Gender and the Economic Crisis: Opportunities for Equitable Responses

Center of Concern, Heinrich Böll Foundation, and the Institute for Women’s Policy Research

invite you to a discussion forum on

Gender and the Economic Crisis: Opportunities for Equitable Responses

Wednesday, April 22, 2009
1:00-3:00 PM
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Choate Room
1779 Massachusetts Avenue, NW (close to Dupont Circle Metro Station)

Welcome: Kristin Sampson, Center of Concern

Featured Speakers:

• Rania Antonopoulos, Research Scholar at Levy Institute of Economics at Bard College
• Lanyan Chen, Professor and Foreign Expert at the Institute of Gender and Social Development at Tianjin Normal University in China, currently in the US as a Fulbright Scholar
• Heidi Hartmann, President, Institute for Women's Policy Research
• Marie Shaba, Human Rights Activist, Tanzania
• Mayra Buvinic, Sector Director of the Gender and Development Group, PREM at the World Bank

Moderator: Liane Schalatek, Heinrich Böll Foundation

Recent years have seen a convergence in global crises: commodity and energy prices on global markets, breakdown in global financial markets, deep recession in the real economy, and an increase in climate-related disasters. As of March 2009, all developed economies were in recession with increasing numbers of developing countries feeling the effects of the financial crisis and spillover into the real economy. This time of global hardship and insecurity, however, may also offer the opportunity for leadership and bold policy action to reduce inequalities among nations and across poverty and gender lines. Without bold leadership and new thinking progress made in poverty reduction and women’s equality, two key developmental goals, may come to a halt and reversals may be on the horizon. The panel seeks to provide responses to the following questions:

• How is the crisis impacting men and women differently across developed and developing economies?
• How can governments develop recovery packages that address the immediate economic needs while advancing gender equality?
• Given the recent systemic failure, what does gender analysis offer in terms of redefining the macroeconomic structures and governance frameworks?

For any questions or comments please contact Kristin Sampson at (202) 635-2757, x128 or ksampson@coc.org.

Please RSVP by email to Gisa at gisa@boell.org