Abstract
West (1996) discussed the status of women economists as well as the field of regional science within economics in her SRSA Presidential Address. In this paper, we revisit these issues and examine if and how things have changed over the last several decades. We focus on progress that has been made and areas where additional changes may be needed in order to continue to improve. In addition, we discuss how the current COVID-19 pandemic may be relevant in the future for women in academia as well as academics in general as we move into a more virtual world.
Highlights
In her 1996 Southern Regional Science Association (SRSA) Presidential Address, Carol West drew comparisons between two struggling communities, namely female economists and regional scientists (West, 1996)
Though at first glance the place of female economists seems a separate question from the status of regional science in the broader scheme of academia, the two may be connected
Perhaps too little diversity in the field of regional science comes at the cost of exactly that – relevance – a steep price at a moment when we are evaluating our contributions
Summary
In her 1996 Southern Regional Science Association (SRSA) Presidential Address, Carol West drew comparisons between two struggling communities, namely female economists and regional scientists (West, 1996) She suggested women in economics and the regional science field have parallel challenges and offered insights from their experiences. We innovate methods driven by the need to better understand relevant issues and offer unique insights and solutions She encouraged us to continue to develop methods tailored to specific questions using the Dean/Witter approach – one real regional problem at a time. The Committee on the Status of Women in the Economics Profession (CSWEP) was formed to address issues related to the difficulties women face in the profession in 1971.2 In her address 25 years after the formation of CSWEP, Dr West suggested that progress was being made but there was still work to do. We discuss how the current COVID-19 pandemic is contributing to some of the concerns regarding women in academia as well as how academia will progress in the future
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
