ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Nancy Folbre

Okay kiddo, Nancy Folbre is a smart lady who studies how money and work affect our lives.

Think of your allowance – the money your parents give you every week. Nancy Folbre looks at how people earn money and spend it on things like food, toys, and clothes.

But she also looks at how some people work harder than others, and how some jobs are more important than others. She believes that people who do important jobs, like doctors and teachers, should be paid more money than people who do less important jobs.

Another thing Nancy Folbre studies is how parents take care of their kids. She thinks that raising kids is really important work, but a lot of parents have to work outside of the home too. That can be really hard, especially if they don’t have good babysitters or if they don’t make enough money to pay for everything their family needs.

So Nancy Folbre is trying to figure out how we can make things better for families and people who work hard. She wants everyone to have a fair chance to earn money and take care of their families.