Pluralism and teaching a 'women in the economy' course over time

In the USA, courses on 'women in the economy' (WIE) have provided an avenue for exploring the economic status of women and bringing a gender lens to the analysis and discussion of economic trends, outcomes, and public policies in the undergraduate economics curriculum. WIE courses are taught at universities and colleges with programs strongly rooted in neoclassical economics, as well as those that are more pluralistic, and consequently may reflect different approaches to both the study of economics and the economic status of women. While WIE courses are often viewed as 'filling the gender gaps' in traditional economics curricula, a pluralistic WIE course may also introduce new, alternative perspectives on traditional economic topics and analyses that are otherwise not discussed. This essay reflects on the experiences and lessons of teaching a WIE course over a long time span, encompassing significant policy debates and economic crises, in very different institutional settings, and filling different roles in the curriculum. The key lesson addressed in this paper is the value of taking a pluralistic approach, acknowledging the different ways in which pluralism can manifest to best address different circumstances.