The Sound of Economics

Double tax – why women pay it and what to do about it


Listen Later

Fixing gender inequality could reap big gains for the entire economy

In this episode of The Sound of Economics, host Rebecca Christie sits down with economist Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman and Bruegel’s Marie-Sophie Lappe to discuss gender inequality and how economics can help to fix it. The data shows that it costs more to be a woman in society, especially a Black woman, in areas ranging from health care, to pension savings and workplace routines. These extra burdens drag the whole economy down – but this also means that progress towards gender equality can pull the whole economy up.

Related research:
  • Christie, R. (2023) ‘Taking up space’, European Commission
  • Christie, R. and M. De Ridder (2022) 'Closing the gender gap for self-employed women in the European Union’, Bruegel Blog, 20 July
  • Darvas, Z. (2025) ‘How has Europe’s gender wealth gap evolved, and why?’, Bruegel Newsletter, 03 November
  • Darvas, Z. and N. Ruer (2025) 'Gender wealth inequality in the European Union: a distributional perspective', Working Paper 26/2025, Bruegel
  • Darvas, Z., Kreko, J., A. Laczkovich  and N. Ruer (2025) ‘Unequal wealth: Exploring socioeconomic disparities across the EU’, Eurofound 
  • Goldin, C. (2025) ‘Babies and the macroeconomy’, Economica, 93:1-26 
  • Lappe, M.S. and D. Pinkus (2025) ‘Europe’s savings debate should focus on the bigger picture’, First Glance, Bruegel, 11 September
  • Opoku-Agyeman, A. G. (2025) The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid, Penguin Random House
  • Ostry, J. D. (2025) ‘Gender diversity and economic growth’, Working Paper 02/2025, Bruegel

  • ...more
    View all episodesView all episodes
    Download on the App Store

    The Sound of EconomicsBy Bruegel

    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7
    • 4.7

    4.7

    16 ratings


    More shows like The Sound of Economics

    View all
    Economist Podcasts by The Economist

    Economist Podcasts

    4,166 Listeners

    LSE: Public lectures and events by London School of Economics and Political Science

    LSE: Public lectures and events

    267 Listeners

    Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes by ECFR

    Mark Leonard's World in 30 Minutes

    105 Listeners

    Macro Musings with David Beckworth by Mercatus Center at George Mason University

    Macro Musings with David Beckworth

    378 Listeners

    ChinaPower by CSIS | Center for Strategic and International Studies

    ChinaPower

    207 Listeners

    FT Tech Tonic by Financial Times

    FT Tech Tonic

    96 Listeners

    EU Confidential by POLITICO

    EU Confidential

    99 Listeners

    FT News Briefing by Financial Times

    FT News Briefing

    641 Listeners

    Independent Thinking by Chatham House

    Independent Thinking

    20 Listeners

    The Rachman Review by Financial Times

    The Rachman Review

    135 Listeners

    Pekingology by Center for Strategic and International Studies

    Pekingology

    142 Listeners

    Global Security Briefing by The Royal United Services Institute

    Global Security Briefing

    21 Listeners

    The Foreign Affairs Interview by Foreign Affairs Magazine

    The Foreign Affairs Interview

    458 Listeners

    Unhedged by Financial Times & Pushkin Industries

    Unhedged

    183 Listeners

    The Economics Show by Financial Times

    The Economics Show

    146 Listeners