Discrimination rife in economics field, group’s survey finds

A survey released Monday by the American Economic Association is prompting calls for sweeping changes in the way women in the career field are treated.

The survey results from more than 9,200 economists are the latest indication the problems are deep and widespread. Nearly 100 female economists said a peer or colleague has sexually assaulted them. Nearly 200 said they were the victim of an attempted assault. And hundreds said they were stalked or touched inappropriately.

Almost a quarter of female economists said another economist had made unwanted sexual or romantic advances, despite their best efforts to discourage it.

“We find the results very distressing,” said Ben Bernanke, president of association and former chairman of the Federal Reserve and President George W. Bush’s Council of Economic Advisers. He said his top priority is to restore “simple decency” to economics.

Women have far worse experiences than men, according to the survey. Thirty percent of female economists say they have been discriminated against versus 12 percent of men.

In a question that asked whether the respondents had been threatened with retaliation if they didn’t agree to sexual advances, nearly 200

Less than a third of undergraduate economics majors and those in doctorate programs are women, figures that haven’t moved since 2000 even as other technical professions like computer science have made gains.

women said they had.

The alienation is not limited to women. Among black economists surveyed, only 14 percent agreed with the statement that “people of my race/ethnicity are respected within the field.”

Gay and lesbian economists — and others who do not identify as heterosexual — were far more likely to report discrimination and disrespect in the field than heterosexual economists. Only 25 percent agreed that “people of my sexual orientation are respected within the field.” Twenty percent said they had been discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation.

The association released a letter alongside the survey results Monday that pledged to take numerous actions, including the creation of a code of conduct, a policy on harassment and discrimination, and the appointment of a lawyer who is an expert in sexual harassment and discrimination to serve as an ombudsman to whom any economist can call and report problems.

“One thing is clear: There is systematic evidence of differences of views between men and women in terms of how valued they feel in the field of economics and whether they’re given a fair chance to demonstrate their skills and get promoted,”

Bernanke said in an interview with The Washington Post.

Overall, only 20 percent of women said they were “satisfied” with the culture in the field of economics compared with 40 percent of men.

Janet Yellen, the former Federal Reserve chief who will take over as president of the association next year, said the raw numbers made the extent of the profession’s problems clear. Some 85 women reported having been physically assaulted by another economist, in many cases by a direct supervisor. More than 1 in 5 women said they had been subjected to unwanted sexual advances.

Economics has struggled for years to get more women and members of minority groups into the field. Less than a third of undergraduate economics majors and those in doctorate programs are women, figures that haven’t moved since 2000 even as other technical professions like computer science have made gains.

The survey, which includes numerous questions about people’s experiences in their careers, was sent to 45,000 people — everyone who has been an association member in the past nine years — in an effort to try to include the views of people who have been so frustrated with economics that they left it entirely. The vast majority of respondents teach at colleges and universities, but some also work at companies or for government agencies such as the Fed.

The response rate was only about 20 percent, but members of the association board counter that that’s better than political polls and note their results echo numerous other studies. The data line up with personal anecdotes from female economists, who have come forward to talk about their experiences being ostracized in nearly all-male departments or outright groped by colleagues.

“I don’t want to see numbers this high. I’m very hopeful that economists are going to look at these numbers and reflect on what they can do,” said Marianne Bertrand, an economics professor at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and chairman of association’s Committee on Equity, Diversity and Professional Conduct.

The association vows more vetting of economists who serve on the association board or receive prestigious awards, and there are changes in the works to association bylaws to make it easier to remove someone from the board who violates the code of conduct. Harvard University economics professor Roland Fryer Jr. was on the association board when harassment allegations about him were reported in The New

York Times late last year. The association is also working on expanded mentoring programs and antibias training for economics department chairmen. Many women say problems occur at their universities, which have their own sets of rules and norms.

“One of my moves professionally was primarily motivated by a bullying culture in one department,” said Susan Athey, an economics professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, at the association meeting in early January.

“There is appetite for change. It’s a societywide push for change, but it’s also happening in economics as well,” Bernanke said.