Associate Professor of Economics Ann Owen participated in two sessions at the American Economic Association's annual meeting in Chicago during the first week of January.
In one session, she was a panelist in a discussion about why women are underrepresented in the field of economics. Her comments were based on a series of papers that she published with Professor of Economics Elizabeth Jensen. Owen addressed why women may be less likely to take an economics course in college and why they are less likely to continue in economics after taking their first course. The panel focused on pedagogy in the economics classroom and how certain strategies, such as teaching large classes and evaluating students primarily via exams, tend to discourage female students' interest in the subject.
The second session, for which Owen was a discussant, focused on long-run growth. Both sessions were organized by the Committee for the Status of Women in the Economics Profession, a standing committee of the American Economics Association for which Owen serves as a board member.
