Pioneering Feminist Economics: Barbara Bergmann’s Contributions to Gender Issues

Giandomenica Becchio ()
Additional contact information
Giandomenica Becchio: University of Torino

Eastern Economic Journal, 2024, vol. 50, issue 4, No 4, 472-495

Abstract: Abstract Barbara Bergmann’s exploration of gender issues, especially the intra-house division of labor and marriage theory, was a central focus in early feminist economics (1970–1980s). Trained in mathematics and economics, she initially examined race and gender-based occupational segregation. Her scrutiny of gender inequality in the labor market led her to investigate resource distribution within families and spousal labor division, rejecting Becker’s New Home Economics. This paper has a twofold aim: First, showcasing Bergmann’s impact on intra-house power dynamics, primarily critiquing Becker's neoclassical approach; second, revealing her feminist agenda through lesser-known materials, whether unpublished or in the popular press.

Keywords: Barbara Bergmann; Labor discrimination; Methodology; Feminist economics; Economics of the family (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B20 B31 B54 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41302-024-00267-4 Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:easeco:v:50:y:2024:i:4:d:10.1057_s41302-024-00267-4

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/41302

DOI: 10.1057/s41302-024-00267-4

Access Statistics for this article

Eastern Economic Journal is currently edited by Allan Zebedee and Cynthia Bansak

More articles in Eastern Economic Journal from Palgrave Macmillan, Eastern Economic Association Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().