I've enjoyed this read, which tells me a lot about Denmark. The people are supposedly among the happiest in the world, with free education, healthcare and more; but the author tells us many women are not happy, are undervalued, are paid less than men, and take more years out of work. The worker is seen as a unit fitting into the working powerhouse, regardless of individual need.

I spotted a few omissions, though I have not read as many economics treatises as the author.

Continued on Goodreads.

A good introduction with some interesting standpoints, which makes the book a great entry point to the topic. However, a deeper exploration (of potential solutions and alternatives to the current system) would have added valuable insights.

This was a very interesting and worthwhile read, about the role of women in society, specifically the female position in social economics and the value of unpaid care work (caring for children, people with disabilities, the elderly and so on). Fascinating and thought provoking.

Deficit is a fascinating exploration of economics, challenging assumptions about care, price and worth in an accessible way. I didn't have much economics knowledge before starting, but I was able to follow - and learn a lot from - reading Deficit, which was part crash-course in economics history, part blistering expose of a flawed system that really isn't fit for purpose. This book has completely changed the way I read political articles.

What an interesting and frankly vital book. I have to admit at times I felt somewhat naive / stupid to enter into the confusing world of economics and begin to understand just how much they impact my life in ways I did not realise based on some fairly questionable assumptions. I will never look at a mushroom is quite the same way.

Unfortunately being so naive to the world of economics at times I struggled with some of the more academic aspects of this book but nonetheless I have come away with the spirit of the author’s message, have had my eyes opened, felt angry and unrepresented and will be more critical / less accepting of the blanket statements used by politicians and economists going forward. So I hope the purpose of the author’s mission in writing the book has still been fulfilled.

Would recommend this book to all who feel like life just does not add up when money and productivity fails to equal happiness or satisfaction or carries with them an unexplainable feeling of under appreciation… there is a valid reason why.

I was thrilled to get the opportunity to read this book. I was intrigued by the blurb and as someone who hasn't studied economics I hoped it would be enlightening.

It's so interesting how statistics do not take into account the value of women. Emma puts together some fantastic information which really makes you think. And is a little upsetting as a woman myself!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's one of those books that does a fantastic job of clearly outlining things you instinctively knew and diving into them in an accessible way. She does a great job making political theory and philosophy accessible and easy to digest, which is no mean feat.

The book's success is in giving you a different lens to view the world through and making you aware of some of the ideological underpinnings of politics and economics that are easy to forget about. I would've liked a little more problem-solving throughout--not so much along the lines of here are some "feminist" economic models (because I don't think those can really exist)--but more of, here's how we might work to change political discourse, or how different places have tried different things, or what activism in this space might look like.

This definitely sits in the camp of books like Poverty by Matthew Desmond and Scarcity by Sendil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir, that give us the tool and research to talk about issues of various inequities. It was written with so much care.

I also loved her insistence on reminding the reader that economics is a social science. Can she come remind the NZ government about that, please? It's a very timely books considering the swing, in several countries, to reviving the corpse of NPM and once again ruthlessly cutting public services.

I've already recommended this book to a lot of people, including colleagues for how we can use its messages to frame our work around the importance of care infrastructure like public housing.

An interesting read. Thick with information, though, thin on how to change politics for the better. I'm glad I read Deficit, I can't say it'll stay with me or long.

A very interesting read. Some great points highlighted here too.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting book detailing the absence of the work taken around caring for others in GDP figures. The work describes the implications in terms of policies , and subsequently the effects on people working on those tasks and those receiving care. I hadn’t previously been aware of this issue and through the excellent examples it was brought to life.

I am always chary of any book that espouses feminism and the blurb about Deficit made me not just chary but wary too. Having said that, I do believe in reading books that are likely to challenge me as that is the only way to learn about other people's truths.

Moving on to the book itself, I found it talked sense rather than particularly espousing something I would vehemently disagree with.

Truth be told, a subtext of Common Sense would have been far more appropriate than feminism. Whilst I am normally at odds with books with a feminism label, I found myself nodding in agreement with most of what Emma Holten has to say.

I paused, well in to the book, to write the above as I wanted to share my initial reactions. Having now completed it, I can say...

...this could so easily have been a booklet! From my point of view, one does not make a point by quoting all sorts of other folk that agree with you because some would also argue that "contentious books" are almost always purchased by the people that agree with the contention.

It is about time our world stopped being a patriarchy and started being an "equiarchy" (sic). Men and women may be similar in the obvious ways (two arms, two legs etc) but the differences in mental and physical attributes should be recognised as complementary rather than at odds with each other. All work deserves proper recognition, irrespective of sex, orientation or any other excuse for discrimination.

As someone who is studying business at university level, this was such a great insight from a female perspective

Deficit is a wonderful introductory to intermediate level read about economics from a feminist standpoint.
I have recently read books about the history of wages for housework, and the unaccounted for care, house management, and mental load. This book talks about most of these topics in a clear and accessible way.
The how feminist economics solves problems could have been more laid out.

This book is astounding- economics from a female perspective is truly enlightening. As females predominantly undertake caring – both formally and informally, it comes as no surprise that economists (nearly all male) see females as a drain on the public purse. ‘Caring’ is not valued whether it is within the family context or professionally as carers in healthcare. It is not surprising that society is failing with huge increases in chronic conditions and mental health issues. I cannot emphasize how important this book is – it clearly outlines what is wrong with society, especially in light of the latest Trump presidency. As nursing, in particular is devalued, this book provides a critical insight into the caring profession.
Emma Holten outlines the history of economics through the lens of genders and her insights allow readers to re-interpret roles and economies. This book is a must read and every finance minister and chancellor needs to read this book. My book of the year and I will keep referring to it within the healthcare perspective and policy development.

Interesting but definitely not exhaustive. It’s makes interesting points which are worthy of consideration even without data, however, it refuses to deep dive into any of these issues. Care work and caring professions such as teaching are undervalued, however a bit more research would have shown that this is not at consistent levels through all of history. For example medicine and many of the biggest break throughs historically were made by women - women actually could and did study medicine at university in Medieval England, they came up with surgical procedures including early skin grafting, and were nowhere near as undervalued as this book makes out. Around the same time period, women were doing pretty much every single job men were doing – a female blacksmith earned so much from a commission from Henry V that she retired wealthy and bought her way up into the merchant class. There are similar examples across the world in varying cultures. Perhaps that’s beyond the scope of this book but the result is that this read like a gripe aimed in a single specific direction rather than being a balanced appraisal. This really needed to explore it’s subject more deeply.

This topic is right up my alley I just wanted a lot more detail. I wanted her to go into each topic individually and expound on every idea more. I wanted a here are the common assumptions about women's contributions to the economy and here's why they are flawed. Yes, we don't have numbers for the skeptics but as the book points out, we don't need them. I wanted a lot more expansion and didn't get that. Rather there was a lot of repetition of the same point which is space we could have used to dive deeper.

Deficit by Emma Holten is a powerful and thought-provoking exploration of how capitalism has shaped societal perceptions of value, especially when it comes to women and care work. Through a series of historical and contemporary examples, Holten highlights how economic systems, dating back to the Enlightenment, have undervalued acts of care – particularly those associated with women – and assigned them a value of zero.

Holten draws on diverse case studies, from the witch trials and the role of midwives in history to the modern treatment of celebrities like Britney Spears, to show how the value of care work has been ignored by economists and policymakers. She demonstrates how this systemic undervaluation of care has disastrous consequences, not only for women but for society as a whole. At a time when we have achieved unprecedented wealth and technological progress, we are also witnessing the collapse of our care systems, the worsening of inequality, and the degradation of human life, all because care work remains invisible in an economic sense.

This book critiques a system where our worth is tied to our economic productivity, and Holten challenges the reader to reconsider what truly constitutes value in a society. It’s a call to action to reimagine the way we think about work, gender, and societal worth, urging a shift towards recognising the importance of care and those who provide it. Holten’s passionate and incisive writing makes Deficit not only a critique of capitalism but also a deep dive into the inequalities that arise when care and women’s contributions are ignored.

For anyone interested in feminist theory, economics, or social justice, Deficit is an essential read that will leave you with a new perspective on the world we live in and the changes needed to create a more equitable future. Holten’s voice is unapologetic, illuminating, and absolutely necessary in today’s world. This is a book that challenges the status quo and invites readers to rethink the foundations of modern society.

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I found this book informative and interesting. I liked the explanations, they made sense.
A lot of work and research clearly went into this, and it's appreciated.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emma Holten has taken on an enormous task in trying to evaluate and capture a rather esoteric issue. As a (long retired) female, I fully understand the issues she considers. Women have always been undervalued both as human beings and in terms of their contribution to society or the economy. In a male dominated world, and I’ve seen very little evidence of meaningful change in recent decades, women are perceived as a burden. The world of economics and statistics ( far too complex for fuzzy female brains, obviously) is dominated by often irrelevant and incorrect assumptions about value. If a female worker attempts to influence or change traditional male areas, too often she’s seen as strident or difficult. The same attitude in a man would be perceived as positive and go getting.

Emma’s narrative almost literally made my blood boil at times. She nails all those nasty perceptions and inequalities in a way that’s easy to understand. There are so many topics that would provide outstanding talking points and she explains complex issues in an easy to understand way. The translation feels sympathetic; the narrative flows and although it’s an intense read, it’s one I’ve enjoyed. After higher education, I joined the workplace as a junior manager in the early 1970s. Other managers were male and it was believed that I was working for ‘pin money’; enough to save up for a wedding or to indulge my life with frivolities. I couldn’t get a mortgage without a male guarantor and was denied opportunity for accelerated promotion. My employer took the view that investment in my career would be a waste of money because I’d leave to have children. And told me so. Change is needed but sadly, I fear it’ll still be a long time coming.

There’s an extensive index and notes throughout. Concise and thought provoking. I wish her well on her difficult journey with a dreadful auto immune condition and she may be assured that time spent writing is giving so much to others. Thank you.

Why caring for family and others is discounted as being useful to the economy. The author explains the historical lack of worth of women, e.g. single women being regarded as witches in the Middle Ages. She rightly believes that “caring is the work that makes all other work possible”. If no-one looks after children and the elderly, society would be a poorer place in all senses. She cites authors such as Hobbes, Locke and Adam Smith as well as more recent ones. Interesting but you need time to digest it.