Women in Economics

"Economics is relevant and it's important, and it's much too important to be left to one segment of the population. And historically, the segment has been white privileged males," says David Wilcox, then-director of the research and statistics division of the Federal Reserve System Board of Governors. He talks about his research on the unequal distribution of economic education, the need to change...

"People had a hard time taking me seriously, because I'm sure they didn't know any African-Americans who were economists," says Lisa Cook, associate professor of economics and international relations at Michigan State University. She talks about discovering economics while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, how she overcame biases she faced as a woman and as an African-American, and her research showing...

"I come from a family of economists. So, of course, I didn't want to go into economics," says Kate Warne, a principal and investment strategist at Edward Jones. She talks about why we need women in finance, policy and other fields related to economics. She also discusses the role of education in building confidence: "One of the things education does for you is provide a set of skills that you can...

"I never even considered taking an economics class, because I thought it was business. I thought it was about making money," says Louise Sheiner, the Robert S. Kerr senior fellow in economic studies and policy director for the Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy at the Brookings Institution. She talks about how she stumbled into economics after studying biology, her work in health econom...

"It's still a very important challenge to get more women and more minorities into the economics profession," says Lael Brainard, a member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. She talks about women in economics at the international level, her time as the U.S. representative to the G20, her focus on financial stability and more.

"There were times when you were the only woman in the room, and you had to bring your self-confidence, your belief in yourself, and the desire for excellence in your pursuits," says Una Osili, associate dean and professor at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. She talks about the intersection of economics and philanthropy, the state of women in economics internationally and...

"I think students need to be doing economics, so it's not me telling them stories or showing them graphs," says Gail Heyne Hafer, an economics professor at St. Louis Community College-Meramec and author of two children's books about economics. She shares her stories of how students and teaching have changed during her three decades of teaching economics.

"I may be dyslexic and I can't read very well. I flip numbers, but I can do calculus in my head," says Diane Swonk, chief economist and managing director at accounting firm Grant Thornton, as she discusses how her learning disability became a strength. She also discusses how growing up during the economic "demise" of Detroit in the 1970s and 1980s helped show her how economics could have made a di...

"There are a growing number of communities within economics for young women who may feel isolated or questioning whether or not this is a path that they want to pursue," says Fenaba Addo, assistant professor of consumer science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a visiting scholar at the St. Louis Fed's Center for Household Financial Stability. She talks about finding her voice as the only...

"We are identified as women in the field, and yet, we really want to be known as good in the field regardless of whether we're a woman or a man," says Loretta Mester, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. She talks with Maria Hasenstab, senior media relations specialist at the St. Louis Fed, about being a leader in the male-dominated field of economics. They also discuss Mester's...

"We need to fix the issue of girls thinking that they cannot study something with math," says Paulina Restrepo-Echavarría. She is a research economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. She talks with Mary Suiter, assistant vice president and economic education officer at the St. Louis Fed, about the economic theory of matching and how it applies to finding a spouse or partner. They also di...

"I firmly believe that there is more 'we' and less 'me' among women, which leads to productive teamsmanship and the nurturing of each other and the next generation of economists, whether male or female," says Susan Feigenbaum. Feigenbaum is a curators' distinguished teaching professor in the department of economics at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

"Maybe we can do better than we have," on diversity in economics, says Claudia Sahm, the section chief for consumer and community development at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. Despite groups and newsletters dedicated to women, minorities and the LGBT community, Sahm said there is room for improvement in the field.

"I realized that keeping your head down and working hard was not going to get you that far, because you need to get recognized for that," says Ellen Zentner, chief economist at Morgan Stanley. This "aha" moment led Zentner to actively manage her career, and the result was advancement and success. Zentner went from the University of Colorado to the state of Texas and finally to Wall Street.

"I loved the psychology of how people interact," which is why Mary Daly, the research director at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, was drawn to economics. She shares the story of her journey from high school dropout to a leader in economic research. She credits a counselor, a professor and even former Fed chair Janet Yellen for aiding in her success.