Gender Diversity in Economics in South Asian Academic Spaces

Women are a minority in the economics profession at the global level, but this phenomenon is particularly pronounced in developing countries. This chapter is focused on South AsiaSouth Asia, specifically IndiaIndia, PakistanPakistan, and BangladeshBangladesh. It examines the presence of women in the top 25% of academic institutionswomen in the top 25% of academic institutions in economics. The analysis encompasses the evaluation of the upward carrier mobility of female facultyupward carrier mobility of female faculty members in these leading economics departments. It also discusses the proportion of women among highly cited economists and their research sub-themes within the academic profession. The research on the barriers in their career trajectories, career options, and preferences is important because it helps in understanding on issues within the pipeline and the impact of limited networking opportunities while climbing the labor market ladder in academia. Thus, the chapter offers valuable insights into the experiences of female economists working in higher education institutions and think tanks in the South Asian context. Finally, there is an attempt to delve into the mindset of the new generation of economists, probing for potential shifts in their attitudes and behaviors toward the discipline, particularly concerning gender diversity and inclusivity in economics. The analysis presented in this chapter is based on data from RePEc (Research Papers in Economics), New Economic Papers (NEP), semi-structured interviews of prominent women economists in three countries, and a quantitative survey of undergrad final year female students regarding their preferences for graduate studies in specific sub-disciplines within economics.