The Reasons for CSWEP

Both overt and covert instances of less than equal treatment for women and men were taken for granted until the so-called 'women's movement' of the l960s, of which CSWEP was a part. 'Economics is a man's field' summarizes the environment in the profession; this and other circumstances have been quickly forgotten. Focusing on ways to increase the supply of women in the profession, CSWEP created a roster of existing well-qualified economists and enabled their work to show up on programs and in journals. CSWEP economists demonstrated the power of changes at the margin; the experience could be useful today to replace the disputatious terms of quota or reverse discrimination. It should also stimulate further small changes that could yield much greater returns.