For the first time in its 124-year history, Treasury will be led by a woman.

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Jenny Wilkinson's appointment is historic in its own right. Even more remarkable is the fact she joins Michele Bullock at the Reserve Bank and Danielle Wood at the Productivity Commission.

Australia's three most powerful economic institutions are now led by women economists. In economics, this is not normal. But it certainly does matter.

Imagine if only 17 per cent of economics professors were men. It would feel unusual; people would ask why the field was so heavily skewed. But the reality is the opposite: 83 per cent of economics professors in Australia are male.

And yet, this imbalance is almost invisible. Women make up just about one-third of secondary pupils studying economics and 40 per cent of students enrolled in economics courses at university.

In the private sector, women economists are roughly one in three.

So while the appointments of Wilkinson, Bullock and Wood feels groundbreaking, the profession as a whole remains stubbornly male. Still, the leadership story is worth celebrating. When young women see leaders who look like them, they're more likely to imagine themselves in those roles, too.

As women increasingly take the helm, the old stereotype of a suit-clad man with a briefcase gives way to a broader, more inclusive image of what an economist can be.

The public service is leading the charge. As of 2023, women held 53 per cent of senior executive service positions in the Australian Public Service, up from 46 per cent in 2019.

Thankfully, unlike other parts of the world, we live in a country where........

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