Women
Momentum towards inflation target is strengthening, says BoJ board member
Rising household income and productivity are positive signs, Takako Masai says
IMF explores Balkan female employment conundrum
Fund shows policies are needed to secure both supply and inclusion of women; quality of institutions should be improved
Where have all the women gone?
The number of women working at central banks has increased substantially, but a glass ceiling appears to remain for those reaching for senior management positions
Fed’s Brainard says US is ‘falling short’ in diversifying economics
Federal Reserve Board governor highlights the benefits of diversifying the economics profession, urging students to consider a career before “shutting the door”
UK elects first woman to chair Treasury Select Committee
Nicky Morgan to take over from influential chair Andrew Tyrie, who stepped down this year; former secretary to treasury seen as supporter of “soft” Brexit
Deregulation aided women entering US labour force – paper
ECB paper finds efforts to open up the credit market from the 1970s to 90s helped reduce the gender gap in the labour force
UK audit office praises most of BoE’s ‘One Bank’ strategy
Report says Bank of England has been broadly successful in its transformation, although there have been some delays and changing culture is a long-term challenge
Increasing female participation in workforce will help US growth – Yellen
Fed chair examines barriers women still face when entering the workforce; increasing participation rate could help increase US output by 5%
Women on policy boards support prudent decision-making – research
Paper examines the impact of women on monetary policy decision making; authors’ results reveal the presence of women tends to lead to more “hawkish” decisions
Lack of diversity is holding Fed back, says San Francisco president
Diversity critics have given the central bank the “kick in the pants” that was needed, said Williams, whose Fed branch is already making institutional changes to foster diversity
Fischer: economics needs more diversity
Fed vice-chair says economics would benefit from more ethnic and gender diversity, outlining some ways in which the central bank is trying to move in that direction
BoE shines light on its gender pay gap
Men are still paid more than women at the central bank, though the gap is narrowing, and smaller within pay bands than across the organisation
IMF executive board calls for greater gender equality among directors
Fund executive board encourages members to consider gender diversity when nominating directors, while encouraging female candidates to seek positions
EBA says number of women in senior positions at European banks is ‘very low’
EBA says most European banks lack diversity policies for senior management despite legal requirements; senior managers are more diverse by age but not by “geographical provenance”
Yellen pushing for diversity at Fed and beyond
Fed chair expresses concern at uneven distribution of job gains in US, with African-American unemployment much higher than average; initiatives under way to boost diversity at Fed
Zimbabwe central bank calls for flexibility on SME credit
Number of areas still at risk from financial exclusion; only 14% of MSME owners were banked, and only 1% of the adult population used capital market services in 2014
Canadian public put forward women for spot on new banknote
Bank of Canada to launch new polymer banknote in 2018 featuring an “iconic” Canadian woman; Nellie McClung announced as first nomination
Report finds 11% of Rwandans remain financially excluded
Women and younger people more likely to be financially excluded; share of population excluded falls from 28% to 11%
Central Bank of Iceland hails successful year
Annual report for 2014 shows inflation fell, central bank introduced prudential measures in preparation for capital account liberalisation, and profits returned to positive figures
Bahrain governor launches campaign for women bankers
Rasheed Al Maraj gives his backing to an initiative designed to promote gender equality in Bahrain’s financial sector; country has a patchy record when it comes to women’s rights
Lagarde says financial inclusion has key role in closing gender inequality gap
IMF managing director says women face extra cultural and educational hurdles in tapping into financial services, but financial inclusion can empower them
Bank of Korea slowly tackling gender imbalance
Number of female hires at Korean central bank grew steadily throughout former governor Kim Choong Soo’s tenure; first female deputy governor appointed in July 2013
Colombian paper examines women in the workplace
Researchers say the large increase in the number of urban women participating in the workforce is predominantly a result of married women with low education levels getting jobs
ECB’s Asmussen demands gender diversity
Executive board member Jörg Asmussen says he is ‘deeply convinced’ of the need for greater gender diversity in the financial industry, and the benefit to both men and women