Female economists are a rare breed in academia. Perhaps that’s why labor economist Myra Strober has spent a career in the academy mentoring young women in her field.

"...she's been pivotal in contributing to and in raising the profile of important feminist economic scholarship.”

A new writing prize in Strober’s name aims to honor her work, recognize her mentorship efforts, and introduce students to Strober’s intellectual pursuits in the areas of women, work, and family.

“She’s been a great mentor to students,” said Diana Strassmann, a Rice University professor who has funded the annual $1,500 prize. “Moreover, she's been pivotal in contributing to and in raising the profile of important feminist economic scholarship."

Strassmann wanted students to become aware of Strober’s pioneering work in earlier stages in their careers. She highlighted the importance of students understanding what people like Strober have done to pave the way, opening institutes and initiating vital conversations about women, work, and family.

Strober, who was the founding director of the Michelle R. Clayman Institute for Gender Research and currently sits on the advisory council, is known for her research on gender issues in the areas of workplace, family, and multidisciplinarity in higher education. She has written extensively about occupational segregation, women in the professions and management, the economics of childcare, feminist economics, and the teaching of economics.

"Research and scholarship in feminist economics has been the work of my life for the past 40 years, and I am touched to be recognized in this way," Strober said.

The Strassmann-Smisek Fund will be used to award the Myra Strober Prize. The prize will be awarded annually by the Clayman Institute to a graduate or undergraduate student who, during the academic year, writes the most outstanding article about women’s education, work, family, or the nexus of work and family.

"Research and scholarship in feminist economics has been the work of my life for the past 40 years..."

The prize-winning article will be published by Gender News, the Clayman Institute’s news service, and will be recognized in the Institute’s annual research magazine, upRising.

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Diana Strassmann is the Carolyn and Fred McManis Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Humanities at Rice University’s Center for Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Strassmann is the founding editor of the journal, Feminist Economics, the journal of the International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE) and a co-founder of IAFFE.

Myra Strober is a labor economist and Professor Emerita at the School of Education and the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University. Her research and consulting focus is on gender issues at the workplace, work and family, and multidisciplinarity in higher education. She is the author of numerous articles on occupational segregation, women in the professions and management, the economics of childcare, feminist economics, and the teaching of economics.