Former IMF First Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath has recounted an incident from her time as the institution's chief economist when she was told she was sitting in the "wrong chair" at a high-level meeting.

Gopinath also defended her recent criticism of a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping that featured no women among the roughly 40 officials present.

Don't Miss: RBI MPC June 2026: Gita Gopinath sees rate pause amid inflation and growth risks

'A painting of the end of meritocracy'

Gopinath said she shared the photograph because the absence of women was not merely a diversity issue but a question of merit.

"The reason I did is that for me, when I see a room like that, and I see there aren't women there, it's not the point that we need women because we want a diversity of opinion. Very often, the woman is the better person for the job," she said while speaking to Barkha Dutt on We The Women.

Referring to the US and Chinese delegations, she added: "We are in 2026, and you have a room with 40 people. It was not like five or six people. 40 people. The two largest economies of the world."

"Half of them are women who are contributing to that economy. And somehow you end up with not one single woman at the table."

Gopinath said that was why she described the image as "a painting of the end of meritocracy."

Rejecting the notion that women should be included only to broaden perspectives, she added: "No, I'm the better macroeconomist, which is why I should be in the room."

Gopinath has served as the IMF's Deputy Managing Director from January 2022 to August 2025.

Must Watch: "Oil Might Hit $140, Fuel Hikes Inevitable": Gita Gopinath Warns India Of Severe West Asia Shock!

'I think you're in the wrong chair'

Gopinath also recalled an episode from her tenure as IMF chief economist during a meeting with a central bank delegation in a country she declined to identify.

As head of the IMF delegation, she took the seat opposite the central bank governor, in line with diplomatic protocol.

Before the governor arrived, a woman seated nearby questioned her position. "She looked at me, and she said, 'I think you're in the wrong chair'," Gopinath recalled. 

The woman then pointed to a male colleague sitting beside her and suggested that "he should be where you are."

Gopinath said her colleague quickly intervened. "He just said, 'No, no, she's where she should be.'"

She then introduced herself, saying, "Well, I'm the chief economist of the IMF. I hope that's okay with you."

Moments later, the central bank governor arrived and sat down.

"The best part is that at that moment the central bank governor shows up and takes a seat and sits down and looks at me and says, 'I'm so great to meet you because we have a phenomenal female empowerment going on at the central bank,'" she recounted.

Women get fewer second chances

Asked whether women are judged more harshly than men, Gopinath said research supports that view.

"What you said is right, which is that there is very good scientific evidence that when women make a mistake, you don't get second chances. It's much harder," she said.

Citing studies involving doctors, she said female professionals often face steeper penalties for mistakes than their male counterparts.

As a result, she said, women must often prepare more rigorously. "My advice to all the women is that, please, you are going to prepare extra hard because you are not going to get too many chances to mess up."

"I want to be the person who has read every piece of material better than the other person has, and I show up," she said.