Michele Bullock's appointment as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia on Friday made her the first woman to fill the role in the bank's 62-year history.
But women remain underrepresented in the economics profession in Australia, with far fewer girls than boys studying the discipline at school.
16-year-old Jeanette Lim's interest in studying economics was sparked by her Chinese-Indonesian background.
"I've grown up being exposed to global issues and what's going on with the world, and being regularly engaged with the news has made me more interested in these HISE (Human Society and its Environment) subjects," said Jeanette, who is in her final year at Burwood Girls High School in Sydney.
Jeanette is keen to combine her interest in economics with a law degree specialising in humanitarian studies.
"I feel like economics affects us in every level of society, even when we're buying things, and the prices of things, and I believe it is really important to know what is going on in the world and how it relates to everyday lives, " Jeanette said.
However, the discipline is suffering a branding issue, according to RMIT Senior Economics Lecturer Leonora Risse, which in part is leading to a drop off in the number of people studying it. Since the early 1990s, the number of students enrolled in year 12 economics in Australia has fallen by 70 per cent.
"People think economics is about finance, money and profit, but actually, economics is about understanding how governments and businesses and everyday people make decisions to optimise well-being, " she said.
Ms Risse adds that a career in economics can lead to jobs in a variety of fields because it teaches many transferable skills such as critical thinking and problem solving.
While student numbers have dwindled, what's of even more concern is the make-up of high school economics classes, with males outnumbering females two-to-one, leading to a lack of diversity in the profession.
It's something Reserve Bank Governor Philip Lowe acknowledged recently at a Walkley Business Journalism lunch.
"The economics base that the country is drawing on from a high school perspective has shrunken, " Mr Lowe said.
"The number of kids studying economics at high school is much less than it used to be. It's primarily boys, and boys in private schools."
There's a big gap between the number of boys and girls studying economics in high school.
An has found that female students and those from less advantaged backgrounds tend to have less confidence in their economic understanding and ability, which disappoints Ms Risse.
"Women aren’t just naturally born with less confidence, it’s a reflection of the environment that we find ourselves in, so if female students are reporting lower confidence than our male students, this is an indication that the environment, the culture, the way that girls are being treated compared to their male counterparts is different, " she said.
The study identifies the visibility of key role models in the sector, as a way to attract more girls into economics.
People think economics is about finance, money and profit, but actually, economics is about understanding how governments and businesses and everyday people make decisions to optimise well-beingLeonora Risse
Jo Masters has been an economist all her working life and acknowledges the issues a lack of diversity can bring.
"Being female in a male-dominated environment, sometimes it is hard to feel included, there were issues about being seen and recognised and fairly rewarded, " she said.
"The most challenging time was when I started a family, when I was working with all males that didn’t have that caring responsibility that I did."
Jo Masters, Chief Economist at fund manager Barrenjoey.
"I realise that economics can make a difference. It is the policy levers that you pull to change the world that we live in, to make it better for my children, and young and new Australians more broadly.
"That’s a great honour and keeps me very passionate about my jobs."
However, some of the most influential people for students are their teachers, and Burwood Girls High School economics teacher Julia Alvarado has been working in the field for 25 years.
"I just have an absolute passion for it and I love sharing that knowledge with them, " Ms Alvarado said.
"I love the fact that they walk out of the room being able to evaluate the world a lot more readily with a lot more nuance and a lot more understanding. I love the idea that a lot more kids know about economics."
Julia Alvarado says she loves teaching economics.
Her enthusiasm is something which is attracting students like Jeanette Lim to the field of study.
"I feel like the energy that teachers bring to class makes you more engaged with the content that your learning," said Jeanette.
"We’ve recently been learning about exchange rates, and how the Australian dollar appreciates and depreciates and how it’s linked to our sale of commodities."
On Friday 1 April, in another boost to female visibility in the industry, Ms Bullock was appointed Deputy Reserve Bank Governor, after serving 26 years at Australia's central bank.
She's the first female governor in the institution's 62-year history.
