Reviewing feminist macroeconomics for the twenty-first century

Abstract

Feminist macroeconomics draws on the notion that the gender system is both cause and consequence of macroeconomic structures, outcomes, and policies. In contrast, mainstream and heterodox macroeconomics have done little to integrate gender as an analytical tool in macro-modelling. This paper defines the subfield of feminist macroeconomics, explores its origins, and provides a systematic review of its literature. Drawing on Seguino (2013), the paper divides the subfield in three main strands: (i) feminist growth theory and gender dimensions of macro-level policies, (ii) macro-modelling and theoretical foundations of the care economy, and (iii) social infrastructure and intra-household allocation. The paper discusses potential ways to expand the foci of feminist macroeconomic research and considers challenges to the subfield such as methodological issues regarding male-biased metrics and limited data availability and the tensions with mainstream approaches to gender and the macroeconomy.