⁍ A former Federal Reserve economist accused the economics profession generally, and the Fed in particular, of discrimination against her and other women.
⁍ Claudia Sahm detailed incidents in which she said male colleagues at the Fed and male economists elsewhere questioned her expertise and demeaned her work.
⁍ She also said colleagues did not inform her of her rights to file a formal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about the harassment she said she experienced.
– “Economics is a disgrace. The lack of diversity and inclusion degrades our knowledge and policy advice,” writes Claudia Sahm, a former Federal Reserve economist who now works at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth. In a blog post Wednesday, Sahm, who served on former President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, says men in the profession have harassed and demeaned her and other women, Reuters reports. “Everyone who is privileged enough to hold a PhD in economics should reflect on our toxic culture,” Sahm writes. “It’s fair to acknowledge that there’s been a lot of pain and injustice and unfair treatment that women have experienced in the workplace, not just among economists,” says Fed chief Jerome Powell. “And at the Fed it’s been going on for far too long.” A survey released last year by the American Economic Association found that 30% of female economists said they had been discriminated against in the field, compared to 12% of male economists. Sahm says male colleagues questioned her expertise and demeaned her work. She also says colleagues did not inform her of her rights to file a formal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about the harassment she said she experienced.
Source: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed-diversity/former-fed-economist-accuses-profession-and-central-bank-of-sexism-idUSKCN24U3E8