Over 70 students and faculty 
attended a Tuesday afternoon 
lecture 
by 
Swarthmore 
economics professor Amanda 
Bayer on the implementation of 
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 
in 
the 
field 
of 
economics. 
The event was hosted by the 
Department 
of 
Economics 
and 
co-sponsored 
by 
LSA’s 
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 
department.
Bayer 
has 
served 
on 
the 
American 
Economic 
Association’s 
Committee 
on 
the Status of Minority Groups 
in the Economics Profession. 
She published multiple studies 
on diversity and inclusion and 
serves as a visiting senior adviser 
at the Federal Reserve Board. 
Bayer 
discussed 
several 
studies on regression analysis 

which portrayed the inequality 
of gender and race in the 
field of economics. She found 
women are more likely than 
men to be denied tenure; all 
else equal, economics has the 
largest gender gaps amongst all 
math-intensive fields; and when 
women co-author with men they 
frequently get less credit than 
men for the same work. 
“I find the evidence pretty 
convincing that the playing field 
is not level,” Bayer said. “I find 
the evidence pretty convincing 
that any woman or minority 
economist in the room has 
faced heavy headwinds, and has 
really been superlative to get 
where they are today. It’s all the 
little things that matter. There 
isn’t just one fix to diversity 
and inclusion, but there are 
many different functions in 
the profession that need to be 
attended to.”

Bayer discussed the origins 
of bias and explained how many 
implicit 
assumptions 
dictate 
behavior. She described the 
ideas of Daniel Kahneman, 2002 
Nobel Memorial Prize laureate 
in 
economic 
sciences, 
who 
delineated “system one” biases, 
those 
which 
are 
cognitive 
and 
based 
on 
unconscious 
associations, 
versus 
“system 
two,” which includes conscious 
reasoning. System one biases, 
according to Bayer, are the main 
perpetrators of stereotypes.
“We 
think 
we’re 
being 
explicit, intentional and rational, 
but there’s always this influence, 
or threat,” Bayer explained. 
“These dynamics happen in all 
the professions, so there’s plenty 
of evidence of discrimination or 
bias amongst STEM scientists 
and others, but collectively as 
a field we seem to have a more 
severe problem.”
Bayer 
proposed 
three 
general 
approaches 
to 
improve 
diversity 
and 
inclusion: 
increased 
awareness 
and 
understanding, questioning 
assumptions 
and 
internalized 
biases 
and 
department-wide 
efforts 
of 
countering 
bias 
and 
exclusion. She described a 
study she co-authored in 
which emails encouraging 
students 
to 
enroll 
in 
economics courses across 
nine 
colleges 
and 
2,710 
students 
showcased 
the 
diversity 
of 
research 
increased the likelihood of 
completing an economics 
course by three percentage 
points.
“Once 
students 
understand what economics 
is, once they fill information 
gaps or correct stereotypes 
about the field, did they like 
the field? The answer seems 
to be ‘yes,’” Bayer said.
Bayer 
emphasized 
the 
importance for economists 
and students to use the AEA 
as a resource, following 

a robust initiative to uphold 
diversity and inclusion efforts. 
These initiatives were created 
directly 
after 
AEA’s 
2019 
survey results measuring the 
professional climate in the field 
of economics. The AEA released 
a statement on the issue which 
included in-progress resources 
and initiatives.
“Although a full analysis of 
the survey results remains to 
be done, it is evident from the 
findings released today that 
many members of the profession 
have suffered harassment and 
discrimination 
during 
their 
careers, including both overt 
acts of abuse and more subtle 
forms 
of 
marginalization,” 
the statement said. “This is 
unacceptable.” 
Business predoctoral research 
fellow, Jaclyn Schess, described 
the importance of the survey for 
her academic career, as she was 
gauging the environment for 
women in particular.
“I’m 
still 
thinking 
about 
getting a Ph.D. in economics, so 
this was really important to me 
to get a sense of what the current 
state of thought is on diversity 
and inclusion in the economics 
field, particularly because that 
applies to me,” Schess said. “I’ve 
definitely experienced a lot of 
hostility in my undergraduate 
degree, and I think I really 
wanted to get a sense of whether 
or not the field was moving in a 
good direction, as I’m making 
the decision of whether or not to 
apply to Ph.D.s.”
Rackham student Max Gross 
is currently pursuing a Ph.D. 
in economics, and expressed 
the need for more lectures and 
events to confront issues of 
diversity and inclusion. 
“The econ profession — and 
our department is no different 
— has big problems around 
diversity and inclusion,” Gross 
said. “I was happy to see the 
department 
invite 
Professor 
Bayer to confront some of those 
issues, and I hope that this is not 
the end of that confrontation.”

ABSTR ACTION, COLOR , POLITICS

2A — Wednesday, September 25, 2019
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News

CLAIRE MEINGAST/Daily
An installment in the Abstraction, Color, and Politics: The 1960s and 1970s exhibition at the University Museum of Modern Art Tuesday.

TUESDAY:
By Design 
THURSDAY:
Twitter Talk
FRIDAY:
Behind the Story

MONDAY:
Looking at the Numbers

WEDNESDAY:
This Week in History 

KATHERINA SOURINE
Daily Staff Reporter

Amanda Bayer discusses inequality of gender, race, proposes new approach for DEI in field

Swarthmore professor talks diversity, 
inclusion for women in economics

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SUDOKU MADNESS
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Day celebrates bisexuality, seeks to dispel myths 

September 24, 1999

Wearing 
a 
T-shirt 
emblazoned with “Bi Pride” 
in large red letters Ann 
Arbor resident Susan Hope, 
along with lesbian, gay, 
bisexual and transgender 
community 
members, 
gathered last night at the 
Aut Bar for the inaugural 
Celebrate Bisexuality Day.
Celebrate 
Bisexuality 
Day, 
recognized 
worldwide, was initiated to 
acknowledge and celebrate 
bisexuality 
and 
bisexual 
history in society.
About 
45 
people, 

including 
students, 
supporters and Ann Arbor 
residents, with an equal 
gender ratio participated 
in the friendly atmosphere 
inside the bar and at outside 
tables.
“We’re here to socialize, 
have 
fun 
and 
drink 
together,” 
said 
Holly 
Ferrise, 
coordinator 
of 
education and training for 
the Office of Lesbian, Gay, 
Bisexual and Transgender 
Affairs.
The celebratory day is 
“the brainchild of three 
activists who wanted to 
challenge 
the 
pervasive 

and wrongheaded notion 
that any one of us can be 
defined by the gender of 
our 
partner,” 
according 
to information on BiNet 
USA, the largest Aerican 
Bisexual 
organization. 
BiNet USA works to develop 
visibility for the bisexual 
community.
Hope 
said 
she 
was 
pleased with turnout for 
the event and stressed the 
importance of visibility.
Many 
bisexuals 
define 
their 
sexuality 
on 
an 
individual basis, Hope said, 
but a general definition 
is 
“to 
be 
attracted 

emotionally, 
sexually, 
or 
romantically to members of 
all genders.
Many people believe that 
bisexuals 
are 
confused 
about their sexuality and 
the education - including 
pamphlets 
at 
the 
bar’s 
entrance - help to dispel 
this myth, Hope said. 
“It’s like a big bisexual 
potluck.” 
Hope 
said, 
gesturing 
to 
the 
people 
of 
varying 
ages 
and 
representing both genders 
mingling at tables. 
“Does biphobia make you 
blue?” Hope asked while 
wearing a necklace of four 

rainbow colored rings, that 
she said represented queer 
pride. Hope and others put 
blue paint on their faces 
to 
symbolize 
the 
fight 
bisexula phobia for people 
afraid to talk about their 
bisexuality.
Second-year 
graduate 
student 
Binyamin 
Biber 
said the celebration also 
gave significance to the 
“BT” in LGBT. The letters 
representing 
bisexuals 
and transgenders are often 
overlooked, he said.
Co-owner of the Common 
Language Bookstore Lyn 
Kelly sold books and pins 

related to bisexual topics 
last night.
“It’s really important to 
be supportive of people who 
stand up for themselves,” 
Kelly 
said. 
“People 
shouldn’t have to feel bad 
about themselves.”
Kelly laid her hand, with 
her arm dabbed with blue 
paint, onto book-covered 
table. She said that she 
didn’t expect her books 
to sell and that she was 
there predominantly as a 
supporter. ‘This much stuff 
has been written by and for 
(bisexuals). It’s an indicator 
of things changing.”

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