Two weeks into the U.S. government shutdown and, days before a potential default, president Barack Obama has made a last ditch attempt to restore credibility to the world's largest economy. In nominating Janet Yellen to chair the mighty Federal Reserve, the president has tried to soothe markets already roiled by Washington D.C.'s bickering. Do investors care whether Yellen is a woman ? Of course not, I hear you cry. What they care about is whether she will print more, cheap money and keep rates low. WATCH MORE: The most powerful woman you 've never heard of But aside from her immediate leanings on quantitative easing, Yellen's nomination is an important milestone for female representation in the world of monetary policy. Why ? Because for the first time a woman is being entrusted with the value of not just any currency but the world's most important reserve and trading currency. Her actions will touch the lives of millions at home and abroad, giving patriarchal societies pause for thought. READ MORE: Horrible way to fill one of world's most powerful jobs Women may not be allowed to vote in Saudi Arabia, for instance, but the country's main export -- oil -- is priced in dollars. Men may dominate the financial sector but for the next four years they will have to hang on a woman's every word. Yet as influential as she may be, Yellen cuts a lonely figure in the global organogram