Challenge Of Feminist Economics To Modern Mainstream Economics: A Theoretical Review

International Association for Feminist Economics was set up in 1990 which marked the rise of feminist economics. In less than 20 years, Feminist Economics grew rapidly and established its own academic camp. It became a powerful new force for the non-mainstream economics camp.Feminist Economics is a School of Economics. Based on the rational individualism-a general equilibrium framework for analysis and mathematical formalism research methods are the prominent characteristics of the Western Mainstream Economics, but Feminist Economists insists on the analysis framework of Institution-History-Social Structure and pluralism research methodology, both of them focus on two different research methodologies. In the opinion of the Feminist Economists, the Modern Mainstream Economics is established and formulated by the male which reflect the androcentrism. The Feminist Economists introduce the gender structure idea and try to establish the theory underground of the Economics on the basis of criticizing the Mainstream Economics.The Feminist Economists probed the shortcomings of the Mainstream Economics deeply and proposed their own ideas based on the criticism. This paper stated the Feminist Economics' challenges to the Mainstream Economics in the third perspective by the Economic-Man-Assumption, Family Theory, Labor Market Theory and the Accounting of GDP, then respectively explained the Feminist Economists ideas on it and at last pointed that the challenge nature is the challenge to androcentrism in the Mainstream Economics.The reason why the paper chooses the Economic Man Assumption, the Family Theory, Labor Market Theory and GDP Accounting to conclude Feminist Economics challenge to Mainstream Economics is not Feminist Economics' challenge to Mainstream Economics only focusing on those fields. The reason is that those fields possess the representativeness and the systematicness and they can attack the Mainstream Economics directly. The goal of this paper is summing up those challenge ideas and pointing the content which Feminist Economics wants to research: explaining the economic phenomenon more properly with the help of more overall human behavior and richer research methods, making the economics reflect the real world of male-female, offering more perfect theoretical framework for human living and developing.The Feminist Economics challenges have the suggestive effects on repositioning the Economics, facing up to the shortcomings of Economics, correctly understanding the Market and Non-market activities as well as the value of paid work and unpaid work, even reconstructing the Economics on the basis of economic operations. Feminist Economics request to reform the basic conception of economics formally, the subject contents and the dominant methodology which are designated as "economics", as well as the policy recommendations, but it doesn't just request to add some new research issues which can be attributed to another category "Economics and women". But the Feminist Economics hasn't yet formed the perfect theoretical system and their own research paradigm while it hasn't gotten the significant influence and the sufficient attention of their theories from the Mainstream Economics, as well as it has not change the Mainstream Economics position at least so far. This paper believes that the situation will change and improve along with the developing of the economics theories. Feminist Economics theories will bring about the positive impacts on changing females' economic situation, raising the females' economic status and making the correct female policies.