Deficit

Invisible Women meets Doughnut Economics- An international bestseller from an exciting new voice in the feminist space

AN INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
WINNER OF THE POLITIKEN LITERATURE PRIZE 2024

‘Brilliantly rewrites the history of economic thought to place ‘her story’ at its heart. A must-read’ – Kate Raworth, author of DOUGHNUT ECONOMICS

‘One of the most important feminist voices of the 21st century . . . The book about capitalism we didn’t know we needed’ – Sofie Hagen

In 2020, the prominent Danish feminist Emma Holten read an article stating that women were a net ‘deficit’ to society. Women took more than they gave, ‘draining’ the public purse by giving birth and taking parental leave. They contributed less than their fair share in taxes, because they often worked part-time to look after other people at home, or held low-paid
jobs in the public sector. Denmark would be richer if women’s lives looked more like men’s, the economic experts concluded. A similar story is told around the globe.

How did we get here? In Deficit, Emma Holten traces how economic thinkers – from the Enlightenment onwards – created a value framework that overlooked and neglected ‘women’s work’ and acts of care. She reveals how the economic models that drive political decisions today are just as flawed, giving us unparalleled monetary wealth, but causing deep social harms that are hurting us all.

If we cannot properly value the things that matter, how can we build a better future?

Author Biography

Emma Holten is a feminist activist and gender policy consultant. In 2014 she created the project CONSENT, raising awareness of digital sexual violence. Since 2019, she has worked with feminist economics. She served on the European Institute of Gender Equality Experts Forum as an expert in feminist economics, and on Human Rights Watch’s advisory committee on Women’s Rights. In 2023 she was appointed as advisor to the Danish government’s investigation of power in Denmark. She has delivered keynotes at the Conference on the Status of Women at the UN, the Guadalajara Book Fair, the European Commission and many other places. She also has a degree in Modern Culture and has translated Chris Kraus and Silvia Federici. She lives in Copenhagen. Deficit is her first book.