Women in Economics Network

The Women in Economics Network (WEN) was created in 2017 to promote and support the careers of female economists in Australia. Its scope spans the public and private sectors, academia and education. 

For further information please contact:

 

www.esawen.org.au
au.linkedin.com/company/women-in-economics-network
@womeneconau (Twitter)
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WEN has more than 500 paid members nationally and an outreach to more than 3,000 followers on social media. It is part of the Economic Society of Australia (ESA).

Mission

WEN’s mission is to:

• Professionally connect and support the career development of women in economics.
• Increase the representation of women at all levels of the economics profession.
• Promote public contributions by female economists.
• Encourage the next generation of women to study economics.

These goals are based on the belief that economic policymaking, analysis, research and education will deliver better outcomes for society when informed by a more gender-balanced composition of views and voices.

WEN exists to ensure women in the economics profession are offered the same career opportunities and recognition as their male colleagues, and that women’s values, experiences and expertise are part of Australia’s economic decision-making process.

History

To address the longstanding under-representation of women in the economic profession, ESA convened a mentoring retreat for female economists in 2016. Following the success of this first retreat, participants initiated the formal creation of WEN as part of ESA. WEN launched in March 2017.

Membership

WEN membership is open to anyone with an interest in economics or gender-equality issues. It welcomes anyone who would like to support WEN’s cause, including men and non-economists.

Benefits of WEN membership include free or discounted access to WEN events, exclusive access to professional- development workshops and WEN’s media and public speaking register, and eligibility to apply to the WEN mentoring retreat. Members also receive regular newsletters featuring information about WEN events, research, and the contributions and accomplishments of WEN members. In addition, members have the opportunity for their research and career activities to feature in WEN’s newsletters and social-media channels.

WEN members receive the benefits of ESA membership, including access to ESA events, networking opportunities and access to ESA journal publications.

Events

WEN has an active and varied calendar of events and initiatives, including seminars on economic research and policy issues, professional development opportunities, networking events, research conferences, policy symposia and presentations by eminent speakers.

Recent seminar topics include behavioural economic insights, climate change, Indigenous reconciliation, women’s economic security, gender responsive budgeting and the value of unpaid care.

WEN’s Australian Gender Economics Workshop is an annual forum showcasing the latest economic research on gender equality issues.

To advocate for a more gender-balanced representation of economists in policy debate, WEN has established a media and public speaking register. Journalists and conference organisations can no longer use the excuse that “no suitable female speakers can be found”. It has partnered with the ABC to open up more opportunities for female economists to bring their voices and expertise to media commentary.

The group has created freely available resources to inform and inspire students about the wide range of life skills and career pathways economics offers.

Board members

WEN has branches in all states and territories, coordinated by an elected local committee. National initiatives are coordinated by an elected WEN national committee. The WEN national chair sits on the central council of ESA. The current national chair is Dr Leonora Risse and the deputy national chair is Dr Angela Jackson.