Presentation description

In 1981, pioneering feminist economist Barbara Bergmann published a paper in the American Economic Review on the economic risks of being a housewife. Until this publication, mainstream economists had applied the term "risk" differently from Bergmann, with minimal reference to gender and power. Yet, several feminist heterodox economists, and activists in the Wages for Housework Movement used arguments similar to Bergmann. While Bergmann's theories on housewifery aligned well with the feminist heterodox economics literature of this era, she strategically positioned herself closer to mainstream economics by examining housewifery through the lens of labour economics. We show that Bergmann 's 1981 publication had an enduring impact on the feminist economics community and a minimal impact on mainstream economic thinking. Specifically in this poster we look at linguistic analysis around the use of the word "risk".