ABSTRACT
Women were absent from top economic positions in the Colombian public sector until the second half of the 20th century. In this chapter, we present the evolution of this representation, the general trajectories, and the discussions led by those women who made it up to decision-making positions and academia. We identify 57 women and show that women’s participation in top positions reveals three linked elements: becoming educated, achieving merit, and having bonds of privilege. For the analysis, we divided the half century into three stages. From 1950 to 1974, the slow awakening was when women only slowly accessed positions of power due to political and educational constraints. From 1974 to 1989, the rulers’ initiative was a period of women-ephemeral appointments. Finally, the remaining gaps stage, from 1989 onward, was a period in which women were present in every cabinet but with a low participation share. Participation in top government executive positions increased from two women in the first period to 20 at the end of the century. The academic production of 15 women opened up the discussion of new topics in economics.
