Connecting, Inspiring, and Empowering Women in Economics

Purpose of research project *

To promote gender equity in economics by connecting women with industry leaders, driving policy conversations on gendered issues, and inspiring the next generation

Who has, is or will benefit *

Women economists across academia, industry, and government, MQBS colleagues, High school and university students and the economics profession broadly

Description of impact *

Engagement and Beneficiaries

A central focus of my work has been connecting women economists with senior leaders in policy and industry. I organised career conversations with Luci Ellis (Westpac Chief Economist), Danielle Wood (Productivity Commission Chair), and Aruna Sathanapally (Grattan Institute CEO), each drawing hundreds of attendees. I host two of these events at the Macquarie University City Campus, positioning MQBS as a hub for professional engagement between women economists and Australia's most senior economic voices.

I have also channelled my leadership and brought MQBS into national policy conversations on gendered issues. The economics of women's health event I organised drew attention to the $72 billion annual GDP cost of women's workforce absence, convening industry leaders, health clinicians, policy researchers, and MQBS colleagues. I brought an MQBS colleague into the Australian Gender Economics Workshop policy symposium on domestic violence alongside leading academics, and at the 2025 Australian Conference of Economists, I organised a national session celebrating 100 years of women economists in Australia.

I am deeply committed to equipping the next generation of young women with the confidence and curiosity to pursue economics. I led school visits to PLC, Tara, and many other schools to promote economics as a career, and I coordinate the annual Credible Economist Writing Competition, inspiring students and early-career economists to find their voice and engage with economic ideas through writing. Through networking events with MQBS, UNSW, and USyd, I have created pathways connecting students directly with working professionals. The Coffee Roulette program I coordinate has also matched over 100 women economists across NSW for peer mentoring and collaboration.

Nature and Extent of Impact

These activities have delivered measurable social impact: strengthening female representation in economic discourse, connecting students to senior leaders in policy and industry, and building cross-institutional networks spanning MQBS, UNSW, USyd, industries and government.

Impact date	2024
Category of impact	Society impacts, Policy impacts, Culture impacts
Impact level	Mature benefit