This post is based on the work of feminist economist Devaki Jain. I eagerly read her book The Journey of a Southern Feminist, because as much as I wanted to believe in the feminist economy that fellow business owners introduced to me, I also craved more information from economists themselves.

What did I learn? I learned that academics take feminist economics seriously. In fact, they have quite a lot to say in its favor.

But you might be wondering: what is feminist economics and who is Devaki Jain?

Feminist economics is a field devoted to analyzing the overlap between economic theory and male-centric culture; measuring the economic inefficiencies that arise because of the patriarchy; and developing new, more accurate systems for assessing economic activity.

This kind of work is published in journals like the renowned Feminist Economics, which earned praise from Nobel Laureate and Harvard professor Amartya Sen.

As for the marvelous Devaki Jain, she is:

An Indian economist and professor at University of Delhi

Author of 7+ books on economics, development, and social theory (her latest collection is called The Journey of a Southern Feminist)

Founding member of the Indian Association of Women’s Studies (IAWS)

Recipient of the Padma Bhusan, one of the most prestigious civilian awards in India, for her social justice contributions

Comrade of fellow economist Amartya Sen and dear friend of Gloria Steinem (actually, I discovered Devaki Jain in My Life on the Road)

Here are five common beliefs about economics that Devaki Jain challenges, and which I encourage you to challenge, too:

1. Economic Recessions harm all genders equally

Devaki Jain’s research on developing countries shows that when a family’s income dips, women are the first to lose access to a finite food supply and other basic resources. Working men who provide for their families might lose their jobs, but statistically, their wives and daughters will suffer more. A household's women will also assume responsibility for correcting the economic dip by providing extra labor such as craftwork to correct for the income decline.