Good morning everyone.
It is a real pleasure to welcome you all here for today's conference on Gender, Economics and Society.
Let me start by expressing my gratitude to the Irish Society for Women in Economics (ISWE).
Not only for organising today's conference, but – most importantly – for your continued efforts to empower, inspire and increase the visibility of women in economics in Ireland.
Gender diversity in the economics profession is an area that matters for public policy in Ireland as a whole. And it is particularly relevant for us, at the Central Bank, given our mandate and mission.
So I thought I would use this opportunity to cover our own journey towards greater gender diversity, and some of the challenges we still face, with a focus on economics.
Women in economics: where have we got to?
Before I turn to the Central Bank, let me start with the broader context of the profession.
It is clear that women continue to be significantly under-represented in economics.
This is a global pattern and, unfortunately, one that has proved to be particularly persistent over time.
We can see that through differences lenses.