Has Women's Participation in the AEA Meeting Risen Over Time? A Study of the 1985 and 2006 Programs

The proportion female in the economics profession in the U.S. has been low historically compared with other disciplines. Although the percentage of Ph.D. degrees awarded to women and the representation of women on faculties have increased over time, economics still lags many other fields. Previous research has documented gender gaps in tenure, promotion and publication, some of which may have narrowed over time. This study examines another aspect of women's representation within the economics profession: their participation in a session at the American Economic Association annual meeting. We examine the characteristics of Ph.D. economists on the program at the 1985 and 2006 meetings to determine how women's participation at this important venue has changed over the past 20 years. We find that, despite sizable increases in women's representation within the profession during this time, most of our measures do not indicate a significant increase in the proportion of female participants