The Women in Economics Network (WEN) has been formed to promote and support the careers of female economists in Australia. WEN is associated with the Economic Society of Australia (ESA). 

The objectives of the Women in Economics Network are to:

• professionally connect and support the career development of women in economics
• increase the representation of women at all levels of the economics profession
• promote public contributions by female economists
• encourage young women to study economics.

WEN membership is open to anyone with an interest in economics and/or gender equality issues. We welcome economists and other professionals from any sector including academia, government, business, community groups and teaching, or members of the public who share WEN's gender equality objectives.

You can become a member of WEN by joining your State/Territory branch of the Economic Society of Australia (ESA) and opting into WEN as part of your ESA membership. WEN membership is free with your ESA membership.

Men and individuals of all genders are welcome to show their allyship and support for WEN's cause by becoming a member of WEN. Some of WEN's activities are targeted specifically for women (such as the mentoring retreat) but most of WEN's events are open to all participants.

WEN offers a range of opportunities and resources for our members:

• Regular events including seminars/webinars on topical economic issues featuring female speakers
• Professional development opportunities for members, such as communications workshop with specialist facilitators 
• Networking events for members to help foster professional connections and a sense of community
• Mentoring Retreat held annually for early-career and mid-career women in economics
• Media and Public Speaking Register which provides media outlets and conference organisers with a list of qualified women when searching for speakers and expert commentators
• Promoting of women economists' contributions and accomplishments via our website, newsletters, social media, and special sessions at the annual Australian Conference of Economists
• Student outreach and education initiatives to promote economics as a career to female students at schools and universities, including speaking to students at careers events.

WEN also advocates across a range of forums for more equitable representation and recognition of women across the economics profession, such as by: ensuring the female economists are nominated for ESA awards; advocating for female representation among keynote speakers, conference programs, and media coverage; and promoting educational resources that are gender balanced and inclusive. 

WEN is run at a national level by the WEN National Committee and at a local level by State/Territory WEN branches. 

A compilation of WEN's initiatives and measures of impact, as well as statistics on the representation of women in the economics profession in Australia, are available in the following publication: 

Taking action to improve gender equality in economics: The creation and impact of the Women in Economics Network in Australia

A summary of WEN's activities for each year are available in our yearly reports:

• WEN Annual Report 2020
• WEN Annual Report 2021
• WEN Annual Report 2022

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