Yellen swaps stories of being 'the only woman in the room' with Chinese economists
By Andrea Shalal and Yew Lun Tian
BEIJING (Reuters) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, a trailblazer in the field of economics, met with six female economists in Beijing on Saturday, an effort to spotlight gender diversity following meetings with China's largely male government leaders.
Yellen, the first woman to head the U.S. Treasury, has made women's contributions and importance to economies a focal point of her tenure, often meeting with women economists and entrepreneurs during her travels, and hailing the benefits of boosting women's participation in the workforce and leadership.
A senior Treasury official said the lunch with the Chinese economists would give Yellen, who was also the first woman to head the U.S. Federal Reserve, a chance to «interact with a number of people kind of outside the normal policy structure.» Treasury did not name the women participating.
Yellen, 76, told the women she had seen China's adoption of market-based economic policies transform the country and lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty since she began her career in the 1970s.
«It is my hope for the benefit of both China and the United States, as well as for the broader global economy, that those policies are carried out moving forward,» Yellen said, echoing comments on Friday to Chinese Premier Li Qiang, in which she urged China to adopt more market-based reforms.
Yellen told the women — one of whom described herself as a feminist economist — she was curious to learn more about their backgrounds and research.
«I'm sure we share similar stories and experiences about what a career in economics is like, and the challenges you can face,» Yellen said. «I see it all the time when I'm almost the only woman in the room, and
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