Dr. Marilyn Waring - Economist, Author, former New Zealand Parliamentarian

For our latest episode, we interviewed Dr. Marilyn Waring, a prominent New Zealand economist and feminist, and a leading activist for women’s human rights.  Dr. Waring was one of the youngest New Zealanders ever elected to Parliament, serving as a National MP between 1975 and 1984. She was just 23 when she entered Parliament and from 1978 to 1981 she was the only woman in the National caucus.   After leaving politics she wrote her famous book “If Women Counted”.  Due to her writings and research she is known as being the principal founder of the discipline of feminist economics.  Since 2006, Dr. Waring has been a Professor of Public Policy at the Institute of Public Policy at AUT in Auckland.  During this time she has focused on public policy and governance, political economy, gender analysis, and human rights.

Show Notes & Links Of Interest

  • Introduction [0:00]

  • Question: Can Dr. Waring share her background about her career? [2:59]

  • Question: What was her book “If Women Counted” about and what is the concept of feminist economics? [5:34]

  • Question: How did she find her mentors and how would she recommend young women finding mentors for themselves? [10:17]

  • Question: What was one the hardest things she has had to overcome and how did she attack that? [12:36]

  • Question: What was her childhood like? What other careers did she think she was going to pursue? [15:04]

  • Question: What methods has she used over her career to fight self doubt and deal with failure? [17:15]

  • Question: What advice would she give to other women who wish to follow a similar career path? [22:42]

  • Question: Was there a pivotal moment or time period that brought her to where she is today? [26:10]

  • Question: What are better alternatives for GDP? [28:36]

  • Question: What sectors of the modern economy are overlooked or undervalued? [33:53]

  • Question: Has she seen labor shortages throughout the world during the pandemic? [35:48]

  • Question: Why is GDP inaccurate? [37:29]

  • Question: What one quality or trait does she feel young girls should embrace when pursuing their dreams? [40:15]

  • Question: Anything else she would like to share with our audience? [41:25]

Dr. Marilyn Waring’s Bio

You can read Dr. Waring’s full bio on her website.

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