Abstract

Women and gender minorities are underrepresented within the field of economics. This underrepresentation begins at the undergraduate level and worsens thereafter as women account for 34% of undergraduate and PhD level economics students and only 14% of full professors. This study investigates the undergraduate experience of women and gender minorities and how this experience may lead these groups to self-select out of economics. In addition, this study utilizes a mixed methods approach to understand students’ perceptions and experiences more thoroughly. I hypothesize that expected discrimination, imposed societal expectations, and other gendered barriers in the field of economics discourage women and gender minorities from majoring in Economics. Theories such as taste based discrimination, compensating differentials, and gender-value binaries may be utilized to understand gender disparities within economics. I conducted a survey and two focus group sessions to ask current students at a small US liberal arts college about their choice of college major and perceptions of economics. Results show women and gender minorities, on average, consider a sense of community and representation to be more important when choosing their college major when compared to men. In addition, women and gender minority students are less likely to view economics as a safe space and are more highly aware of the gendered barriers that exist within the field than men. Implications from the suggestions of students and feminist discourse suggest that the incorporation of feminist and queer pedagogy may collectively improve the experiences of economics students.

Advisor

Long, Melanie

Second Advisor

Thomas, Zareen

Department

Economics; Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Disciplines

Economics | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Publication Date

2022

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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