In support of queer doctoral economics students nationwide, Berkeley Social Sciences recently hosted the inaugural American Economic Association Queer Economics Ph.D. Student Mentoring Conference. Sponsored by the AEA’s Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ Individuals in the Economics Profession (CSQIEP), the conference centered on topics including queer experiences in economics, job market preparation and LGBTQ job market issues, with a keen focus on building networks.
Held at Berkeley’s David Brower Center, the conference was a collaborative effort, backed by the National Science Foundation, the Sloan Foundation, UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz and the Vanderbilt LGBTQ+ Policy Lab. More than 60 economics Ph.D. students from public and private universities attended the event.
"This groundbreaking conference provided an empowering space for queer students. The sense of community we cultivated is the bedrock of their academic and professional success," said UC Berkeley Economics Teaching Professor Emerita Martha Olney, who helped organize the conference.
The conference dealt with queer-specific job market concerns, navigating discrimination in the workplace and the complexities of health benefits for LGBTQ employees and their families. Many queer faculty mentors shared their experiences and offered guidance to students, including how to navigate and thrive as a queer individual in an economics Ph.D. program.
Both mentors and mentees found it empowering to be in a room of nearly 100 queer economists - an inspiring experience for everyone who attended the conference.
“The mentoring conference was a fantastic experience, and just seeing so many other queer economists in the same room was something I never had imagined was possible,” said a UC doctoral student, who attended the conference. “Being in community with each other and making connections at the conference was a transformative and empowering experience. I really loved how open, earnest and down-to-earth everyone was, and I loved meeting and interacting with folks.”
The student added: “I felt for the longest time that I didn't really fit in with other economists, and I doubted whether the profession even had a place for me. Now I can confidently say that it does. Representation means possibility, and possibility is hope. Being at the conference was honestly the highlight of my entire graduate school experience so far.”
The conference featured a fireside chat with Mary Daly, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. In an emotionally charged session, Daly shared her journey as a lesbian woman who went from being a high school dropout to her current role. Daly also honored Olney with a Public Service Champion sticker and a San Francisco Fed challenge coin in recognition of her service to the profession.
As a testament to the substantial presence of Berkeley’s Department of Economics and economics programs at other UC campuses at the event, Olney noted that among the 96 conference attendees, 27 had a connection with the University of California, either as current students, graduates or employees. This significant number underlines the UC’s commitment to inclusivity and support for the LGBTQ community.
“The choice of where to hold the conference was no accident. The UCs embody commitment, belonging and inclusiveness – values we hold dear in the LGBTQ community,” said Christopher (Kitt) Carpenter, the E. Bronson Ingram chair and professor of economics at Vanderbilt University and Berkeley Economics alumnus, who also helped organize the conference.
Because of its success, Teevrat Garg, a UC San Diego assistant professor of economics, secured a pledge of $30,000 from his institution for the next year’s conference. Beyond academia, the event served as a beacon of hope for students feeling isolated in their academic journey. The conference also broke new ground for queer students in economics, ensuring that their voices were not only heard but celebrated and valued.