resulting in divergent preferences and behaviours, is widespread. Recently, economists have also engaged in the search for gender differences, with a number claiming to find fundamental gender differences regarding risk-taking, altruism, and competition. In particular, the idea that "women are more risk-averse than men" has become accepted as a truism. But is it true? And what are its causes and consequences? Gender and Risk Taking makes three contributions. First, it asks whether the belief that men and women have distinct risk preferences is backed up by high quality empirical evidence. The answer turns out to be "no." This leads to a second question: Why, then, does so much of the literature claim to find evidence of "difference"? This, it will be shown, can be attributed to biases arising from too-easy categorical thinking, widespread stereotyping, and a tendency to prefer results that are publishable and that fit one’s prior beliefs. Third, the book explores the economic implications of the conventional association of risk-taking with masculinity and risk-aversion with femininity. Not only fairness in employment, but also the health of the financial sector and national responses to climate change, this book argues, are being compromised. This volume will be eye-opening for anyone interested in gender, decision-making, cognition, and/or risk, especially in areas relating to employment, finance, management, or public policy.

This volume presents current research on gender studies in the specific context of the knowledge economy. Featuring contributions from the 2017 Annual Ipazia, the Scientific Observatory for Gender Studies Workshop on Gender, this book investigates gender issues and female entrepreneurship from social, economic, corporate, organizational, and management perspectives, with particular emphasis on advancing the understanding of gender in business and economic research. The post-industrial knowledge economy is characterized by an emphasis on human capital as the real engine of sustainable growth and development. With women comprising an increasing share of the global workforce, gender studies play a central role in exploring and understanding the attitudes and skills of women in business and their impact on economic and social development. Gender inequality in public and private contexts is decreasing due to an increase of women in leadership roles in business, the expansion and diversity of females in education, and a larger presence of women in policymaking roles. Ipazia, the Scientific Observatory for Gender Studies, aims to define an updated framework of research, service and projects on women and gender relations to highlight the evolution of gender in business and economics. This volume features contributions on female-owned family business, gender diversity in organizations, gender capital, and immigration from the 2017 Ipazia workshop.

Publisher Description

Presents 27 articles dating from 1923 to 1994 on gender differences, female labour supply, male-female wage differences and on the historical significance of women's work.

This book offers a historical exploration of the genesis of feminist economics and gender economics, as well as their theoretical and methodological differences. Its narrative also serves to embed both within a broader cultural context. Although both feminist economics and gender neoclassical economics belong to the cultural process related to the central role of the political economy in promoting women’s emancipation and empowerment, they differ in many aspects. Feminist economics, mainly influenced by women’s studies and feminism, rejected neoclassical economics, while gender neoclassical economics, mainly influenced by home economics and the new home economics, adopted the neoclassical economics’ approach to gender issues. The book includes diverse case studies, which also highlight the continuity between the story of women’s emancipation and the more recent developments of feminist and gender studies. This volume will be of great interest to researchers and academia in the fields of feminist economics, gender studies, and the history of economic thought.

Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development demytsifies the theory of gender and development and shows how it plays an important role in everyday life. It explores the evolution of gender and development theory, introduces competing theoretical frameworks, and examines new and emerging debates. The focus is on the implications of theory for policy and practice, and the need to theorize gender and development to create a more egalitarian society. This book is intended for classroom and workshop use in the fields ofdevelopment studies, development theory, gender and development, and women's studies. Its clear and straightforward prose will be appreciated by undergraduate and seasoned professional, alike. Classroom exercises, study questions, activities, and case studies are included. It is designed for use in both formal and nonformal educational settings.