Women Chief US Economists Have Gotten Even Rarer on Wall Street

It’s lonely at the top for women economists on Wall Street. Among the nearly two dozen financial institutions designated by the Federal Reserve as primary dealers and that employ a chief US economist or equivalent, only Morgan Stanley currently has a woman, Ellen Zentner, in that job. Eighteen months ago, at least three women held such roles.

Primary dealers have prestige among financial firms, because they help the Fed implement monetary policy. One reason for the gender disparity is that the pipeline of women aspiring to be a chief economist is smaller than that for men. But other issues—from ...