This was due to a number of factors: history, culture in Ireland, culture in the discipline of economics, and culture in the Central Bank itself. The effects – although subtle – definitely affected me in that there were no female role models, no one I could aspire to be like.
All that changed, when in 2001, a woman was appointed as the first female Head of Division in the Central Bank and we have had a number of senior female appointments since. This changed my point of reference, and I know the reference points of many other senior women in our organization.