The Feminist Economics of Austerity: Austericide in Europe

In the wake of the global financial crisis, governments in many countries have imposed widespread cuts in public expenditure and social rights, some of which have been so dramatic that they have been described as ‘austericide’. This book explores the financial crisis and the policies implemented in response to it in terms of the differences in the ways in which women and men have been affected by it, using an approach which combines feminist economics and a political economy framework. The book’s aim is to question conventional economic theories in order to present more critical and realistic policy approaches. The breadth of the book’s exploration of the impact of the cuts, exploring issues such as gender stereotyping and the sustainability of welfare systems, moves it beyond other analyses of gender and the crisis.