What is feminist economics?

Drucilla K. Barker

Chapter 51 in Handbook on Gender in World Politics, 2026, pp 339-344 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: Feminist economics emerged in the 1990s as a pluralistic critique of mainstream economic theory. It challenges the foundational concepts of the rational economic agent and the “free market”, arguing these abstractions obscure the gendered, racialized and social hierarchies that shape economic outcomes. By using gender as a central analytical category, feminist economists reveal the unexamined values embedded in the discipline and demonstrate how all economic phenomena have asymmetrical impacts. This approach builds on earlier scholarship that analyzed occupational segregation, the gender wage gap, and the crucial role of unpaid domestic and care labor. Feminist economists have made significant policy contributions by exposing the flawed assumptions of structural adjustment programs, developing methodologies like time-use surveys to value domestic work, and deconstructing discriminatory labor market arguments. As global crises persist, feminist economics continues to evolve, exploring alternatives like solidarity economies to foster greater economic justice and equity.

Keywords: Feminist Economics; Domestic Labor; Gender Wage Gap; Mainstream Economics; Care Economy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781803923765
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