A bank deputy governor and the menopause of the British economy

Ben Broadbent, deputy governor at the Bank of England, compared the recent slowdown to the late Victorian era, when a pause between the steam era and the age of electricity led to a slump in productivity

A deputy governor at the Bank of England has caused offence by saying that the economy had passed its productivity peak and was entering a “menopausal” phase.  Mr Broadbent was accused of using lazy, sexist language when describing the recent slowdown in the economy.



53-year-old Broadbent sits on the committee which sets interest rates for the UK. He has apologised for his choice of words during an interview with the Telegraph after coming under a barrage of criticism.

He said in a statement:
“I’m sorry for my poor choice of language in an interview with the Telegraph yesterday and regret the offence caused. I was explaining the meaning of the word “climacteric”, a term used by economic historians to describe a period of low productivity growth during the 19th century. Economic productivity is something which affects every one of us, of all ages and genders.”



The view of BeulalandBlog is that Mr Broadbent is at the Bank of England in order to help ensure that the economy is able to reinvent itself whenever it becomes necessary.  He should therefore put a stop to his menopausal antics.