Why So Few? An Identity Model of Women's Career Choice in Economics
Year: 2011
Type: preprint
Abstract: Women are underrepresented in economics. This underrepresentation concerns undergraduates, postgraduates, and tenured academics and increases as one climbs the academic ladder (See e.g. Ginther & Kahn 2004, Fraumenti 2010, 2009, Rask & Tiefenthaler 2008, Toivanen 2009).This paper proposes a model of gender identity and career choice and uses it to organize the fragmented empirical literature on women’s underrepresentation in economics. The model is based on Akerlof’s and Kranton’s (2002) model of identity. The question of whether women’s underrepresentation may be suboptimal and a cause for concern is also examined. Finally, the implications for the teaching of economics are briefly discussed.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Author: Chiara Lombardini
Institution: University of Helsinki
Language: English
Subfield: Applied Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2279648593