A series of afternoon talks by four prominent female economists showed young female students why women need economics, and economics needs women.
The event was organised to aid gender diversity in the subject of economics and inspire young female students to consider a future in economics.
The event featured talks by Sarah Biggin (Head of Economics at Bristol Grammar School), Sarah Smith (Head of Economics at the University of Bristol; Chair, Royal Economic Society (RES) Women’s Committee; Co-chair Discover Economics campaign working group), Janet Henry (Global Chief Economist at HSBC) and Bavnisha Tulsiani (Economist at the Bank of England).
Women in Economics supported teachers in their work and highlighted to students the real-world implications of the subject matter. It also appealed to current Economics students who are passionate about diversifying the discipline.
“My job is to teach economics to A Level students however this unique event offered by the University of Bristol allowed my students to hear from inspiring, relevant economics role models, allowing these young female students to understand the destinations where economics can take them. It’s truly unique and we will be attending the next event in November for Discover Economics”
One of the students found “the Women in Economics event was really inspiring and it was great to hear from a variety of female speakers with relatable stories. It was really interesting to find out more about the jobs available within economics and to hear about the variety of opportunities which economics can enable me to enjoy.”
Another student added that “most of the materials we are taught are written by men, so I’m really glad to be able to participate in events like Women in Economics to help promote gender diversity in the subject. It would be great to have more female economists so that in the future, the materials which are taught include more content from women with their key ideas being put forward.”
Sarah Smith, Head of Economics at the University of Bristol, deemed the Women in Economics event a great success for the subject and said that “being in a room almost entirely full of women and girls is a rare thing in economics! It was fantastic to see so many people turning up to find out more about it – and to be part of an all-female panel talking about what economics has to offer women.”
We have another outreach programme happening next month on Friday 22nd November called ‘Discover Economics’.
Similarly, this event gives year 11/12 students an opportunity to learn about economics and where an economics degree might take you. It will feature a programme of interactive sessions and guest speakers from the Bank of England, Competition and Markets Authority and Triodos Bank.