Mind the Gap

• Author: Ann Mari May, David Kucera, and Mary G. McGarvey
• Pages: 54-56

54 FINANCE & DEVELOPMENT | June 2018

F

emale economists place much less con-

dence in the market tha n their male

counterparts do when it comes to solving

problems in the economy and society.

Compared with male economist s, women in the

eld have a greater tendency to look to government

intervention for solutions, to support increased

environmental regulat ion, and to perceive a gender

gap in wages and other labor market conditions.

ese are some of the most important ndi ngs

of our survey of male and female economists at

universities in 18 European Union countries that

grant PhDs in economics. Controlling for where

these economists reside and when a nd where their

PhDs were earned, we ana lyzed their responses to a

wide variety of questions concer ning contemporary

policy, including support for austerity measures,

regulation of high-risk n ancial transactions, de a-

tionary policies, renewable energ y and hydraulic

fracturing , drilling in the Arctic, and genetica lly

modied crops.

e gender gap in views on the economy has

important implications for policym aking and the

outcomes of decisions that are pursued. Despite

an increase in the number of women entering

economics from the 1970s to the 1990s, the pro-

fession remains predominantly ma le. Our study

suggests that g reater representation of women in

Dif‌fering perspectives of men and women

economists may af‌fect policy outcomes

Ann Mari May, David Kucera, and Mary G. McGarvey

MIND

THE

GAP