Integrating gender into a labour economics class

Abstract

This article argues that a systematic integration of gender into labour economics courses based on standard textbooks is both beneficial and straightforward. An undergraduate course in labour economics presents an ideal opportunity to introduce students to the importance of gender differences in economic outcomes. We provide a prototype of such a course, and we show how gender-aware content and pedagogical tools can complement a course based on a standard textbook or set of articles. We also review the most popular textbooks in labour economics and show how gender issues are mostly contained in a single chapter on labour market discrimination rather than thoroughly integrated throughout the text. In addition to exposing students to more diverse content and methodologies, mainstreaming gender into an undergraduate labour economics class can help cultivate inclusivity and belongingness in the discipline.