Gender Relations and Economics

Alyssa Schneebaum
Vienna University of Economics and Business, 2019
Poziom: początkujący
Perspektywy: Ekonomia feministyczna, Inne
Temat: labour & care, macroeconomics, gender, philosophy of economics
Formularz: Syllabus

Exploring Economics for Teachers

 Exploring Economics collects course descriptions, syllabi and slides so that lecturers can share ressources and innovate their teaching.

Share your Syllabus            Find more Teaching Material

 

Gender Relations and Economics

This syllabus was originally taught at University of Vienna of University of Economics and Business Summer Semester 2019.
Instructor: Alyssa Schneebaum 

Course Summary

This course introduces students to the relevance of gender relations in economics as a discipline and in economic processes and outcomes. 

The course covers three main components of gender in economics and the economy: (1) the gendered nature of the construction and reproduction of economic theory and thought; (2) the relevance and role of gender in economic decision-making; and (3) differences in economic outcomes based on gender. We will touch on the relevance of gender and gender relations in at least each of the following topics: economic theory; the history of economic thought; human capital accumulation; labor market discrimination; macroeconomic policy, including gender budgeting; household economics; basic econometrics; and economic crises. Along with mastering the content of the class, students will be encouraged to develop their general academic skills. On the first day of class, the instructor will review the most important aspects of academic writing. A central goal of the course is for students to develop their critical thinking and writing skills, and their ability to present their (written and verbal) academic work in a clear, convincing, and appropriate fashion. These goals will be highlighted throughout the course, and students will be graded in part on their improvement in this regard. The response papers are the best means for students to practice honing their academic thinking and writing skills. The class will meet once per week. Students are required to attend class. Class meetings will consist of lectures by the instructor, short readings, videos, class discussion, and group work. This course provides a thorough overview of the state of research and central issues in economic analyses of gender. The students will develop an understanding of the basic relationships between economics and gender relations, and the (re)production of these relationships. Students are encouraged to think independently about how gender works and matters in economic processes and outcomes.

Assignments and Assessment

Attendance

Attendance and participation are an important part of the course. Participation points will be distributed immediately following class. Students are responsible for all course material, even if they have missed a class. Twice in the semester, students should briefly and informally share with the class something that they have come across that is relevant for the class. This can be a song, a newspaper article, a viral tweet, a political campaign, a video... honestly, whatever. The main idea is that you explain how this thing is connected to concepts and ideas we are discussing in the course and how you understand this thing differently now that you are taking the course.

Response Papers

 Students can write three response papers to weekly readings throughout the semester. The reading for each class should be completed before the class meets. A response paper on a particular reading is due on the day that we discuss the reading in class (the day it is listed below). Response papers must be submitted in class. No late assignments will be accepted for any reason. If your essays run longer than one piece of paper (which they should not), please make the world a better place by stapling your pages together.Here is the grading system for response papers. They should:

  •  correctly and clearly describe what the text is about. This is a 3-4 sentence summary of the main questions, goals, methods, and conclusions of the text.
  •  succinctly and clearly discuss the single most interesting idea or concept introduced in the text, and explains why exactly it is so compelling.
  •  thoroughly discuss what is missing from the text, or how it could be improved. In the first case, the student explains exactly why this missing piece is important and how it would change the analysis; in the second case, the student provides his/her own suggestions for improvement. Keep in mind that the critique should be based on the context of the goals of the paper!
  •  include concepts and ideas discussed in the course and/or from previous readings.
  •  correctly cite the text under discussion.
  •  meet the formal requirements for correct spelling, punctuation, and length.

Final Essay

Students will write individual essays in which they reflect on their own education in economics. The essay should explain a concept or model that the student has learned in another economics class, and then extend, edit, and/or respecify the concept or model to more adequately account for gender relations. There are no formal requirements regarding the length of this essay. Papers of differing lengths can be equally good! Remember to make each paragraph, each sentence, and each word contribute to your argument. The essay should include reference to academic literature.

Course Overview

Schedule of topics covered and mandatory readings

Session 1 Introduction and overview of the course

  • Course structure; expectations and requirements; goals
  • Foundations of academic work

Session 2 Gender in Economics (the discipline)

  • Lundberg, Shelly and Jenna Stearns (2019). “Women in Economics: Stalled Progress.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 33(1): 3-22.

Session 3 Classical Feminist Economics

  • Nelson, Julie A. (1995). “Feminism and Economics.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 9(2): 131-148.

Session 4 Identity and economics

  • Akerlof, George A. and Rachel E. Kranton (2000). “Economics and Identity.” Quarterly Journal of Economics 115(3): 715-753.

Session 5 Why is gender an economic issue? Why is economics a gender issue?

  • Podcast: Hidden Brain. “Nature, Nurture, And Our Evolving Debates About Gender.” https://www.npr.org/2018/11/19/669192536/naturenurture- and-our-evolving-debates-about-gender

Session 6 Gender in the Labor Market I

  • Fortin, Nicole M. (2005). “Gender Role Attitudes and the Labour-Market Outcomes of Women Across OECD Countries.” Oxford Review of Economic Policy 21(3): 416-438.

Session 7 Gender in the Labor Market II

  • Polachek, Solomon W. (1995). “Human Capital and the Gender Earnings Gap: A Response to Feminist Critiques.” In Edith Kuiper and Jolande Sap (Eds.), Out of the Margin: Feminist Perspectives on Economics (pp. 61-79). London and New York: Routledge.

Session 8 Gender in the Household: Housework, care work, and decision making

  • Ironmonger, Duncan (1996). “Counting Outputs, Capital Inputs, and Caring Labor: Estimating Gross Household Product.” Feminist Economics 2(3): 37-64.
  • Kleven, Henrik et al. (2019). “Child Penalties Across Countries: Evidence and Explanations.” Paper Prepared for American Economic Association Papers and Proceedings, available at https://www.henrikkleven.com/uploads/3/7/3/1/37310663/klevenetal_aea-pp_2019.pdf

Session 9 Gender and Macroeconomics I: Gender and Development; Gender Budgeting

  • Mammen, Kristin and Christina Paxson (2000). “Women’s Work and Economic Development.” Journal of Economic Perspectives 14(4): 141-164.

Session 10 Gender and Macroeconomics II: Gender and Globalization

  • Lennon, Carolina and Alyssa Schneebaum (2019). “Globalization and Gender Equality: An International Firm-Level Analysis.” Working Paper 

Session 11 Flexible date 

  • Reading: van der Velde, Lucas, Joanna Tyrowicz, and Joanna Siwinska (2015). “Language and (the estimates of) the gender wage gap.” Economics Letters 136: 165-170.
  • Davis, Lewis and Megan Reynolds (2018). “Gendered language and the educational gender gap.” Economics Letters 168: 46-48.

 Stay tuned!

Subscribe to our newsletter to learn about new debates, conferences and writing workshops.

Subscribe!

Tags: discrimination | economic crisis | economic thought | feminism | gender | gender budgeting | gender inequality | gender regimes | history of economic thought | human capital | labour | social construction | syllabus | teaching | teaching material
It is perhaps fitting that the seriousness of the coronavirus threat hit most of the Western world around the Ides of March, the traditional day of reckoning of outstanding debts in Ancient Rome. After all, problems and imbalances have accumulated in the Western capitalist system over four decades, ostensibly since it took the neoliberal road out of the 1970s crisis and kept going along it, heedless of the crises and problems it led to. 2020 Level: początkujący The Unexpected Reckoning: Coronavirus and Capitalism Radhika Desai Canadian Dimesion The policy briefing provides a data-rich overview over the budgets planned for public services in the UK and their connection to inflation expectations. It highlights the fact that inflation might lead to "invisible" cuts to public sector budgets. 2023 Level: początkujący Austerity by stealth Dominic Caddick, Alfie Stirling New Economics Foundation Ernest Mandel, a heterodox Marxist economist, shows here how a political economist can analyse systems such as the Soviet Union. 1968 Level: zaawansowane The Nature and Economy of the Soviet Union Ernest Mandel YouTube Sabel and Zeitlin present the persistence of small firms in Europe, against the rise of mass production and modern enterprises. Their article starts by analysing how mass production can be considered a historical necessity for the classical view, as it is a highly specialized structure, where man and machine can … 1985 Level: zaawansowane Historical Alternatives to Mass Production: Politics, Markets and Technology in Nineteenth-Century Industrialization Charles Sabel and Jonathan Zeitlin Oxford University Press on behalf of The Past and Present Society In order to describe the global structure of the monetary and financial system and its effects on the global economy, most economics textbooks rely on unappropriated theories that provide nothing but outdated descriptions. In this talk, key speakers in economics, economic history and banking try to make this complex system a little more understandable by relying on real-world insights. 2016 Level: zaawansowane Global Money: Past, Present, Future Perry Mehrling, Adam Tooze, Patricia Mosser, Phil Prince and Katharina Pistor (moderator) Columbia Global Thought Unter Kreditverkehr kann man alle Zahlungsvorgänge verstehen, die mit der Inanspruchnahme und Tilgung von Krediten zusammenhängen. 2021 Level: początkujący Kreditverkehr   Wiwiwiki Um Transformationsprozesse nicht nur zukunftsfähig, sondern auch geschlechtergerecht gestalten zu können, müssen die Erkenntnisse der Feministischen Ökonomie einbezogen werden. Ein Beitrag von Ulrike Knobloch. 2021 Level: początkujący Zukunftsfähiges Versorgen – oder vom Privileg, sich nicht um Hausarbeit kümmern zu müssen Ulrike Knobloch Economist for Future Das Grundgesetz gibt uns Rechte von Natur aus, aber welche Rechte hat die Natur? Verleiht sie nur Rechte, hat aber selbst keine? Das kann nicht sein. Ein Essay von Diedrich Lange. 2023 Level: początkujący Der Natur Rechte verleihen: Wie tauschen wir, wenn aus Waren nicht-menschliche Personen werden? Diedrich Lange Netzwerk Plurale Ökonomik

Wesprzyj

Ten projekt został stworzony przez Sieć na rzecz Pluralistycznej Ekonomii (Netzwerk Plurale Ökonomik e.V.).  Jest on zaangażowany w różnorodność i niezależność i jest zależny od darowizn od ludzi takich jak Ty. Regularne lub jednorazowe datki będą bardzo mile widziane.

 

Wesprzyj