Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Undergraduate Economics Curriculum: A Patch for the Leaky Pipeline of Women in Economics?

In recent years, equality and/or equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI/DEI) have become both a buzzword and a banned word when it comes to discourses and measures introduced by universities. While a normative EDI framework has emerged within the regulatory environment in the United Kingdom, as of January 2025, DEI measures violate government policy in the US. When EDI/DEI activities have been introduced in universities, their success has commonly been evaluated based on, often superficial, quantitative metrics. The underlying systemic issues contributing to the creation of an unequal system, however, are rarely questioned. This chapter explores how a more gender-aware curriculum and pedagogical tools can be key in advancing an inclusive university environment. This would address the main criticism concerning current EDI initiatives, which often focus on staff and/or students and employ nonperformative discourses instead of adopting a holistic approach where all staff and students have a voice and become co-creators of their educational and research environment.