WERISE began in 2019 as an initiative by the Boston University Women and Nonbinary People in Economics (WEOrg), with the mission to spotlight and promote discussions on gender representation within the economics profession. Despite progress over the past five years, many of these challenges persist, necessitating a renewed dialogue that extends to other underrepresented minority groups. The 2025 iteration of WERISE will bring together scholars to discuss issues of intersectional representation in the economics profession, as well as highlight research studying gender-related research in the fields of labor, development, and health.
We are thrilled to welcome Claudia Olivetti, the George J. Records 1956 Professor of Economics at Dartmouth College, as our keynote speaker.
WERISE 2025 will include two special opportunities for current graduate students:
A panel session featuring women and nonbinary economists across academia, industry, and government to reflect on their career paths and barriers they have faced.
A poster session open to PhD students who identify as women or nonbinary to showcase their research on any topic. While we will prioritize students entering the job market in Fall 2025, submissions from students at earlier stages are also encouraged.
To attend or submit a poster abstract, please fill this form out: https://forms.gle/QmJoSW4aRptyQ5ZL7. The poster submission deadline is September 1, 2025. The general registration deadline is September 15, 2025.
WERISE CONFERENCE AGENDA
8:30 – 9:00 AM: Coffee & Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 AM: Keynote Address
10:00 – 10:15 AM: Break
10:15 – 12:00 PM: Session 1— Two Parallel Tracks
12:00 – 1:00 PM: Lunch
1:15 – 3:00 PM: Session 2 — Two Parallel Tracks
3:00 – 3:15 PM: Break
3:15 – 4:15 PM: Poster Sessions
4:15 – 4:30 PM: Break
4:30 – 6:00 PM: Panel Session
6:00 – 7:00 PM: Reception & Concluding Remarks
7:15 PM: Dinner
Session 1 (10:15 – 12:00 PM)
25 minute talk + 10 minute discussion
Block 1: Profession Track
• Sahar Parsa — Mentorship and the Gender Gap in Academia
• Anna Stansbury — Class Gap in Career Promotion: Evidence from Academia
• Valeria Rueda — Gender Differences in Reference Letters: Evidence from the Economics Job Market (On Zoom)
Block 2: Topic Track
• Maxine J. Lee — Transgender Earnings Gaps in the United States: Evidence from Administrative Data
• Alessandra Gonzalez —
• Donn L. Feir —
Session 2 (1:15 – 3:00 PM)
25 minute talk + 10 minute discussion
Block 1: Profession Track
• Michael Martell — Queering Economics: Diversity and Inclusion in the Dismal Science
• Joanna Venator — The Impacts of Same and Opposite Gender Alumni Speakers on Interest in Economics
• Xuechao (Jane) Qian — Half Empty and Half Full? Women in Economics and the Rise in Gender-Related Research
Block 2: Topic Track
• Josh Martin —
• Sally Zhang —
• Maximilien Bielsa — Another Baby Boom? How Same-Sex Marriage and the Affordable Care Act Increased Births in the US
Panel Session (4:30 – 6:00 PM)
Panelists include:
• Bitsy Perlman
• Silvia Prina
• Dana Rotz
• Fatima Aqeel
• Alicia S. Modestino