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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Shedding Her Clothes in the Name of Economics | Shedding Her Clothes in the Name of Economics |
| (2 months later) | |
| You’re reading In Her Words, where women rule the headlines. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Let me know what you think at inherwords@nytimes.com. | You’re reading In Her Words, where women rule the headlines. Sign up here to get it delivered to your inbox. Let me know what you think at inherwords@nytimes.com. |
| “Women and their bodies are neglected by economists and yet are so important when it comes to answering the big questions that we face.” | “Women and their bodies are neglected by economists and yet are so important when it comes to answering the big questions that we face.” |
| — Victoria Bateman, economics lecturer at Cambridge University and author of “The Sex Factor” | — Victoria Bateman, economics lecturer at Cambridge University and author of “The Sex Factor” |
| In the spring of 2018, hundreds of the world’s brightest economists descended in the British seaside town of Brighton for the annual gathering of the Royal Economic Society, one of the academic field’s oldest and most prestigious organizations. | In the spring of 2018, hundreds of the world’s brightest economists descended in the British seaside town of Brighton for the annual gathering of the Royal Economic Society, one of the academic field’s oldest and most prestigious organizations. |
| It was, as you would imagine, a room full of blazers and elbow patches, most of them worn by men, with hushed conversations over glasses of champagne and stiff upper lips. Suddenly, in walked Victoria Bateman. Completely naked. | It was, as you would imagine, a room full of blazers and elbow patches, most of them worn by men, with hushed conversations over glasses of champagne and stiff upper lips. Suddenly, in walked Victoria Bateman. Completely naked. |
| “I was literally playing out the elephant in the room,” said Bateman, a fellow and economics lecturer at Cambridge University, referring to the absence of women in traditional economic theory and at the conference itself. | “I was literally playing out the elephant in the room,” said Bateman, a fellow and economics lecturer at Cambridge University, referring to the absence of women in traditional economic theory and at the conference itself. |
| “It’s certainly not an easy thing to do,” she added. But Bateman said she was hoping her stunt would “punch feminism into the center of economics.” | “It’s certainly not an easy thing to do,” she added. But Bateman said she was hoping her stunt would “punch feminism into the center of economics.” |
| “Women and their bodies are neglected by economists and yet are so important when it comes to answering the big questions that we face: What are the causes of prosperity, poverty and inequality?” she said. | “Women and their bodies are neglected by economists and yet are so important when it comes to answering the big questions that we face: What are the causes of prosperity, poverty and inequality?” she said. |
| Her sweeping book “The Sex Factor” offers an answer: that freedom for women, particularly over when they get married or how many children they have, leads to economic growth — a concept that upends the traditional narrative of the Western economy. | Her sweeping book “The Sex Factor” offers an answer: that freedom for women, particularly over when they get married or how many children they have, leads to economic growth — a concept that upends the traditional narrative of the Western economy. |
| When women have that kind of control over their bodies, she explained, you get smaller families. That eventually creates higher wages and, in turn, a more productive economy. | When women have that kind of control over their bodies, she explained, you get smaller families. That eventually creates higher wages and, in turn, a more productive economy. |
| To support her theory, one of many outlined in her recently published book, Bateman zooms out to before the Industrial Revolution, when women in Europe had “significantly greater freedoms” than those in other parts of the world. They could choose who and when to marry, inherit property and work. That, Bateman argues, let European economies surpass economies in China, India and the Middle East, where women weren’t as free. | To support her theory, one of many outlined in her recently published book, Bateman zooms out to before the Industrial Revolution, when women in Europe had “significantly greater freedoms” than those in other parts of the world. They could choose who and when to marry, inherit property and work. That, Bateman argues, let European economies surpass economies in China, India and the Middle East, where women weren’t as free. |
| Some economists say Bateman’s view might be too simplistic. Gender inequality, they argue, stems from unfair trade policies between the West and developing countries, inadequate government institutions and a complex chain of other factors. | Some economists say Bateman’s view might be too simplistic. Gender inequality, they argue, stems from unfair trade policies between the West and developing countries, inadequate government institutions and a complex chain of other factors. |
| But, according to Bateman, this kind of discussion is often ignored within economics, a field in which the concepts of feminism and women’s rights are clumped together as social, political and cultural issues best suited for other disciplines to study. | But, according to Bateman, this kind of discussion is often ignored within economics, a field in which the concepts of feminism and women’s rights are clumped together as social, political and cultural issues best suited for other disciplines to study. |
| And so she shed her clothes. | And so she shed her clothes. |
| A short while into that 2018 conference in Brighton, a naked Bateman did at least partially fulfill her aim: She started conversations about her ideas with fellow economists in the room. That is, until she was thrown out — an unsurprising turn of events, given the setting, but one that was perhaps the perfect metaphor for her theory. | A short while into that 2018 conference in Brighton, a naked Bateman did at least partially fulfill her aim: She started conversations about her ideas with fellow economists in the room. That is, until she was thrown out — an unsurprising turn of events, given the setting, but one that was perhaps the perfect metaphor for her theory. |
| ______ | ______ |
| Here are five articles from The Times you might have missed. | Here are five articles from The Times you might have missed. |
| “I felt like my body was a walking tomb.” As many as 15 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But they are seldom talked about. Hundreds of women shared their miscarriage experiences with us in an effort to get the topic out in the open. [Read the story] | “I felt like my body was a walking tomb.” As many as 15 percent of known pregnancies end in miscarriage. But they are seldom talked about. Hundreds of women shared their miscarriage experiences with us in an effort to get the topic out in the open. [Read the story] |
| “In the past, women haven’t always been at the table.” The first all-female spacewalk is back on and scheduled for Oct. 21. The mission was canceled in March after NASA said it did not have two properly fitted spacesuits available. [Read the story] | “In the past, women haven’t always been at the table.” The first all-female spacewalk is back on and scheduled for Oct. 21. The mission was canceled in March after NASA said it did not have two properly fitted spacesuits available. [Read the story] |
| “I was one of many ordinary, unfamous women trying to do their jobs who were abused by Harvey.” Rowena Chiu, a former assistant to Harvey Weinstein, shares her #MeToo story. [Read the story] | “I was one of many ordinary, unfamous women trying to do their jobs who were abused by Harvey.” Rowena Chiu, a former assistant to Harvey Weinstein, shares her #MeToo story. [Read the story] |
| “I need to prove to them that women are not weak.” Zarifa Ghafari, who at 26 became one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors, has said that she expects to be assassinated on the job. [Read the story] | “I need to prove to them that women are not weak.” Zarifa Ghafari, who at 26 became one of Afghanistan’s first female mayors, has said that she expects to be assassinated on the job. [Read the story] |
| “It’s not censorship to be selective when you choose the art you teach.” Do works by men toppled by #MeToo belong in the classroom? Educators continue to grapple with how to deal with writers and artists accused of abuse. [Read the story] | “It’s not censorship to be selective when you choose the art you teach.” Do works by men toppled by #MeToo belong in the classroom? Educators continue to grapple with how to deal with writers and artists accused of abuse. [Read the story] |
| Sign up here to get future installments of In Her Words delivered to your inbox. | Sign up here to get future installments of In Her Words delivered to your inbox. |
| ______ | ______ |
| Economics, like many other industries and fields of study, is male-dominated and therefore “it is going to see the world through what are traditionally male eyes,” Bateman said. At every level of the field, women represent a minority. | Economics, like many other industries and fields of study, is male-dominated and therefore “it is going to see the world through what are traditionally male eyes,” Bateman said. At every level of the field, women represent a minority. |
| One | One |
| The number of women who have won the Nobel Prize for Economics. Elinor Ostrom won the prize in 2009, sharing it with Oliver Williamson. | The number of women who have won the Nobel Prize for Economics. Elinor Ostrom won the prize in 2009, sharing it with Oliver Williamson. |
| 30.9 | 30.9 |
| The percentage of female undergraduate economics students in the U.S. in 2014, according to the National Science Foundation. | The percentage of female undergraduate economics students in the U.S. in 2014, according to the National Science Foundation. |
| 14 | 14 |
| The percentage of female economics professors in the U.S., according to the American Economic Association’s committee on the status of women in the profession. | The percentage of female economics professors in the U.S., according to the American Economic Association’s committee on the status of women in the profession. |
| 0.6 | 0.6 |
| The percentage of doctoral degrees in economics awarded to black women in 2017. | The percentage of doctoral degrees in economics awarded to black women in 2017. |
| Read past In Her Words here. | Read past In Her Words here. |