Some statistics on women in economics

The state of the field

According to the American Economic Association, only 14 percent of full economics professors in PhD-granting departments and 24 percent in non-PhD departments are women. Furthermore, just one in three undergraduate economics majors are women. This has raised questions as to potential barriers faced by women in the economics profession, relative to other fields.

Women and the “Demography” of Economics
By: Claudia Goldin – Harvard University

The American Economic Association’s survey on the professional climate in Economics

The AEA just released its first ever survey on the professional climate in Economics.

Experiences of Discrimination in Academia

Experiences of Discrimination Outside of Academia

AEA Professional Climate Survey: Main Findings

Why diversity in economics is important

[W]omen economists are 21 percentage points more likely to disagree that the United States has excessive government regulation of economic activity; 32 percentage points more likely to agree with making the distribution of income more equal; 30 percentage points more likely to agree that the United States should link import openness to labor standards; and 42 percentage points more likely to disagree that labor market opportunities are equal for men and women. The prevailing range of views among economists is likely to be biased by the relative lack of women and minority economists.