Attracting “Otherwise Bright” Women to Economics: An Administrative Strategy for Small to Medium Size Economics Departments

Authors

Abstract

This paper reports on a departmental strategy that targets students in the one-semester introductory economics survey course for non-majors by (1) aggressively marketing the economics degree, and (2) allowing high achieving students to waive the macroeconomic principles requirement for an economics degree. A detailed analysis of 602 student transcripts over a period of 33 years suggests that the waiver policy has not disadvantaged students in subsequent upper-level economics courses. On the contrary, women entering the economics program through the survey course have both significantly improved gender balance and the overall academic performance of economics students

Recommended Citation

(2026) "Attracting “Otherwise Bright” Women to Economics: An Administrative Strategy for Small to Medium Size Economics Departments," Journal of Economics and Finance Education: Vol. 9: Iss. 1, Article 1.
Available at: https://scholarship.rollins.edu/jefe/vol9/iss1/1