Fundamental Research on Feminist Economics
Paper Session
Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Swissotel Chicago, Bianco
- Chair: Diana Strassmann, Rice University
To Measure or To Narrate? Feminist Paths Toward a Sustainable Future
Abstract
This paper will assess the evolution of empirical methodologies in feminist economics, by focusing on the publication record of the journal Feminist Economics (FE). The body of work published in FE since 1995 constitutes a substantial research output that allows assessing the trends in data generation methods and data analysis methodologies. My goal is to examine whether there has been increased pluralism in research methods/methodologies used by feminist economists, as called for by many feminist economists in an FE Explorations in 1997 and a number of contributions in the late 1990s-early 2000s. Cognizant of recent feminist and heterodox economics debates on methods/methodology, the paper will survey the research articles published in FE by focusing on the research question posed, the discipline/institutional affiliation of the author(s) (whether economics or not), the data source (the method of data generation), empirical methodology, and related details. Granting the existence of selection bias in the published material in FE (owing to either author choices or the editorial process), this research will yield insights on the state of empirical research in feminist economics and will be a starting point for examining questions concerning feminist economic theory and heterodox economics.Gendered Careers: Women Economists in Italy
Abstract
Recent reforms of the Italian university system introduced a centralized national qualification competition (called ASN), necessary for accessing all academic positions in the country. Following a well-known international trend, the new mechanism is founded on rigid standardized indexes of “scientific productivity” based on bibliometric indicators. // In this context, recent studies investigate gender differences in the willingness to enter competition and/or the impact of the gender composition of selection committees on candidates’ likelihood of passing the qualification and/or obtaining tenure (Bagues et al. 2014; De Paola et al. 2015 and Checchi et al. 2015). // In economics, women’s lower success rate (35%) compared to men’s (44%) is often connected to lower productivity. We provide new evidence matching all candidates’ CVs with their record of publications on EconLit, showing that women’s typical career profiles, e.g. in terms of type of publications, topics and methods of inquiry, were penalized regardless of scientific productivity. // Our work aims not only at documenting, through a large scale natural experiment, the causes of the underrepresentation of women in academia (especially in top positions) and within economics, but also at raising the issue of new incentives and constrains that increasingly push women to uniform their careers and their research interests to those of their men colleagues. The latter is a specific issue within economics that deserves separate, and worried, recognition.Identifying Age Penalty in Women's Wages: New Method and Conclusions from Germany 1984-2008
Abstract
There are two possible gender-age patterns in wages. One is a widening of the adjusted gender wage gap (AGWG) during the reproductive years of child bearing and child rearing, followed by a narrowing of the gap in the post-reproductive period. The other possible gender-age pattern is a continued widening of the (AGWG), first in the reproductive period, followed by a further increase during the post-reproductive years. We propose a double decomposition method based on DiNardo et al. (1996) reweighing scheme to disentangle cohort and age effects. We employ on a long panel of data from the Germany covering the 1984-2008 period. (AGWG) tends to decrease over time, especially during the 90’s, with a relative stabilization towards the end of the analyzed period. (AGWG) increases with age, though this growth is non monotonous, providing some support for the “double standard of aging" effect more than for the explanations derived from the human capital theory. Decrease in fertility and increase in educational attainment among women may have translated to lower gender wage gaps experienced by the labor market entrants, especially along the wage distribution. Yet, the novel double decomposition suggests strong age-related pattern, i.e. the unexplained part of the wage differential increases with age.Discussant(s)
Joyce Jacobsen
, Wesleyan University
Lisa Cook
, Michigan State University
JEL Classifications
- B5 - Current Heterodox Approaches
- J1 - Demographic Economics