Linda M. Scott (1952–)

This was a fascinating and infuriating read about women's role in the economy and how we can improve it. It was a refreshing change from many feminist books because Scott uses a much wider net--she draws from countries all over the world, not just well off Western nations, for her examples. Her work in non-Western countries tends to be amongst the poorest, which makes the contrast sharp, but her theme is not that the West is better: it's that it's all variations on an ancient theme to remove women's economic power. She cuts right through common arguments about the pay gap and education--for example, she points out that removing factors like children and care obligations proves only that women achieve equal pay if they act like men, since those factors are so heavily skewed towards women.

Just as importantly she points out how much women's economics matter to the economy as a whole. Not only do women earn money, they spend it. In the US, 67% of consumer spending is determined by women. Research in developing countries has shown that giving women more control over family finances not only benefits them but their children.

I would have liked a little more attention paid to the economic value of women's caring labor, instead of just talking about universal daycare (important, but not the only point). Women's economic value is systematically undervalued because their domestic labor is not included and not thought to be an economic contribution.… (more)