Abstracts June 20th
Abstract of the theme of the day
The financial crisis of the 1980ies in Latin America, in many African and Asian countries was the starting point for a new international feminist debate on neoliberalism and macroeconomic policies. It was also starting point for a feminist critique of WTO-politics. DAWN played a crucial role in promoting the discussion about feminist critique of economic policies which spread to Western Europe and Northern America. In the years afterwards the discussion specialized into different important subjects: Trade policies, Gender Budgets, Social and Gender Regimes and Neoliberalism. The economy of care, the economy of "production and maintenance of human beings" always has been a basic issue of those different threads developed in the last 30 years. Now we are back to a global financial crisis.
Abstracts of the morning workshops
Workshop 1: The financial crisis and its implications to care. Sharing experiences and reflecting on common action.
Facilitated by Silke Steinhilber, Researcher and Consultant Germany
The workshop is a space for reflection and discussion about the effects
of the current financial and economic crisis on care. Evidence shows
that women workers in the Global South, East and the North see their
rights, livelihoods and their families' welfare threatened by the
impact of the crisis. Unemployment is expected to grow massively, state
support is flowing mainly to male-dominated sectors of the economy, and
the current increase in public debt is likely to produce massive
austerity measures in the social sector in the near future. Based on
the background of workshop participants, we will share our knowledge
and experience how these macroeconomic trends will impact formal and
informal patterns of care. We will discuss proposals for care-sensitive
and gender equitable economic policies and reflect on the possibility
of alliance-building and common action of women from different social,
cultural and national backgrounds.
Workshop 2: State budget, public expenditure, fiscal policies and aid policies
Facilitated by Hella Hoppe, Economist, FEPS and Ulrike Knobloch, Economist, Universities of St Gallen and Fribourg, Switzerland
The worldwide financial and economic crisis deeply affects the care and unpaid economy. It worsens not only the working conditions of those responsible to provide care, but also the living conditions of those you are dependent on care. In this workshop we will look at the negative effects of the financial and economic crisis on care work and unpaid labour especially with a view to the state budget, public expenditures and fiscal policies. We further ask how aid policies will be affected in the long run. Finally, the goal of the workshop is to discuss concrete political measures on national and global level to better the situation of care givers and care receivers
Workshop 3: Labour market and informal economy
Facilitated by Anja Franck, WIDE board and Gothenburg University
The workshop aims to raise questions around the gendered implications of labor market restructuring as a result of trade orientation and the economic crises. What are particular concerns for women workers - in both formal and informal employment relationships? This includes a discussion around the link between gender inequality and divisions of labor, women's ability to access various forms of employment and increasing pressure upon the informal economy as a result of retrenchments and restructuring.
Workshop 4: Transnational migration and remittances
Facilitated by Annemarie Sancar, SDC and WIDE Switzerland
What is the meaning of remittances for sending countries? How does it influence the public services? And how gendered is the impact of high dependence of remittances receiving countries? What are the opportunities and constraints of sending women? How is there gendered role reinforced? How can the national labour market influence the conditions under which sending women generate income? What would a gender responsive remittances policy of a state look like?
Workshop 5: The conference contributions through the lens of the "5-sector model of economy"
Organised and facilitated by Eva Klawatsch-Treitl and Luise Gubitzer from the WIDE Austria
To enable a broad understanding of the economy Luise Gubitzer developed a "5-sector model of economy". As a methodology of economic literacy it is an instrument to analyse different topics from an economic and feminist point of view.
In this workshop we will offer the possibility to reflect the lectures and discussions of the WIDE annual conference by the means of this instrument. The focus will be care and the financial crisis.
Luise Gubitzer and Eva Klawatsch-Treitl will follow the conference by the "lens" oft the 5-sector-model to find out which are important topics, controversies and perspectives. The workshop will be organized in a process oriented and participative way. After introducing the model, all participants are invited to use the model themselves as an analytical tool. A goal of the workshop is to formulate conclusions from a feminist perspective.
Roundtable: Die Beschlüsse der UN-Frauenkommission zu Care und ihre Umsetzung in der Schweiz (wird auf Deutsch durchgeführt)
Roundtable: The Conclusions of the UN-Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) and their implementation in Switzerland (in German)
Organisation und Moderation durch das Interdisziplinäre Zentrum für Geschlechterforschung IZFG, Universität Bern
Organised and facilitated by the Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies ICGS, University of Berne
Internationale Abkommen im Bereich der Gleichstellung, namentlich UNO-Konventionen und -Vereinbarungen, werden in der Schweiz nach wie vor selten eingesetzt, obwohl sie oft deutlich progressiver sind als die Schweizer Realität.An der 53. Session der UN-Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) wurden gemeinsame Schlussfolgerungen über die gleichberechtigte Teilung der Verantwortung von Frauen und Männern, insbesondere im Bereich der Pflege im Kontext von HIV/AIDS, verabschiedet. Diese Schlussfolgerungen verpflichten die Staaten unter anderem, eine Gender-Perspektive bei der Umsetzung von Massnahmen gegen die Finanzkrise einzubeziehen oder die derzeitige geschlechtsspezifische Arbeitsteilung zu verändern, sowohl bei der bezahlten als auch bei der unbezahlten Arbeit.
Am Roundtable werden nicht nur die Hauptergebnisse dieser Schlussfolgerungen, sondern auch der Nutzen derselben für die feministische Politik in der Schweiz diskutiert. Wie können diese Standards für feministische Anliegen genutzt werden? Welche Lehren können aus ihnen gezogen werden?
International treaties concerning Equality, namely UN conventions and agreements, are still rarely implemented in Switzerland, although they are often much more progressive than Swiss reality.
At the 53rd Session of the UN-Commission of the Status of Women (CSW) the agreed conclusions on "Equal Sharing of Responsabilities between Women and Men, including Care-Giving in the Context of HIV/AIDS" were signed. Among other things these conclusions obligate the states to integrate a gender perspective into measures to overcome negative impacts of the economic and financial crisis; or to change the current gender-based division of labour, including sharing of paid and unpaid work.
The round table will not only discuss the main results of these conclusions but also the use of their content for feminist politics in Switzerland. How can these standards be used for feminist concerns? What can they improve for us?