Call for Papers: Socio-Economic Review Special Issue on Gender and Wealth Accumulation
Gender and Wealth Accumulation: An Intersectional and International Perspective
Special Issue of Socio-Economic Review
Submission deadline: May 15th, 2023
Publication of the special issue in the Socio-Economic Review: Winter 2024
Wealth inequality is rising within countries and globally. While research on the causes and consequences of this phenomenon is fast developing, scholarship on the intersection of gender and wealth disparities is rare. Few works have considered how gender shapes the reproduction of wealth concentration, while studies of gender-based inequalities typically focus on labor-related, rather than wealth, outcomes. This special issue seeks to extend knowledge on the relationships between wealth inequality and gender, as it intersects with other social power and stratification systems, including class and race. We are especially interested in articles addressing the following issues in varied national contexts (in particular outside North America and Europe) and we welcome diverse methodological approaches, including (but not limited to) ethnographic, statistical, comparative, and transnational research.
- Legal discrimination has historically prevented women from accumulating wealth all over the world and laws still favor male property rights in some regions. In different national contexts and periods, we welcome papers that study the political and legal framing of male and female accumulation, based on their other social positions, including within race and class systems, as well as the role of legal and wealth professionals in those processes.
- The gender wealth gap is poorly documented because surveys tend to collect wealth data only at the household level, which obscures intrafamily disparities. This may not have been an issue when couples were married for life, but divorce and separation are now common, many couples opt for cohabitation, and even the married can choose matrimonial property regimes without obligations to redistribute wealth after divorce or death. In this context, how do couples manage wealth? How do they distribute it upon union breakdown or death?
- A few countries have begun to collect individual-level wealth data. What does this say about gender wealth gaps: how large are they and how do they change across countries, depending on class, race, age, and between generations? How can they be explained? Are gender wealth gaps due to wage inequality; what other factors play a role? For example, are receipts of intergenerational transfers unequal across gender groups, do pension entitlements differ?
- How does gender influence the reproduction and intensification of wealth concentration? While men remain wealthier than women, some women have now joined the ranks of the national and global wealth elites, in most cases as heiresses. Are there differences in the strategies men and women deploy to protect their wealth, pass it on to their children, and create family dynasties? What are the implications for global wealth concentration and the reproduction of class, race, and other social hierarchies?
Submissions
Papers will be reviewed according to the journal’s double-blinded review process and criteria. Submissions should be directed through the online submission system: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/ser. Please note the length of the text, including references and footnotes, must be between 6,000 to 10,000 words, exclusive of tables and figures. For full submissions guidelines and the editorial statement, please visit our website at https://academic.oup.com/ser. For further information concerning this special issue, please contact any of the Guest Editors: Céline Bessière (celine.bessiere@dauphine.psl.eu) and Maude Pugliese (maude.pugliese@inrs.ca).