b. 1952
Nancy Folbre is an American feminist economist and professor emerita at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, known for integrating gender analysis into mainstream economic theory. Her work challenges traditional economic models by foregrounding unpaid care work, social reproduction, and the gendered distribution of economic resources. She is a leading voice in the political economy of care and family economics.
Developed foundational theory of the 'care economy' and unpaid reproductive labor
Authored 'Who Pays for the Kids?' (1994), a landmark study of gender, structures of constraint, and family economics
Contributed to the measurement and valuation of nonmarket work in national accounts
Demonstrated persistent structural barriers to women's access to elite economic and political positions
Co-founded the IAFFE (International Association for Feminist Economics)