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 Sudoku Syndication http://sudokusyndication.com/sudoku/generator/print/ 1 of 1 9/3/08 1:05 PM 8 2 4 7 3 4 9 1 9 4 6 1 3 9 7 2 1 9 2 4 5 2 8 5 5 4 6 2 8 © sudokusolver.com. For personal use only. Generate and solve Sudoku, Super Sudoku and Godoku puzzles at sudokusyndication.com! SUDOKU MADNESS puzzle by sudokusyndication.com 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.” The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University OF Michigan. One copy is available free of charge to all readers. Additional copies may be picked up at the Daily’s office for $2. Subscriptions for September-April are $250 and year long subscriptions are $275. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. 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