PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) has discovered that only a handful of South African women venture into economics. This has far-reaching consequences for the gender balance in high-ranking positions at universities, banks and in government.
The PWC study found that at four universities - the University of South Africa, the University of Cape Town, Nelson Mandela University and Stellenbosch University - the percentage of women completing a PhD in economics is 21%.
Role models for women succeeding in economics-related fields are a small group. They include: Trudi Makhaya, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s new economic adviser; Maria Ramos, Absa’s CEO; Prof Nicoli Nattrass, economics professor and director of the Aids and Society Research Unit in the Centre for Social Science Research at the University of Cape Town; and Dr Miriam Altman, an economist and social activist who is on secondment to the National Planning Commission.
Economist Maura Feddersen said bringing attention to the exceptional female economists in South Africa is important.
“Behavioural nudges, like early exposure to female role models can attract more women into the field of economics.
Observing the lives of successful female leaders can positively impact the perceptions of other women, giving them the confidence that they too can serve in leadership positions and contribute towards making men more accepting of women as leaders,” she said.