Reclaiming Women's Place in Economic Thought: The Contributions of Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Hazel Kyrk

This podcast episode delves into the often-overlooked contributions of women to economic thought, specifically focusing on Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Hazel Kyrk, and advocating for a more inclusive "herstory" of economics. It highlights the Progressive Era as a period of significant social transformation where Gilman, a social reformer and writer, argued for women's economic independence as a prerequisite for social and political rights. Gilman's work emphasized the necessity for women to enter the labor market, linking the efficiency of the national economy to the full participation of women, and proposing a "new ethics" that connects the economy of the home with that of larger companies and society.

The discussion draws a crucial distinction between early women interested in economic ideas, like Gilman, who approached economics from a broader sociological and literary perspective, and the first generation of professional women economists, such as Hazel Kyrk. Kyrk, who studied formally at the University of Chicago and became a professor of both economics and home economics, represents the institutionalization of women in the field. While Gilman focused on industrial ethics and the transformative capacity of women in the workplace, Kyrk brought attention to consumption economics, a previously underexplored area, and significantly contributed to forming a school of thought for women economists through her mentorship.

The episode implicitly suggests that by integrating these diverse perspectives, contemporary economic discourse can be enriched. Understanding the historical struggles and intellectual contributions of figures like Gilman and Kyrk provides essential context for current debates within gender economics and feminist economics. The foundational principle of economic independence for women, championed by Gilman, remains a powerful and practical insight for achieving broader societal empowerment and challenging patriarchal structures within institutions.

Ultimately, the podcast underscores the broader implications of excluding women from economic participation, framing it not just as discrimination but as a loss of national efficiency. It contextualizes these American movements within a global perspective, noting similar efforts to recognize women's contributions in economic thought in regions like Latin America. The ongoing work of feminist economists and historians of economic thought continues to build upon the pioneering efforts of these early figures, ensuring their ideas and fights remain influential in shaping a more equitable and comprehensive understanding of economics.

"if we don't give to women the possibility to be in the job in the labor spaces then this is a losses for women but also for the nation"

"for Harris also an argument if you want to have a better economy for the United States you need to give more space for women women can help to improve the relationship in the work spaces"

"the clearest idea that she introduced is that the necessary condition for women is to be independent economically speaking"

"we need to make a link between the economy of the home and the economy of the big companies and Societies in the United States"

"I need to enlarge these pictures and to do more hair stories and start to look at other characters that are absent in the history economics"

"she formed kind of a school of thought of women economists"

"women has this capacity to counter balance the behavior of men that are in all the institutions and she denounced this she said universities are are taken but main most of the societies and the the job marketing generally stake by patriarchal system"

"this is not only that we are discriminating part of the society but this is also a loss on efficiency"

"the study of these two characters is very important to understand for example many debates that we have today between gender economics and feminist economics"