LSE Public Lectures and Events Podcast

Episode: The Co-Director of the LSE Commission on Gender, Inequality and Power talks about gender and inequality in the economy
Guest: Professor Diane Perrons
Date: January 28, 2015
Host: LSE Film and Audio Team

Episode Overview

This episode features Professor Diane Perrons, Co-Director of the LSE Commission on Gender, Inequality and Power, discussing the work of the Commission, its aims, and the critical intersections of gender and economic inequality. The conversation explores the multidimensional roots and impacts of gender imbalances, addressing patterns of inequality, the economic rationale for policy interventions like quotas and parental leave, and the persistent challenges in policy and public discourse.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Purpose and Scope of the Commission (00:17–00:51)

• The Commission investigates:
  • The multidimensional nature of gender inequality and power imbalances, focusing on four key areas: economy, law, politics, and media/culture.
  • Cross-cutting themes such as rights, power, work–life balance, family, and violence.

Quote:
“The Commission on Gender Inequality and Power is concerned with understanding the complex and multi-dimensional character of inequality and power imbalances between women and men… in four key areas: economy, law, politics, media, culture.”
— Professor Diane Perrons (00:17)

2. Why the Commission is Needed (00:51–01:35)

• To bridge academic research and practical policymaking.
• To ensure discussions are interdisciplinary and informed by both theory and lived experience.
• The first session focused on developing an interdisciplinary perspective on gender and economy.

Quote:
“The idea is to make our knowledge accessible to and used in public debates and at the same time to ensure that we also learn from practical experiences as well.”
— Professor Diane Perrons (00:51)

3. Gender and Economic Inequality: Patterns, Processes, and Outcomes (01:41–02:13)

• Examined the unequal economic positioning of women and men at both macro (European, transnational) and micro levels.
• Investigated the wage gap and income disparities, with attention to ethnicity and race, especially within the UK.

Memorable Moment:
Discussing the wage gap and its nuanced differences not just between genders, but also among various ethnic groups.

4. Case Studies: Women Migrant Workers & Economic Impact of Violence (02:13–03:08)

• Highlighted the overrepresentation of women in poverty and certain low-paying sectors.
• Connected gender-based violence to economic costs (e.g., lost workdays, health service expenditure).
• Policy-focused discussion on response mechanisms and systemic remedies.

Quote:
“We looked at the implications of this unequal balance… how women are overrepresented in poverty. And… the actual economic costs of gender-based violence… how that impacts on lost days of work, costs on the health service, and so on…”
— Professor Diane Perrons (02:29)

5. Economic Rationale for Parental Leave and Quotas (03:08–04:18)

• Shifted from moral or social to economic justifications for interventions like quotas and parental leave.
• Cited Norway’s “use it or lose it” parental leave model to show positive effects on gender balance in both childcare and corporate leadership.

Quote:
“Even from an economic point of view, the efficiency of drawing on the whole population rather than half… can be demonstrated as having positive effects… In Norway… if they don’t take that leave, they lose that leave… it ensures that men take more leave than previously [and] that there are more women on the boards of companies.”
— Professor Diane Perrons (03:15)

6. Post-Financial Crisis Impact on Women (04:26–06:06)

• Initial loss of jobs affected men more, but austerity and public spending cuts have disproportionately impacted women due to their overrepresentation in public sector roles.
• Noted larger income inequalities when considering ethnicity (especially for Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities).
• Gender pay gap emerges most sharply after age 30, correlating with child-rearing years, but is present earlier as well.

Quote:
“The second round effects of the crisis, in terms of cutbacks in public expenditure, disproportionately impacted in a negative way on women’s employment.”
— Professor Diane Perrons (04:26)

7. Critique of Conventional Economic Thinking (06:16–07:33)

• Challenged the dominant focus on public, paid work in economic definitions, at the expense of the largely invisible labour of domestic work and childcare.
• Emphasized Europe’s aggregate wealth and the declining taxation on top incomes as an overlooked resource in discussions of public debt.
• Criticized macroeconomic policy for prioritizing the economy as an end in itself.

Quote:
“The economy should work in people’s interests rather than people working for the economy, which is just an abstract entity.”
— Professor Diane Perrons (07:37)

8. Macroeconomic Policy and Solutions (07:33–08:36)

• Suggested raising taxes (even to 1980s levels) as a quick solution to public debt, instead of cutting public expenditure.
• Linked macroeconomic choices to gender, noting that beneficiaries of current policies are predominantly men in high-income, finance jobs concentrated in London.

Quote:
“If one wanted to resolve the debt problem quite quickly, a very easy and immediate way of doing so would be to raise taxes even to what they were in 1980, rather than trying to cut public expenditure.”
— Professor Diane Perrons (07:37)

9. Implications for Policy and Politics (08:36–09:20)

• Criticized political parties for lacking imagination in economic policy, with the Greens as an exception for seeing the economy as a means to meet people’s needs.
• Called for a refocused political debate on gender inequality.

Quote:
“I think there’s a real task involved in getting the significance of gender inequality back to the forefront of public policy.”
— Professor Diane Perrons (10:18)

10. The Public Debate on Debt and Welfare (09:20–10:39)

• Highlighted the misconception that benefits make up a large share of public spending, when in fact health and pensions dominate.
• Warned against harsh measures for jobseekers in pursuit of deficit reduction.
• Encouraged support for parties with family-friendly and equality-focused policies.
• Noted the gap between burgeoning feminist sentiment and its visibility in the political debate.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The economy should work in people’s interests rather than people working for the economy.” — Professor Diane Perrons (07:37)
• “There’s a lot of support amongst young women today for a much more feminist kind of politics, and yet one doesn’t see that as strongly represented as one would like to see in media debates at the moment.” — Professor Diane Perrons (10:22)

Important Timestamps

• 00:17 — Introduction to the Commission’s aims and focus areas
• 01:41 — Exploration of gender inequality in the economy
• 02:29 — Economic impact of gender-based violence and overrepresentation in poverty
• 03:15 — Discussion of quotas and parental leave, with Norway as an example
• 04:26 — Economic crisis impact on women and ethnic minorities
• 06:16 — Critique of economic definitions and policy priorities
• 07:37 — Proposing higher taxes as an alternative to cuts
• 08:43 — Political parties’ stance on economics and gender
• 09:27 — Examination of the public debate on debt and benefits
• 10:18 — Call to prioritize gender equality in policy discussions

Overall Tone and Takeaways

Professor Perrons offers a sharp, multidisciplinary critique of current approaches to gender and the economy, calling for deeper consideration of unpaid labour, more progressive economic policies, and a reinvigoration of feminist perspectives in public debate and policy. The episode’s tone is frank, informed, and advocacy-driven, urging both public and political spheres to move beyond business-as-usual responses to inequality.