Anna Schwartz at AIER
Recently, a local high school economics class visited AIER for Career Day. Several AIER staff members – from researchers to administrative officers – spoke about what it’s like to work for an economic think tank and how they use economics to produce our Business Cycle Conditions and Inflation reports.
What struck most of us was that out of 30 economics students, only one was a girl. We asked the teachers why, and they responded, “The girls are just not registering for the class.”
A few researchers at AIER delved into the topic of why women still trail men in the world of economic academia despite their rising profile in the fields of business, finance, and economics.
They found that economics may be facing the same problems as the technology industry, where only 25% of workers are women. These problems include gender stereotyping by teachers and employers, the added pressure on women to balance personal and professional lives, and more nuanced ways our culture discourages women and girls from pursuing careers in economics.
Sheila Bair at AIER
The tech industry’s gender problem is getting some attention. There are toys geared towards the next generation of female engineers, and websites and programs aimed at teaching girls coding and innovation. Even some media outlets have taken on the task of highlighting female leadership in the tech industry. Shouldn’t there be a similar type of outreach for young women in economics?
Much has been written about the potential of women breaking the glass ceiling (even by superstar Beyoncé). But here at AIER, we want to become an active part of that conversation. While we don’t have a clear-cut formula on how to fix it, we do believe that an early introduction to economics in the classroom is a good starting point. Toward that end, we are working with students from various schools across the Berkshire region to introduce economic literacy concepts at an earlier age.
It is just as important to recognize the problem and begin to find creative ways to change perspectives. Notable role models like Anna Schwartz and Sheila Bair can help. And so can giving children more confidence in their grasp of economics.
