ECONecta - Mentoring program for women economists

What is it?

The access to job opportunities in Economics is limited. Evidence shows a reduction in women’s participation in Economics, especially as one advances in the career. Due to the great difficulty in organizing customized mentoring programs, the ECONecta program aims to connect women (students or recently graduated) with successful mentors in their careers. We know how relevant it is having a mentor throughout our career and not just during undergraduate or master program. Thus, ECONecta’s goal is to establish short and long-term connections to help young students reach their full potential in their careers.

Who thought it up?

ECONecta was thought up by Ana Pessanha, economist by UFRJ and Public Sector Policy and Economics master student at FGV-EAESP, as a way to channel her disquiet surrounding the inequalities in the economics profession towards more concrete change.  Ana contacted the Brazilian Women in Economics group seeking help to structure a mentoriship program, knowing the group’s agency on the matter.

What is it for?

The mentoring program seeks to:

  • Ensure talented young people outside top Economics Schools in Brazil have access to Economists at later stages of their career;
  • Increase the access of talented young people to internship or job opportunities, research assistant positions, scholarships, exchange programs, etc;
  • Support these young people in their career choices (job opportunities, research, etc.);
  • Guide these young people to overcome challenges throughout their careers; and
  • Assist these young people in preparing pitches, resumes, application forms, job interviews, research projects, entrepreneurial ideas, etc.

Who can be mentored?

In the early stage, ECONecta will focus on supporting women exclusively. There is no age restriction, and they can be undergraduate or recently graduated (maximum of 5 years after bachelor degree, master’s degree, Ph.D. or Post Doc) will be accepted in the program. At least one of the degrees must have been taken in Economics.
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Who can be a mentor?

Anyone can apply as a mentor, regardless of gender.
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How does the program work?

The participants will be chosen randomly, and they must fill out a form and sign a data consent for a future impact evaluation of the program. More details about the mentoring journey will be released soon.

If you have any doubts, please contact us: econecta.mentoria@gmail.com