Women In Economics: Rachel Scarfe
We interviewed Rachel Scarfe from the University of Edinburgh as part of our Equality Insights: Women in Economics series.
Rachel, what does your work focus on?
I’m a PhD student and my research is about labour economics. I research “non-standard” work, especially zero-hours contracts and part-time work. I’m interested in recent changes in the labour market, and how jobs in the future will look different to jobs today. I also have a side project at the moment about the economics of football!
Both your doctoral research and your side project sound fascinating! What first attracted you to studying economics?
I originally studied maths and then worked in the City doing consulting for a while. I found the little bit of economics that was part of my job really interesting, but it wasn’t very in depth and I wanted to find out more.
What misconceptions do you think some young women may hold about economics as a degree option or career path?
That’s a difficult question for me to answer, as I studied maths as an undergraduate. Because I was good at it, I was pushed to study maths at university. It never occurred to me when I was 18 that economics was a subject that I might enjoy, or that there was even such a thing as an “economist”.
It is great to hear even if you don’t study economics as an undergraduate, there are still plenty of opportunities at masters level and beyond. Do you have any suggestions for what universities could do to encourage people from a diverse range of backgrounds to consider studying economics?
Related to my answer above, I think that schools and universities often make an effort to encourage girls to study STEM subjects, but not economics. Perhaps part of the answer is to work with schools to make sure young people are aware of economics as a career path, and of how varied the subject is.
Finally, what is the best part of your job as an economist?
Chatting to other economists about research, whether that’s other PhD students in the department or at seminars or conferences. The great thing about economics is that it’s such a varied discipline, and I love hearing about all the different things that people research.
