WELAC (Women Economist inLatin America and the Caribbean) was established in 2018 during the Executive Committee meeting of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA) held in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Led by Raquel Fernández,WELAC is committed to monitoring and promoting the careers of women economists in Latin Americaand the Caribbean.

In 2022, the WELAC team conducted a comprehensive survey across 10 Latin American countries, targeting universities and research centers.[1] The survey aimed to gather data on the participation of women in the fieldof economics, covering Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil,Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela. [2] The survey collected information on the gender composition of faculty in Economics Departments and research centers, both in public and private universities, as well as the representation of women among undergraduate and graduate students.

This survey is an integral part of a broader project, documenting and understanding the situation of women's academic careers in the field of economics in the region. It seeks to foster discussions on gender representation within the field and contribute essential data for the development of effective public policies.This report presents the main findings derived from the responses of the WELAC survey, which were provided by 84 institutions. We begin by describing the survey and the sample,followed by an examination of the representation of women at both the undergraduate andpostgraduate levels.Finally, we analyze the gender representation within the professorship.

FULL REPORT CAN BE READ HERE

1. The members of the WELAC team are Raquel Fernández (NYU), Ana María Ibáñez (IADB), Inés Berniell(CEDLAS), and Verónica Amarante (UdelaR). We wish to thank the IADB for their financial support and BelénCañueloandMalena Dolcet for their valuable research assistance.

2. Ecuador was included in the initial list of countries, but we were unable to obtain responses from institutionsthere.