Women's Rise to Power in Australian Economics
Australia has made significant strides in promoting women's representation in top economic positions. Between 2023 and 2026, several female economists broke barriers as leaders of key policy institutions.
The Productivity Commission was chaired by Danielle Wood, the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) by Michele Bullock, and the Australian Treasury by Jenny Wilkinson. These appointments might suggest that women have suddenly arrived at the top, but their stories are actually part of a long history of female economists making significant contributions.
Catherine Helen Spence published The Laws We Live Under in 1880, becoming the first woman to write an economics textbook used in Australian schools. Marion Phillips was elected to Britain's House of Commons in 1929, marking her as the first Australian woman in a national parliament.