Conferences

Gender Justice and Business: feminist reflections

Kharkiv International Legal Forum, Kharkiv, Ukrainia,  26. September 2019

Annemarie Sancar was invited as a key note speaker to talk about feminist approaches to women and business from a gender specific perspective. The input of Annemarie Sancar will be poublished also by WILPF in the publication on the 100 Years of WILPF-Ceremony in Zürich in Sommer 2019.

Democracy and Equality beyond borders: promoting and strengthening asylum seeker, refugees and migrant women’s rights

WIDE+ and “Le Monde selon les Femmes”, Erasmus+ Project, Workshop and Discussion, 6. – 8. March, 2018, Brussels, Belgium.

The workshop on gender and migration in the framework of the “Feminist Forum” of the GUE/NGL Fraction in European Parliament will focus on two specific topics related to gender and migration from a feminist perspective: on the one side the parallel between security narratives in several European countries and the undermining of women’s rights and, on the other side, current migration trends and evidence showing an increase in human trafficking and increased vulnerability to exploitation affecting women. Annemarie Sancar, WIDE Switzerland, holds the opening statement on Gender, Migration and Securitization.  Against the background of the economic crisis in 2008, the increase of (fundamentalist) terrorism in Europe, the movement of refugees from war-torn countries to Europe in 2015/16, and the lack of solidarity, combined with democratic deficits in European governance, right wing discourses have won space in many European countries. Anti-migration discourses and practises are connected with racialized gender discourses, and women´s rights have become a battleground in many ways. The focus on European border defence and as a way of protecting citizens is a nationalist narrative that does not take into account the deeper economic and political causes of unemployment, impoverishment and lack of social security in Europe, nor the security and human rights concerns of refugee and migrant women.” For more Information and registration: here

 

 

WIDE+Conference 2016 in Bruxelles

The world seems to be in turmoil, and Europe is deeply affected as economic and political power is reconfiguring on a global scale. The recent Brexit is an expression of the deep divide in many countries, with right-wing populism on the rise. Years of austerity and market liberalisation politics have increased the social and economic precarity and feelings of insecurity. The lack of political transparency and democratic decision making resulted in a loss of credibility of both national governments and the EU. The potential of the EU as a peaceful, democratic, social and open-border model of cooperation is under threat. In view of the humanitarian crises in the EU neighbourhood which have forced millions of people to flee from their countries, Europe´s main answer is to build new fences to stop them.

Women In Development Europe+ (WIDE+) and the European Women’s Lobby (EWL) are organizing this two-day international conference to develop a consistent feminist analysis on these global developments faced by Europe. Panels and workshops will explore the ways in which social justice, gender equality and women’s rights are affected, sacrificed or squeezed.

Read the final statement: here.
More information: here.

Conference: gender@sustainability

Feminist Perspectives on Responses to the Crises in Ecology and (Care) Economy | 31th october 2014, Berne

The international agenda and national policy debates have been dominated by the discourses on sustainability as a response to the ongoing crises. But what exactly does sustainability encompass and what influence does it have on the global regimes? Who has the power to de/regulate and what kind of logic is hiding behind it? Can we speak of a sustainable development at all, when visions of statehood, democracy and our common future seem to disregard gender justice?

Is sustainability a viable ‘domain’ for gender justice? What do feminist perspectives on work and standard of living, on social security and justice disclose on the processes of development and sustainability? Can they influence these processes?

Experts at the WIDE conference analyse the responses to the economic and ecological crises and reflect on the social consequences. Researchers, activists and interested parties are welcome to participate in the discussions.

Documentation:

Program
Speakers and moderators
Celebration: An Evening of WIDE Utopias – a Toast to WIDE+

Words of Welcome, Carmen Meyer, Executive Director, cfd: Speech (only in German)

Opening Remarks, Franziska Müller, Secretary of WIDE Switzerland & Dögg Sigmarsdóttir, conference coordinator: Speech (only in German)

Gender Justice in the Discourse of Sustainability, Daniela Gottschlich, Political scientist, Leuphana University of Lüneburg: Speech (only in German), Slides (only in German)

Talks: Feminist Debates on Ecology and (Care) Economy,
Ulrike Röhr, Civil engineer and Sociologist, genanet – Leitstelle Gender, Umwelt, Nachhaltigkeit, Berlin
Mascha Madörin, Economist with key expertise in feminist political economy
Christa Wichterich, Sociologist, Publicist and Visiting Lecturer at the University of Basel
Report (only in German)
Listen to the talk

Contexts: Social Sustainability in Times of Deregulation,
Ulla Björnberg, Sociologist, University of Gothenburg: Speech, Slides
Ursula Keller, Senior Gender Policy Advisor SDC
Paula Rodríguez Modroño, Economist, Pablo de Olavide University, Sevilla: Speech, Slides, Report

Contradictions: Trade Regimes and Sustainable Development Goals
Sascha Gabizon, Executive Director WECF – Women in Europe for a Common Future: Slides
Andreas Zumach, Journalist, Publicist and UN-Expert: Report (only in German)

Workspace 1: Feminist Debate on the Crisis of Gender Justice
Debate with Jeannette Behringer, Fachstelle Gesellschaft & Ethik der ev.-ref. Landeskirche Zürich / Edmé Dominguez, School of Global Studies, University of Gothenburg/ Sascha Gabizon / Daniela Gottschlich / Ulrike Röhr
Workspace Report (only in German)

Workspace 2: Shaping the Glocal Space
Discussion with Elena Laporta, Otro Tiempo, Spain / Kinga Lohmann, KARAT, Poland / Christa Luginbühl, EvB, Clean Clothes Campaign / Ulrike Minkner, Uniterre / Paula Rodriguez Modroño / Andreas Zumach
Workspace Report

Workspace 3: Taking Care into Account
Seminar with Mascha Madörin, Economist with key expertise in feminist political economy
Input (only in German)
BIP – drei verschiedene Ansätze (only in German)
Volkswirtschaftliche Aspekte der Care Ökonomie (only in German)

Workspace 4: Economic Literacy – Standard of Living from the Household Perspective
Workshop organised by the Joan Robinson Association, WIDE Austria, and the Economic Literacy Group, WIDE Switzerland.
Workspace Report

Sustaining feminist Visions!
Workspaces Visions
Pictures

Conference: Gender Macht Arbeit

Working contexts from a feminist perspective | International conference | Friday, 4th May 2012 in Berne

The deepening of the global financial and economic crisis has triggered an acute crisis of care work and state provision sector. Within this context the conference “Gender Macht Arbeit” organized by WIDE Switzerland seeks to find answers to the following questions: how do societies go about organizing care and social provision services? Who does this work and under which conditions? Who has access to social welfare against the backdrop of severe state budget cuts and of increasing privatization of welfare services? How do households in the North and in the global South cope with the situation and what is happening on the globalized care work markets? Where do we stand with regards to women’s rights, time and money?

The WIDE conference investigates the transformations of gender power relations in the area of paid and unpaid work through the lens of a transnational feminist perspective and focuses on four thematic areas: household economy, health care system, globalized work, and public finances. The conference brings together experts and activists from the field of development, migration, social and economic policy and invites them to present different perspectives on the conference topics as well as results of their research in this area. All interested women and men are warmly welcome to join us in discussions, analyses and debates on work, gender and the care economy.

Program

More Information: here.

WIDE Annual Conference 2009: WE CARE!

Feminist responses to the Care Crises | June 18-20 at the University of Basel, in Basel

Care Economy and Care Crises
Care work, paid and unpaid, is a reality for most women all over the world, and care is a field characterized by enormous asymmetries between women and men. The critical analysis of the gender division and the valuation of work have been central motives of and motivations for feminist theories and struggles since the 1970s.
In the context of the global financial crisis (in particular) and other global challenges (such as growing poverty, food crises, climate change, HIV/AIDS pandemic), care crises are becoming more and more evident. The approaches proposed by the political, economical, and humanitarian mainstream to face these crises – i.e. public austerity policies, monetization of care and commercialization of essential public services, (re)privatization of care into households while simultaneously promoting market access for women – are a multiple challenge for feminists: The misleading but generally accepted assumption is that women are dedicated to care by nature and that they have enough time and capacity to provide the framework for the (re)construction of care work. Alternative development concepts and economic structures, like a care- and provision driven economy, in which women have always been key actors, are persistently being marginalized. And moreover, global and local care regimes are establishing new unequal divisions of labor among women of different classes and origins.

The conference sheds light on crucial questions concerning these linked and multiple crises:
What are the links between care crises, proposed remedies, and gender inequalities? What kinds of concepts and projects do we as feminists have to challenge the intersectional structures of power, the binary gender order, and the old and newly reshaped inequalities? How can we promote alternative conceptions of work, time, benefit, livelihood, and well-being?
Care and unpaid work have been important issues of the new feminist movement. The ways of discussing them however, have changed. The WIDE Annual Conference 2009 will provide space to learn and discuss paid and unpaid care work and the current debate in more detail. The conference will highlight the dynamics of care from different perspectives: north, east and south. We will try to link care economy to other spheres of the economy, particularly to the global financial crisis, as well as to ongoing debates on development and welfare, in which gender equality and social justice are at stake.

The conference provides spaces for discussions and brings together theory, experience, and policies from different regions. In addition, it offers an excellent opportunity to get to know the international WIDE network and the local platform WIDE Switzerland. The WIDE Annual Conference 2009 is open for all interested and committed individuals.

Documentation and Report:

Conference Report
Workshopreports
Program
Speakers

Abstracts:
June 18th
June 19th
June 20th

Presentations:
Day 1: Caring and Social Provisioning as a Starting Point for Feminist Analysis
Edita Vokral, Assistant Director General, SDC: Let’s care about care…! Download speech

Key findings of the UNRISD Study on the Care Economy:
Shahra Razavi, Research Coordinator, UNRISD: (Re)thinking Care in a Development Context: Download Power Point presentation; Download speech
Kathleen Lynch, University College Dublin: Affective Equality: Who Cares? Download Power Point presentation; Download speech

Comparative Presentation by UNRISD research contributors:
Frances Lund, University of KwaZulu-Natal:The UNRISD Project, The Political Economy of Paid and Unpaid Care, The South African country study: Download Power Point presentation
Ito Peng,  University of Toronto:The Political and Social Economy of Care in South Korea
Download Power Point presentation
Brigitte Schnegg, Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies (ICFG), University of Berne: Care Economy in Switzerland- Key Findings of the UNRISD- Study: Download Power Point presentation; Download speech

Day 2: Highlighting three thematic areas of the Care Economy
The Paid Formal and Informal Care Work: Power Relations along the Care Chains

Karin Pape, WIEGO and Global Labour Institute: WIEGO’s approach to improve the status of informal workers, especially women with special attention for domestic workers: Download Power Point Presentation
Rhacel Salazar Parreñas, University of California: The Gender Revolution in the Philippines: Migrant Care Workers and Social Transformations: Download speech

Food Chains and Care Crises: Women’s Right and the Right to Food
Tina Goethe, SWISSAID and WIDE Switzerland: Food Sovereignty as one answer to the Care Crisis: Download speech
Elisabeth Bürgi, World Trade Institute: Agriculture and Care: Download speech

Body Politics and Care Regimes: Body Politics, Sexual Rights and Gender Justice
Zeedah Meierhofer-Mangeli, Akina Mama wa Africa and Resource Center for Black Women, Switzerland: LOVE ‐ LABOUR  OF  LOVE: Download speech
Sabin Bieri, Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies (ICFG), University of Berne:Introduction to the thematic area 3: Body politics, sexual rights and gender justice: Download Power Point Presentation

Day 3: The Global Financial and Economical Crisis and their Effects on the Provision of and Access to Care
The Global Financial Crises: what Impacts does it have on Care Crises?

Isabella Bakker, York University, Canada: The Global Financial Crisis and Care: Context and Gender Aware Responses: Download Power Point
Stephanie Seguino, University of Vermont, USA: Gender, Well-Being and the Global Economic Crises: Download Power Point
Marina Durano, Representative of DAWN, Philippines: Policy Space for Developmental States in a Multipolar World: In Search of Social Reproduction and Economic Redistribution: Download Power Point
Christa Wichterich, Sociologist, Publicist and Gender Consultant: Feminist Responses, Demands and Perspectives: Download Power Point.