Diversity in Economics

Undergraduate Women in Economics Challenge

The Undergraduate Women in Economics Challenge (UWE Challenge or UWE), is an initiative started by Claudia Goldin at Harvard University with the goals of raising awareness about the gender gap in economics and increasing the number of female undergraduates majoring in economics. Structuring the project as an RCT, we collaborated with economics departments at 20 US colleges and universities to design and implement interventions to accomplish the goals of the initiative. The interventions can be broadly grouped into one of the following categories: "Better Information", "Mentoring and Role Models", and "Content and Presentation Style"/"Curriculum and Pedagogy"

Working as the project manager for the UWE since 2014, I was involved in the design of the RCT and example interventions and also served as a liaison with the school PIs. I have also assisted in organizing three UWE Conferences. The conferences were an opportunity for faculty and students involved with the UWE initiative on their campus to network with each other and to exchange knowledge about effective intervention strategies.  

For more information, see our 2023 NBER working paper "What Did UWE Do for Economics?". You can also read our online appendix, Summary of UWE Treatment School Progress Reports and “Best Practices” Reports.

More UWE resources (click to expand)

Diverse Economics Conference: People, Perspectives, Careers

The Diverse Economics Conference, or DivEc, is an annual conference co-organized by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, the Robins School of Business at the University of Richmond, and the Undergraduate Women in Economics Challenge. The goal of the conference is to provide students with information about the variety of careers available to economists in fields like academia, public policy, consulting, non-profit work, and others. The event also gives students an opportunity to network with research assistants, graduate students, and career professionals. The conference is typically held in the fall. From 2019 to 2021, I have served as one of the conference organizers. 

See links below for materials for previous conferences, such as the "Economics in Practice" and "Hot Topics in Economics" video series that were created in collaboration with economists in technology, research institutes, and academia. We hope that you will share these videos with your students who may be interested in economics!

DivEc 2022 

DivEc 2021 

DivEc 2020 and DivEc 2019 

Related: "Widening the Economics Career Path", Speaking of the Economy podcast episode w/ the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond (conversation w/ me and Dr. Maia Linask)