DT 13/21 - El proceso de participación de las mujeres en el desarrollo del campo disciplinar de la Economía

This document is focused on the process of participation of the first women economists in the development of the disciplinary field of Economics in Uruguay. It explores the reasons for making decisions about the career and entering to Faculty, as well as the characteristics and meaning of their experiences during the career, occupational insertion and subsequent professional development. In-depth interviews were conducted with a focus close to life stories. The findings show the relevance of the family of origin - particular female figures who stimulated the completion of a university career-, the availability of networks to be able to settle in the capital city when they came from the rest of the country, and the difficulties they had to overcome the care of the elderly. It also shows the existence of compatibilization mechanisms of job career with family life (couple and children). In the reconstruction of the stories, male teachers appear facilitating job insertion. The latter was linked mainly to management, implementation and development of organizations and statistical agencies, stimulated by men who were at the forefront of politics. In this sense, these women played a very relevant role as an operational and management “arm” that allowed the institutional and political development of various organizations.