For someone who knew at a young age that a serious career requires singular focus, it was no mean feat to give up the idea of studying medicine or engineering, despite having the marks, to pursue economics honours. But, then, for that, too, she had a reason. She wanted to pursue a career in the civil services. In fact, Gita Gopinath, Chief Economist with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), loved athletics as a child. She gave up sports to focus on academics. “Sports is a tricky affair,” she told her father. “Unless you are number one in India, you are a nobody! But, if you come first or second in university, you could be somebody big.” That focus paid off; the girl who used to score 45 per cent, started scoring 90!
Image: Gita Gopinath
Later, to pursue economics, she moved away from home in Mysuru (then Mysore) to study at the prestigious Lady Shri Ram College for Women (LSR) in Delhi. She might have struggled with the initial transition from science to economics—all her classmates had studied the subject at well-known colleges in the metros before—but that did not stop her from topping all the three years of college. She also created a record of sorts in the final year when she topped Delhi University in the BA finals; it was the first time a student from LSR had bagged a gold medal over arch rival St Stephen’s College and gone on to bag five gold medals.
Gopinath holds many honorary positions, and is a recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest honour that the government of India confers on those who live overseas.
It is no surprise, then, that she went on to become the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Economics at Harvard University. Currently on leave from that position to serve in the IMF, she is also the co-editor of several journals, including the top-rated American Economic Review and the Handbook of International Economics. She holds many honorary positions, and is a recipient of the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, the highest honour that the government of India confers on those who live overseas, not to mention being the economic advisor to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Her journey from a middle-class Indian girl with great dreams and supportive parents to where she is today shows her sheer grit and determination. Whether she is swamped with work, dealing with the global economic crisis during the pandemic, or rolling out global economic forecasts, the world-class economist does not forget to call her mother in Mysuru every day to catch up with her.
Breeding Intellectual Leadership
The announcement in 2018 that the India-born Harvard economist would succeed Maurice Obstfeld as the IMF’s Chief Economist took the world by storm, since Gopinath is the first woman and the second Indian, after former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, to hold the position. At the time, IMF Chief Christian Lagarde said, “Gita is one of the world’s outstanding economists, with impeccable academic credentials, a proven track record of intellectual leadership, and extensive international experience.”
The position at the IMF allows Gopinath to pay forward what she received—intellectual leadership.
The position at the IMF allows Gopinath to pay forward what she received—intellectual leadership. According to her, mentorship from seniors forms an important tool in breaking the glass ceiling, especially at Ivy League universities in the US. She should know, since she is only the third woman and the second Indian, after famous economist Amartya Sen, to be tenured as a professor in Harvard’s economics department, and that, too, at just 38 years of age. Three tenured women professors out of a total of 40 might not seem a great number, but Gopinath prefers to see the glass as half full, since the number is much better than what it used to be in the past. She believes that women could reap benefits from having senior women as mentors, but the task becomes that much more difficult when the pool is so small.
Image: Gita Gopinath
Gopinath herself tries to fill those shoes, especially as a teacher. Her ability to move between theory and data analysis proves her impressive skills as an educator, which has led her to work with some of the best doctoral students in the US. “She is really becoming a professional leader in terms of training economists,” Professor John Campbell, the chairman of Harvard’s economics department, has said of her. “She is the complete package.”
Gopinath’s ability to move between theory and data analysis proves her impressive skills as an educator, which has led her to work with some of the best doctoral students in the US.
Taking Challenges Head-On
Part of the Bloomberg 50 who defined 2019 and named one of the Top Global Thinkers in 2019 by Foreign Policy, Gopinath had called on the IMF to deal with turbulence in global markets, when she wrote for the World Economic Forum in October 2014. “Rather than waiting for a crisis to erupt before intervening, the IMF should provide ‘forward guidance’ on how it will tackle potential disruptions in international financial markets,” she wrote. At the time, it seemed her research challenged “conventional wisdom”, but pushed forward collective thinking in a beneficial way.
Her methods might need open-mindedness from various fronts, but Gopinath is not one to sit by and watch. She is someone who stands up and takes charge.
November is a very special month for us, as we celebrate 61 years of being India’s most-read women’s magazine. In this anniversary special, we celebrate New Beginnings in the post-pandemic world, and have featured women who have been path breakers in their fields by crossing the toughest barriers to reach where they are. Download our Anniversary 2020 issue and find out inspirational journeys of the latest copy and read about them UNSTOPPABLE women.
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