CAP

1. Caroline- CA Wales 

The Women in Academic Economics Report 2024 highlights persistent structural barriers limiting the representation and career progression of women in the field. Despite a steady increase in female representation over the past decade, reaching 29% of academic economists in the UK, significant disparities remain, particularly at senior levels. Women account for just 18% of professors, indicating a persistent "leaky pipeline," where female representation erodes as seniority increases. The gender pay gap also remains a concern, standing at 13% and closing by only one percentage point over the past decade. Additionally, women are disproportionately concentrated in teaching-focused roles (40%), which typically offer fewer opportunities for career progression compared to research positions. The slow advancement of women within academic economics suggests that systemic issues, including bias in hiring, publishing, and promotions, continue to disadvantage female economists. The gender imbalance in academic economics is further compounded by disparities at the student level, with women comprising only 32% of undergraduate economics students and 39% of PhD students. The absence of significant progress in student recruitment means that the future pipeline of female economists remains limited. This stagnation is particularly concerning given that disciplines with higher female representation tend to experience better long-term improvements in gender equality. Without targeted interventions to address pay disparities, career progression barriers, and student recruitment, the field of economics risks perpetuating its reputation as one of the least gender-diverse disciplines. The report suggests that addressing these issues requires systemic policy changes, such as improving transparency in promotion criteria, increasing support for female economists in research roles, and fostering a more inclusive academic culture. 

 

2. Takondwa - CA Malawi 

 

1. Workplace Challenges Women in economics face gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment, and persistent wage gaps, all of which hinder their career progression. For instance, the 2021 issue by the World Bank on “Unlocking Malawi’s Economic Growth by Bridging the Widening Gender Gaps in the Labor Workforce” reports that women earn just 64 cents for every dollar earned by their male counterparts. 

2. Education Pipeline: Fewer female students are admitted to public universities and colleges. For example, in the 2025 National Council for Higher Education selection in Malawi, only 41% of admitted students were female, compared to 59% male. These low enrollment rates limit the number of women in economics programs, resulting in significant underrepresentation in the field. 

3. Leadership Roles The latest policy brief on the analysis of women leadership and participation in Malawi reported that women occupy only 22.9% of seats in the National Assembly and 20% of corporate board positions. This underrepresentation extends to leadership roles in professional fields, including economics. 

 

3. Kaydence- CA Scotland

 

We do not have enough research on the representation of women in economics and the barriers they face. This needs to be addressed to give female economists in Scotland a voice and to allow us to understand the challenges they’re experiencing. Currently, the best we can do to get a picture of what is happening in Scotland is by looking at the UK as a whole (research primarily looks at academic work in economics). 

• In the UK: - 29.1% of academic economists are women

•  Women are underrepresented in economics, particularly at senior levels  

• “The average full-time equivalent pay of women academics stands at 87% of their male colleagues’ pay”  

• Only 28% of undergraduates studying economics are women  

Overall, in economics, academia women are underrepresented, although there may be a number of issues, the first hurdle is supporting more women to study economics.