Yellen Criticizes "Serious Minority Discrimination" in US Economics Academia

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Janet Yellen, former Chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve and former president of the American Economic Association (AEA), has pointed out the long-standing 'white male centrism' in the American economics community.

According to Bloomberg News, at the AEA annual meeting held on June 3-4 in San Diego, California, Chair Yellen stated, "The question is no longer whether there is a racial issue in economics. The data is already sufficient," and pointed out that "there are too few minorities in the economics field."

Chair Yellen criticized, "Too many minorities face discrimination in the economics community," adding, "There has been no improvement over the past decade." She continued, "Such discrimination wastes talent. It is very unfair," and emphasized, "I will prioritize correcting discriminatory practices."

Terrybon Logan, an African American professor at Ohio State University, said, "When I first attended the AEA, someone called me a 'boy,'" and pointed out, "Being Black does not justify calling an adult a boy or a girl." In addition, Hispanic female professors and male professors from Hawaii also testified to experiencing serious discrimination from colleagues.

According to a committee of the AEA, only 5% of economics bachelor's degrees awarded in 2016-2017 were earned by African Americans, and the percentage for doctoral degrees was even lower at 3%. The numbers for all minority groups were low, and Bloomberg reported that the representation in economics was lower compared to fields such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

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