I am one of several founders of a club with the abbreviation F.E.W. for Finance and Economics Women. This is a student organization that we have at Samford and that Dr. Darwyyn Deyo runs at San Jose State University.

Read our report here: The Finance and Economics Women’s Network (FEW): Encouraging and Engaging Women in Undergraduate Programs published in the Journal of Economics and Finance Education

Our short paper is mostly a how-to guide including a draft of a club charter document. We describe our institutions and how we use this group to engage and encourage students. Please read it for more details on how to start a club.

Like most student groups, the FEW model relies on student leaders who take initiative. Having done this for more than 6 years, we have a growing network of alumni and local business partners who connect to current students through FEW events. Personally, I am lucky that 3 faculty members total support the club at my school.

Women are often minorities in upper-division econ and finance classes. Women also have some unique challenges when it comes to choosing career paths and navigating the workplace. These events (e.g. bringing in a manager from a local bank to talk with student over lunch) allow a space for students to ask questions they might not normally ask in a classroom setting or in a standard networking environment.

We report the results of a small survey in our paper. We can’t infer causality, nor did we run any experiments. However, we did find that women were more likely to report that a role model in their chosen profession influenced their choice of major. Part of the purpose of the FEW model is to expose students to a variety of role models who they might not otherwise connect with.

Here’s a news article with a picture of the founding group at Samford. I have great appreciation and respect for our student leaders who keep it going, and I am grateful to the graduates who stay in contact with us.

Suggested citation: Buchanan, Joy, and Darwyyn Deyo, “Finance and Economics Women’s (FEW) Network: Encouraging and Engaging Women in Undergraduate Programs” (2023) Journal of Economic and Finance Education, 22: 1, 1-14.