The Double X Economy: The Epic Potential of Empowering Women

"We did discuss that among the judges and with the Royal Society staff, but it is clear that economics is entirely within the scope of the prize. Last year’s winner, Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez , was about the gender gap. The Double X Economy is a rigorous presentation and analysis of data to show that women are excluded at great cost to society as a whole. It’s an important, relevant and timely topic. Linda Scott has an enormous amount of hands-on experience working with communities in developing countries, researching women’s economic exclusion in various fora, and advising at the highest international levels. The book contrasts the villages of Africa and the slums of Asia right through to boardrooms in the US and other rich countries. It’s a very thorough book with lots of graphs and charts to illustrate key points, but they’re presented in a very simplified, accessible way so the reader can take them or leave them depending on how much detail they want to go into. “The Royal Society has certain guidelines: does the book communicate science in an exciting and interesting way? Will it appeal to a non-specialised adult audience?” The argument is that there is a distinctive pattern of economic inequality that is relevant to the female population of every nation. The book highlights barriers such as property ownership, capital, credit and access to markets. It discusses constraints imposed on women including limited mobility, reproductive vulnerability and threats of violence. It’s a manifesto, a call to arms. The thesis is that if this systematic inequality could be redressed by promoting women as equal participants in the economy, then this would dramatically improve social, financial and economic conditions for everyone. In the final part of the book, there are suggestions for specific steps as to how this could be achieved. It is quite revelatory in that it challenges that whole genre of books on how women can become more effective in the workplace by building their confidence and developing strategies to ‘fit in’."